| Reviews Biography One of the most formidable of the German Krautrock groups, Ash Ra Tempel were a powerful force led by guitarist Manuel Göttsching, and whose ranks also included (former Tangerine Dream) drummer Klaus Schulze at various points as well as, later on, former Agitation Free guitarist Lutz Ulbrich.  The group was heavily based around Göttsching's fiery guitar work, and creating a number of albums that stand as some of the ultimate space-rock classics ever.  Their self-titled debut in particular is widely recognized as one of the most monstrous displays of sheer cosmic force ever put to record, while their second, Schwingungen is nearly as good.  The third album, Seven Up, is a collaboration with LSD guru Timothy Leary, but is unfortunately supposed to be something of a let down, though I haven't heard it myself.  Thankfully, Join Inn is nearly as good as the first two, featuring the return of Schulze behind the drums, though the album would unfortunately be his final appreance with the group, as he went onto a prolific solo career.  Göttsching's later work varied between solo albums and those within a group format, although I personally haven't ventured past 1973's somewhat mediocre Starring Rosi quite yet. - Greg Northrup [September 2001] Ash Ra Tempel (1971) Never has the term "monster" been used to more adequately describe an album than in the case of Ash Ra Tempel's classic debut.  Without a doubt one of the absolute pinnacles of the Krautrock movement, this album is a thundering masterpiece of unrestrained experimentalism and absolutely searing atmospheres. Ash Ra Tempel is a completely instrumental work, and makes use of furious percussion, droning keyboards and guitars, and masterful use of repetitive tension as well as dense, mysterious atmospheres before releasing into explosive solo guitar licks courtesy of Göttsching. The album is made up of two tracks, the furious "Amboss" (perhaps one of the finest guitar freak-outs ever put to record), and the more varied "Traummaschine", meaning "Dream Machine" in German, which incidentally gives a pretty good idea of how it sounds.  "Amboss" opens with some droning keyboard riffs before gradually building up behind Schulze's unrelenting percussive attack, and then exploding into a cataclysmic orgy of blazing guitar, crashing cymbals and rumbling bass.  The song builds and releases in this fashion constantly throughout its 19 minutes, yet without a second wasted.  "Traummacshine" takes its time building up, beginning with cosmic synthesizer drones, after which a repetitive guitar line drifts in.  Before you know it, ten minutes have passed, and soft percussive pulses have entered the mix.  By then, the build up has become tangible, gradually becoming faster and more intense, above which huge droning echoes rumble through the speakers like howling solar winds.  The song builds and releases constantly, with the entire bottom falling out occasionally, leaving only wandering guitar notes or a lone bassline amidst the swirling ambiance.  Overall, this album propels the listener into the furthest reaches of desolate space like few others.  A clear cut masterpiece. - Greg Northrup [May 2001] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info Schwingungen (1972) The follow up to Ash Ra Tempel's classic debut sees the departure of Klaus Schulze as well as the introduction of vocals, marking a slight change in the direction of the band.  Nonetheless, their style is still tremendously intense and spaced-out, as always focused around the frenetic guitar work of Manuel Göttsching.  The vocal style is extremely unique, almost like schizophrenic ranting, and does little to streamline the group's sound at all.  The first two tracks are highlighted by this new vocal style, "Light: Look at Your Sun" is creepy, if somewhat sedate, but still introduces the atmosphere effectively.  The real masterpiece on this album however, is the impossibly intense "Darkness: Flowers Must Die".  Raging percussion and biting saxophone lines complement Göttsching's severe guitar assault.  On top of it all are the madman vocals, screaming and ranting through a variety of voice effects and guiding the track through its numerous explosive climaxes.  Words fail in attempting to describe the emotional urgency and sheer power of this track, often recalling the finer moments of the first album through its instrumental holocaust, but taking things to another plateau with its own uniquely chaotic approach.  "Suche & Liebe" is an exercise in Tangerine Dream-ish ambiance, with heavy guitar effects and droning electronics.  Successful to a point, but lacks the fiery guitar style that I listen to this band for.  More dynamics such as on the debut's "Traummaschine" would have been enjoyed.  Still, Schwingungen is another excellent album from Ash Ra Tempel, a step down from the first, but certainly no slouch in its own right. - Greg Northrup [May 2001] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info Join Inn (1973) Yet another fundamental guitar oriented Krautrock album from Manuel Göttsching, and one that continues in the same basic style as the first two albums.  Overall, Join Inn sounds a lot more mature and developed, yet on the other hand, a tad more restrained.  