Ougenweide - Liederbuch (1988)
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Album: Ougenweide - Liederbuch
Released: 1988
Genre: Prog-Folk
Gnosis Rating: 9.93
Polydor - 837 162 2
This compilation of material from 1973-1979 comes from a group that, for anglophiles, can best be described as the German Steeleye Span, with added flutes. This is more folk than prog, but it hardly matters when listening to textured haunting works like "Tobacco-Lob", "Der Blinde und der Lahme", and the brilliant "Bald Anders". The tracks are often based on very old melodies and at their best Ougenweide does them proud.
The arbitrary "best-of" does not fully intersect with the tastes of this folk-prog and German prog fan, and songs like "Im Badehaus" come across as too smarmy in style, although one might wonder if the lyrics bear that out. Other tracks are pleasant enough slightly psychedelic amalgams of male and female vox but nothing more, although the classic "Totus Floreo" is clearly much more, almost Ougenweide's Gaudete if you will, even if its only a capella for the first half minute or so.
Unique as far as I know among German bands for their merging of traditional northern European folk with prog elements, Ougenweide is well served by this compilation, which probably contains all you will need as a fan or completist. - Ken Levine
Ougenweide are a now forgotten German folk-rock with medieval influences. As someone very perceptively put it on the avant-progressive list, "...some lovely extended cuts which almost crossed over into jazz land. Kind of like a cross between Gryphon (for the medieval sound) and Pentangle (for the jazz sound). They released 7 albums in the 70's, but none of them are available on CD. This compilation, while it focuses on the shorter tunes (not surprising) is the only way to sample their best work other than trying to find the original albums on Ebay. The tracks here are all taken from 1974-1978. Seeing the instrumnentation will give you an idea of what this is about: Minne Graw-singing, keyboards, flute, Olaf Casalich-singing, percussion, Frank Wulf-guitar, flute, mandolin, bouzouki, Stefan Wulff-bass, keyboards, singing, Jurgen Isenbart-drums, marimba, vibes and Wolfgang von Henko-guitars, singing. - Wayside Music
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"
Ougenweide are to Germany what Malicorne are to France, Horslips to Ireland, Labanda to Spain, Gryphon to England and The Charlie Daniels Band to America – i.e. groups that play electrified indigenous folkloric music. (Is this perhaps the first time in history that Labanda and The Charlie Daniels Band have been mentioned in the same sentence?). Definitely a different German breed than the cosmic folk Pilz groups like Broselmaschine and Emtidi or the more freaky/experimental Parzival. Ougenweide use a typical rock band base (electric guitar, electric bass, drums) and augment that with an array of melodic instruments including flute, mandolin, accordion, piano, etc… There are alternating female (soprano register) and male vocals, all in wonderful German, the former proving to be the more pleasing and enchanting... - Tom Hayes, Gnosis
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
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"
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