01	Why don't you eat carrots?						09:35
	02	Meadow meal						08:05
	03	Miss Fortune						16:36

Werner Diermaier
Joachim Irmler
Arnulf Meifert
Jean-Herve Peron
Rudolf Sosna
Gunther Wustoff
Kurt Graupner
Andy Hertel

ReR 2000 reissue (1971)

part 1 of The Wumme Years box set


Faust [Germany]
Updated 8/31/00
Discography
Faust (71)
So Far (72)
Outside the Dream Syndicate (73)
Slapp Happy with Faust (73)
The Faust Tapes (73)
Faust IV (74)
Return of a Legend: Munich and Elsewhere (87)
71 Minutes of Faust (88, CD, formerly Last LP when released on vinyl, Rec 1971)
Concerts Vol. 1 (92, Live Rec. 1990)
Concerts Vol. 2 (92, Live Rec. 1992)
Rien (95)
Peel Sessions (96)
(Untitled) (96)
You Know Faust (96)
Edinburgh 1997 (97, Live)
Faust wakes Nosferatu (97)
Revvivando (99)


Reviews
Wild, trippy, far-out German weirdos whose first two albums are landmarks of the German experimental scene. Just from looking at the first album, you know it's not going to be like anything you have ever heard before. Clear vinyl encased in a clear plastic sleeve with an X-ray of a fist printed on it, and even including a see-thru plastic lyric sheet with red lettering! The music is a totally original mix of electronics, tape effects, hard rock, semi-symphonic passages and light folky guitar pieces. It's impossible to predict in what direction they'll move next, they always move contrary to your expectations. Three tracks that all sort of run together. Highly recommended to the explorative. So Far way well be better and more varied than the first album. The opening track: "It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl" is almost simplistic, with single-drum pounding, jagged guitar strumming, bouncy organ tooting and vocals chanting the title over and over, yet it builds to something surprisingly multilayered, with synthesizers and a good sax solo. "No Harm" starts with a passage with prominent trumpet and organ, and sounds not unlike something from Zappa's orchestral period. Then it bursts into a whirlwind of rock fury. The title song is a 7/4 vamp around guitar picks and trumpet blasts in a maelstrom of electronic swooshes which leads in to the chilling "Mamie Is Blue", with dramatic, thunderous electronic effects. Awe-inspiring stuff, and recommended even more than the first. I also heard Faust 4. Still pretty varied, but nothing quite so original as their prior stuff. In fact, they even do an extended version of "Picnic On A Frozen River" from So Far. Fanatics need only apply. -- Mike Ohman
German free form psychedelic/experimental band from the early 70's. What I've heard (71 Minutes and The Faust Tapes) has not impressed me very much. I'm sure I could take a bunch of LSD with my non-musical friends and we could grab some instruments we don't know how to play, and come up with something just as noisy. Somebody once told me that these two albums are just rubbish that was never intended to be released, and their first two are much better.
Faust were one of the seminal German bands along with groups such as Amon Duul II and the like, who incorporated the idea of structured dissonance into music. To those who enjoy the style of those early "psychedelic" groups, their first and So Far are worthwhile discs to explore.
I have Faust IV which is a really good Krautrock album. In fact, the first track is called "Krautrock"! The album goes from noisy jams to really nice melodies with nice keyboards. Re-released by Virgin in 1992.











Faust
Formed 1971 in Wumme, Germany
Group Members Werner Diermaier Hans Joachim Irmler Armulf Meifert Jean Herve Peron Rudolf Sossna Gunther Wusthoff
Genres Rock
Styles Experimental Rock, Kraut Rock, Experimental, Prog-Rock/Art Rock

