Week of November 28, 2004
Personnel:
Klaus Schnur - Guitar, Vocals
Peter Schnur - Guitar, Vocals
Rainer Hoffman - Keyboards
Thilo Herrmann - Bass, Flute, Vocals
Gunther Seier - Drums
Album:
Same (Mouse Trick Track Music) 1971
Reissued on CD by Ohrwaschl
This group made one of the most legendary German private pressings. It is now
incredibly rare. The sound of a squeaking mouse opens the album, released on
'Mouse Trick Track Music' (amazing choice of label name!) The album is a
thematically linked "Mammut Opus", with the word "Mammut" included in all
the track titles. A rhythmic and dramatic instrumental overture with wistful
flute ("Bird Mammut") and a short interlude for piano ("Classical
Mammut") put you in the right mood before the lengthy, heavy guitar riffing
tracks "Mammut Ecstasy" and "Footmachine Mammut" strike you.
Perhaps Elias Hulk and
parts of the first Embryo
album are comparable to this. Side two starts with a "Short Mammut" -
sounds of gunfire and bomber planes. "Schizoid Mammut" had violent,
paranoid lyrics with music to match. "Nagarn Mammut" is their attempt to
be more lyrical. The album closes the same way as it started with large doses of
instrumental music ("Mammut Opera"), what Pete Townshend would
name 'underture'. The most impressive aspect of this album is that all the
biting guitar statements are woven in-between the vocals. A typical golden
artefact from one of the most fertile years of modern music (1971) incorporating
both classical and heavy acid blues influences. Good production as well,
considering it was a private release, so I can recommend this album to you with
great enthusiasm!
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