AGITATION FREE - MALESH Vertigo Swirl Orig. Prog Kraut
€
207
$
240
€ 207
Sold For
Dec 22, 2010
Sold Date
Dec 15, 2010
Start Date
34
Number Of Bids
France
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
AGITATION FREE : Malesch (Very rare 1st press German Vertigo Swirl LP from 1972)
- FORMAT: 12"Vinyl-LP / 33rpm
- CAT.-NO.: 6360 607 stereo
- LABEL: Vertigo / Phonogram
- COUNTRY: Made in Germany
- RELEASE DATE: P&C 1972
- LABELSTAMP: orig. black & white Vertigo Swirl
- COVER: Original gatefold cover
- CONDITION : Record EXC / Gatefold Cover vg+ (Has the original PHONOGRAM iMPORT sticker)
AGITATION FREE arose from the WEST BERLIN KRAUTROCK scene back in 1967, but never obtained true international recognition, unlike the BERLIN bands Tangerine Dream, with at least 50 albums, ASH RA TEMPLE/ ASHRA, and Klaus Schulze. For whatever reasons, AGITATION FREE fell just short of this level of international success. This is a pity, because besides their first album MALESCH, their second album (called SECOND), and four other titles, this band has almost NO discography.
Nevertheless, their talent was recognized by the Goethe Institute, who sent the band on a tour of the Near East sometime in 1972. While on tour, the band made "field recordings" of Near Eastern musicians, and street sounds. Combined with their long experience jamming in the progressive, FLUXUS influenced BERLIN music communes, the album MALESCH was born. Unlike most albums recorded today, this album works as a unit, flowing from one idea, song title, cultural and musical influence to another seemlessly. The album opens with some Arabic street sounds, dissolves into a far out groove based song, only to dissolve again into a KOSMIK MUSIK influenced piece. By the time that song winds down, youre propelled into a marimba based number, reminiscent of Steve Reich's experimental composistions. Whether the band is focusing on their lead guitar player's smooth tone and fluid melodic movements, or the elastic bass and drum interplay, or the organ and mellotrone washes, each song relaxes the heart, and excites the imagination simutaneously. When one theme is finished, more of their middle eastern FOUND STREET MUSIC is brushed over the soundscape, and a new song arises. Some have compared the band's sound to the Grateful Dead period, when they were transistioning between songs, with modal jazz structures, ambient sounds, and world percussion. (THINK: Europe '72, and the PROLOGUE/EPILOGUE songs). It's an obvious comparison, however, there are no lyrics, interrupting the psychic, psychedelic flow of the music from one "number" to the next. Both sides of the original "album" merge song to song. Neither is this KOSMISCHE MUSIK, where all the songs are 20 minute epics of meandering sonic washes, or those horrible synth arpeggios. AGITATION FREE employs melodies played primarily on the electric guitar, with some keyboard and tonal percussion used for more than just color. These colorful, miasmic negative spaces help to frame the density and beauty of the full band instrumental arrangements. Even with the Arabic writing on the cover, and the middle eastern titles to the songs, the real "world music" influence is nowhere NEAR as prevalent as you might hear in EMBRYO's "STIEG AUS" album, Or Dzyan's ELECTRIC SILENCE album, where arabic scales and instruments abound.
Who would love this band? If you like music with psychedelic, jazzy interplay, spiced up with bits of middle eastern music framing inventive instrumental rock, you'll enjoy this album. If you are impressed with instrumental prowlness, and experimental composing, then you'll find this album to your liking.
By W. T. Hoffman "artist and musician" (Pennsylvania, United States)
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