by Jason Ankeny

"There is no group more mythical than Faust," wrote Julian Cope in his book Krautrocksampler, which detailed the pivotal influence the German band exerted over the development of ambient and industrial textures. Producer/overseer Uwe Nettelbeck, a onetime music journalist, formed Faust in Wumme, Germany in 1971 with founding members Hans Joachim Irmler, Jean Herve Peron, Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, Rudolf Sosna, Gunther Wustoff and Armulf Meifert. Upon receiving advance money from their label, Nettelbeck converted an old schoolhouse into a recording studio, where the group spent the first several months of its existence in almost total isolation, honing their unique, cacophonic sound with the aid of occasional guests like minimalist composer Tony Conrad and members of Slapp Happy.
Issued on clear vinyl in a transparent sleeve, Faust's eponymously-titled debut LP surfaced in 1971; although sales were notoriously bad, the album - a noisy sound collage of cut-and-paste musical fragments - did earn the group a solid cult following. Another lavishly-packaged work, Faust So Far, followed in 1972, and earned the group a contract with Virgin, who issued 1973's The Faust Tapes - a fan-assembled collection of home recordings - for about the price of a single, a marketing ploy which earned considerable media interest. After Outside Dream Syndicate, a collaboration with Tony Conrad, the band released 1973's Faust IV, a commercial failure which resulted in the loss of their contract with Virgin, who refused to release the planned Faust 5.

When Nettelbeck turned his focus away from the group, Faust disbanded in 1975, and the members scattered throught Germany; however, after more than a decade of playing together in various incarnations, Faust officially reunited around the nucleus of Irmler, Peron and Dermaier for a handful of European performances at the outset of the 1990s. In 1993, they made their first-ever U.S. live appearance backing Conrad, followed by a series of other stateside performances; after several live releases, a pair of new studio albums, Rien and You Know FaUSt, followed in 1996. Ravvivando appeared three years later.


1971 Faust Recommended
1972 Faust So Far Recommended
1973 Outside the Dream Syndicate Caroline
1973 The Faust Tapes Cuneiform
1973 Faust IV Virgin
1995 Rien Table of the
1996 Faust Concerts, Vol. 1: Live in Hamburg, 1990 Table of the
1996 Faust Concerts, Vol. 2: Live in London, 1992 Table of the
1997 You Know FaUSt Recommended
1997 Edinburgh 1997 [live] Klangbad
1998 Faust Wakes Nosferatu EFA
1999 Ravvivando EFA
2000 Land of Ukko & Rauni [live] Ektro
2002 Freispiel EFA
2002 Patchwork Staubgold
The Faust Concerts, Vol. 1-2 [live] Table of the

1986 Munich and Elsewhere Recommended
1988 The Last LP: Faust Party No. 3, 1971-1972 Recommended
1996 71 Minutes of Faust Cuneiform
2000 Faust/Faust So Far Collectors'
2000 The Wumme Years: 1970-73 Recommended x
2001 BBC Sessions + Recommended





Faust
The Faust Tapes
Recommended Records (F2CD)
Germany 1973

Arnulf Meifert, drums; Werner Dermeier, drums; Hans-Joachim Irmler, organ; Gunter Wusthoff, synthesizer, sax; Rudolf Sosna, guitar, keyboards; Jean-Herve Peron, bass

Tracklist:
1. The Faust Tapes - 43:26

total time 43:26


Links:
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This disc was my introduction to Faust, and so far is the only album of theirs that I own, so I can't compare it with their other work. The word that comes to mind to describe this album is that it's a "musicloaf" - all sorts of musical styles crammed together, each intercutting to the next with no break or transition. Everything from melodic prog to minimalism to distorted, wailing keyboards to random recordings such as TV programs and the telephone service that tells the time (in German), all lumped together into one album-long track. Speaking of which, it would have been nice for the different pieces to have been given their own track numbers on the CD, but then I guess no one ever says "Hey, I'd really like to listen to part 18 of Faust Tapes today".
Some pieces of music remind me of early Pink Floyd (but then everything seems to be reminding me of early Floyd lately), particularly the parts with melodic piano and some of the acoustic guitar work.

