You are forgiven if you by now have lost the plot regarding all historical recordings and collections that Eroc - former drummer of the German art band Grobschnitt, but nowadays 'vaultmeister' and recording engineer - has unleashed upon the world in recent years. There is the Grobschnitt Story- series, the History Of Solar Musick-series and the Silver Mint Records live series. It's almost too much to listen to, but fortunately not for me because I've always been a huge fan of this band that combined humour with excellent musical craftsmanship. Especially the longer suites like the aforementioned Solar Musick, but also Rockpommel's Land and Die Sinfonie are wonders of seventies prog. And now something truly unique and authentic is brought to us by Eroc: the original recordings that Die Kapelle Elias Grobschnitt made which formed the basis of Grobschnitt's eponymous first album released in 1972. The band was originally named after the music society of Elias - grandfather of band member Toni Moff Mollo. Die Kapelle Grobschnitt played on home-made instruments in the vicinity of its hometown Hagen in 1915-1916. The CD-booklet contains an excellent picture of these men who formed the inspiration for Grobschnitt. Kapelle Elias Grobschnitt contains the first recordings made by Eroc which shows a rougher and more spontaneous sound than the ultimate debut album provided. The recordings are augmented with extra tracks, that didn't make the debut, and some live recordings. Specifically Die Sinfonie, stretched from the original twelve minutes to more than half an hour gives proof of why Grobschnitt was such a great live band. Thanks again Eroc, for this wonderful music. **** André de Waal (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
