Hailing from Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Grobschnitt was formed by drummer Joachim "Eroc" Ehrig in 1971. Eroc was previously in a beat-era band called The Crew, with lead guitarist Gerd-Otto "Lupo" Kuhn and vocalist/guitarist Stefan "Wildschwein" Danielak. An interim group Charing Cross added bassist Bernhard "Bär" Uhlemann and a second drummer Axel "Felix" Harlos, but by May, they had changed their name to Kapelle Elias Grobschnitt, later shortened to Grobschnitt ("rough cut") after a brand of tobacco.

Appearing a little over a year after their last album, Starless And Bible Black was the second album from the new and improved King Crimson. Most of the record was based on live recordings from the previous fall in Amsterdam. It's no wonder, as Crimson spent the better part of March through November 1973 on the road, with only a few weeks in the summer to rest. The first side contains shorter instrumental pieces, as well as a few songs proper.

While Peter Hammill was off and busy with his solo career, The Long Hello offered a rare glimpse into Van der Graaf Generator without him. The initial impetus for the project revolved around Guy Evans and Dave Anderson's Foel Studio. Along with David Jackson, they got together in Wales with some Italian friends to record the resulting album. Jackson wrote most of the material and graces the record with sax and flute, while Nic Potter lends his bass.

The debut album from Heldon introduces French electronic rock pioneer Richard Pinhas and the larger Parisian counter-culture he piloted. Though he left his teaching post at the Sorbonne, Pinhas never left his philosophy behind. His work would always remain left of center, as the title Electronique Guerilla attests; and the spirit of the May 1968 student revolt remained the key to both his musical invention and dedication to his uncompromising spirit—Heldon sound like little before it.

Story has it that after listening to Jade Warrior's music, Steve Winwood convinced Chris Blackwell to sign the band to his Island Records. Now reduced to the core of Tony Duhig and Jon Field, the duo left most of their musical past behind, including vocals and any trace of psychedelia. On their 1974 release, Floating World, each track is presented as wide and cinematic in sound as it is descriptive in title. After the introductory "Clouds," "Mountain of Fruits and Flowers" emerges with a stirring bass line.

Munich was an especially fertile breeding ground for rock music in the late 60s, perhaps because of its reputation as a jazz center in Europe; also, groups as diverse as Amon Düül I & II, Popol Vuh, Passport and Embryo all called it home. Percussionist Christian Burchard founded Embryo in late 1969, following a brief stint in Amon Düül II. After releasing their debut album Opal on Ohr, the group essentially solidified with drummer/vocalist Burchard, bassist Roman Bunka, flautist Hansi Fischer and saxophonist/violinist Edgar Hofmann.

Following Ax Genrich's departure, Guru Guru added Eiliff's Houschäng Nejadépour on guitar, releasing the histrionics of Dance Of The Flames. It's a great record, combining guitar-heavy, instrumental fusion with the band's usual goofiness. "Dagobert Duck's 100th Birthday" contains the typically quirky Guru Guru melody; but here, a heavy arrangement dominates, with Hans Hartmann's bass up in the mix.

For their fourth record, titled Guru Guru and again released on Brain, Bruno Schaab replaced Uli Trepte on bass. Transitional, the album reflects the move toward further structured arrangements, and away from the free improvisation of their earlier works. It featured the epic "Der Elektrolurch," a track named after Mani Neumeier's amphibian alter ego and a highlight of the band's live performances from here on out. Hans Hartmann then replaced Schaab, and the band signed to Atlantic Records.

Novalis were reduced to a quartet for their next album, Sommerabend. Produced by Achim Reichel, the symphonic record again bypasses the overt complexities of most prog rock of the day. Written by Lutz Rahn, the instrumental "Aufbruch" opens. After the spicy intro, Novalis' large, sweeping and melodic lines take over, propelled by Hartwig Biereichel's powerful drumming. Detlef Job's guitar is at the fore, and Rahn lays his hand on a few more keyboards.

In 1974, Achim Reichel rediscovered Novalis for his Gorilla Musik production company. New to the band were two guitarists, Detlef Job and Carlo Karges. The latter, previously with Tomorrow's Gift, would make a significant impact with both his songwriting and German-language lyrics. In fact, Novalis would be one of the first German groups of the era to shun the prevailing trend of English lyrics to instead explore the lyricism of their native tongue. Back with the Brain label, they released their second album, simply titled Novalis.