GROBSCHNITT: Solar Music Live - Remastered CD
Now this game about remastering old CD's is a bit of a minefield - in many cases, there is hardly any difference between the original and the remaster, unless you've got thousands of pounds of music playing equipment or ears like a bat. Sometimes the mix of old and new can positively ruin a previously classic album. Occasionally, though, a remaster shines like a beacon in the night, and this is one such item. When you play it next to the original, you gasp at the new clarity of sound and the way the band appears to be playing in the same room. It really is a phenomenal job. But even better than that, it's an already sensational album of largely instrumental prog-rock but prog with feeling, dynamics and some mind-bending guitar work, not at all insipid and one of the great Euro-rock albums of the last 30 years. If all that wasn't enough, it also now has an extra 13 minutes of previously unreleased music as part of the suite, thus restoring the whole track back to its original form, resulting in one all-round work of exceptional music.
GROBSCHNITT: The History Of Solar Music Vol 1 DBL CD 6trax/139 mins
GROBSCHNITT: The History Of Solar Music Vol 2 DBL CD 4 trax/148 mins
God is having a meeting with his "history of the musical world" committee........................
"......and then in the seventies, we saw then rise of the epic - you know - tracks such as 'Suppers Ready' or 'Close To The Edge', single pieces that lasted a long time and became classics. While the ulitmate on the prog side turned into 'Topographic Oceans', gentlemen, we must not forget to include the guitar-based epics, things such as Man's 'Spunk Rock' or even Camel's 'God Of Light'.
"But what about Grobschnitt?", came a voice. "Grobschnitt?", God replied, "who the hell are Grobschnitt?"
"Only the band who made one of the most underrated and yet absolute classic epic tracks of the seventies", the voice replied.
"And what would that be then", God said inquisitively, "show me evidence!"
"Well, sir", the voice replied, "they did this track called 'Solar Music', originally in '73, a thirty minute studio track but which later became a live favourite for years to come - why here, I happen to have just the evidence you require."
The voice got out two CD's, CD's that detailed the history of this epic track. God listened intently. Over the course of nearly five hours, he thrilled to a massive hour long version of the track from a year unmarked in time; delighted in the powerhouse version that was recorded live in '79; wallowed in the glories of a classic hour long version from '78 and remained transfixed by a previously unreleased performance from '74, not to mention a stupendous performance from '73. He saw that it was good.........in fact he saw that it was amazing!!
"Just listen to those guitars, those synths, the structure, the fluidity and strength of the rhythm section, the dynamics, the way the piece builds to its climaxes then relaxes only to build yet again, and all with such feel and passion - it's incredible", He said, "never have I heard instrumental music that transcends the prog-rock and rock/guitar music worlds and sound so full, so accessible, so addictive, so transfixing - you have done well!"
He declared that from henceforth, no longer would the likes of Genesis, Yes, Camel, Man and similar be sole possessors of the crown for epic track of all time - let Grobschnitt's 'Solar Music' be added to the list.
GROBSCHNITT: History Of Solar Music Vol 3 DBLCD
GROBSCHNITT: History Of Solar Music Vol 4 DBLCD
In my rather surreal, although admittedly, well-received review of the first two volumes in this series, I really didn't describe the music. So, here let me redress the balance. First, the 'Vol 3' features more non-'Solar Music' music (if you see what I mean), including a track from Hagen in '69, but still has two versions of the title track from '75 and '81, while the 'Vol 4' has two epic, hour-long, versions of the track from '77 and '78 that are just incredible. Essentially, 'Solar Music' started life out as a studio track on the second album 'Ballermann' at 33 minutes, then became a stage favourite with a spectacular stage-show to boot, and from there on just blossomed as THE track that the band just had to do in concert. The track, predominantly instrumental, remains THE supreme example of what is a mix of prog-rock, Krautrock and structured jamming, with a sense of dynamics that means it starts at a high, drops down, builds, achieves peak after peak after peak along its epic length, often lasting up to an hour, with guitars, synths, drums and bass achieving nirvana on many occasions along the way. Really, it's one of those classic timeless tracks that you put on the same pedestal as things like 'Supper's Ready', 'Gates Of Delerium' and 'God Of Light', but for far too long ignored by people out there who'd love it to death but never realized what it was. If you like fantastic music with superb dynamics and playing, you just owe it to yourself to get any one of these four albums, or dip your toe in the water with the original single CD issue of the track, now remastered. Either way, don't ignore it - open your mind and prepare to be dazzled.
