Agitation Free - At The Cliffs Of River Rhine (1974)

A 38-minute concert recorded for radio in Cologne, Germany, on February 2, 1974, LIVE ''74: AT THE CLIFFS OF RIVER RHINE arguably represents the apex of Agitation Free''s trademark cosmic instrumental space-improv explorations, showcasing the virtuosity of guitarists Lutz Ulbrich and Gustav Lutjens, keyboard player Michael Hoenig, drummer Burghard Rauch, and bassist Michael Gunter. Thirteen-minute opener Through the Moods is unavailable elsewhere; the remaining cuts, which sounded great on 1973 psych-rock landmark 2ND, are positively electric, making this recording an indispensible part of Agitation Free''s discography.

Review: This is a live recording of one of the great, and often overlooked krautrock bands. Entirely instrumental, their work is charachterized by long, freaky improvisations with some absolutely amazing guitar work (similar to Ash Ra Tempel''s first), some disorienting sound effects (and understated keyboards), and some great band chemistry and jamming lending to the overall tripping effect. This is just a superb jam band with uniformly inventive and evolving guitar driven psychedelia. This album has to be one of the most perfect and excellent psychedelic guitar rock albums I have heard.

Agitation Free - The Other Side Of Agitation Free (1974)

Agitation Free - The Other Side Of Agitation Free (1974)

Als 1974 Burghard Rausch und Michael Hoenig bei Agitation Free ausgestiegen waren und die Gruppe schon so gut wie scheintot war, wollten Michael Günther und Gustl Lütjens dann doch nicht so einfach aufgeben und machten im Herbst und Winter des Jahres mit neuen Leuten aus ihrem Umfeld noch ein paar Versuche im Studio. Dabei kamen, dank Manfred Opitz und Gustl Lütjens, einige recht jazzige Stücke heraus, die aber von Vertigo als "unverkäuflich" abgelehnt wurden.
Auf "The other sides" kann man sie erstmals hören, ergänzt von Auszügen aus dem Politrock-Hörspiel "Störenfried", ebenfalls von 1974. Recht ungewohnte Klänge für Agitation Free; ein paar von den Stücken sogar mit Gesang.
Das Heft von 36 Seiten geht kaum in die Schachtel hinein... When Burghard Rausch and Michael Hoenig left Agitation Free in 1974, the band was almost in a state of apparent death. Yet Michael Günther and Gustl Lütjens eventually decided not to give up and so, during the autumn and winter of that very year, joined by some new musicians from their scene, they would give it a try in the recording studio. Thanks to Manfred Opitz and Gustl Lütjens, the outcome was a set of rather jazzy tracks which were, however, rejected by Vertigo as being "unsaleable". On "The other sides" these tracks can be heard for the first time, supplemented by extracts from their political-rock radio play "Störenfried" ("trouble-maker"), it too from 1974. Those are rather unusual sounds for a band like Agitation Free, some of the tracks even featuring vocals. After that disappointment the band eventually broke up.

Agitation Free - At The Cliffs Of River Rhine (1974)