Amon Düül II - Almost Alive (Reissue, Remastered) (1977/2005)

Amon Düül II was born of an artistic and political community’s scission called Amon Düül (who recorded during the late sixties a long live session made around collective and free musical improvisations). The band emerged from the underground German rock scene with a very original and eccentric album called "Phallus Dei" (1969). The musicians who participated to this delirious and psychedelic experience were (among others) Peter Leopold (ex Amon Düül), the front woman and singer Renate Knaup, John Weinzierl on the guitars... with guests as Holger Trützsch who plays tribal percussions (original member of Popol Vuh). Then almost with the same musicians the band recorded the seminal "Yeti" (1970). An album in a similar vein than the previous but more accomplished (with a couple of structured songs always with numerous pieces of epic improvisations). "Yeti" will launch Amon Düül II career outside Germany. The same year the bass guitarist Dave Anderson leaves the band to join Hawkwind.

"Tanz Der Lemminge" which follows directly "Yeti" is an impressive work with a great diversity of powerful, emotional songs with some folk accents next to long free space jamming. Recorded in 1972, "Carnival in Babylon" announces a slight new musical direction taken by the band. This album is dominated by shorter songs with the omnipresent and beautiful Renate Knaup’s vocals. A more conventional work with a few memorable prog-folk ballads. The classical period of the band will end with "Wolf City" (1972) and "Vive La Trance" (1973). After the departure of Renate Knaup who joins Popol Vuh in 1974 and the release of a few albums, Amon Düül II split up. In 1981, with the album "Vortex" Chris Karrer tried without success to reform the band.