Novalis

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. The instrumental "Sonnengeflecht" opens with a brisk melody and updated sound; no wonder, the translation is "Solar Plexus." "Wer Schmetterlinge lachen hört" (literally, "who hears butterflies laugh") begins with an air of formality, but quickly descends into a swift instrumental workout featuring both guitarists. Lutz Rahn's Hammond organ is still central to the Novalis sound; but here, he adds further texture with synthesizer. "Dronsz" is a treat: It bypasses their typically romantic arrangements for an indulgence in sound that's slightly out of character for the band. Taking its theme from Bruckner's Fifth Symphony, the second side leads off with "Impressionen." This track contains more of the formality of their previous work; but with the addition of the two guitarists, it further emphasizes their rocking dimension. The closing track, "Es Färbte Sich Die Wiese Grün" ("the meadow colors [itself] green") also reaches out to the past, this time adapting its lyrics from the poetry of Karl Friedrich von Hardenberg, where they also found their namesake, Novalis. Here the rhythm section of Hartwig Biereichel and Heino Schünzel (the latter also provided vocals for the album), drives the song. The arrangement is more diverse, but the melodies are classic. Before Novalis' next album, Karges would depart, and eventually ended up in Nena's pop band, co-penning her massive hit, "99 Luftballons."