Amon Düül II
Phallus Dei

Germany in the late '60s was a country rich in cultural ferment: the youth protest was very strong, albeit inevitably derivative of the American model: this led to the creation of many politicized communes, including that of Amon Düül, which was notoriously very radicalized. To fully understand the context in which Amon Düül emerged, it is very useful to read the book by Rolf Ulrich Kaiser – a German journalist and record producer fundamental in the birth of the Krautrock scene - “Guide to Pop Music”. Aside from politics, the protest manifested itself in music: Amon Düül were basically a group of non-musicians: the delirious and cathartic result of these sessions can be heard in the legendary “Psychedelic Underground” (1969), later cited as a source of inspiration by the experimental Nurse With Wound. An icon of the sexual revolution in Germany, model Uschi Obermeier, was part of this group. The commune later split into two factions: the second group, much more interested in music, unimaginatively renamed itself Amon Düül II.

The first album resulting from the split was titled "Phallus Dei" (1969), and it remains to this day, although very raw, a dark gem of Luciferian power that resonated at the time in the minds of every enlightened listener: it was clear that something crazy was emerging in Germany, that music influenced by American psychedelia and the early acid-driven Pink Floyd of Barrett but very much aware of its Teutonic roots was taking shape. This is a very beloved record for those into psychedelia, while the subsequent records will be more appreciated by prog followers.

The album begins with the long free-rock suite "Phallus Dei", which is also the only point of contact with the old Amon Düül: an apparently improvised psychedelic "trip" with a massive presence of every type of percussion: in this piece, the group unleashes all its creativity, alternating moments of hypnotic psychedelia with more experimental others but never failing to captivate and immersing the listener in a seemingly endless nightmare from which it is difficult to awaken.

Side B begins with "Kanaan", immediately an epic "standard", a very effective piece that immediately hits the mark with a pagan power that awakens hidden ancient Gods: the impact is devastating and continues with the black-tinged psychedelia of "Dem Guten, Schonen, Wahern", where the operatic falsetto singing of Renate Knaup awakens the feverish nightmare visions of Edgar Allan Poe. The following track "Luzifers Ghilom" has a devastating pre-punk power, a death dance performed by ancient druids in the Black Forest.

The final march "Henriette Krotenschwanz", once again punctuated by the magnificent singing of Renate Knaup, ends a delirium that perhaps could only have been born in the crazy minds of this commune and in the dark lands of Germany.

"Phallus Dei" is still their best-selling album today and, despite being recorded in an amateurish way, it remains perhaps their masterpiece, even though the subsequent "Yeti" and "Dance of the Lemmings" will be more refined and better recorded.