Symphonic Pictures

In the varied landscape of progressive rock, Schicke, Führs & Fröhling were surely an odd trio: two Mellotron players and a guitarist with a Les Paul/Rickenbacker double-neck guitar. This apparently caught the attention of Frank Zappa; but unfortunately, scheduling prevented the American from producing the band's debut album. In 1974, drummer Eduard Schicke and guitarist/bassist Heinz Fröhling formed SFF out of the Oldenburg band Spektakel, when a like-minded Gerhard Führs joined the pair on keyboards. Signed to the Brain label, the trio released a debut album that more than lives up to its name, Symphonic Pictures. The album's second side, comprising the epic "Pictures," is the crowning achievement. Dynamic and unrelenting, it shifts from theme to theme, reprising its sinister main refrain over whooping Moog lines and Mellotron breaks. Technically, they're unprecedented; yet considering the album's no-overdub nature, Dieter Dierks's production is effectively scuttled. Führs fills the bass line on keyboards when Fröhling switches to guitar; and more often than not, it seems as though everyone is playing a Mellotron! The purely instrumental album avoids most of the bombast of its English contemporaries, but that doesn't mean it's not without aplomb; not even King Crimson could get over a Mellotron not sounding like a Mellotron. The band's fortunes grew on their considerable live reputation, and the album sold a reputed 12,000 copies in Germany upon its release. It remains a classic of the era. SFF would release another two comparable albums; and following Schicke's departure, the duo of Führs & Fröhling continued, recording a series of new agey albums for the Sky label.