Echo

Again recording as A.R. & Machines, 1972 saw Achim Reichel release the ambitious double-album opus, Echo. He enlisted the services of Conny Plank as engineer and featured a host of guest musicians including Dicky Tarrach, Hans Lampe, Jochen Petersen and others. It’s an unprecedented set, a complete long-form take of the A.R. & Machines’ trip, and easily one of the most stunning albums of the “krautrock” era. The first section, “Einladung” (“Invitation”), gently unfolds with the “Machines” hypnotic echo-guitar in full force; it’s largely augmented by acoustic guitar, tabla rhythms and tape effects-though Peter Hecht’s orchestration shines throughout “Im Irrgarten des Geistes” (The Labyrinth of Ghosts”). Reichel’s deep baritone croon arrives on the second part, “Das Echo der Gegenwart” (“The Echo of the Present”), rising to his typical hippie chant. “Das Echo Der Zeit” (“The Echo of Time”) opens with children’s voices, and after a time, loses focus and drifts completely into a dreamscape. The music induces a complete trance, transporting the listener into the deepest innerspace. “Das Echo der Zukunft” (The Echo of the Future”) follows suit. The final section, “Das Echo Der Vergangenheit” (“The Echo of the Past”) opens with a (more or less) song, but gets all weird again (“Ad Libido”) before being set right by more of Hecht’s epic orchestration and a shimmering finale. A lot was made of the “kosmische” nature of most krautrock, but no other album-German or otherwise-induces a psychedelic trip like Echo. Later Reichel set up his own Zebra imprint with Polydor, and released albums by a variety of artists, including Kin Ping Meh, Ougenweide and Randy Pie. He also would create a few more A.R. & Machines albums, including the excellent IV, and assemble a band of sorts, with Jochen Petersen on sax and flute, Peter Franken on drums and Olaf Casalich on percussion, touring in 1973. By mid-decade, however, Reichel’s involvement with progressive rock would be limited to that of producer and label head, as his successful solo career settled into more commercial territory, beginning with Dat Shanty Alb’m in 1976.