Amon Düül - 1977 - Almost Alive...and Looking Fine

Amon Düül

1977

Almost Alive...and Looking Fine

01. One Blue Morning (7:30)

02. Goodbye My Love (8:13)

03. Ain't Today Tomorrow's Yesterday (7:40)

04. Hallelujah (4:13)

05. Feeling Uneasy (6:02)

06. Live in Jericho (13:19)

Bonus tracks on 2005 remaster:

07. Cosmic Insects (6:11)

08. Live in Obergurgl (1:38)

09. Kitchen Jam (6:57)

- Chris Karrer / acoustic & electric guitars, sax, vocals (3)

- John Weinzierl / acoustic & electric guitars

- Stefan Zauner / keyboards, synthesizer, vocals (5)

- Klaus Ebert / bass, acoustic & electric guitars, vocals (1,2)

- Peter Leopold / drums

With:

- Claudja Barry / backing vocals (2)

- Keith Forsey / percussion (1)

- Jörg Evers / string arrangements (3)

- Renate Knaup / vocals (7-9)

- Lothar Meid / bass (7-9)

- Jan Kahlert / drums & percussion (7-9)

Someone mentioned Eloy as a reference to this album. In parts I think that could be close to the truth but I get a sense of Hawkwind (around this time) aswell. There is a jazzyness to it aswell, as evident in the electric piano starting up "Live in Jericho". This is a track heavy on percussion but also very floating, gentle walls of keyboard that evokes images of floating in space. Stuck inside a drifting shuttle and what not. It is actually quite splendid. The disco parts are very evident in the opening track "One blue morning". No, it is not "Stayin' alive" by The Bee Gees but it holds a funky, discofied feel to it. Very much of it's time I think. Keyboards and guitar complement each other very well over the "dry" drums. "Good bye my love" opens beautifully with keyboards which reminds me of England's Garden shed but belongs in a distinctly more spacey genre. "Ain't today tomorrows yesterday" opens up with a great but simple, therefore effective, guitar riff and holds a great section of trumpets and mellotron (?) in an almost Beatles kond of way. "Hallelujah" is probably the most un-melodious of the songs, though by no means a free form jam. I hear (whether it is true or not) echoes of Exodus, the polish band. Great, nevertheless. "Feeling uneasy" is also a fine track in a spacey pop-prog kind of way. The Nik Turner-ian saxophone is great, so are the easy going bridges. And the ending "Live in Jericho" is, as previously stated, a great track. I think that some albums are misunderstood and miscredited, due to the fact that they differ too much from the more classical and generally more praised albums. This, I suppose, is one of those albums. It has, as stated, very little to do with the earlier incarnations of the band's sound. This is in fact a more melodious, "easy" album to approach. It has lots to offer. The band seems committed and determined to give their all, only in a different setting. Apart from that aspect, the music really shows the immense talent of the band. They are highly competent musicians able to transform and enter other realms and doing so in a splendid way. There is a majestic and sometimes otherwordly feel to it all. It is a product of the determination and drive to perform, evolve and change. That is truly progressive and while this album certainly isn't hard to chew and digest it holds plenty of progressive flavor to please me.