It is always satisfying, but also strangely troubling, when one’s resistance to a genre of music is overcome, and a whole new vista of exploration and enjoyment is opened up. Satisfying because in a funny way the fact that there was a reticence to embrace the music makes one savour it all the more, troubling because there is an acute sense of what one has been missing. In recent times I have felt this way about German progressive, experimental and electronic music.
I always knew that it was there, and it seems unaccountable that I had not taken the plunge much earlier. My tastes are quite eclectic, and some of my other musical interests should have logically and naturally led me there. However, first impressions count, and in retrospect I think that I chose the wrong entry point. I began my previous “exploration” by listening to the internationally well-known acts from the genre, such as Can and Faust. I did not “get” the German prog scene until I approached it from a different angle, that is via British prog acts such as Yes. A journey which included Tangerine Dream led to the more psychedelic and “kosmische” bands such as Ash Ra Tempel and Popol Vuh, and their various offshoots, and the door was well and truly flung open…
This music also ties in with my interest in the German political scene of that period, which was quite turbulent. It has often been commented that the recordings by a few of these artists was closely identified with the social and ideological tensions then making themselves felt. That said, the messages in the songs are generally delivered with a deal more finesse and subtlety than those produced by purveyors of similar sounds in other parts of the globe.
Despite a reputation in some quarters for being gloomy, introspective and angst-ridden, I have found much of the music made by these bands to be wonderfully optimistic, life-affirming and infectiously joyful.
Much has been made of the extent to which the German musicians of the 1970s influenced future generations, particularly in Britain, and I feel that the concentration on this has almost obscured the merit of the music in its own right. An appreciation of how a track was “ahead of its time” can detract from a grasp of the innate vitality of what was being performed.
One thing which is noticeable when looking at the fraternity is how quite close-knit it seems, with members of the pioneering groups often leaving for new and stimulating pastures. And many of these solo projects and offshoot ventures added something genuinely new and vital, rather than just being curios or blind alleys. Real adventure and ambition was much in evidence, taking the various sub-genres into exciting and uncharted territory.
For neophytes, my own advice would be to first sample the sounds of the more psychedelic and electronic-orientated exponents, with their ethereal and invigorating textures and soundscapes. This should ensure that the more esoteric and challenging groups make more sense, and feel less discouraging and daunting. I can understand how the work of some of the latter can seem “hit and miss” at times. When the dust has settled, you may well, like me, see Amon Duul II as an important group, with a sound both accessible and clearly ahead of its time in several respects.
One other impression which I gleaned from exploring the German music of the era in question is its relative lack of self-consciousness and pretentiousness. A sincerity and spontaneity is present which one does not always find in similar musical movements elsewhere. Once they have taken the plunge, many people will find this world very comforting and inviting, and it is quite a diverse arena, with something there for almost everyone, if one remains open-minded.
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