Dance Of The Lemmings

Amon Düül II’s second release, the double-album Yeti, appeared in November 1970. The improvisations there were more structured, but encompassed most of the album. Released as a single, the appreciably hard-rocking “Archangels Thunderbird” b/w “(Excerpts from) Soap Shop Rock” was a stormer, pointing to the future. The cover features an iconic collage of a grim reaper, in fact a tribute to Wolfgang Krischke, their soundman that died of hypothermia during an LSD trip. Another single was released, “Rattlesnakeplumcake” b/w “Between the Eyes,” again featuring the heavier aspects of the band’s music. Their next release, the double-album Dance Of The Lemmings (aka Tanz der Lemminge), saw international release on the United Artists label in June 1971. Lothar Meid had arrived on bass, replacing Dave Anderson after he left for the UK and Hawkwind. Three of the sides are album-side-long tracks: “Syntelman’s March of the Roaring Seventies” is as exemplary as any here; there’s a hint of acoustic folk in Chris Karrer’s writing, but propelled by Meid’s pummeling bass and Peter Leopold’s brisk percussion, the track takes on a new dimension. Aided by Mellotron, “Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child” descends into darker space, while “The Marilyn Monroe-Memorial-Church” treads the kosmische. The remainder of the fourth side, “Chamsin Soundtrack,” features several shorter tracks, all (more or less) guitar-based, with “Toxicological Whispering” featuring the lead guitar of John Weinzierl. There’s little precedent for Amon Düül II’s music, progressive or otherwise. Both albums present true classics, with their eight sides of vinyl remaining a cornerstone of what would eventually be known as krautrock.