GÄA - Alraunes Alptraum, 1975 [1999 GoD CD 025]An obscure 1970's progressive from the Saarland region. They were formed in 1973 with the line-up of: Helmut Heisel (guitar), Peter Bell (bass) and Stefan Dorr (drums), with their roots in a school covers band called The Phantoms. Thy went on to expand to a 6-piece with the addition of Gunter Lackes (keyboards), Werner Frey (rhythm guitar, vocals) and a percussionist. Over the next couple of years they gigged extensively gaining their own sound and a unique repertoire of material. Apparently, at one gig, independent label manager Fred Kersten caught them and decided to sign them to his label. The line-up changed in the meantime, with Heisel being replaced by Werner Frey and Bell adding flute to his duties.
Gaa (pronounced "Gaya", the ancient Greek Goddess of the Earth) went on to release one of the most legendary of albums on the now rare and sought after Kerston Records label. By way of a paradox, for some strange reason, it seems that Mr. Kersten had lost interest in Gaa, he never got enthusiastically involved in the recording of the album, and when it was eventually released it only came out as a very limited pressing and he never promoted it at all. A typically cosmic Krautrock band, who like Mythos or Virus, infused their Teutonic art with lots of guitars and keyboards, slight folky edges that remind of Witthuser & Westrupp (notably the acoustic guitars and flute), and much in the way of Pink Floyd trippy styling. With enigmatic lyrics in unusually poetic German, and lengthy largely instrumental tracks, they knew all the classic moves, spaced-out organs - the works - "On the way to Uranus" is a magical otherworldly album, a Krautrock classic!
The band continued on to 1975, winning a local rock festival award, and started recordings for a second album (never completed) documented by the first three tracks on the CD release ALRAUNES ALPTRAUM. However, the essential Peter Bell had left meanwhile, and the instrumentation was slimmed-down. The structure was thus far more conventional, hard-rock based, though still uniquely "angst" ridden.
Gaa disbanded in 1978, with Bell and Frey both in Mr. Grabstein, and Lackes joined a pop band called The Blackbirds. As many bands do, in later years they occasionally got back together for a session and re-live old times, with 4 tracks (one per year, 1984-1987) being used to fill-up the rest of the CD.
The Crack in the Cosmic Egg
![Изображение](http://i57.servimg.com/u/f57/11/93/58/14/full10.jpg)
Album: Alraunes AlptraumНа альбоме содержится три композиции с неизданного второго альбома группы минут на 20 и более простенькие вещицы из 80-х годов. Вещи 70-х, конечно, очень хороши, в стиле первого альбома, хотя менее тяжелые. Все тот же интересный орган, все те же гитарные партии в стиле Гилмора, мощный немецкий вокализ и подобные деликатесы. Как ни странно, две вещи из 80-х тоже мне понравились, группа стала играть что-то ближе к харду, отдавая дань моде, но тоже довольно интересно, с неожиданными инструментальными всплесками и талантливыми аранжировками.
Year: 1975
Label: Garden of Delights
Format: RAR(+3%) Flac(separate)+HQ SCANS
Size: 464 Mb
Source: my CD
Line-up:
Werner Frey - guitar, vocals
Helmut Heisel - bass
Gunter Lackes - keyboards
Stefan Dorr - drums
With:
Uwe Stumpf
Bernd Keffer
Sascha Hoffner
Uli Klabunde
Hans-Jurgen Sturmer
Jupp Dorr
Tracklist:
1. Autobahn (6:28)
2. Heilende Sonne (3:55)
3. Morgendammerung (9:52)
Bonus Tracks:
4. Tabbert (1984) (4:41)
5. Du (1985) (5:32)
6. Inspektion (1986) (3:55)
7. Warum (1987) (6:03)
YandexDisk:
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