Week of December 9, 2001
Jean-Jacques Kravetz, classically trained keyboardist-extraordinaire and veteran of such Deutschrock mammoths as Atlantis, Frumpy, Lindenberg, Randy Pie, recorded a little-known solo album in 1972, aided and abetted by his erstwhile partner Udo Lindenberg (later a solo star in his own right) on drums and percussion, simply titled, "Kravetz". It's indeed a strange mixture. Side one strives to be "conceptual", comprised of just two long tracks. "I'd Like To Be A Child Again" (with Inga Rumpf guesting on vocals) clocks in at nearly 10 minutes and is surprisingly light on keyboards and heavy on guitar! Side two is much more streamlined with three shorter tracks, featuring some straight-ahead early 70s style heavy rock, gorgeous guitar and organ passages and even some "weird" (avant-garde?) moments, a-la King Crimson.
Alex Gitlin
November 2001
Frenchman Jean-Jacques Kravetz is best known as the organist in Frumpy and Atlantis. In 1972, he apparently had a rift with the rest of Frumpy and set off to record a solo album for Vertigo with his friends Udo Lindenberg (drums, percussion, vocals), who also wrote all lyrics and some of the music on the LP, Carl-G. Stephan (bass), and Thomas Kretzschmer (guitars). Inga Rumpf handled the vocals on one of the five tracks. Musically, this was fine, keyboard-dominated progressive rock, offering much time for inspired instrumental work - almost like a "lost" Frumpy album! It was recorded at Windrose studios, Hamburg, during April 1972. Kravetz co-produced it with Thomas Kukuck (also the engineer on this album). After this project, Kravetz returned to Frumpy in time to contribute to the last part of the recordings for "By The Way" (1972). With Inga Rumpf and Karl-Heinz Schott, he then founded Frumpy's logical successor, the more mainstream rock group Atlantis. Kravetz also helped his mate Udo Lindenberg on many of his solo albums.
Kravetz 1972, Vertigo 6360 605 (re-released on CD by Repertoire*)
Taken from Cosmic Dreams at Play - A guide to German Progressive and Electronic Rock by Dag Erik Asbjørnsen, Borderline Productions, ISBN 1-899855-01-7
* oh really??? (A.G.)
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