Amon Düül II
Yeti

In late 1960s Germany, the stirrings of youthful social protest were deeply rooted. Politicized communes flourished, epitomizing a libertarian lifestyle and the use of drugs seen as a method to expand consciousness. All of this was imported from what was happening in America with the hippie communities and with groups like Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead, who embodied the spirit of the era. From this perspective, Germany confirmed itself as the periphery of the Empire, a direct consequence of the defeat in the Second World War. It seemed, therefore, that the desire for rebellion was a pale copy of what was happening in the United States: in some respects it was (as it was in Italy), but young Germans were strongly inclined to build something new, and to do this, they recovered their cultural roots. The political and musical commune of Amon Düül in Munich was one of the most important: it is even mentioned by Bernward Vesper in his interesting book “Il viaggio”, a sort of fundamental text to understand the “zeitgeist” of the period. Vesper was the partner of Gudrun Ennslin, later sadly famous for being one of the fiercest terrorists of the Baader-Meinhof gang. The Amon Düül then, as is known, split into 2 branches, with Amon Düül II certainly representing the better part musically. The first album “Phallus Dei” (1969) is a crazy raw diamond that still shines with a devastating and demonic energy: the cover recalls the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and there is indeed a gothic and dark atmosphere. The music combines psychedelia and avant-garde, characteristic of all Krautrock, a scene that will prove to be original and stylistically far from contemporary symphonic progressive. The core of the group revolved around the multi-instrumentalist Chris Karrer, guitarist John Weinzierl, organist Falk Rogner, and drummer Peter Leopold.

The following “Yeti” (1970) improved even further on “Phallus Dei”: “Yeti” is a monument to the wildest creativity, a music out of the box in which the Amon Düül II celebrate a pagan mass in honor of the ancient Germanic Gods. If Wagner had played rock music, the result would have been an album like “Yeti”. The guitar attack of “Soap Shock Rock” is decisive, very German in its power. The “Gulp A Sonata” section is Wagnerian and operatic, with Karrer's violin taking center stage. The second side opens with “Archangel’s Thunderbird”, where the group pours out all its energy and where the para-operatic voice of the great Renate Knaup stands out, a track that is a small classic. “Cerberus” is incredible in its gypsy march, a psychedelic celebration of Balkan folk. “The Return Of Rubezhal” is oriental and immense in its search for some lost monastery in Tibet and is followed by the ritual panic of “Eye Shaking King”. “Pale Gallery” closes the first LP in a calm but threatening and unsettling way.

The third side consists of the lengthy improvisation of “Yeti (improvisation)”. We are in the realm of psychedelic music, a direct descendant of “Interstellar Overdrive” by the Pink Floyd of Syd Barrett of whose lesson is extreme: Falk Rogner's organ constructs liquid sonic tapestries on which the penetrating guitar of Weinzierl, the pulsating bass of Dave Anderson, and the frenetic drums of Peter Leopold soar in what is a true ritual celebrated within the Black Forest. “Yeti Talks To Yogi (improvisation)” continues in the groove of “Yeti”: here too, the Pink Floyd come to mind: one must not forget the importance of an album like “Ummagumma”, very influential for the Krautrock scene. It closes with the tranquil “Sandoz In The Rain”, a Cosmic folk that celebrates the mystical journeys induced by drugs and is similar to “Paradies Warts Düül” by the Amon Düül.

At the end of the listening, one remains shocked and overwhelmed by such beauty. “Yeti” is a timeless masterpiece that celebrates Amon Düül II as one of the best European bands of the period.