This album is pretty much for those who like exploring the very adventurous side of prog. If the music itself doesn't put off the more "mainstream" prog fans, the strange, distorted, accented vocals will. Or the relatively poor sound quality of some sections. But if you want to hear one of the outer edges of prog rock, give this disc a spin.

undated




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Enter Wonderland. Faust were (are?) a German band of merry pranksters whose legacy may touch more of the modern avant-garde than any other band or artist. This is not to say that we're dealing with the classics, or a journey into academia, but rather a group that basically was the archetype for rock experimentation during an all-too-short first existence in the early 70s.
The Faust Tapes was not actually intended for official release, but was a collection of home recordings made by the band for friends. It was bought cheaply by the then-fledgling Virgin label, and sold for half a pound in English record shops. Incredibly, the album sold 50,000 copies, and for a time, every Tom, Dick and Mumsy was in earshot of real out-there, freakout, 100% mind-bending stuff. Talk about subversive, and the best thing about it is that it still stands up today.

The record consists of one track with "26 passages". Some of the passages are short bursts of noise, hyped-up saxes, anarchic drums, or psychedelic echo sessions, but the majority of the music here is something else entirely. Gil Evans inspired noir-jazz, whimsical magical mystery pop, gentle acoustic guitar interludes, garage rock, funky trash RnB, pensive piano solos, found sound, telephone conversations - it's all over the map.

It may sound like a lot to take in one sitting, and truthfully, if you have a distaste for experimental music, it may put you off. However, this is, at its core, fun stuff, and is certainly not 'noisy' in the manner of, say, early Boredoms (or even noisier Henry Cow).

While generally put in the Krautrock (a genre named after one of Faust's songs!) camp with fellow German visionary groups like Can and Kraftwerk, Faust are really a world unto themselves. This album, along with their first two official releases, makes a strong argument that rock music needn't require abundant technical proficiency or an arch concept in order to be considered prog. Ultimately, it may just need a love of music, an open mind, and an eye to the future. Faust had those things in spades.

undated







c ground and sky


g r o u n d a n d s k y
h o m e | r e v i e w s | a r t i c l e s | p r e f s | l i n k s | a b o u t
# a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z all search

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Faust
Faust IV
Virgin (1885)
Germany 1974

Werner Diermeier, drums; Hans-Joachim Irmler, organ; Gunter Wusthoff, synthesizer, sax; Rudolf Sosna, guitar, keyboards; Jean-Herve Peron, bass

Tracklist:
1. Krautrock - 11:47
2. The Sad Skinhead - 2:43
3. Jennifer - 7:11
4. Just A Second (Starts Like That!) - 3:35
5. Picnic on a Frozen River (Deuxieme Tableux) - 7:45
6. Giggy Smile - 4:28
7. Lauft... Hei?t Das es Lauft Oder es Kommt Bald... Lauft - 3:40
8. It's a Bit of a Pain - 3:08

total time 44:17


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d
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Faust's final proper release of the 70s finds the band streamlining their sound a bit, though retaining thier maverick spirit. Today, Faust IV is a favorite of many Faust fans, but at the time it was seen as major step downwards from the frenetic whimsy of the band's early releases. The album largely eschews the cut-and-paste aesthetic of Tapes for a kind of off-center pop sensibility. This isn't exactly radio fare, but is doubtlessly less likely to drive your straight roommate insane than the earlier stuff.
"Krautrock" is a churning, tumbling trance rock honoring the term that was henceforth applied (with gross generalization) to a wave of experimental German bands from the early and mid-70s. This one clocks in at around 12 minutes, and mines similar territory as countrymen Can, with washes of electronic sound thrown into a rhythmic blender, set to a repetitive spin cycle. However, this isn't quite the ambient funk of the other band, but rather a boisterous, almost punkish rock mantra. Julian Cope calls it "fuzzy", and that about sums it up.

"Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxieme Tableaux" is actually "Giggy Smile", mistitled on the CD jacket. Faux-blues shuffle that is very reminiscent of early Zappa - almost sincerely jamming down to some pretty ridiculous lyrics. Is it a parody? Can they really play? Do they really want to be Germany's ZZ Top? Anyways, midway through, the whole thing turns into a bouncy, synth-led pop vamp for no other reason than to show you they're still Faust.

