Reviewed by Brian Kushnir Released: 1981 Amon Düül II Vortex Genre: Communist Prog Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Highlights: Wings On The Wind (Ras)Putin In Der Badewanne (Bonus Track) In the hierarchy of cool origin stories for a band, coming together in a West German commune has to be up there in the rankings. Which is where Amon Düül got their start. The problem with originating in a commune is that makes you essentially a band of communists, and with apologies to my communist friends, I’m here to suggest that for “Vortex” the egalitarian commune ethos, where everyone in Amon Düül is equal and where every idea and whim should be indulged, simply got the best of them. It’s a varied set from the Düülers. We get a bit of interesting, and a lot of dreck, leaving us with a trivia question answer rather than something to come back to again. Interesting as in a wide variety of sounds and styles. Sinister laughter and tribal drums, like you’re in a voodoo ceremony. Slow pop, a vaguely Eastern European melody punctuated by Oompa Loompa choruses, faux banjo pickin’, all make appearances. There’s also a lilting reggae-infused new wave knock off about a fashion model who puts her life on display but can’t connect with her lover (“Mona”), and a cheeky response to Kraftwerk (“We Are Machine”) including gratuitous space rock robot voice. In a flash of uplifting inspiration, “Wings on the Wind” comes forward among all the tracks as a majestic prog symphonic masterpiece, with Renate Aschauer-Knaup on soaring lead vocals. The grand finale is “(Ras) Putin en der Baderwanne” which perfectly captures the sinister insanity of what Rasputin in the Bathtub would be like, even if you don’t understand German. [Ed. Note: (Ras)Putin In Der Badewanne is a bonus track from the 2005 re-issue.]
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