Amon Düül II
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| Amon Düül II | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Munich, Germany |
| Genre(s) | Krautrock |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Label(s) | United Artists Records Atlantic Records |
Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2) is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the founders of the German rock music scene and a seminal influence on the development of Krautrock.
Contrary to their colleagues in Amon Düül, founding members Chris Karrer, Peter Leopold, Falk Rogner, John Weinzierl and Renate Knaup placed high value on musical ability. With their first album Phallus Dei (God's Penis) in 1969 they created what is considered to be a milestone in German rock history. The title song alone was 21 minutes in length. They received offers to write music for films, winning a Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Award) for their contribution to the film San Domingo.[1]
Their second album Yeti was their breakthrough album in the United Kingdom. Inevitable comparisons with Pink Floyd and the Velvet Underground followed.
A move to a major label, Atlantic Records, in 1975 saw a movement to more commercially motivated production values that resulted in a perceived drop in uniqueness. The band's first phase ended in 1981 with its disbandment.
In recent years however, Amon Düül II have seen a resurgence in interest, and they are frequently played on radio shows that aim to play more experimental music (e.g. Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone on BBC 6 Music).
Amon Düül II's drummer Peter Leopold died on 8 November, 2006. A memorial service was held for Leopold in Munich, where the remaining members of Amon Düül II sang a song for him. Leopold was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Fichelscher, for many years guitarist and drummer of Krautrock group Popol Vuh.[2] Fichelscher isn't new to the group, and in fact has had a long affiliation with Amon Düül II, having played with them as early as 1972 in Carnival in Babylon.
[edit] Discography
- Phallus Dei (1969)
- Yeti (1970)
- Tanz der Lemminge (aka Dance of the Lemmings) (1971)
- Carnival in Babylon (1972)
- Wolf City (1972)
- Live in London (live) (1973)
- Utopia (originally released under the band name Utopia) (1973)
- Vive La Trance (1973)
- Hijack (1974)
- Lemmingmania (Compilation) (1975)
- Made in Germany (Double LP) (1975)
- Pyragony X (1976)
- Almost Alive... (1977)
- Rock in Deutschland Vol.1 (Compilation) (1978)
- Only Human (1979)
- Vortex (1981)
- Milestones (Compilation) (1989)
- Live in Concert (BBC recording from 1973) (1992)
- Surrounded by the Bars (1993)
- The Greatest Hits (Compilation) (1994)
- Nada Moonshine (1995)
- Kobe (Reconstructions) (1996)
- Eternal Flashback (1996)
- Live in Tokyo (live) (1996)
- The Best of 1969-1974 (Compilation) (1997)
- Flawless (1997)
- Drei Jahrzehnte (1968-1998) (Compilation) (1997)
- Manana (2000)
[edit] External links
- Amon Düül 2- Official
- Amon Düül 2- Unofficial
- Interview with John Weinzierl, accessed on May 13, 2009
[edit] References
- ^ "Amon Düül II at Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock". http://www.gepr.net/amfram.html.
- ^ Amon Duul II official site - "History" accessed on March 14, 2008
