Ougenweide - Frÿheit/Ousflug (1978 & 1979/2007 Remastered Edition)
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Albums: Ougenweide - Frÿheit & Ousflug (Remastered 2LP on 1CD)
Released: 1978 & 1979 (2007)
Genre: Prog-Folk, Krautrock
Gnosis Rating: 9.43/9.7
Bear Family - BCD 15962 AH
This third compilation album presents the entirety of Ougenweide’s fifth and sixth studio albums on one disc, just like it’s been done with the first and second album and Ohrenschmaus and Eulenspiegel (third and fourth album). This reissue of the next two Ougenweide albums is one of last year’s best news for folk prog fans. While both albums had received re-releases (legit or not), this little baby is a rather indispensable for fans and newcomers alike. Both this release and the preceding one have superb booklets with an extensive group history (unfortunately this time in German only), including loads of photos (including the booklet’s covers), both albums’ full artworks reproduced as well as the totality of the lyrics printed as well. The sepia-coloured booklet is not as ideal as the first collection, because the two albums it features were much more coloured. A gorgeous picture adorns an excellent logo name that you will find in the previous release as well.
While I wrote reviews of the original albums in the album’s respective page (so please look there for detailed reviews), what one must know is that this is about the best way for everyone to acquire their music, no matter if you are a newbie or a veteran of the group. Maybe the absence of an English translation of the liner notes stopped from enjoying equally this third 2on1 compilation, but this might also be due to the sheer repetitious nature of their music over the years.
An excellent (and cheap) manner to get comfy with this out-of-the ordinary band, but it is advisable to not listen to the full disc in a single shot for fear of overdose: rather divide your listening sessions to the original albums separately. Outstanding value, this is the textbook case of the perfect 2-on-1 re- issue. - Hugues Chantraine, ProgArchives.com
Ougenweide’s fifth studio (sixth in all) Frÿheit (freedom) continues what the first four albums had started to do, but there is an attempt at rocking it up in certain songs. Don’t get me wrong, this is still the same Ougenweide and there is plenty of nearly authentic material, but the slight tendency to go more rock on some tracks is not shocking at all. Let’s just sayu that on some of these tracks they go one step further than Fairport, Steeleye, Malicorne or Parzival and get closes tosome Tull tracks that would sit on Songs From The Woods. Great artwork representing an ancient poster almost advocating revolution on some street wall.
You might be startled a bit as the needle hits the wax, if Ougenweide had suddenly turned to Brittany for its music as the bagpipes of Die Bauern have a Stivell/Ar Bras flavour, despite the higher German dialect. Drums, electric guitars and bass, as well dramatic vocals give plenty of “rockier” interest to the proghead, while the following two short ditties go back to more realistic ancient pre-classical folk music. They even add some synth in Ich Denke Hind Un Her or electric piano in Friedenstaube to the rock instruments. Zittert Blode Toren and Schwarz Rot Gold are even sounding a bit like Jethro Tull, the flute helping somewhat.
But there are still the usual tracks that tend to remain as authentic as possible, including the haunting dronal Mann Ross Wagen, Brigittenau (this comes closest to being the title track) and plenty others are there for the trad fans. Just another typical Ougenweide album, albeit a bit rockier, but certainly just as constantly good as the previous ones and no worse than the coming Ousflug, making it difficult to name one as a starting point, though!! - Hugues Chantraine
Sixth studio album from this Hamburg group and remaining truthful to their original goal, Ousflug (“escape”, I think) continues a bit the trends towards some rockier songs , while remaining as authentic and traditional on other tracks. Still with an unchanged line-up from the second album onwards, With a fun Viking flying Drakkar drawn artwork, the group indeed seems to escape towards greener lands, and Like its predecessor Fr?heit, Ousflug starts very strongly and progressively as Tobacco–Lob is a modern piano-lead piece that looks towards folk rock, but for the next three tracks, the album takes an instrumental turn with two older “dance” tunes, before taking an extended tour on a Celtic jig (Maiden Head).Schöne Hexe is taking an unexpected turn with a sitar and both Olaj and Minne taking turns in vocals, and is an album highlight, but the next two (nearly) instrumentals are fantastic; first the title track with its scats over a gentle but ever-changing chamber rock, while Orschel Halfmacher is hesitating between drone-prone medieval and chamber prog with one or two small choirs, but Gentle Giant is not far away. The last three tracks are still quite interesting although they pale in comparison, but the wordy Atze, the lament Malenzit, etc.. But the closing Lügenlied returns to a rockier format (after a few meanders) with an electric guitar and the lengthy instrumental turning into a jig around the end.
