Affenstunde
(1970)
The earliest incarnation
of Popol Vuh may have been the most pioneering version
of the group, but their debut album Affenstunde
is certainly a far cry from classic later albums like
Einsjager & Siebenjager or Seligpreisung,
stylistically. Depending on who you ask, this version
of Popol Vuh was either the only one that really mattered,
or simply a befuddled, overly ambitious stage to be left
for completists only. Indeed, Florian Fricke is often
cited as one of the pioneers of the Moog synthesizer, and
those familiar exclusively with this later, piano-based
work may have been wondering why. To be sure, Affenstunde
and its more successful follow-up, In den Garten Pharaos,
feature plenty of experimentation with the instrument,
for better or for worse.
So is it any good?
Well, it's successful in points, but somewhat over stretched
and inconsistent in others. As expected, much of the album
is dominated by Fricke and his cohorts futzing around with monophonic
synthesizer pulses, beeps, whizzes, whirs and, occasionally,
discernible melodies. Behind this are walls of wan, cavernous
electronic sound. Some of the most rewarding moments come
about when an active rhythmic base is established by a frenetic
percussion player banging away on hand drums and bongos.
The opening minutes of the title track, for example, feature
this exciting backdrop, over which a repetitive synthesizer
motif rumbles along, complemented by ghastly, inhuman howling
sounds of an unknown origin. Haunting. Overall though,
the album presents a kind of vision that would be matured and
ultimately perfected on the next album, In den Garten Pharaos,
towards which all potential early Popol Vuh cosmonauts are hereby
directed.
- Greg Northrup [October 2002]
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Info
In
Den Gärten Pharaos (1971)
Popol Vuh’s second
release is notable for a number of reasons. Firstly, for its
rather ingenious in its use of fledgling synthesizer technology.
While following along the lines of other German pioneers like
Tangerine Dream, Fricke essentially constructs a completely
unique expressive vocabulary with the instruments. While Tangerine
Dream albums like Zeit and Alpha Centauri were
journeys to the furthest reaches of space, where human contact
was not only impossible but unwanted, Fricke’s vision has to
be considered far more "spiritual", for lack of a
better word. The sounds of running water and consistently morphing
bongo rhythms behind the title track create a three dimensional
soundscape of serene bliss. Fricke’s Moog and synthesizer lines
shimmer here, and while minimal and restrained in note selection,
he manages to engage the listener in a direct dialogue that
is simply tantalizing. Secondly, this is really the only place
in the Popol Vuh catalog you’ll hear such an extraordinary work
of this style. Sure, the later Popol Vuh albums are brilliant
in their own right, but the lack of synthesizers and an intentional
change of aesthetic leave Affenstunde and In den Garten
Pharaos as the sole torchbearers for the kind of revolutionary
stuff the group were doing early on. Incidentally, Pharaos
is by far the better album of the two.
Divided into two
rather distinctive side-long pieces, the album retains a consistent
aesthetic that is powerful and effective throughout. While I’ve
already sung the praises of the title track, the second piece
"Vuh" might be even better. Here, Fricke employs what
sounds like a church organ in the form of dramatic, sustained
chords that make the piece far more intense and unrelenting.
These lay the groundwork for the development of the piece. A
percussive backdrop, accompanied by various other sound effects,
builds around the organ theme, creating ebbs and flows in the
intensity level. In all, it’s masterfully composed, and careful
attention will result in the listener feeling those chord changes
resonating throughout the depths of the soul.
In all, this has
to be considered one of the Krautrock movement’s essential items.
Fans of early Tangerine Dream will easily lap this one up, and
others who may have found records like Alpha Centauri
emotionally frigid may warm up to In den Garten Pharaos.
An excellent album deserving of its legendary status. - Greg
Northrup [November 2002]
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Info
Seligpreisung
(1973)
Popol Vuh's Seligpreisung
is another essential work from the band, ushering in the
classic middle period for which they are best known. The
album represents the reconvening of the band after Fricke had
contributed to Gila's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,
after which he brought former Amon Duul II drummer turned guitarist
Daniel Fischelscher into the fold of his main band. Fischelscher
would become Fricke's main collaborator for what is essentially
Popol Vuh's most intensely brilliant period, reaching a possible
culmination in the subsequent classics Letzte Tage, Letzte
Nächte and Einsjager & Siebenjager.
In light of those later achievements, Seligpreisung still
stands as a solid addition, if slightly more tentative.
Certainly, the album lacks the raw power, intensity and sheer
sonic grandeur of those albums, relying on a more meditative,
subtle approach. In contrast to the dominant role he would
take later on, Fischelscher here opts more often for a clean,
melodious guitar tone, perhaps not wishing to step on anyone's
feet with the kind of flailing, distorted outpourings he would
later incorporate. Indeed, his guitar playing here sits
in perfect balance with Fricke's moving piano melodies, creating
absolutely gorgeous sound tapestries that cut right to the soul.
