Ash Ra Tempel Gin Rosi

OK, my views as to the ridiculousness of this being classed as an Ash Ra Tempel album are the same as in my review of their 'Friendship' album. This time though you get the announcer at the beginning of the concert actually introducing them as Ash Ra Tempel and even saying "For the first time together in 30 years". If he means Manuel and Klaus playing together as ART he is out by at least a couple of years and if he means just the two of them playing together he is out by about 25 years!

But what about the music? Reports I got from people attending the concert this CD was taken from were rather mixed. From what I hear here though it sounds fine to me. I have played it a number of times and with each spin I enjoy it more.

The CD consists of just one mega sixty nine minute piece. Burbling sci fi type effects get the album underway, we then get a relaxing tranquil section. Manuel's light guitar touches add to the peacefulness still further. At about fifteen minutes a 'splashing' type sequence starts up and shortly after we start to motor along very nicely, the guitar providing an attention grabbing lead line without being overly dominant. By twenty minutes the sequence has gradually become more rhythmic and synths share the lead duties with the guitar. The track becomes a little like a more upbeat version of 'Pikant' from the Friendship CD. The rhythms die away at just under thirty minutes and we get a tranquil guitar section over synth pads. This is very mellow and provides time to relax. Eventually even the guitar dies away and we get a few moments of float before another sequential section begins to build in such a way that only Klaus would know how.

When the rhythms arrive they have Klaus' signature all over them. Manuel's guitar playing could hardly be by anyone else than him, insistent and yet laid back and very easy on the ear at the same time. It all sounds very improvised but still very much 'together' and surprisingly 'tight'. The sequence fades into a ' ticking' high hat line then disappears all together leaving a sort of underwater guitar sound. After a round of applause we get an extremely pleasant acoustic guitar section. Out of the tranquillity another sequence builds, this time reminding me of something that might have accompanied an album from say 1984. Things remain relatively laid back with the synth pads having a faintly vocal quality to them. At times I am even reminded of the Ashra album 'Blackouts'. We then get a period of disturbed rest before things build to the dynamic climax with everything thrown into the brew: brilliant rhythms, intense electric guitar and what sounds like wall upon wall of sound- wow! I wish I had been at this gig but I have only myself to blame that I wasn't. (DL)

This page is part of a frame set. If you can't see the information strip to the left of the screen then click on the smd logo above.