For the pure proghead, Ousflug might just Ougenweide’s rockiest album so far with a whopping five instrumental tracks, but by all means don’t go hope for a Tull album, even if you will find a few Tull hints. - Hugues Chantraine
From humble origins in 1969 as Hamburg-based 'hobby musicians,' Ougenweide established themselves within less than a decade as an important creative force on the West German music scene. As a band, they were renowned for championing the impossible. Just like Britain's era-defining rock group Traffic had sung in 'Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring,' it was plain that Ougenweide "were not like all the rest. " Ougenweide's calling-card was setting old poetry to music, as befitted a group that took its name from a text by the Middle High German poet Neidhart von Reuenthal. Some lyrics they sang needed accompanying translations to render them comprehensible even for contemporary mother-tongue German audiences. (If rock venues in the 1970s had had the technology to simulcast subtitles while Ougenweide sang, then sizeable sections of the audience would have been happier still.) Performing Old German texts was a leap of faith. (As was the occasional Latin.) In the process, they became West Germany's quintessential 'Mittelalter-Rock' or 'medieval rock' ensemble. With only a pinch of exaggeration, their name remains shorthand for - if not the dictionary definition of-'Mittelalter-Rock'... - Ken Hunt
OUGENWEIDE is a Teutonic musical collective formed at the beginning of the 70’s. Their music consists of “pastoral” folk rock compositions with Middle Ages influences. The band features Minne Graw (vocals, Harmonium...), Olaf Casalich (vocals, acoustic percussions), Stefen Wulff (bass guitar, accordion and keyboard), Wolgang von Henko (Mandoline, guitars and vocals), Jurgen Isenbarth (Marimbaphone, Vibraphone, vocals) and Frank Wulff (bombard, bouzouki, mandoline, sitar…). They recorded their first album in 1973. Since 1974 until the end of the 70’s they published several albums for Polydor label. They released their last album in 1981 before to split up in 1985. The band reformed in 1996 for a reunion album called “Sol”. Both released in 1976, “Orhrenschmausen” and “Eulenspiegel” represent their most notorious efforts. Two classics in the mood of authentic “Pagan” folk rock music with a great variety of acoustic instruments from medieval (with mandolin, flute, Krummhorn…) to “World” (sitar, bongos, marimba…). The result is unique and highly inspired, introducing the listener in an “enchanting” poetic, mythical world. Beautiful lyrics in German accompany tremendous prog folk instrumentations.
With a better capacity of innovation in popular music and with an exquisite sense of medieval music, OUGENWEIDE is the Teutonic version of prog folk bands as GRYPHON, MALICORNE… Their traditional folk music mixed with rock can also be compared to the Germans of PARZIVAL.
OUGENWEIDE’s discography is considered as a valuable document about profane, secular music. - Philippe Blache, ProgArchives.com
This group started from Hamburg and has roots in the mid-60’s in the City Preachers and the Fabs, but Ougenweide was really born in 69 with the break-up of the latter. Their folk rock music is a based on their discovery of Pentangle’s Basket Of Light and Fairport’s Liege & Lief crossed with ISB’s tendency to use eastern instruments, but not the acid vocals. They chose to not only sing in German, but also to use older Middle High German, which gave them an authentic feel, especially in their Northern regions, where Platte Deutsch ruled (Low German dialects), writing their own texts, with the arrival of literature student Olaf Casalich. Even their name comes from a 12th century poet Von Reuenthal, meaning ”feast for the eyes”. The group is built around the Wulff brothers (bassist and multi-instrumentalist), the afore-mentioned Casalich (vocals and percussions), the guitarist Von Henko and other percussionist Isenbart, but also boasts two female singers, Blunck and Kollmorgen. Ougenweide, unlike other German Folk Prog groups like Emtidi, W&W, Holderlin and Broselmachine did not try to rock up their sound, even if they used some electric instruments... Clearly the group resembling best Ougenweide was France’s Malicorne.
Although historically speaking Ougenweide was not really groundbreaking, they were one of the more authentic when it came to medieval folk (along with Gryphon, Malicorne and their countrymen Parzival) and certainly never tried to become commercial... - Hugues Chantraine
Ougenweide was one the most significant German folk-rock bands of the seventies. Their music was quite different from the 'progressive folk' music created by the early Broselmaschine and Holderlin. Ougenweide's speciality was shorter tracks in off almost medieval folk tradition with German lyrics. The result was a German answer to British groups like Fairport Convention, Gryphon and Steeleye Span. Like these groups, Ougenweide (from Hamburg) succeeded in achieving a distinct style of their own. Their records confirm that they were obviously great instrumentalists. Through the years the nucleus of the Wulff brothers, von Henko and Isenbart remained intact. Minne Graw was their female vocalist from the third album onwards. A large part of their repertoire consisted of traditional German folk songs. The early albums are their most acoustic ones, the later works also utilised synthesisers. - "Cosmic Dreams At Play"
Probably the most commercially successful of German folk-rock bands, Ougenweide originated in Hamburg circa 1970 (going through various incarnations and styles) and becoming Ougenweide proper in 1971. Their name came from the pet name of medieval lyricist Walther von der Vogelweide, whose texts were sometimes used in their music.
