Ash Ra Tempel - Schwingungen

The original album is an invaluable artifact from the classic kraut/German psych period. Ash Ra's use of silence and tension create a realm which thrives within the contradicting and complimenting elements.

However this CD re-release is merely a copy of the vinyl, as one can hear the clicks and pops and hiss from the copy being used. I don't the master tapes were ever touched for this release. This is unfortunate. At least they preserved the original art.

This vinyl reissue is disappointing. The wax is of rather poor quality and the sound reproduction suffers from noticable losses if compared to the original press from 1972. The sleeve is not fold out and there is no insert, so all lyrics, pictures and notes of the original are lost. I wonder why Spalax couldn't reprint this with absolute fidelty to the Ohr release, just like Think Progressive did with Popol Vuh and Tangerine Dream titles. Avoid this poor release, buy the CD instead or hunt for the original.

"Schwingungen" is Ash Ra Tempel's masterpiece, an immortal record of stunning beauty. All the different styles of the krautrock genre seem to be gathered on the three long tracks of this LP. "Look At Your Sun" and "Liebe" are dreaming and melancholic ballads, while "Flowers Must Die" is a crazy, paranoid tribal chant, where the voice reaches allucinatory and screamed tones, and the music melts an unstoppable rhythmic section with razor-sharped electronic blasts. Finally, "Suche" explores deep cosmic scenarios which recall Tangerine's Dream "Alpha Centaury". A very unique listening experience which I recommend to everyone.