01	First Communication						08:10
	02	Dialogue & Random						01:51
	03	Laila, Part 1						01:41
	04	Laila, Part 2						06:47
	05	In the silence of the morning sunrise						06:33
	06	A quiet walk						09:15
	07	Haunted island						07:11

Stefan Diez - Guitar
Michael Gunter - Bass
Michael Hoenig - Synthesizer, Keyboards
Burghard Raush - Drums, Assorted Percussion, Voice, Mellotron
Lutz Ulbrich - Guitar, 12-String guitar, Bouzouki

All titles composed, arranged and performed by Agitation Free. All compositions are teamwork.

Word of "Haunted Island" taken from Edgar Allan Poe's "Dreamland"

Produced by Agitation Free.
Recorded at Studio 70, Munich in July 1973

Agitation Free Absolutely excellent early German space rock band who was slightly well known for containing Michael Hoenig in their ranks. Very much like your early Ash Ra Tempel - Guru Guru type bands except with a cultural influence.

A classic of the German space genre. Long extended guitar solos over a mesmerizing backdrop. Their aptly titled Last is considered by many to be one of the best live space albums ever. I don't know if I'd go that far, but it is a great album. Lots of acid-drenched guitar and electronics to really carry you "out there." It also features Michael Hoenig (soon to be with Tangerine Dream) on his first recording. One of the best in this area.

Top-flight German space-rock featuring synthesist Michael Hoenig and future Ashra guitarist Lutz Ulbrich. Both Malesch and Second are excellent space excursions worth taking, featuring droning and warbling synths, wailing guitars and the like, but with a strong rock rhythm section giving it more drive than your average space-rock band. Malesch has a strong Middle-Eastern feel to it, incorporating some taped street-sounds apparently recorded live in Cairo into the music. Second is more Euro-folk inflected, with a stronger use of acoustic guitars and (on one track) bouzouki! I haven't heard Last. If I had to compare them to anyone, it would be Ash Ra Tempel, but they really defy comparison. -- Mike Ohman


The German avant-garde rock band Agitation Free formed in 1967 and featured founding members bassist/keyboardist Michael Gunther and guitarist/keyboardist Lutz Ulbrich. Originally known as the Agitation — a name picked at random from the dictionary — the group added "free" to their name a year later, inspired by a free concert they performed. Though they began by playing covers, Agitation Free added extended improvisations into the songs, and jamming became the basis for their own works. The group also collaborated with Berlin's art students on slide-shows, projections and other multi-media performances, and played gigs at conservatories and galleries in addition to club shows.
By 1970 Agitation Free were a fixture of Berlin's art-rock scene, performing with like-minded bands such as Tangerine Dream, Amon Duul and Guru Guru, all of whom appeared at that year's First German Progressive Popfestival in Berlin's Sportpalast. The group often acted as an incubator for underground rock talent, losing guitarist Axel Genrich to Guru Guru that year and drummer Christopher Franke to Tangerine Dream in 1971. Ulbrich and Gunther added guitarist Jorg Scwhenke, drummer Burghard Rausch and keyboardist Michael Hoenig to the lineup, and the quintet procured a record deal with the Music Factory label later that year. Agitation Free's debut album Malesch came out in 1972 and was heavily influenced by their tour of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, which was sponsored by the Goethe Institute, blending the group's improvisational rock with ambient sounds from the countries they toured. Despite the group's growing popularity — spurred by their performance at the 1972 Olympics in Munich — poor distribution hindered the album's sales.

In 1973, Agitation Free continued touring in France and Germany and released their sophomore effort 2nd, but disappointing album sales, musical differences and boredom brought on by constant touring chipped away at the band. They disbanded in 1974, but Gunther and Ulbrich continued on with a new name, Lagoona. However, this project also recieved little favorable attention and ended in late 1975. Several Agitation Free albums were released after the group's breakup, including 1976's Last, 1995's Fragments and the following year's At The Cliffs of The River Rhine.