The group abandoned their fabled schoolhouse in Wumme for the major league treatment at Virgin, Ltd.'s Manor Studios. Ironically, the quality of the recording is affected very little. It could be that the reaction to this record at the time of its release was due as much to a perceived loss of credibility than to any compromise of the band's sound.

undated







c ground and sky

g r o u n d a n d s k y
h o m e | r e v i e w s | a r t i c l e s | p r e f s | l i n k s | a b o u t
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Faust
71 Minutes of Faust
Recommended Records (RERF1CD)
Germany 1971-5

Werner Diermeier, drums; Hans-Joachim Irmler, organ; Jean-Herve Peron, bass; Rudolf Sosna, guitar, keyboards; Gunter Wusthoff, synthesizer, sax

Tracklist:
1. Munic A - 11:56
2. Baby - 4:53
3. Meer - 2:50
4. Munic B - 11:49
5. Don't Take Roots - 4:22
6. Party 2 - 7:05
7. Party 8 - 1:23
8. Psalter - 4:09
9. Party 5 - 4:33
10. Party 1 - 9:48
11. Party 3 - 0:43
12. Party 6 - 3:24
13. Party 4 - 4:48

total time 71:43


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Album containing two of the band's unreleased LPs, Return of a Legend (minus one track) and Faust Party 3. During its brief existence, Faust was remarkably prolific, releasing four albums, and recording much more. The first half of this CD is actually most of the album that was to follow Faust IV (released on its own as The Last LP in 1989). The music is similar to IV, with little of the collage-effect of the early albums, instead focusing on longer, often atmospheric pieces of trancerock (if not the more pop-oriented side of the band). Recorded 1973-75.
The second half is comprised of the original Faust party tapes, some of which appeared on the official releases, in various forms, versions, etc. These were from 1971, and are good examples of the group's early style.

"Munic B" is an extended trance-rock piece, utilizing electronics and primal propulsion in much the same way as Babaluma-era Can. Faust never had the technical ability of that band, but manage to concoct a similarly otherworldly atmosphere - guitar lines race relentlessly, a horn bleats Milesesque, and the whole thing gallops into darkness far sooner than you think.

"Party 8" begins with droning distorted guitars introduce a very off-center, electro-powered groove (imagine driving a car with a square wheel, and you're almost there). Anyways, the guitar pushes forward, riffing away, when it all gets smeered by a nasty vinyl rip, and the collage police enter. After a little craziness someone tries to a speech-impaired person not to "retire", and the droning takes up again. Schizo, and would Faust have it any other way?

8-11-00







c ground and sky

Ravvivando
Artist Faust
Album Title Ravvivando
Date of Release May 11, 1999 inprint
AMG Rating
Genre Rock
Styles Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Experimental, Kraut Rock, Experimental Rock
Time 56:05
Library View Click here to see this album in MARC format
Product Purchase Click here to buy this album

With touring and recording becoming something of a regular occurrence in the '90s, Faust were actually resembling a proper band. Although the group had been somewhat active since its semi-retirement in the mid-'70s, this album represented something of a mini-comeback on the heels of a concurrent international tour for these Krautrock legends as founding members Zappi Diermaier and Hans-Joachim Irmler carried the torch. Ravvivando is full of some of the best Velvet Underground minimalist-noise-rush this side of My Bloody Valentine, even if you miss the complete audio-visual aspect of their insane pyrotechnic shows (see The Faust Concerts). Interestingly, there are brief parodies/tributes to their fellow Germans Amon Duul ("Take Care"), Cluster ("Ein Neurer Tag"), and Neu! "T-Electronique" - perhaps not surprising from a band that once self-consciously called a song "Krautrock." With the amusing carnival-like "Dr' Hansl," the monster-movie blues of "Livin' Toyko," the eerie, chanted "Apokalpyse," and the anthemic, spiritual "Du Weibt Schon," this represents something of a new twist in their career. It has more to do with the collage quality of Rien (1995) than the wonderfully goofy IV or their early tape experiments. An intriguing phase for an always unpredictable group. - Jason Gross