From the start through to the 1985 split, Ougenweide had a stable nucleus of four: Olaf Casalich, Jurgen Isenbart, Frank Wulff and Stefan Wulff. Also there in the early days were one Michael Steinbeck and female singer Brigitte Blunck. Ougenweide were fortunate to have a big helping hand from Achim Reichel, who produced them, and also signed them up to his Zebra label. Not that Ougenweide didn't deserve success, their blend of German folk musics, the medieval and the modern, was always innovative and cutting edge. Despite an obvious nod to Pentangle (ignore comparisons to Fairport Convention, the similarity is non-existent), the concoction that Ougenweide came up with was really most original.
After their debut Minne Graw joined as vocalist, her richly intoned German lyric added even more spice to their sound. Ougenweide lasted for several years, issuing numerous albums and built a large repertoire of original and traditional pieces, which are best experienced on their live double UNGEZWUNGEN, with its extended versions and improvisations. Every Ougenweide album we've encountered (all up to FRYHEIT) is generically representative of this creative band, in that they are always pushing on with new ideas, and invention in arrangement, both in song and instrumental.
Ougenweide are also key figures in German progressive music, with members featuring elsewhere. Most interesting to us are Olaf Casalich: Tomorrow's Gift, Frankie Dymon Jr., Achim Reichel, Dennis, etc., and the Hamburger Jazzband "Tuten und Blasen" and work with the Fundus Theater Hamburg; and Frank Wulff: A.R. & Machines, Es, he also worked with Pentangle in 1991, and has many theatre and drama scores to his credit.
In 1996 a new version of Ougenweide got together recording SOL presenting a much more trendy new-pop meets ancient folk and world music, kind of Enigma meets Clannad with an air of Alan Stivell, thus nothing like their former incarnation. - "The Crack In The Cosmic Egg"
Frÿheit
1 Die Bauern sind aufrührig geworden (03:26)
2 Diese sind die Henkersbuben (01:46)
3 Das heil'ge Reich ist schwer verletzt (01:38)
4 Ich sinn', ich denke hin und her (03:14)
5 Lang' erhoffte Friedenstaube (03:28)
6 Mit Mann und Ross und Wagen (02:51)
7 Lützows wilde, verwegene Jagd (03:32)
8 Zittert, zittert, blöde Toren (02:51)
9 Schwarz, Rot, Gold (01:59)
10 Was zieht dort zur Brigittenau? (02:53)
11 Deutschland, oh zerrissen Herz (03:14)
12 Schwefelhölzer, Fenchel, Bricken (02:05)
13 Hinweg, Die Besten Streiter Matt (03:16)
14 Zu Frankfurt, an dem Main (02:52)
Minne Graw (vocals, electric piano, harmonium, string ensemble, synthesizer)
Olaf Casalich (vocals, drums, percussion)
Frank Wulff (flutes, bombard, musette, crumhorns, alto saxophone, guitars, bouzouki, dulcimer, banjo, hurdy-gurdy, zither)
Stefan Wulff (bass, acoustic guitar, harmonica, harmonium, marimba, synthesizer, vocals)
Wolfgang von Henko (guitars, mandolin, vocals)
Jürgen Isenbart (marimba, glockenspiel, drums, percussion, vocals)
Lutz Rahn (Mellotron)
Ousflug
15 Tobacco-Lob (04:47)
16 Basse Danse La Gatta (01:20)
17 Ballo Francese (aus II. Primo Libro Di Balli) (02:44)
18 How Can I Keep My Maiden Head (04:09)
19 Schöne Hexe (04:36)
20 Ousflug (03:44)
21 Orschel Baffmacher (04:14)
22 Gerhart Atze (04:01)
23 Maienzit (05:28)
24 Denunziantenlied (Sozialdemokratisches Liederbuch von 1897) (02:14)
25 Lügenlied (05:28)
Minne Graw (vocals, piano, marimba)
Wolfgang von Henko (guitars)
Olaf Casalich (drums, percussion, vocals)
Stefan Wulff (bass, synthesizer, cabasa)
Frank Wulff (guitar, flutes, sitar, mandolin, crumhorn)
Jürgen Isenbart (marimba, glockenspiel, vibes)
Heino (flute)
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