In 1998, Gunther, Rausch, Hoenig and Ulbrich reunited at Ulbrich's birthday party and decided to revive Agitation Free. The following year River Of Return appeared, featuring the original quartet as well as new members Johannes Pappert from the underground group Kraan, and Bernard Potschka, formerly the guitarist for Spliff. — Heather Phares

1972 Malesch
1973 Second
1973 Last
1995 At the Cliffs of River Rhine [live]
1999 River of Return
The Other Sides of Agitation Free
Fragments


Agitation Free

Discography
Malesch (1972)
Second (1973)
Last (1976)
Fragments (1995)
At the Cliffs of the River Rhine (1998, Recorded 1974)
The Other Sides of Agitation Free (1999)
The River of Return (1999)

Official Agitation Free Homepage http://www.agitation-free.de/af/agite.htm

Country of origin: Germany
Established: 1967
Styles: Krautrock


Reviews
Biography

Agitation Free was without a doubt among the premier Krautrock bands from the experimental German scene of the 1970s. Though at essence the group was a guitar based ensemble, with typical instrumentation, Agitation Free incorporated a number of other influences into their classic releases. Most primary was a slight jazzy sensibility, somewhat reminiscent of the Canterbury scene of Britain, as well as cultural and ethnic music and a clear passion for the European avant-garde. They managed to be uniquely melodic, yet not without an exciting experimental drive and innovative approach. A completely mesmerizing group, with a hypnotic and soothing tendency, but a powerfully volcanic "rock" ensemble at the same time. A cataclysm of diverse influences, emotional drive, and extraordinary musicianship made Agitation Free one of the very best German progressive rock groups ever.

The group began life in Berlin as a cover band, cutting their teeth on standards by groups like Jefferson Airplane and Iron Butterfly. Eventually they became fixtures of the Berlin scene, playing gigs with bands like Guru Guru, Amon Duul II, and Tangerine Dream, as well as providing music for multi-media projects and slide shows put together by local art students. Early incarnations of the group featured Axel Genrich, later of Guru Guru, as well as Chris Franke, who would become a creative pillar in the seminal Tangerine Dream. In 1972, the core lineup came together (Ulbrich, Gunther, Schwenke, Hoenig and Rausch) and were invited by the Goethe Institute of Berlin to embark upon a cultural exchange tour in Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus and Greece. The experiences of this trip culminated in the release of Agitation Free's first album, the masterful Malesch. The album easily stands as not only one of my favorite albums out of Germany, but possibly among my all time favorites. This period of the bands existence culminated in their performance at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich. Their next release, 1973's Second is another explosive classic from the German underground, holding up as well today as it ever did. After Second, the band apparently experienced some line-up shuffling (including the introduction of guitarist Lutjens, who reappears later), and though they continued to play shows for some time, they were never able to regroup for the all important third album, finally disbanding in 1974. 1976's Last is a posthumous live release that captures the band in prime concert form during this turbulent period.

Recently, a number of recordings have surfaced from Agitation Free's fertile early 70s period, and have been released in various forms over the last few years. Though I'm not personally familiar with any of these yet, At the Cliffs of the River Rhine is, by all accounts, an absolutely searing live document. The recent rash of interest in the group has in fact brought about a reunion of sorts, featuring Ulbrich, Gunther and Rausch, as well as ex-Kraan saxophonist Johannes Pappert. Though the verdict is still out on their first studio release since Second, The River of Return, the group's early albums still stand as two of the most passionate, uncompromising and visionary works in the progressive rock pantheon. - Greg Northrup [September 2001]

Sources: Agitation Free Official Homepage, All Music Guide


Malesch (1972)

