Classic krautrock revisited: new versions of songs originally recorded by… Kraftwerk : Michael Rother : Eloy : Edgar Froese : Agitation Free : Faust Amon Düül : Mythos : Can : Brainticket : Embryo : Amon Düül II

We love krautrock here at Fruits de Mer, it was my first big musical obsession – nearly 50 years ago – investigating a section in the local Virgin record shop headed ‘krautrock’, record labels I’d never heard of, LPs by bands with unpronounceable names, in bizarre sleeves, full of wild sounds that were a million miles away from Led Zep and Deep Purple; for me, the music still sound intense, groundbreaking and the bands remain influential 50 years on – if they didn’t, I wouldn’t have found so many artists keen to reinterpret songs from those heady days.

As many of you know, we released a double LP of covers – ‘Head Music’ – back in 2012, followed it with more of the same, but on a somewhat smaller scale (a double 7” called ‘shrunken Head Music’) and earlier this year released a double LP + double CD set of music inspired by the German kosmische/synth pioneers of the early 70s.

Now we’re back revisiting legendary labels such as Brain, and some of the heavier sounds and heavier Germanic bands from the start of the 1970s (although by side 6 of this set we do come up for air with new takes on the likes of Kraftwerk’s ‘Autobahn’ and Can’s ‘Moonshake’, which perhaps helped signify the end of a pretty remarkable era of music). All the tracks on ‘Head Music 2’ are covers except the Schizo Fun Addict contribution, and even that is heavily indebted to the Cosmic Jokers.

I hope you have as much listening to the set as I have in putting it together.

If it’s a genre that new to you, use this set as a stepping-stone to discovering some of the original bands (and yes, we know Brainticket were Swiss, but they were close).

Track listing

Vespero - Between The Eyes (Amon Duul II)
Das Blaue Palais - Krautrock (Faust)
Tony Swettenham - Rucksturz (Agitation Free)
Cary Grace - Surrounded By The Stars (Amon Duul II)
Revbjelde - Dreaming Girls (Embryo)
Das Blaue Palais - Dedicated To Wernher von Braun (Mythos)
Vespero - Castle In The Air (Eloy)
Jay Tausig - Father Cannot Yell (Can)
Das Blaue Palais - Snow Your Thirst And Sun Your Open Mouth (Amon Düül)
Schizo Fun Addict - Galactic Joke Part D (inspired by the Cosmic Jokers)
The Legendary Flower Punk - Sonnenrad (Michael Rother)
Rob Gould - One Morning (Brainticket)
Maat Lander - Neon Lights (Kraftwerk)
Spurious Transients - Autobahnmelodie (Kraftwerk)
Black Tempest - Nights Of Automatic Women (Edgar Froese)
The Arthur Park - Moonshake (Can)
Spurious Transients - Autobahn Verkehrsgeräusche (Kraftwerk)

and you can listen to 'Sonnenrad' by The Legendary Flower Punk HERE

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