Amon Düül II

Amon Düül II (22 July 1972, Billboard Magazine)

Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2) is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the West German krautrock scene. Their 1970 album Yeti was described by British magazine The Wire as "one of the cornerstones of ... the entire Krautrock movement".

The band emerged from the radical West German commune scene of the late 1960s, with others in the same commune including some of the future founders of the Red Army Faction. Founding members are Chris Karrer, Dieter Serfas, Falk Rogner (born 14 September 1943), John Weinzierl (born 4 April 1949), and Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz (born Renate Aschauer-Knaup, 1 July 1948).

The band was founded after Weinzierl and the others met at the Amon Düül 'art commune' in Munich. The commune consisted mainly of university students, who formed a music group initially to fund the commune, with everyone who lived there joining in to play music whether or not they had any experience or ability. The commune split when they were offered an opportunity to record, which was boycotted by the more musically proficient members of the commune (who went on to form Amon Düül II). Recordings were made by the other members but were of very poor quality and were only released later (under the name Amon Düül) to capitalise on the success of Amon Düül II's albums. As Amon Düül II grew and personnel changed, they still remained a commune, living together as a band.

Their first album Phallus Dei ('God's Phallus'), released in 1969, consisted of pieces drawn from the group's live set at the time. By this time the line-up was built around a core of Karrer (mainly violin and guitar), Weinzierl (guitar, bass, piano), Rogner on keyboards, bass player Dave Anderson, and two drummers (Peter Leopold (born 15 August 1945) who had joined the group from Berlin, and Dieter Serfas. Renate Knaup at this point was only contributing minimal vocals but was very much part of the group. According to Weinzierl by this time "The band played almost every day. We played universities, academies, underground clubs, and every hall with a power socket and an audience". Releasing an album brought the group greater prominence and they began to tour more widely in Germany and abroad, playing alongside groups such as Tangerine Dream, and in Germany staying in other communes including the pioneering Kommune 1 in Berlin.

(Read more at Wikipedia.)

Links To Peel

Amon Düül II were one of the earliest "krautrock" bands played by Peel, with Top Gear airtime in 1970 for the West German band's debut 'Phallus Dei' album, as well as the landmark 'Yeti' LP later the same year. The band's original British bassist, Dave Anderson, left after the first two albums to join London underground favourites Hawkwind, playing on a Peel session with them in 1971. Amon Düül II recorded a single session for the DJ in 1973.

In 1995, the front cover of the book Krautrocksampler by Peel session artist Julian Cope featured the "grim reaper" image used on the album cover of 'Yeti'.[1] The former Teardrop Explodes frontman recalled:

"The John Peel Show, already champion of so much German music, embraced Yeti with real love and blasted Amon Düül II's long epics across the British night into every young Head's pad (or bedroom if you were 13 as I was then)."

Sessions

Amon Düül II - Peel Session 1973

One session only. Released on Manana (CD, 2000, Strange Fruit SFRSCD097).

1. Recorded: 1973-05-08. First broadcast: 29 May 1973. Repeated: 14 August 1973.

• Marnana / Green Bubble Raincoat Man / Dem Guten Schonen Wahren / The Trap

Other Shows Played

1970

• 21 March 1970: Kanaan (LP - Phallus Dei) Liberty LBS 832779
• 04 April 1970: Dem Guten, Schönen, Wahren (LP – Phallus Dei) Liberty LBS 832779
• 12 September 1970: Archangel’s Thunderbird (single) Liberty LBF 15355) (JP: "Interesting to see how Nijinsky gets on in the Boat Race....")
• 07 November 1970: Eye Shaking King (2xLP - Yeti) Liberty LSP 101/LBS 83359
• 28 November 1970: Yeti Talks To Yogi (2xLP - Yeti) Liberty LSP 101/LSP102

1972

• 18 April 1972: All Years Round (LP – Carnival In Babylon) United Artists

1974

• 12 March 1974: Fly United (album - Vive La Trance) United Artists UAS 29 504

1996

• 16 December 1996: unknown Peel session track (John Peel's Classic Sessions)

See Also

• Record Collection: V&A LPs: Phallus Dei (1969)
• The Collection (Peel Acres - Colleen "Cosmo" Murphy)
• DeeJay And Radio Monthly
• Krautrock
• Disc & Music Echo: Peel Columns‎‎

External Links

• Wikipedia
• Discogs