1. Ein Neuer Tag - 4:16
2. Carousel II - 2:45
3. Wir Brauchen Dich No. 6 - 7:22
4. Four Plus Seven Means Eleven - 7:07
5. Take Care - 4:08
6. Spiel - :41
7. Dr. Hansi - 1:30
8. Apokalypse - 4:30
9. D.I.G. - 5:29
10. Du Weisst Schon - 2:43
11. Livin' Tokyo - 8:43
12. T-Electronique - 6:51



Crack the Sky: Animal Notes/Safety in Numbers
Audience: House on the Hill
Can: Tago Mago
John Cale: Guts
Holger Czukay: Rome Remains Rome
Be Bop Deluxe: Sunburst Finish
Curved Air: Best of Curved Air

1999 CD EFA 3600





Faust IV
Artist Faust
Album Title Faust IV
Date of Release 1973 (release) inprint
AMG Rating
Genre Rock
Tones Cerebral, Visceral, Clinical, Rousing, Freewheeling, Fun, Intense, Irreverent, Gritty
Styles Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Experimental, Kraut Rock, Experimental Rock
Time 44:17
Library View Click here to see this album in MARC format
Product Purchase Click here to buy this album

Coming on the heels of the cut-and-paste sound-collage schizophrenia of The Faust Tapes, Faust IV seems relatively subdued and conventional, though it's still a far cry from what anyone outside the German avant-garde rock scene was doing. The album's disparate threads don't quite jell into something larger (as in the past), but there's still much to recommend it. The nearly 12-minute electro-acoustic opener "Krautrock" is sometimes viewed as a comment on Faust's droning, long-winded contemporaries, albeit one that would lose its point by following the same conventions. There are a couple of oddball pop numbers that capture the group's surreal sense of whimsy: one, "The Sad Skinhead," through its reggae-ish beat, and another, "It's a Bit of a Pain," by interrupting a pastoral acoustic guitar number with the most obnoxious synth noises the band can conjure. Aside from "Krautrock," there is a trend toward shorter track lengths and more vocals, but there are still some unpredictably sudden shifts in the instrumental pieces, even though it only occasionally feels like an idea is being interrupted at random (quite unlike The Faust Tapes). There are several beat-less, mostly electronic soundscapes full of fluttering, blooping synth effects, as well as plenty of the group's trademark Velvet Underground-inspired guitar primitivism, and even a Frank Zappa-esque jazz-rock passage. Overall, Faust IV comes off as more a series of not-always-related experiments, but there are more than enough intriguing moments to make it worthwhile. Unfortunately, it would be the last album the group recorded (at least in its first go-round). - Steve Huey

1. Krautrock (Faust [1]) - 11:47
2. The Sad Skinhead (Faust [1]) - 2:43
3. Jennifer (Faust [1]) - 7:11
4. Just a Second (Starts Like That) (Faust [1]) - 3:35
5. Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxieme... (Faust [1]) - 7:45
6. Giggy Smile (Faust [1]) - 4:28
7. Lдuft...Heist das Es Lдuft Oder Es Kommt... (Faust [1]) - 3:40
8. It's a Bit of Pain (Faust [1]) - 3:08



Tony Conrad: Outside the Dream Syndicate [With Faust]
Brainticket: Celestial Ocean
Ginger Baker's Air Force: Ginger Baker's Air Force
Can: Ege Bamyasi
Caravan: In the Land of Grey and Pink
Bang: Bang
Be Bop Deluxe: Axe Victim
Clouds: Watercolour Days
Audience: House on the Hill
Jack Bruce: At His Best

Faust
Uwe Nettlebeck - Producer

CD Virgin 1885
1973 LP Virgin 2004




The Faust Tapes
Artist Faust
Album Title Faust Tapes
Date of Release 1973 (release) inprint
AMG Rating
Genre Rock
Styles Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Experimental, Kraut Rock, Experimental Rock
Library View Click here to see this album in MARC format
Product Purchase Click here to buy this album