GROBSCHNITT: History Of Solar Music Vol 5 DBLCD
It's hard to believe that this series does this, but it's just getting better and better in all sorts of ways. We now have five - count them - FIVE!!!! - double CD's, each containing versions of the greatest undiscovered rock epic track of all time, 'Solar Music', and every single one is simply amazing, each in its own way, with versions ranging from just over thirty minutes to darn near sixty minutes in length. The track, if you hadn't gathered by now, is a largely instrumental track centred around the band of lead guitar, synths, bass and drums, and is an emotional rollercoaster of epic proportions, constantly building and building then dropping down only to go even higher thereafter, and so on - the sort of thing that makes a track such as Camel's 'God Of Light Revisited' or any of the epic tracks by the likes of Yes, Genesis, etc, all look positively weak and tame in comparison.
So, to 'Vol 5' and it opens with one of THE most EXPLOSIVE versions of 'Solar Music' (from 1975) yet to be unleashed, with a volume that has the needles over in the red and a power of playing that bores holes in your skull at vast distances. It sounds almost like an audience recording until you realise that it's just sheer music force that is wiping out everything in its path, including your ears. The interplay from the band is simply staggering and the way the piece just steamrollers from dizzy height to dizzy height, is nothing short of mind-blowing. Around thirty three minutes, the dust settles as you reach a musical pause for breath, but then it all starts to build once more as the guitars ring out the rhythm section fires up, the synths provide the backdrop and then this awesome lead guitar bellows out a solo that is positively incandescent as the band become a mass of sonic soup that leaps into the airwaves like a musical nuclear mushroom cloud, the guitar spiralling out of sight as the band powers up and the whole thing is like a depiction of the world ending - and you sit there with dry mouth, spine tingling and adrenaline racing, loving every last second of it - it just doesn't come better than this, and when it all suddenly drops around the thirty eight minute mark, you feel like you've just run a marathon as you pause for breath and wait - knowing it's not over yet - but instead of rising up once more, the track slowly cruises to its final resting place on a gorgeously tranquil sea of gently chiming guitars, hushed rhythm section and soaring string synth - the perfect end and as close to the musical equivalent of lovemaking as you'll find. Incredible!!!
But then you realise there's more - on CD1 you get a ten minute rendition of 'Razzia from 1983 that really powers ahead with some steaming riffing and fiery rhythms, nearly six minutes of 'Poona Express', nine minutes of 'Mary Green' that has some superb synth-guitar duelling in the mid section instrumental passages, ending with a sizzling ten minute version of 'Illegal', all decidedly audience recordings on a bootleg scale but actually sounding so raw and energetic, you genuinely feel they are presented at their best, and you can see why they've been included, based on the sheer genius of playing - one of those nights in concert where the sparks just flew!!
Then, it's over to CD2 - continuing the Dortmund '83 tracks with a couple of shorter pieces, before a near sixteen minute '12 Jahre Grobschnitt…' that really presents all sides of the band in one track. Finally, as you'd have guessed, they keep a version of 'Solar Music' to last, this time also an audience recording, from the same Dortmund '83 concert - opening with the audience chanting the title - and, as the earlier '75 performance, around forty-two minutes long, this time opening with piano and vocals before it's right into the opening sea of riffs and chanting with the needles so far into the red, the thing actually distorts as the energy levels immediately rise to incendiary. Eight years on from the previous version and you hear that a lot of the explosive power, while still there, is now more dramatic and dynamic, so that rather than bursting your brain cells, the music caresses them slowly, wrapping them up in waves of sonic delight as guitars soar into the brainwaves and synths journey to your soul, vibrant bass almost poetically solid, as the piece cruises rather than drives for the first seventeen minutes, quite one of the most gorgeous starts to a version of this epic that you'll hear. But then, around the eighteen minute mark, things threaten to become unleashed as this monster passage of dirty guitar riffing and crunching rhythm section start to power up as you wonder where the track is heading before the riffing drops into the background to allow the synths to take centre stage, the crowd becoming a part of the piece, as the band come to the fore and climb, only then to drop back to allow the bass more solo room above the synths and start to duel with them too, as the drums roll all around the mix, a passage where the guitar is almost absent, more textural, and yet another different take on the epic piece ensues. It isn't until you reach the last seven minutes that you become aware that this is the perfect complement to the earlier version - in that there is going to be no explosion, no nuclear force playing - instead this, you realise, is one of THE most symphonic versions of the track you've heard to date. Again, as good as it gets and just so different that you immediately return to hear it again, just so you can really relive what this version is all about.
