Hanuman - Hanuman (Vinyl)

Descriere

HANUMAN is a German band from Berlin that released this one album under this moniker that is taken from the name of the Hindu god who was a devotee of the god Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayama before changing their name to Lied Des Teufels (Song Of The Devil) for their second release. The band was formed in 1971 and soon released this album on the Kuckuck Label which hosted other totally obscure Krautrock bands including one of the few more known ones Out Of Focus. The band consisted of founder Peter Barth (flute, sax, vocals),Jörg Hahnfeld (bass), Thomas Holm (drums) and Wolf-Rüdiger Uhlig (organ, piano, vocals). Uhlig was fresh out of the heavy prog Murphy Blend which married progressive rock with the jazz and blues sensibilities of the other members. The wide spectrum of Krautrock is unfathomable encompassing everything from the totally lysergically spaced out like the musical meltdowns of early Guru Guru and Amon Düül II to the jazz-rock hybrids of bands like Embryo. Bands like HANUMAN borrowed a little bit from all the camps but primarily focus on highly melodic developments with a few freak outs interspersed within some of the tracks. The album begins with highly rhythmic percussion bringing Can to mind however it is also drenched with heavy organ runs and beautiful flute accompaniments. The dramatic vocals are sung exclusively in the German language adding a somewhat alienating feel for non-speakers to the album for the time when most European bands except the Italians were jumping like lemmings into the English speaking world to extend international exposure.