Fossilium Catalogus ii Plantae 69

Circle II Circle features the voice of Atlantic Records recording artists Savatage from 1992-2000, Zak Stevens. CIIC was formed in 2002 and has five world-wide releases to it's credit over the last eight years; "Watching in Silence" (2003), "Middle of Nowhere (2005), "Burden of Truth" (2006), "Delusions of Grandeur" (2008), "Consequence of Power" (2010), plus four additional EP releases…

Sündenfall II from the Kevelaer area at the Lower Rhine played a mixture of folk and jazz, influenced by Jethro Tull. While their predecessors, Sündenfall, exclusively dedicated themselves to jazz, the group included folk after a change in line-up and band name (following the example of Amon Düül II). In 1972, Hubert Schmitz invited the band into his Trepitia film and sound studio in Alpen-Drüpt for free recordings, as he wanted to test the newly installed equipment after a recent move into the new location. Thus the recordings were made for the album "Sündenfall II" (Trefiton HS 1017), which was released in a small edition of 200 copies at the end of 1972.

Sad World I & II is a double CD of strange ambient space music from Dr. Atmo and Ramin. It is on Pete Namlook's Fax label, so the strangeness is not unexpected. Atmo and Ramin build very slow atmospheres from low drones. They weave those atmospheres around and through each other. They insert some outright odd voice samples in the middle of the whole thing. These slowly evolving soundscapes have just enough rhythm and structure to stay just outside of minimalism and just inside weirdness. This is a fun CD and a great listen. It will appeal to fans of Viridian Sun, Vir Unis, Pete Namlook, and Michael Stearns.

Out of the future ashes of the Munich-based hippy commune of Amon Düül, came this unit that seemed more serious about making music, other than as a social and political statement, Amon Duul II rose like a phoenix and built around Karrer (guitar), Rogner (bass) and Serfas (drums) and reputation growing, signed a deal with Liberty records and recrding their debut album in early 69, with two more members: drummer Leopold (from the other AD group) and bassist Anderson (pushing Rogner onto the keyboard stool). With two star guests, Burchard (Embryo, crosstown rivals) Trutzsch (Popol Vuh, also from the city), produced by Passport's Kübler, and graced with an astonishing psyched-out tree-and-sky artwork (courtesy of KB man Rogner), Phallus Dei is a landmark in Krautrock, also sung in a sort of medieval Upper German…

Amon Düü II's follow-up to their landmark double-LP set Tanz der Lemminge features a musical approach less experimental than previous recordings, but nonetheless distinctive and broad-reaching in its sphere of influences. The almost epic tack of the earlier works has been pared down here, but full-forward, guitar-heavy tracks like "C.I.D. in Uruk," "Ballad of the Shimmering Sands," and "Kronwinkl 12" use disparate folk and hard rock elements cannily. The band moves the music with a majestic sweep punctuated by the snaky guitar work of Chris Karrer and John Weinzierl.

Amon Düü II's follow-up to their landmark double-LP set Tanz der Lemminge features a musical approach less experimental than previous recordings, but nonetheless distinctive and broad-reaching in its sphere of influences. The almost epic tack of the earlier works has been pared down here, but full-forward, guitar-heavy tracks like "C.I.D. in Uruk," "Ballad of the Shimmering Sands," and "Kronwinkl 12" use disparate folk and hard rock elements cannily. The band moves the music with a majestic sweep punctuated by the snaky guitar work of Chris Karrer and John Weinzierl.