Agitation Free's debut album is one of the absolute classic albums to come out of Germany in the 1970s. Agitation Free approached the groundbreaking experimental tendencies of the German scene from a different persepective than most of the other groups. Firstly, the delicate touch of melody was certainly not lost on the band, and they often bypass the strictly standoff-ish approach of many of the other German bands, infusing their albums with a gorgeous melodic drive. Malesch takes a slightly unique approach then the more jazzy follow-up, Second would, though both albums are in the same basic vein. The album extensively incorporates ethnic and world music influences, due to the fact that much of the album was apparently composed on a trip to Egypt around the same time. Much of the album features sound samples and recordings from the trip, which are used to divide the tracks.
Most of the Arabic and ethnic influence is percussive, as exotic rhythms underpin Agitation Free's melodic and powerful guitar interplay. "You Play for Us Today" and "Sahara City" both build into exciting, driving guitar led crescendos. "Ala Tul" features an extraordinary Michael Hoening keyboard motif that glides over the intense and magical percussive backdrop. "Pulse" tends to get bogged down a little in avant soundscapes, but does provide some breathing room and eventually morphs into a heavily hypnotic piece. "Khan E Khalili" and "Malesch" both build on the already established style of the album, and are full of powerful guitar interplay and a completely magical atmosphere. The soaring closer "Ruckstruz" is totally majestic, a powerful melody that closes out this classic album in fitting form. My overall opinion is obviously that this is one of the very finest German albums bar none. Agitation Free manages to be extremely melodic, yet retains that experimental focus and pushes their music waaaaaaayy out there. The incorporation of Arabic influences beneath the incredible guitar dueling makes this a unique entry in the Krautrock scene. I doubt that those already not predisposed towards the Krautrock/space-rock movement will find themselves converted by this album, but newbies would do well to start here. - Greg Northrup [April 2001]


Second (1973)

Second is another classic album from Agitation Free, one of the leading lights of the Krautrock movement in Germany. As opposed to Malesch, Second shows some slight change in direction for the band. It becomes readily apparent on the first track that the band's sound is slightly jazzier and the melodies are a little tighter and stonger. The guitar duels between Ulbrich and Diez are utterly gorgeous, and the melodies absolutely shimmer throughout the album. The only misstep is probably Hoenig's "Dialogue & Random", an experimental piece that is just random electronic blips for a couple minutes.
The two-part "Laila" piece is definitely a highlight, featuring a jazzy, almost funky bass groove from Michel Gunter to underpin the exquisite guitar explorations. "In the Silence of the Morning" uses another addictive bass motif to accentuate its hypnotic structure. "Haunted Island" is initially a little cheesy, being that it features some spoken work poetry (with heavy voice alteration), but eventually develops into another excellent track, with their trademark subtle guitar solos and gorgeous keyboard textures. Overall I'd say this album loses some of the mystical feel that Malesch had, due to the abscence of the Arabic percussive textures and melodies, although motifs of that kind do crop up at points. On the whole it seems to take a slightly more conventional path, and the incorporation of jazzy and near-Canterbury like passages is definitely effective. Personally I probably prefer the more exotic feel of Malesch, but Second is definitely a fundamental Krautrock album. - Greg Northrup [April 2001]



At the Cliffs of the River Rhine (1974)

Solar Music Live, eat your heart out! Okay, so maybe I shouldn't go that far, but the fact remains that Agitation Free's archival volume, At the Cliffs of the River Rhine, is one of the most mind-numbingly awesome live albums in the progressive rock genre. Taken from a concert given by the band in 1974, the album replaces one of the most sought after bootleg recordings around, but this time with impeccable sound and a lengthy, full color booklet to boot. The results are astounding. Taking material mostly from their Second release, the group gives all the pieces a swift kick in the ass. As if that album weren't already an unequivocal classic, this time around the added energy level, searing group intensity, and lively interplay catapult River Rhine in the stratosphere.
If any complaint can be made whatsoever, it's that the band plays its ace card early. "Through the Moods", a piece not found on either of the band's studio recordings, simply burns. Beginning softly, even unassumingly, the listener is merely relieved that the sound quality is okay after all, excellent even. By the time six minutes or so elapses, astonishment begins to set in. The grooving, amorphous basslines, choppy, mid tempo rhythmic pulsing, twin guitar melodies cascading and wrapping around each other. And it only gets better. The intensity of this track builds to an unbelievable, cathartic level. By the end, the lead guitars tear into a single note motif with such ecstatic fury, that the sudden, halted end of the piece brings one crashing down to earth with the bitter after effect an opium dream. The thunderous applause does manage to cushion the fall, however. "First Communication" is next though, and you all know this one, well at least you should -- the sublime opener from the Second album. While I was initially worried that the show's energy level had reached an early apex, the pure majesty of this version renewed my state of bliss. So I was a convert already. The rest of the album? It fucking rips. This is one live release that has it all; differentiation, even superiority, over the studio counterparts of the respective pieces, excellent sound quality, and a fantastic performance. One of the very best German progressive rock groups at their peak. What more could you ask for? - Greg Northrup [September 2002]




