Electric Junk - Deutsche Rock, Psych And Kosmiche 1970-1978 (Clamshell Box)

Electric Junk: Deutsche Rock, Psych and Kosmische 1970-1978 is Cherry Reds deep dive into the German underground, mainly focusing on rock music but also delving into spacy, abstract electronic sounds. The liner notes make a point to immediately disavow the K word, though it makes the sets title slightly misleading, as Deutschrock is actually a much more mainstream, blue-collar form of German rock music than the experimental styles lumped together as Krautrock. The compilers intentionally avoided Can and Kraftwerk, instead shining light on a lot of more obscure acts, yet also making the case that Faust should be regarded as a pop band. The release doesnt shy away from including lengthy jams, with a righteous Guru Guru cut starting things off and serving as the compilations title track. Plenty of songs, particularly on the first disc, come from the more hippie-ish side of hard rock, with Karthagos "Why Dont You Stop Buggin Me" carrying a defiantly anti-war, proudly pro-pot message. Tracks by bands like Nosferatu and Eloy seem ideal for cruising down the highway, and Epsilons "She Belongs to Me" starts that way but detours into a classical-inspired organ solo. La Dusseldorfs "Silver Cloud" is one of the sets few tracks with more of a circular, motorik-style rhythm. The second and third discs feature a much greater presence of space rock and electronic music, with two pieces of glowing synth majesty by Klaus Schulze, percussive experiments by Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler, and two vastly different Tangerine Dream tracks, showing how quickly they evolved from a dark, guitar-driven psychedelic band to pioneers of sequencer-driven synth music. There are also two songs from the only album by My Solid Ground, including the supremely trippy highlight "The Executioner," as well as a drum-heavy groove by the excellently named Electric Sandwich and a synth-filled epic by Triumvirat, who were a symphonic prog band in the vein of Genesis or ELP rather than cosmic explorers. The fourth disc is a bit heavier on extended jams, with a few bewildering freakouts courtesy of A.R. & Machines and Orange Peel, and ending up with a jazzy, harmony-laden tune by American transplants Sweet Smoke. Electric Junk offers a different perspective on a particularly fertile period in underground rock history, touching on a few big names and major-label releases but often delving into lesser-trodden territory familiar to only the most dedicated record collectors. It covers similar ground as Soul Jazz Records phenomenal Deutsche Elektronische Musik series or any of Bureau Bs catalog samplers, though it does skew closer to prog, psych, and hard rock. In any case, its an adventurous, well-chosen set, and fans of any of the included groups will find many more to investigate. ~ Paul Simpson