Germany
Progressive Rock, Symphonic Prog, Art Rock
At the helm of the oceanic wind, lapped by lukewarm spray, a blinded fisherman stares in the face of his catch. "An angel with fins," marvels the fisherman, "a star sparkling in chains. Seeing his form," the fisherman trembles, "is like turning darkness into light."
"From what ultimate paradisiacal depths does your splendor penetrate our circle? From what raw wildness does your pride shine so unbroken in being conquered?" ...etc. (from "Flossenangel")
Flossenengel, the concept album by the German and Krautrock band Novalis, released on the Brain label in 1979, was recently reissued by the MIG (Made In Germany) label in a sound-perfect remastered version and now offers all those interested the opportunity to purchase a sought-after masterpiece of German music available at an affordable price. The concept on which the record is based refers to the topic of whaling and nature conservation, which is still relevant today (a whale named Atlanto is caught and later remorsefully released by the fisherman).
Far more interesting than this concept, however, is its musical realization. The band, already known as rock poets for processing old works by the writer and philosopher Novalis (Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg, 1772-1801), strengthened themselves in 1976 with the Austrian singer Fred Mühlböck. A stroke of luck, as it turned out later, because his charismatic demeanor and above all his singing skills made not only the live performances of the band unique, but also the studio productions.
Novalis newcomers may initially have difficulty immersing themselves in the world of Flossenengel, but once they get over the instrumental intro, which from today's perspective certainly seems kitschy (including the then highly innovative whale song), a wonderful, sad but sensitive story about the whale opens up for the listener Atlanto. Too petty record critics have been lamenting since the release of the disc that a whale has no scales and of course cannot speak either, but if you generously ignore such stylistic aberrations, more than 30 years after its creation there remains a fresh work that is also more than worth discovering. Incidentally, Novalis supported the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), founded in 1961, with this album and the subsequent spectacular stage shows.
Lutz Rahn (Hammond, keyboards) said about the LP in 1980: "With Flossenengel we made a record that dealt with the relationship between nature and humans. Man is strongly linked to his natural environment. If he destroys them, and he is well on the way to doing so, he will deprive himself of his livelihood. We want to use this campaign to draw attention to this problem.”
Musically, the band walks on well-known folky-progig paths, Lutz Rahn's keyboard and Hammond clouds waft spherically through the 46 minutes and spread a wide variety of moods. Basically, however, the strong guitar work of Detlef Job on the foundation of bassist Heino Schünzel and drummer Hartwig Biereichel dominates. Depending on the mood, Mühlböck's accordion and sometimes a flute join in, giving the album a pleasant tonal breadth.
Ultimately, I can only make one recommendation to all tolerant people interested in German-language music: Just risk buying an album from a time when today's green politics were still in their infancy and rubber truncheons were on the heads of young Greenpeace activists and nuclear power plants -Opponents danced. Flossenengel definitely wants to be understood as a protest against environmental destruction and overexploitation by humans.
That's not the only reason why the record is more relevant today than ever.
Members
Lutz Rahn (organ), Hartwig Biereichel (drums), Heino Schünzel (bass, vocals, 1971-80), Jürgen Wenzel (vocals, 1971-73), Carlo Karges (guitar, 1971-75), Detlef Job (guitar, 1973-85), Fred Mühlböck (vocals, 1976-84), Hinrich Schneider (bass, 1983-85), Ernst Herzner (vocals, 1984-85)
Track Listing
01 - Atlanto 5:12
02 - Im Brunnen der Erde 4:28
03 - Brennende Freiheit 2:20
04 - Im Netz 8:38
05 - Flossenengel 3:26
06 - Walzer für einen verlorenen Traum 3:27
07 - Sklavenzoo 6:00
08 - Alle wollen leben 4:45
09 - Rückkehr 6:00
10 - Ob Tier, ob Mensch, ob Baum 1:50
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