Agitation Free


Lutz 'Luul' Ulbrich - гитара, двенадцатиструнная гитара, греческая гитара, цитра, орган
Michael 'Fame' Gunther - бас-гитара, пленки
John L. - вокал
Lutz 'Ludwig' Kramer - гитара
Christoph 'Krille' Franke - ударные


Берлинская арт-роковая группа, заявившая о себе в период мирового расцвета психоделии и исполнявшая сплав рока, авангарда и электроники, вызывая порой сравнения с PINK FLOYD.

Летом 1967 года Лютц Ульбрих и Михаэль Гюнтер из-за недостатка кадров в своих группах решили объединить их в одну, назвав ее AGITATION FREE по предложению журналиста Фольке Ханфильда (Folke Hanfield), откопавшего сие выражение в словаре. Кроме них в состав новой формации вошли Лютц Крамер и Кристоф Франк.

Начав с чужих вещей, группа со временем углубилась в исполнение растянутых импровизаций, а уже к концу 1967 года стала выступать на концертах с диапроекторами, с помощью которых проецировались собственноручно выполненные слайды, и любительскими фильмами. В 1968 году AGITATION FREE превратились в "домашнюю" группу в заведении под названием "Super-Scene Zodiac", где, по определению "Мьюзик Экспресс", "собирались все, кто имел какое-либо отношение к авангарду". Помимо них в "Зодиаке" выступали CLUSTER, Керли Керв (Curly Curve) и TANGERINE DREAM. Кроме того, ансамбль, к середине 1968 года не мысливший своей жизни без музыки PINK FLOYD, иногда можно было увидеть в берлинском "Beautiful Balloon".

Постоянным вокалистом коллектива стал тогда Джон Л. (настоящее имя - Manfred Bruck), который вообще не умел петь, но зато был веселым малым: выступал на сцене в чем мать родила и на глазах у зрителей давал стегать себя плетьми. В начале 1969 года он был уволен.

Осенью AGITATION FREE, ASH RA TEMPEL и TANGERINE DREAM нежданно-негаданно обзавелись репетиционной базой в стенах Вильмерсдорфского института народной музыки, а на роль "преподавателя" к ним был приставлен <отец берлинской школы электронной музыки>, швейцарский композитор-авангардист Томас Кесслер (Thomas 'Tommy' Kessler). В конце шестидесятых-начале семидесятых он проживал в Западном Берлине, в районе Вильмерсдорф, а на Пфальцбургер-штрассе у него была собственная студия звукозаписи Beat-Studio.

Располагая одной репетиционной базой с OS MUNDI (находившейся, кстати, в Пол-Линке-Юфер, Берлин-Кройцберг), музыканты двух групп стали друзьями. Они играли джем-сейшены с М.Гюнтером, будущим участником ASH RA TEMPEL Мануэлем Готтшингом (Manuel Gottsching), Бадди Мандлером (Buddy Mandler) и Людольфом Кюхенбухом (Ludolf Kuchenbuch).

Зимой 1969 года в Лесном училище ансамбль представил свое шоу "Интермедиа", объединявшее несколько видов исполнительского искусства. В потолок и стены площадки были вмонтированы экраны для проецирования слайдов с диапроекторов, одна стена была сплошь заставлена телевизорами, пол же был выстлан покрышками грузовика-амфибии. Время от времени подобное - правда в более скромных масштабах - повторялась, но и тогда группа не могла отказать себе в удовольствии установить на сцене коротковолновый приемник.