Unfortunately, neither Djong Yung or Renate Knaup feature here
on vocals, leaving Fricke to admirably contribute the occasional
pleasant chant here and there himself.
Translating
as "Songs of Praise", Seligpreisung is an extremely spiritual
album, and it shows. Thankfully, it's also one of the
few albums I know of that pulls this off without being exceedingly
lame. Indeed, perhaps me not understanding the lyrics
leaves me blissfully unaware of any "preachiness" that might
be occurring, but the relative sparseness of the vocals leads
me to doubt any such intent. The music here just sounds
honest, impeccably composed, and most important of all, inspired.
The only problem I have with the album is its brevity.
Finding out that it clocks in at under 30 minutes after having
shelled out 18 bucks didn't exactly have me singing songs of
praise. In retrospect however, it's a half hour of music
I'd gladly pay twice as much for. Though not reaching
the same brilliant highs as some of the immediately subsequent
Popol Vuh albums, Seligpreisung is a quiet, beautiful
work that will be an immediate delight to any fan of the group.
- Greg Northrup [October 2001]
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Info
Einsjäger & Siebenäger
(1974)
Einsjager & Siebenjager is undoubtedly
one of the finest albums ever produced in association with the particularly
prodigious German experimental rock movement, and perhaps one of the greatest
progressive rock albums of all time. On this album,
Popol Vuh's defining style was ushered in, with Daniel Fischelscher growing
into his role as Fricke's main collaborator. The sound here characterized
by rolling piano offset by the incredibly versatile guitar playing.
Although Popol Vuh was essentially Fricke's baby, Fischelscher's
playing is perhaps what most distinguishes this release
from other Popol Vuh albums, far and away being my favorite part of Einsjager
& Siebenjager. The guy is utterly sublime.
Acoustic and electric guitar melodies are layered over
each other, along with the impeccable piano, creating
a stunning sonic palette of magnificent harmonic richness.
Melodic and stunningly beautiful, yet not without imparting
a potentially devastating raw, primal edge. Right from track
one, the guitars are captivating, leading from
note to note in perfect and exciting sequence, occasionally
lashing out into noisy and distorted glory. Fricke's
gorgeous piano textures are extraordinary, influenced heavily
by folk and ethnic music, yet with a distinct classical
air. Djong Yun's vocals are sparse, confined to the side-long
title track, but are exquisitely beautiful where they do appear. Her
heavenly voice was to become more of a focal point on
the band's next opus, Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte.
Einsjager & Siebenjager is loud, guitar dominated
and initially somewhat jarring, yet gorgeous in the most conventional
sense of the word, reveling in its own distorted grandeur.
One of my favorite albums from one of my very favorite bands. - Greg
Northrup [March 2001]
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Tracklist and Lineup Info
Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte
(1976)
It's hard
for me to pick a favorite between this album and its magnificent predecessor,
Einsjager & Siebenjager, but I might just
slightly prefer the latter. That said, this
album is still another incredible outing from the
German band Popol Vuh, and remains one of my all time favorite records.
Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte is exceedingly
guitar dominated, like the previous platter, and is
infused with an even darker emotional power; shrouded in mysterious, enchanting
atmosphere. Guitarist Daniel Fischelscher gets
a healthy amount of song writing credits here, which
is great, considering that I thought his playing was
the best part of Einsjager and Siebenjager.
Although Popol Vuh was a band of remarkable consistency throughout
the decade, these two albums perhaps represent them at their best, apparently
being the best examples of progressive rock they produced. And
rock they do. In contrast to some of their more meditative earlier
albums, like Hosianna Mantra and Seligpreisung, this
album is powerful, loud and overwhelming, as Fischelscher's
soaring guitar solos are offset by layers of acoustic
and electric melodies, fused together with Florian
Fricke's gorgeous classical piano motifs.
Like
the previous album, all the songs flow together as one continuous
piece, and breaks between tracks are hardly noticeable.
However, the more prominent vocal parts make it easier to
distinguish certain "songs" from each other. Djong
Yun's majestic voice dominates the album, joined by former
Amon Duul II frontwoman Renate Knaup on the title track,
making for an absolutely glorious combination of sublime
female chanting atop the already mystical musical backdrop.
"Kyrie" is especially beautiful, based around an exquisite
vocal melody, and continues into "Haram Dei..." and the
sublime "Dort Ist Der Weg". However, the highlight
track is without a doubt "Letzte Tage, Letzte Nächte",
which is sung, in English, as "Last days, last nights".
The dual, layered vocals here are spectacular. The
earlier portion of the album is more instrumentally based,
my favorite perhaps being the rollicking opener "Der Krosser
Weiger", a Fischelscher composition, which begins with an
extraordinary melodic guitar part before launching into
a driving and powerful groove. The only problem with
this album is its length, clocking in at a mere 30 minutes,
but it is otherwise impeccable. One of the band's
defining efforts. - Greg Northrup [March 2001]
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