Klaus Schulze – Irrlicht

1972 Mr. Schulze abandoned the rock n roll dream completely and ventured the darker waters of avant tho I use that term loosely to accentuate his debut as something polar opposite of Ashra Temple and Tangerine Dream.
Klaus took the helm and set the controls for drone land and broadening treated organ textures. Exposed to his music by the gateway drug Moondawn as a teen here in the US (Thank you Mr. Stephen Hill!) most of Klaus's music I drew to was his sequencer maelstrom from the mid to early 80s but Irrlicht and Cyborg took many decades to appreciate as this isn't easily digestible material. I dont recall anything in America's past certainly in 1972 as forward thinking and dare I say artistically sophisticated as Irrlicht. A true piece of art that might take a while to appreciate but when it hits you in the right frame of mind it's nothing short of a non drug induced ear trip to the other side!

This album is an early elektronik Krautrock masterpiece. Klaus Schulze had yet to embrace the repetitive, meditative "Berlin School" of electronic music, but instead uses a string orchestra and of course some percussion to accompany his synths.
This album is a Krautrock masterpiece, and a must for anyone who likes the electronic form of Krautrock. Words fail me to "explain" this music! But it is, in a word, excellent!
I scored a Near Mint Japanese vinyl copy, even though I'm very weary of LPs with an extended playing time. Side 1 of this album is nearly 30 minutes long, yet this album's sound quality is fabulous from beginning to end.. A keeper!
There are two versions of the Japanese LP, one pressed in 1976 and one pressed in 1981. From all accounts, there is no difference in the sound quality of the two. The only major difference between the two is that the '76 version has a more traditional obi, instead the '81 doesn't have a "true" obi but simply the insert is extended past the opening of the sleeve to mimic the look of an obi. This "fake" obi does not affect the sound quality of the vinyl ;)

Magnificent sound quality on this 1977 issue. Astonishing that so much power and clarity emerges from a side of nearly thirty minutes. Have to say also, I prefer the artwork which to me is more analogous to the music. Overwhelming stuff.

This Japanese press is absolutely superb - the superior vinyl quality and low noise floor is what you need for this fantastic cosmic music - I've never had or heard an OP, but this is got to be on par - just pick up a minty copy and you'll hear, I'll guarantee it !

Straight up dark ambience in its quintessential form. Even in this early work, you can hear the sounds that would have a massive influence on a slew of other artists; and it also sounds like the funeral organ player is tripping balls.

One of my favorite LPs ever. Schulze’s first and best.

According to the photographs above,the colour on the backside of the outer sleeve looks blue (instead of the greyish sort of colour on the other releases?). Is it indeed blue or does it just look like it? Except for the colour, the german release that I have fits best to this release but with two differences: The runout code on side a ends with something that looks like a capital A with the left "leg" missing and the last letter is undecipherable. On side b, the code ends with something that looks like "I I". Perhaps it's supposed to be an "N" but the middle line is missing.

This is my favourite KS record. This is haunting space music I've never heard such thing before. I have the 2006 rerelease by reveisted and I can only advise this version to anyone. thank you kS !

The pressing quality and the sound of the 2017 releases are good, but the reproduction of the cover artwork are bad and in the case of "irrlicht" it´s just the cover of the 2nd release from the 70´s and not the artwork from the 1st press. The pictures are blurred and pixelated. The good thing are the download card. But i think, it´s a lost chance to re-release a lot of magnificent albums from the legenday Klaus Schulze.

I discovered Klaus Schulze while I was listening to electronica. His collaborations with Pete Namlook has provided one of the biggest discographies I have ever seen, with over 130 albums on his account alone. But in the beginning Klaus was all about exploring the possibilities of his synthesizer, after leaving Manuel Göttsching and Ash Ra Tempel behind. "Quadrophonische Symphonie für Orchester und E-Maschinen", the undertitle of this release, shows what he sought to create with his toys. It's really a haunting experience, and one of the toughest albums I've listened through. But that is what makes it all that special. When it's all over, you feel a sense of relief, like you have endured something rather than listened to it.