На первом немецком поп-фестивале, прошедшем 12 апреля 1970 года в Берлинском дворце спорта, AGITATION FREE выступили с джазовым ударником Чарли Вайсом (Charlie Weis) и заменившим ушедшего Лютца гитаристом Акселем Генрихом (Axel 'Ax' Genrich), которого всего три месяца спустя переманили к себе GURU GURU. В июле группа укомплектовалась гитаристом Йоргом Швенке (Jorg 'Joschi' Schwenke). Швенке до этого играл в SCHATTERS, порой подыгрывавшим певице Мануэле (Manuela). Михаэля Гюнтера пригласили в качестве басиста на время совместных с композитором Ладиславом Купловичем (Ladislav Kuplovic) свободных концертов, во время которых зрителям не возбранялось взбираться на сцену, курить и разговаривать.

Концерт AGITATION FREE 1971 года стал последним для Кристофа Франка, перебравшегося в TANGERINE DREAM. Ударником ансамбля до осени 1971 г. был Герд Клемке (Gerd Klemke), ныне живущий в Норвегии. С конца года Томас Кесслер приступил к обучению нового состава AGITATION FREE - Лютца Ульбриха (гитара), Йорга Швенке (гитара), Михаэля Гюнтера (бас-гитара), Михаэля Хёнига (Michael Hoenig - клавишные, синтезатор, орган, электронные эффекты, стил-гитара) и Бургхарда Рауша (Burghard Rausch - ударные, перкуссия, маримба, вокал, меллотрон) - теории музыки, гармонии и ритму. К началу 1972 г. они обладали уже достаточными знаниями о рок-музыке, авангарде и электронной музыке, чтобы в апреле 1972 года по предложению Института Гете (Goethe-Institut) отправиться на гастроли в Египет, Иорданию, Ливан, на Кипр и в Грецию.

Спустя два месяца AGITATION FREE с продюсерами Петером Штрекером (Peter Streker) и Вольфгангом Санднером (Wolfgang Sandner) попали в берлинскую студию Audio Tonstudio: исключительно для того, чтобы "провести в жизнь самые разнообразные впечатления от своего полного приключений турне". Родившееся таким образом в июне 1972 г. звучание пластинки Malesch ("Ничегонеделание"), на которой им помогали Ули Поп (Ulli Pop - бонги) и <специалист по Востоку> - Петер-Михаэль Хамель (Peter Michael Hamel - орган) из BETWEEN, как писал журнал "Поп", "было насыщено искусно разделенными или слитными пассажами, перемешанными со своеобразно звучащей подлинной записью путешествия по Ближнему Востоку". Ему вторил "Джаз-подиум": "Для тех, кто ценит хорошую музыку, неважно, джаз это, поп-музыка или электроника: "Malesch" просто незаменим".

<Соединяя тональности Среднего Востока и авангард в психоделическом контексте, - писал Д.Гонсалес, - AGITATION FREE применили оригинальный подход. Коктейль оказался взрывным, особенно удачными были смешение <кислотных> гитар, <закрученного> органа <Хэммонда> и перкуссий.>

В августе 1972 г. группа вместе с наставником - Альфредом Бергманом (Alfred Bergmann) - на десять дней переселилась в старый крестьянский дом для того, чтобы обсудить некоторые вопросы и позаниматься музыкой. Отрывки собранных звуковых материалов Бергман смикшировал с концертными записями группы в девяностоминутный коллаж. "Музыкальный портрет AGITATION FREE " был показан по телеканалу SFB. Во время Олимпийских игр 1972 года 1 сентября ансамбль выступил в Мюнхене на Медиенштрассе, а третьего числа - в "Театроне".

Второй ударник Дитмар Бурмайстер (Dietmаr Burmeister) появился в коллективе в марте 1973 г. На два последующих месяца (с марта по июнь) берлинцы подписали контракт, предусматривавший большое турне по всей Франции. Они были представлены французскому телевидению в программе "Rock et Stock". В марте того же года пристрастившегося к наркотикам Йорга Швенке заменили на Штефана Диза (Stephan Diez).

19 марта 1973 года AGITATION FREE удостоились чести стать разогревающей группой на "Супер-рок-концерте Германии", на котором выступили PINK FLOYD. Там они познакомились со своими кумирами. По случаю этого события "Мюзикмаркт" вышла под заголовком "Точка пересечения "Пинк Флойд" и свободного джаза". Концерт оказался последним для Дитмара Бурмайстера, а уже в июне группа начала очередное турне по Франции.