The album sees the reinstitution of Klaus Schulze on drums and is structured almost in the same manner as the debut, with one side devoted to a guitar oriented jam, and the second to a more ambient, yet still quite dynamic, extended track.  "Freak N' Roll" features a heavy percussive attack and slithering basslines beneath Göttsching's more delicate touch.  The song even shows off a slight jazzy sensibility, and overall doesn't have the same deep space vibe as the previous two albums.  Instead, its a lot more down to earth, much more mature, and playing is extremely tasteful and pleasant.  The intermittent climaxes still rock hard, but don't approach the shuddering heights of the self-titled debut.  "Jenseits" is another stab at an ambient, ethereal piece in the vein of "Suche & Liebe" from Schiwingungen, and is in my opinion a lot more emotional and dynamic.  The vocals of Rosi Mueller are quite beautiful, and are perfect atop the developing bed of synthesizer and electronic drones and flourishes.  Basically, Join Inn, along with the first two albums, are supposed to be the essential works from Ash Ra Tempel, and I certainly haven't been disappointed by any of the three.  This would be the final album of the classic lineup, as the group would be reduced to basically Manuel Göttsching and his girlfriend, Rosi, as well as a revolving door of guest musicians. - Greg Northrup [May 2001] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info Starring Rosi (1973) This album is something of a disappointment for me in light of the band's prior achievements, and is definitely quite different from any of the previous albums.  Klaus Schulze has departed for good, as has steady bassist Harmut Enke.  Musically, the sound here is much lighter, upbeat and slightly jazzy.  Basically, every song is written around Göttsching's still great guitar work, with his girlfriend Rosi adding her ethereal vocals on top.  One problem however, is that the vocals are in English, which really doesn't work out very well, as they are heavily accented and feature simply embarrassing lyrics.  Nonetheless, Göttsching's playing is still the highlight here, and despite flirting with shorter songs and more compact material, its still very good and displays his avant-garde mentality.  His playing is perhaps more mature and tasteful than on any of the previous albums.  Still, its pretty plain to see that Ash Ra Tempel are no longer the same apocalyptic force capable of unleashing the thundering power of classics such as "Amboss" or "Darkness: Flowers Must Die".  As long as you keep the group's past triumphs out of your mind, Starring Rosi is a relaxing and enjoyable album, but not something I ever really pull out when I'm in the mood for Ash Ra Tempel. - Greg Northrup [May 2001] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info The Best of The Private Tapes [2CD Archive - Purple Pyramid - 1998] Originally published in Reels of Dreams Unrolled No. 6, September 29, 1998 Just as I had decided I liked Ash Ra Tempel one day recently, I encountered this new double CD of outtakes and rare tracks from this seminal German space rock band. These two CDs, released on the new and ubiquitous Purple Pyramid label are compiled from six separately sold CDs, collectively known as The Private Tapes. This set reveals Ash Ra Tempel, Ashra and Manuel Göttsching (all one and the same, more or less) as being purveyors of 70s electronic music at its best, worst and everything in between. Here, one can find everything from bad Hawkwind-like, three-chord space blues ditties to long spacey synth-driven spaceouts similar to what made fellow Berlin School mates Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze (who played drums on the first Ash Ra Tempel album) famous. Fortunately, the long synth pieces outnumber the three-minute rock-n-roll tracks. Unfortunately, however, there is nothing on this set in the wonderfully heavy vein of Ash Ra Tempel's magnificent first album. Neither do the solo Manuel Göttsching pieces live up to the glory of his Inventions For Electric Guitar album. Most of the tracks are fairly simple and feature Göttsching's guitar solos over a bed of simplistic, repetitive synth sequences. Sometimes Göttsching wails and sometimes he simply plucks a couple mysterious notes over and over again. Most of the best music on this album is quite reminiscent of Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze, but it always falls just a little short in terms of creativity. Two of my favorite tracks are the wonderfully exhilarating "Hausaufgabe," and the creepy, early track "Gedanken." The first features Göttsching soloing over an unusually happy sounding foundation of organ, synth and a rather primitive sounding drum machine. It's not as cheesy as it may sound. Somehow it works. The latter track shows how avant-garde Ash Ra Tempel could be when they wanted to. It utilizes some veird volume swell techniques to create a slowly undulating atmosphere of cymbal washes, guitar and who knows what else. This is very much a product of German space music's early days when creepy was cool. This album is a good purchase. About 75% of the tracks are enjoyable. Considering the uneven nature of this set, however, I would be afraid to hear the worst of The Private Tapes if this stuff is the best. - Scott Hamrick [September 1998] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info