SCARCE 1973 UK Orig = NEU DIE 2 = HEAVY POWER / ACID PSYCH Krautrock PROG Kraut

$

178

1973 ORIGNAL! ......HEAVY KRAUT-PSYCH JAMMER !

• MINTY CLEAN VINYL! ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
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• NEU!
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• Germany - (Green) BRAIN - 1028
  
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• This is the rare 1973 GERMAN (olive green) BRAIN RECORDS first pressing in day-glo spray painted gatefold design ... The second Neu album, and it's a classic!
  
  Neu! 2 is pretty much mandatory to relay the story that Neu! ran out of money before finishing the album, so they decided to record their single at different speeds to fill the second half - a stoned groove for those w/enhanced minds who experience this trip. Whatever the case - they really did blow most of their recording budget on the first half of the album - it's a mistake to dismiss the second half of the album.
  
  But first, side 1. The album opens with the brilliant "Forever", which starts at the wrong speed (a foretaste of what was to come later on) before settling down into the best and most hypnotic of Neu!'s motorik grooves. There's a definite resemblance to Hallogallo from their previous outing, but here the sound has been processed and refined to perfection; repetitive and ever changing, minimal yet full of detail, it's often referred to as their finest moment and with good reason. For 11 minutes achingly minimal guitar lines intertwine over washes of keyboards and the pulse of Klaus Dinger's perfectly judged drumming. This fades into the drums-and-reverb experiment of "Spitzenqualitat", which maintains listening interest for almost 5 minutes, before a brief soundscaping interlude leads into "Lila Engel". This is a fantastic slice of power-fuzzed psych, which was the first example of the sound that Klaus Dinger would explore further on side 2 of Neu! 75 and then with La Dusseldorf, and an insanely catchy piece it is too.
  
  And so we come to the second half of the album. The first thing to point out is that both sides of their one and only single are included here, accounting for about a third of the side's playing time, and both "Super" and "Neuschnee" are well up to Neu!'s usual standards. "Neuschnee" compresses the glacial beauty of their longer pieces into just under 4 minutes and does so highly effectively. "Super" is a driving raw piece, showcasing Klaus Dinger's heavy psych sensibilities the way that "euschnee" sets the tone for Michael Rother's side of Neu! 75. These 2 tracks are essential pieces of Neu!'s output, and justify the second half of the album on their own.
  
  The two sides are also played at different speeds, from the sound of it on a cheap and nasty mono turntable, and it is these experiments which caused some controversy among stiff and unyielding minded collectors. Back in 1973 this was by no means an obvious ploy; scratching, turntablism and plunderphonics all lay several years in the future, although Kraftwerk had used tapes played back at half or double speed on their second album, so there was some precedent for what they were doing. The obvious solution to filling the album would have been either a 15 minute jam, possibly with a guest musician or two, or a long drum solo from Klaus and a lengthy axe workout from Michael. In an interview at the time that these albums were issued, Klaus Dinger said that they had always planned to 'beat up the record player', and careful listening reveals that there was more going on than just random filler. When the two sides are played at 78 rpm, in addition to the usual distortion we also hear the needle skipping and what sounds like the record player being shaken. In both cases the whole track is played at the wrong speed. This is not the case with "Neuschnee 16", which could have filled the missing space on its own - instead the experiment is cut short after three and a half minutes. Two other tracks are included; "Cassetto" sounds like a Neu! track being played back on a cheap cassette player whose batteries are almost flat, while "Hallo Excentrico" sounds like the master tape is being wound manually across the heads while some studio chat goes on in the background. On these two tape experiments it's not entirely clear what the source material is, although the title of "Hallo Excentrico" indicates that it may be "Hallogallo" from the first Lp.
  
  And are the experiments any good? The 78 rpm tracks are short and to the point, amphetamine rushes, while the 16 rpm track has a fascination of its own - hearing Dinger's drumming in slow motion is remarkably effective. The tape experiments are more of a trial, although they're not wholly without value. Neu! always had an experimental side, and too much thought went into the second half of the album for it to be dismissed. As it is, the distorted tracks take up a third of the album's playing time and are often included back to back, making for a slightly indigestible sequence, for some ... though others love it.
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• Neu! 2 comes close to a lost classic. Two thirds of the album is strong, original material that stands up well against the rest of their output, and taken on its own terms their experimentation on the second half of the album is successful and quite innovative. Cautiously recommended to lovers of the experimental side of Krautrock.
  
   
  
  Für Immer (Forever) (11:00)
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  Spitzenqualität (4:58)
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  Gedenkminute (Für A + K) (1:00)
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  Lila Engel (Lilac Angel) (4:35)
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  Neuschnee 78 (2:30)
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  Super 16 (3:37)
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  Neuschnee (3:59)
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  Cassetto (1:50)
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  Super 78 (1:35)
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  Hallo Excentrico! (3:43)
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  Super (3:07)
  
  
  

1.                  CONDITION:
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3. The cover: RATED: near M- or very close to LAMINATED gatefold is clean and NOT peeling as so many laminated Krautrock albums do. The cover is collection worthy = well taken care of for the past 47+ years and very collectible...

1. The vinyl: Rated: very clean over both sides, near M- and plays completely clean with no audio problems - very entertaining (!) ... both green BRAIN labels are clean

• NEU!


• die 2
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