Д.Бурмайстер играл на концертнике ASH RA TEMPEL Seven Up (1973 Kosmischen Kuriere), а позднее в группе SEEDOG га альбоме We Hope To See You... (1974 Delta-Akustik).

Вскоре после окончания работы над вторым диском в августе 1973 года ушел Штефан Диз, избравший оркестр Гарольда Бантера (ORCHESTER HARALD BANTER). На втором альбоме группы еженедельник "Саундз" "не услышал "ничего особо нового или сногсшибательного, лишь почти сорок пять минут расслабляющей музыки". Еще более развивая элементы спейс-рока, лонг-плей, хотя и включал одну-единственную "песню" - мощную композицию "Haunted Island" по рассказу Э.А.По (1809-1849), построенную на исследовании возможностей меллотрона, - был ближе к прогрессиву в обычном понимании. Особенно заметно, как со знанием дела музыканты используют студийную технику.

Путешествие по Франции в январе 1974 г. было продолжено вместе с новым гитаристом Густавом Лютьенсом (Gustav Luthjens). 2 февраля 1974 года концерт группы транслировал канал WDR. После выступлений в Дуйсбурге, Гамбурге, Франкфурте, Берлине и на фестивалях в Ганновере и Дортмунде "нам стало ясно, что дальше так продолжаться не может: приехать, отыграть программу, уехать."

21 апреля 1974 г. AGITATION FREE в составе Ульбрих, Лютьенс, Хёниг, Гюнтер и Рауш дали последний концерт турне, 21 июля сыграли по приглашению группы FRANZ K. в Виттене, а 28 сентября в Варшаве поставили пьесу на электронную музыку Экарта Гросскопфа (Eckart Grosskopf). 14 ноября после прощального вечера AGITATION FREE самораспустились.

На одной стороне выпущенного "посмертно" лонг-плея Last запечатлен отрывок концерта, переданного в марте 1973 года по французскому радио, на котором они попытались воссоздать атмосферу свободной психоделической импровизации. На другой - студийная запись композиции Экарта Гросскопфа "Looping IV", сделанная в феврале 1974 года. На появившемся во второй половине девяностых компакт-диске Fragments с информационным CD-Rom-трэком представлен прежде не выпускавшийся материал с концертов группы июля и ноября 1974 г., в которых принимали участие также Бернхард Арндт (Bernhard Arndt - фортепьяно, орган) и лидер берлинской супергруппы METROPOLIS Михаэль Дюве (Michael 'Micky' Duwe - вокал, гитара).

Только спустя годы стало ясно насколько влиятельной была AGITATION FREE, при жизни добившаяся успеха лишь во Франции, едва замеченная на родине и полностью проигнорированная в Великобритании. Из бывших участников Кристоф Франк с 1971 года и по сей день способствует распространению мировой популярности TANGERINE DREAM. Лютц Ульбрих до конца восьмидесятых занимался тем же в ASH RA, к которым он присоединился на концерте 14 августа 1977 года. Как LUUL Ульбрих записал пару нововолновых альбомов и помог Михаэлю Хёнигу на удачном сольном альбоме Departure From The Northern Wasteland (1978 WB). Тот в свою очередь работал с TANGERINE DREAM, гитаристом М.Готшингом и группой Клауса Шульце TIMEWIND. Аксель Генрих до 1976 года (с перерывом на AGITATION FREE) состоял в GURU GURU. После распада METROPOLIS Михаэль Дюве попытался возродить его с М.Гюнтером, сменив название на ORANGE SURPRISE, но без особого успеха. Вместе с барабанщиком KARTHAGO Константином Боммариусом (Konstantin 'Konni' Bommarius) и клавишником METROPOLIS Манфредом Опитцем (Manfred Opitz) Густав Лютьенс и М.Гюнтер организовали коллектив LAGOONA, совершивший единственное турне по Дании. После этого Михаэль Гюнтер переквалифицировался в роуди ансамбля REVUE. Бургхард Рауш стал одним из участников берлинской группы BEL AMI (LP Berlin Bei Nacht - 1980 Pool и Grosstadtmelodie - 1981 Teldec).


c 1998-2000 Д.Гливенко. Перевод М.Ивановой Лицензия РАО №3024 от 02.07.98 г. Любое использование материалов сайта разрешается только с письменного согласия автора.