This was the release that "broke" Faust to a British audience, mostly because of a marketing gimmick whereby the then-infant Virgin label sold it in shops for half a pound. Still, it's no mean feat to sell 50,000 copies of rock this avant-garde, no matter what the cost. A continuous 43-minute piece with about 26 discrete passages (which makes it hell to zero in on a specific bit on CD), it roams from crash'n'mash drums and fierce art rock jamming to rather pretty, if inscrutable, bits of folk-rock and spoken word, with odd shards of melody sticking out like glass in a tire. There are rough reference points to Zappa in the torrid editing and British Canterbury bands in the goofier, more rock-driven parts, but this is even less immediately accessible, taking a few plays to get a grip on, though most pop-oriented listeners won't get that far. - Richie Unterberger

1. Faust Tapes - 43:26



Brainticket: Celestial Ocean
Can: Tago Mago
Ginger Baker's Air Force: Ginger Baker's Air Force
Babe Ruth: Amar Caballero
Clouds: Watercolour Days
Caravan: For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night
Curved Air: Phantasmagoria
John Cale & Terry Riley: Church of Anthrax
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Lick My Decals Off, Baby
Battered Ornaments: Mantle-Piece

Chris Cutler - Compilation, Design
Werner Diermaier
Bob Drake - Remastering
Kurt Graupner - Engineer
Hans Joachim Irmler
Matt Murman - Remastering
Uwe Nettlebeck - Producer
Jean Hervй Peron
Rudolf Sossna
Gunther Wusthoff
Andy Hertel - Artwork
Savage Leisurecentre - Cover Photo
Zappi - Conductor
Edda Kцchl - Paintings
Florentine Papst - Vocals

CD Cuneiform RER-FCD-2
1973 LP Virgin 501
1995 CD ReR F2






Faust
Artist Faust
Album Title Faust
Date of Release 1971 (release)
AMG Rating
Genre Rock
Tones Volatile, Cerebral, Trippy, Brash, Wintry, Freewheeling, Complex, Fiery, Intense, Raucous, Irreverent, Messy, Difficult, Ambitious
Styles Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Experimental, Kraut Rock, Experimental Rock
Library View Click here to see this album in MARC format
Product Purchase Click here to buy this album

The impact of Faust cannot be overstated; their debut album was truly a revolutionary step forward in the progress of "rock music". It was pressed on clear vinyl, packaged in a clear sleeve, with a clear plastic lyric insert. The black X-ray of a fist on the cover graphically illustrates the hard core music contained in the grooves, an amalgamation of electronics, rock, tape edits, acoustic guitars, musique concrete, and industrial angst. The level of imagination is staggering, the concept is totally unique and it's fun to listen to as well. - Archie Patterson

1. Why Don't You Eat Carrots (Faust [1]) - 9:35
2. Meadow Meal (Faust [1]/Sosna) - 8:05
3. Miss Fortune [live] (Faust [1]/Peron) - 16:36



John Cale: Academy in Peril
Clouds: Watercolour Days
Brainticket: Celestial Ocean
Bang: Bang
Curved Air: Phantasmagoria
Can: Tago Mago
Audience: You Can't Beat Them
Battered Ornaments: Mantle-Piece
Babe Ruth: Amar Caballero
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Lick My Decals Off, Baby

Chris Cutler - Compilation
Werner Diermaier - Drums
Bob Drake - Remastering
Kurt Graupner - Engineer
Hans Joachim Irmler - Organ
Armulf Meifert
Matt Murman - Remastering
Uwe Nettlebeck - Producer, Liner Notes
Jean Hervй Peron - Bass, Guitar, Trumpet, Vocals
Rudolf Sossna - Guitar
Gunther Wusthoff - Keyboards, Wind
Andy Hertel - Artwork
Savage Leisurecentre - Cover Photo
Zappi - Conductor
Edda Kцchl - Paintings
Florentine Papst - Vocals

1979 LP Recommended 1
2001 CD Polygram International 2404