Bachdenkel - Stalingrad (1977/1990 Expanded Edition)
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Album: Bachdenkel - Stalingrad (Expanded Edition)
Released: 1977 (1990)
Genre: Progressive Rock
Bachdenkel's second and last album was released six years or so after their first album, "Lemmings". This reissue has 10 bonus tracks, singles and live material, that are all worthwhile. Bachdenkel made a kind of progressive rock that is thoughtful and intelligent, with great vocals and beautiful lyrics. Light on the keyboards, mostly two guitars, bass and drums, and vocals.
Bachdenkel were a British band, led by vocalist/guitarist/keyboards-player Colin Swinburne. They released two album during the early 70's Lemmings and Stalingrad and vanished into oblivion until the recent "revival" of prog and the new interest that arose as a result of this [resulting in album] reissues [on CD], with some archive material as bonus tracks.
Bachdenkel were located in France and as a result, they were not fully updated about the contamporary currents of British prog of the era, this worked in their favour as they used influences of the late 60's and updated them independently, they mix influences from the Beatles' Psychedelic era, singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Eastern and Hippie music and philosophy in a "Progressive" context. The result is magnificent, great songs with beautiful and unusual lyrics, great music and Swinburne's unique and warm vocals makes this album a great listening experience, a true Masterpiece and highly recommended. - Gil Keltch, New Gibraltar Encyclopedia Of Progressive Rock
The very good lead singer has a tone right between Kansas' and Neal Morse. The miscellaneous electric guitar arrangements are very original: the comparison with Steve Hillage is often quite valuable: Hillage however sounds more spacy and extravagant. The keyboards are rarely used: indeed the guitar-driven tracks do not justify the presence of organ and piano: they are rather used in a few specific tracks. Compared to their previous Lemmings album, here they are more elaborated, sructured and less psychedelic. There are many parts that have an excellent complex punk tendency: I even find some Neu! similarities, regarding some of the drums and electric guitar sounds, especially on the "Stalingrad" track. Obviously, they are 100 times better than Neu!, since their compositions remain very respectable and structured. The album globally is moderately progressive, psychedelic and it never falls into a deja vu rock/hard rock style. - greenback, ProgArchives.com
Bachdenkel was a British band that lived in France. They recorded two albums on the independent Initial label. Stalingrad (title appears in the Cyrillic alphabet) was the second of those. Keyboards are in short supply, so the sound is pretty intimate, mostly just two guitars, bass, drums and vocals. The vocals strongly suggest John Wetton. The two-part title song is probably the best, part one being vocal, part two instrumental. Elsewhere there aren't any real standouts, most of the songs are short, and there's no real complexity to the music, but it's not a bad album. It's a pleasant enough album, but not spectacular. One interesting thing about the album is the back cover, which shows a mock crypt with a bunch of names on the gravestone. Some of the names include: Guy Boyer (vibraphonist who played on the second Moving Gelatine Plates album), Rory Gallagher, Peter Hammill, Patrick Juvet (French disco star), Mick Ralphs and Bernard Szajner (French synthesist and Initial label-mate). - New Gibraltar Encyclopedia Of Progressive Rock
BACHDENKEL was an English rock band that started under the name “YOU KNOW WHO” in 1968. The three piece consisted of bandleader Colin Swinburne on vocals/guitars/keyboards, Peter kimberley on bass/piano/vocals and Brian Smith on drums, with Karel Beer as additional musician, lightening engineer and producer. The band moved to France to live, perform and record.
In the 10 years of excistence BACHDENKEL only recorded 2 albums, the first album “Lemmings” was recorded in 1970, but wasn’t released until 1973, the second album called “Stalingrad” (in cyrillic letters) was recorded and released in 1977. in the mean time BACHDENKEL toured small venues through europe (mostly France).
BACHDENKEL started as a Flower Power psychedelic rock band (Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, Beatles, Procol Harum), but developed towards a more symphonic/melodic progstyle for their second album. Their sound is dominated by guitar and drums, with great vocals and occasional keyboard passages.