Дискография:

1. Malesch (LP) - 1972 (Vertigo/-/Vertigo-Germany) Reissued 1978 (IRI-France);
(CD) - 1993 (Spalax Music)
You Play For Us Today/Sahara City/Ala Tul/Pulse/Khan El Khalili/Malesch/Ruecksturz

2. Second Album (LP) - 1973 (Vertigo/-/Vertigo-Germany) Reissued 1978 (Atmosphere IRI-France); (CD) - 1996 (Spalax Music)
First Communication/Dialogue And Random/Laila - Part 1 & 2/In The Silence Of The Morning Sunrise/A Quiet Walk: a)Listening b)Two c)Not Of The Same Kind d)Haunted Island

3. Last (Live/Studio LP) - 1976 (-/-/Barclay-France); (CD) - 1996 (Spalax Music)

4. Fragments (Live CD) - 1995 (Music Intemporelle), 1996 (Spalax Music)





Agitation Free - 2nd

Released: 1973/2002
Label: Music Factory/Vertigo / Garden Of Delights
Cat. No.: 6360607 / CD 071
Total Time: 40:45


Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, September 2003
Agitation Free's second album, 2nd was also essentially the last album the band made, though Gunther and Gustl Lutjens, the latter of whom joined the band after the album's release, recorded music under the Agitation Free name. Lutjens replaced Stefan Diez who had joined the band to replace Jorg Schwende; Schwende's drug problems made him "increasingly unreliable, and you never knew if he would make it to gigs," it relates in the liner notes. As a result, the band replaced him with Diez. Schwende died in May of 1990.

As much as I liked Malesch, I like 2nd much more. The middle-eastern motifs are essentially gone, though that isn't why. In fact, it is of the Southern part of the US that comes to mind... which I will explain as we go along.

The musical atmosphere of 2nd is very laid back, all but two pieces being languid, mellow, spacey, guitar lead rock. That exception is the 2-minute long noodling by Hoenig, as he experiments with his synthesizer in "Dialogue And Random" - blips and burps and bumps of sound that could easily be used for sound effects in a 70s B sci-fi flick or the like. These type of effects recur in the first part of "A Quiet Walk." Here they are subtle, leading into an even more subtle section... where one can just hear a quiet throb. Guitar does play a role in the latter half of this two part piece. While one guitar plays in a very liquid electric style, the other plays in a dryer, acoustic style - each though reminding me of good country music. They both have a twang, but it is a twang even a prog lover can appreciate.

The album opens with the lovely "First Communication" - a true delight for lovers of guitar, being a shimmery, spacey piece of music. "Laila, Part 1" follows in this same tradition, being the track that begins with the type of guitar solo that ended many a song in the 70s. Part two brings cheerfully bouncy bass up into the mix. Thinking of The Allman Brothers band here wouldn't be entirely out of place. Maybe because of the clear, crisp, crying guitar notes that are being played. Not because Agitation Free sound like them, but there is something in the style that is similar. Though the prominence of the bass also makes me think of early Yes. All sounding like the cool jam played during the extended solo section... where otherwise "conventional" rock bands showed their improvisational spirit. Here it's all "meat" and no "fat."

"In The Silence Of The Morning Sunrise" has a knowing feel to it. Though there is no trumpet, guitar is again the lead instrument, it has that cool sophistication that I associate with Miles Davis. I always picture Davis as the kind of performer who could be on stage with a huge audience surrounding him and yet to him there is only himself and the music. This piece has that same kind of feel, very internal, and yet then very personal. Chirping sound effects, which is meant to represent birds, sometimes goes off into very unbirdlike tones, giving this otherwise very stately track, some lightheartedness. It a strange dichotomy that somehow works wonderfully. I mean, it's not kitschy like, oh, Steve Miller's "Jungle Love," just to snag an example - though there the chirps came at the beginning and end.

