Amon Düül II - 1973 - Utopia

Amon Düül II

1973

Utopia

01. What You Gonna Do (6:37)

02. The Wolf-Man Jack Show (5:05)

03. Alice (3:06)

04. Las Vegas (4:25)

05. Deutsch Nepal (3:08)

06. Utopia No. 1 (4:00)

07. Nasi Goreng (5:33)

08. Jazz-Kiste (5:30)

Bonus tracks on CD release 1994:

09. Surrounded By The Stars [Wolf City] (3:27)

10. Let's Feel Alive [Surrounded By The Stars] (7:45)

11. Deutsch Nepal/Rolf Zacher Voc. [Landing In A Ditch] (5:37)

titles in brackets are the correct names - track 9/10 originally taken from the Amon Düül II album 'Wolf City', track 11 from 'Live in London'

Bonus tracks on CD release 2000:

12. Goldrush (2:56)

13. Star-Eyed (4:29)

14. Dr. Stein (3:45)

from the 18 KARAT GOLD release 'All-Bumm' (1973)

- Lothar Meid / bass, vocals

- Olaf Kübler / saxophon

- Kristian Schultze / keyboards

- Jimmy Jackson / organ

- Joe Nay / guitar

guest musicians:

- Chris Karrer / guitar

- John Weinzierl / guitar

- Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz / vocals

18 KARAT GOLD line-up

- Lothar Meid / bass

- Jörg Evers / rhythm guitar

- Klaus Ebert / lead guitar

- Keith Forsey / drums

"Utopia" is a studio project by Olaf Kübler and Lothar Meid. Because it featured several regular members of AMON DÜÜL II (including Chris Karrer and John Weinzierl), it has usually been regarded as part of the DÜÜL discography, and, indeed, the CD reissue credits the album to AMON DÜÜL II.

So, the myth says that during the "Wolf City" sessions (or after that) the band split into two sections due to quarrels, leaving Olaf Kübler and Lothar Meid alone to record a separate project under the name "UTOPIA". But in the meantime, they all made peace again so the remaining members of AMON DUUL II tribe participated in the making of this album. Original LP bears the title "Utopia" only, while the re-issued CD format added the name of AMON DUUL II, probably for commercial reasons because this one and only album of UTOPIA project would be otherwise doomed for oblivion.

It is sort of by-product of the "transition phase" of AMON DUUL II towards more guitar-oriented conventional rock structures of "Vive la Trance", but it still retains (not only in the cover art) certain "Gothic" and dark elements of "Wolf City"- notable is the reprise of the Teutonic satire "Deutsch Nepal" from that album (with slightly different and weaker German vocal). "What You Gonna Do" is a nice folksy-rock attempt sung by Renate, while "Alice" with "romantic" piano and drunken male vocal sounds like taken from some bluesy Tom Waits record. "Las Vegas" is a quite catchy with repetitive acoustic guitars and sax-driven hypnotic instrumental jam, while the title track is a perfect example of Kraut-rock; processed voices, Mellotrons, electronic effects, jazzy guitar jams, strong and diverse percussion, groovy bass and overall psycho/space feeling. The final track, as its title suggests, is a pure and quite excellent jazz-rock loaded with electric piano, mighty percussion and a solo part that can be a processed guitar, or sax or trumpet, or synth... I wouldn't know since I am no tech expert. It is perhaps an influence from their cousin-band EMBRYO.