MYTHOS

I confess I picked this up out of a bargain crate at a record fair 40 odd years ago because of the Crumb like cover art. Apart from the obvious 'big' names, my krautrock/folk knowledge was sketchy at best (we didn't have the net back then!) so I had no idea what the grooves would contain.

No, it didn't grab me at first but even if you pick something up cheap, a physical format means you keep hold and give it another try. I do wonder if someone streams something and thinks' no, not for me' these days, they perhaps don't go back and give it another chance.

The Tullesque opening shoulda dragged me in (those pesky flutes eh!) but there is an almost too forced jollity. I hear a little bit of Jade Warrior but the second track blends eastern with a more typical kraut influence and this was and is much more interesting...space/folk if you like...and thankfully my (the recipe is a secret) vinyl cleaner gives the atmospherics a clear and hiss free sound. The panning is a bit cliche but it works. The vocalist isn't the best but neither were say the vox in the Incredible String Band and I rather like them! Hero's Death shimmering cymbals in and we could be in an Amon Duul situation and they also invited early BJH to the party. Definitely my krautrock sound/s of choice. I think they gave the 'folk' the song off. With Encyclopedia the doubts creep back in as am sorry but you did the shimmering cymbals thing in the last tracks intro and the bass player has been listening to Wishbone Ash's Vas Dis (ironically) and although the guitar/s don't 'duel', the first 2 Ash albums are nodded to. It just doesn't escape the deliberate or otherwise influences/similarities. Overlaying a bit of electronica feels well like overlaying a bit of electronica for the sake of it. And the sudden 'war' referenced sounds tagged on to a track out of the blue? I will put on German Oak if I want a dark krautrock dealing with our post war trauma album thanks. And finally the 940th, even by 1971, song that starts with Church bells?

I really do want to 'like' this more but they do themselves no favours. I will give the benefit of the doubt that musicians didn't hear anything like the amount of music (as in what was out at the time) as we can today so sometimes they think they were being 'original' when they were just not. Also it is a debut album and bands should be allowed to find their own sound/make mistakes/get the stuff out of their system they needed to he types just as the VDGG bit comes in followed by...oh no...'the gong'.

I would give it a 3.25 for promise but with reservations.