"Haunted Island" is creepy, as befits its subject. There are some vocals here, sung in a very dry and echo-treated way... sometimes given an underwater effect. The sung-spoken delivery made me think of The Doors' "The End." Here, too, Rausch plays a bit of mellotron. Here again we a treated to more guitar, here sounding a bit darker than on previous tracks.

While "Dialogue And Random" might get a little trying after several listenings, the rest of the album holds up beautifully. Really great, amazing stuff.

Rating: 5/5

More about 2nd:

Track Listing: First Communication (8:18) / Dialogue And Random (2:00) / Laila, Part 1 (1:32) / Laila, Part 2 (6:45) / In The Silence Of The Morning Sunrise (6:29) / A Quiet Walk (9:11) a) Listening b) Two - Not Of The Same Kind / Haunted Island (7:10)

Musicians:
Stefan Diez - guitar
Michael Gunther - bass
Michael Hoenig - keyboards, synthesizers
Burghard Rausch - drums, assorted percussion, voice and mellotron
Lutz Ulbrich - guitar, 12-string guitar, bouzuki

Guests:

Jackie and Frank Diez - vocals (6)

Contact:

Website: www.agitation-free.de
Note: will open new browser window

Email:

Discography

Malesh (1972/2002)
2nd (1973/2002)
Last (rec. 1973/74; 1976)
Fragments (rec. 1974;1995)
At The Cliffs Of The River Rhine (rec. 1974;1998)
The Other Sides Of Agitation Free (rec. 1974; 1999)
River Of Return (1999)



Second
Date of Release 1973

Agitation Free's 2nd stands as one of Germany's finest instrumental rock albums of the 1970s and a classic for fans of progressive rock and krautrock. Despite the fact that the group had problems keeping its cohesion at the time, these troubles never affect the music. 2nd presented a daring blend of Krautrock-type extended jams, laid-back attitude and experimentation. The music remains very psychedelic in nature, more early Can than Faust. The presence of acoustic guitars and bouzouki emphazises the easy-going nature of the music, along with Stefan Diez's elegant guitar soloing, while occasional freeform passages keep things on the edge. The opener "First Communication" is pure krautrock and the hardest driving tune. It belongs on every anthology of German rock. Michael Hoenig's synthesizer experiment "Dialogue and Random" provides an interlude before the two-part "Laila" kicks in. The latter juxtaposes prog rock and fusion jazz sections with beautiful audacity. Side B of the original LP is a lot quieter. Birds chirp at the beginning of "In the Silence of the Morning Sunrise" and the pastoral mood carries over to the nine-minute "A Quiet Walk." "Haunted Island" ends with a mid-tempo rock number featuring a recitation of Edgar Allan Poe's "Dreamland." Filled with mellotron and guitar jamming, it has often been hailed as a highlight by prog rock fans who had a hard time digesting the less immediate material, but it's actually weaker than what came before it - without lessening the appeal of this album. - Franзois Couture

1. First Communications (Agitation Free) - 8:10
2. Dialogue and Random (Agitation Free) - 1:51
3. Laila, Pt. 1 (Agitation Free) - 1:41
4. Laila, Pt. 2 (Agitation Free) - 6:47
5. In the Silence of the Morning Sunrise (Agitation Free) - 6:33
6. A Quiet Walk (Agitation Free) - 9:15
7. Haunted Island (Agitation Free) - 7:11

Michael Hoenig - Synthesizer, Keyboards
Agitation Free - Producer, Cover Design
Frank Diez - Vocals
Jackie Diez - Vocals
Stefan Diez - Guitar
Michel Gunter - Bass
Burghard Rausch - Percussion, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Voices, Mellotron, Sounds
Dave Siddle - Engineer
Lutz Ulbrich - Bouzouki, Guitar, Keyboards, Guitar (12 String)
Alex Von Koettlitz - Artwork
Michael Gunther - Bass

1973 LP Vertigo 6360615
CD Garden Of Delights 071