The band wasn’t (and isn’t) well known, but that doesn’t lesson the experience and thrill you get when listening to their music. The 90’s revival of prog resulted in some aknowledgement to their music, and Bachdenkel re-released their two albums on CD, with additional, mostly unreleased, material. Those CD’s are very much recommended, also because the additional songs are practically as good as their previously released ‘forgotten’ masterpieces.
A fabulous band that deserves universal recognition. - ProgArchives.com
Bachdenkel were an English rock group which came to life in and around the King's Heath area of Birmingham in the late 1960s, evolving out of a combo called "U No Who".
Their name was produced by computer - an innovative use of new technology in those days - and they were one of the seminal bands on the Birmingham scene during the late 1960s, which saw the development of psychedelic culture and electric rock music. They had close links with the Birmingham Arts Lab, a venue for experimental artists of all types, and often performed with a full psychedelic light show.
Following a publicity campaign which included subverting a large department store's marketing logo and a photoshoot with a piano in a local fountain, they left the country. They subsequently found themselves in Paris, long the refuge of revolutionary artists and artistic revolutionaries. After the events of May 1968, France was ready for new ideas and new music and English rock bands were much in vogue at the time.
Bachdenkel settled in France and over the next decade went on to produce 2 albums: the first of these, "Lemmings", is generally regarded as their best. At times in their career, they shared the billing with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath amongst others and provided the music for a modern ballet.
Rolling Stone magazine once called Bachdenkel "...Britain's greatest unknown group." - Wikipedia
In addition to the nine songs that appeared on the STALINGRAD album in 1977, for this CD we have assembled ten additional tracks, never previously released.
YOU LIED ABOUT YOUR AGE and SIROCCO: Paris, May 1974
Studio: EUROPA SONOR POSTE PARISIENNE; Engineer: George Massenburg
RING OF TRUTH: Paris, July 1975
Studio: DAMIENS; Engineer: Paul Scemema; Remix: Andy Scott at IP STUDIOS
The live studio tracks are recordings made in July 1975 shortly after we had come off the road following the final French tour.
THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD is BACHDENKEL'S first recording. Session held at CBE STUDIOS in September 1969 and remixed in July 1990.
AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE MASTER was released by PHILIPS only for radio promotion. It was recorded at STUDIO DE LA GAITE in January 1973. The recording of this CD has been copied from one of the few remaining singles as the master tape no longer exists.
Finally and with apologies for the sound quality a live recording of MELANIE'S BO BO'S PARTY. Many of the BACHDENKEL concert tapes are either lost or unrepresentative of the band on stage. The only tape we have and all appreciate is a mysterious cassette copy of the 1975 Cannes concert that surfaced when we were compiling this CD. We have included it as a testimony; it shows were BACHDENKEL was coming from and above all where we were trying to go during the final stages - BACHDENKEL, Paris, July 1990, taken from the Liner Notes
1. The Whole World (Looking Over My Shoulder) 03:36
2. After The Fall 04:26
3. Seven Times Tomorrow 03:56
4. For You To Live With Me 03:22
5. The Tournament 02:51
6. (It's Always) Easy To Be Hard 04:46
7. Xenophon 04:51
8. Ctalingpad 03:30
9. Stalingrad 04:33
Additional Tracks:
10. You Lied About Your Age (The Unreleased Singles) 03:10
11. Ring Of Truth (The Unreleased Singles) 02:54
12. Sirocco (The Unreleased Singles) 02:57
13. Ctalingpad (Studio Live) 03:23
14. After The Fall (Studio Live) 05:35
15. For You To Live With Me (Studio Live) 04:38
16. Seven Times Tomorrow (Studio Live) 06:49
17. Through The Eyes Of A Child (Archives) 04:01
18. An Appointment With The Master (Archives) 03:39
19. Bo Bo's Party (Live, Cannes '75, Extract) 06:11
Colin Swinburne - guitar, organ, piano
Peter Kimberley - 6 string bass, piano
Brian Smith - drums
Karel Beer - electric 12-string guitar, slide
Irv Howray - vocals (7)
Andy Scott - ARP synthesize
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