Overall, another winner - beware the recording quality for fans for whom that sort of thing matters, but don't be put off by it for the music loses nothing and, if anything, is actually enhanced by it - simply stunning and no mistake.
Following is a mail I received from Eroc about the above album:
(A really great review, Andy - many thanks!!!
Concerning the sound: in case you can't read it on the sleeve - the 1983 recording is the only
recording existing from this year. It was made by a fan, standing right among the audience near
the mixer with two tiny mikes taped (!) left and right to his head and a cassette-deck in his
pocket. He had to stand still like a pole for two consecutive hours to get the best result. I then
worked for months to whip everything out of the cassette. The sound isn't too far from what it was
back then on this huge meadow outside in front of an audience of 25.000 - our P.A. was slightly too
"small" for this event...
Bestwishes,
- Eroc)
GROBSCHNITT: Die Grobschnitt Story 5 DBLCD
Over two and a half hours of previously unreleased tracks, of which the first eighty minute disc is all music, while, of the second eighty minute disc, just under half is music, the rest composed of lots of sections of early interviews and typically Grobschnitt madness, a definite "plus" if you can speak German. So, effectively you are still getting just under two hours of music for your money and a trip around the "programmable tracks" part of your CD player on the second. But, despite the nearly all instrumental tracks on CD2, which when played together sound just fantastic, it's still CD1 that you will be playing to death with some surging music which just builds and builds from the five minute 'Der Western' through nine minutes of fiery 'Nickelodeon' to eleven minutes of 'Magic Train', and all of this just the starter for what's to come, even though you'll hear some powerful and magical instrumental work from the guitars, synths and rhythm section that cook up a most potent brew. Because, then it's into the full eighteen minutes of 'Der Sinfonie', a live rendition of the longest track from the very first album, and here sounding so on-fire and urgent, as it powers its way into your head with a passion, the work from the bass, drums, organ and guitars sounding just unbelievably red hot and sensational. For this is the sound of a complete eighty minute concert from 1973 - yes, 1973!! - and you're plunged headlong into the classic, psychdelic, ground-breaking, distinctive sounding seventies Krautrock explosion and what you're hearing here is simply jaw-dropping as the guitars, keys and rhythm section deliver a seriously strong psych-prog offering. But, if all that didn't have you salivating, the best is saved for last as the band launch into a 1973 live rendition of the undeniably classic epic, 'Solar Music', and here you witness the birth of what was to become one of their, not to mention rock as a whole's, greatest live tracks ever. With a strong introduction that sees the band and vocalist on fire, the track dies down to a more cosmic Krautrock sea of atmosphere as guitars shimmer, the keys provide a deep river of sound below and the bass gently throbs, this calming down even more to just guitars and keys, before, around eight minutes on, the drums re-enter, bass throbs, the organ provides the backdrop to the chiming guitars and then it begins - the cyclical riff that the band as a whole start to play, becoming louder, more thunderous, more intense as your skull threatens to explode from the sheer magical way the passage is building, only saved when the lead guitar breaks out into a searing solo above the still building sea of Krautrock thunder. For the next twenty minutes you are lifted out of your body to an altogether better place as the magnificence that is this performance of 'Solar Music' takes you up and out there on wave after scorching wave of driving, addictive rhythms, organ backdrops, a seriously full, mighty sound and some of the most fiery red-hot electric guitar duelling that you've ever heard, so potent you'd think you were in the middle of some Led Zeppelin maelstrom only proggier and way more psychedelic. All of this rises to an almost unbearable climax as you just sit there, open-mouthed at what you're hearing, barely able to come down from a high so incredible, but then the track begins the journey down for you as the brakes are finally applied and it's full speed down to a pace that is positively sedate, the final four minutes appearing so blissful and languid in comparison, as the guitars chime slowly the rhythm section takes you down and the organs fills out the sound, a truly cosmic climax to the almost hallucinogenic musical trip you've just been on - and one of the most amazing tracks you'll ever hear. Believe me, you'll play CD1 for years and years to come - it's 32 years old and sounds absolutely timeless - and it's worth the price for this on its own. Another triumph from the archives and another reason you should own every version of 'Solar Music' (and there are many) that you can lay your hands on.
