CORNUCOPIA

Fairly schizophrenic krautrock-era craziness from the one-shot German outfit Cornucopia, this intriguing yet somewhat infuriating debut was issued by the legendary Brain imprint sometime after the summer of 1973. Featuring a seven-strong line- up(eight if you include guest musician Jochen Petersen) and a full arsenal of instruments, 'Full Horn' is the kind of record that could have been great, yet certainly isn't thanks to a colossally overwrought sound which stuffs far too many conflicting ideas into the melting pot. Too many cooks ruins the broth, they sometimes say. Featuring everything from grinding proto-metal riffs to proggy keyboard washes, strange sound effects, warbling vocals and spacey electronics, Cornucopia's major problem is their complete and utter refusal to settle down into one accepted style, continuously scuppering promising melodies at birth and inserting odd and unattractive instrumental passages into the mixture just when they really weren't needed. All this adds up to one eclectic and consistently shifting listen, and once the epic nineteen-minute opener 'Spot On You Kids' (finally)finishes - with a splash of disconcerting fairground ambience - the idea of sitting through yet more random madness seems almost unbearable. Germany and 'krautrock' gave us many fantastic acts during the fertile 1970's; Cornucopia certainly weren't one of them. A tiresome, silly and slightly disturbing slab of bad-trip psych-rock, 'Full Horn' is a mess from beginning to end. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2015

For sure, by training I am not a die hard fan of this kind of music. But ....very honest with you, I do enjoy the music this album presents. To me the composition is high calibre as it does not only contain change of styles that happen quite frequently but it has successfully blended various elements of music from psychedelic, rock as well as jazz. In fact I do enjoy how it flows from start to end as I don't feel any sense of getting bored with the music; in fact they have crafted wonderfully so that the listeners enjoy the movement from one segments to another. I am sure by design the music was not intended to be improvisational in nature - but as it moves there are some sort of jam session with stunning solo like guitar or in fact bass guitar.

I am not going to review on track by track basis as this kind of music has its own distinctive presence to be enjoyed the whole album as one piece of music so that we can get the overall picture how the music is shaped. However, there are some segments that are avant garde in nature if it is enjoyed at the segment itself it's not gonna be something interesting to note. But ...as one whole piece of music it's really a joyful experience enjoying this album - especially right now heavy rain outside as I am typing this review at my mom's home.

To conclude my overall view about this one album by Cornucopia, let me put it this way: composition-wise it's not something really melody-based or song orientated philosophy, rather it's like a concept album as you look everything in its entirety regardless how individual song is composed. While on the basis of style changes there are many happening here at this album even though it comes quite natural as consequence of whole-lot composition. There are basically some level of complexities and unusual compositions built around this album. The good news is that everything indicates one structural integrity if we look at the whole. So ....I conclude with an excellent addition to any prog music collection ...plus, I enjoy the vintage sound quality produced from this record. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

The name of the band alone tells you what you're in for with this one. In Greek Mythology, a cornucopia was the horn of the goat that suckled Zeus and when it broke off it became filled with fruit and in subsequent folklore it became full of whatever its owner desired. In this case we get an overflowing abundance of the culmination of really everything musically psychedelic and this album is in a way the pinnacle of the Krautrock scene in the early 70s.

CORNUCOPIA released this one album in 1973 that, despite being one of the better albums in the genre, has fallen off the radar of most progressive music listeners into obscurity. The band is quite ambitious with this release with seven musicians (3 named Wolfgang!) and every idea under the sun peeking in and out of the musical flow never really going anywhere in particular but always delivering a pleasant sonic route on the way to wherever they wish to steer us, but always remaining true to the Krautrock experience.

The album has an epic feel with two longer tracks and two shorter tracks. The album begins with "Day Of A Daydream Believer." No Monkees influences here, this track begins with a demented organ that slowly fades in and then takes us on a psychedelic roller coaster ride that lasts almost 20 mintues. After the first track we get a little breather from the heaviness of the opener with a throwback to a simpler 60s psychedelic pop song "Morning Sun." It's a mere bump in the road as the next epic track "Spots On You Kids" picks up the frantic and unpredictable pace of the first track. The fourth track "And The Madness" only continues and revs up a bit the pace as a frenetic outro which leaves you wondering exactly what you just listened to.

Sort of the Mr Bungle of Krautrock of the day. I can understand that this may have been too much for some. Due to the lack of interest, the dismayed band called it quits after this release and the album remains a musical gem awaiting rediscovery. Another band I wish would have put out another album or two. 4.5 rounded up

Whatever else this racket might be, it certainly isn't Jazz Rock Fusion, as currently labeled on the band's page here at Prog Archives. Is that because there's an occasional saxophone in the mix? By the same yardstick the Dada collages of a kindred band like FAUST should be re-categorized as Prog Folk.

Let's face it: the first and only Cornucopia LP is unadulterated Krautrock, full stop, period, end of sentence. And if the initial moments of the opening twenty-minute roller coaster "Day of a Day-Dream Believer" don't send you screaming off the nearest parapet, chances are you've been successfully immunized against the mind-frying musical extremities of counterculture Germany.

I won't even begin to describe the album itself, except to say it makes even the most bizarre Krautrock sound halfway normal by comparison. The music is never less than wildly creative, or maybe just creatively wild, in places achieving a reckless intensity similar to what THE MARS VOLTA (that popular bossa nova band) would later aim for. There's a little something for everyone here, from cosmic rock parody to demented circus music to some of the catchiest psychedelic pop this side of Syd Barrett ("Morning Sun, Version 127").

Need another easy parallel? They shared a streak of deadpan Teutonic humor with Faust: look at the track titles, or listen for the sound of snoring at the end of the "Day Dream" suite. And the heavy saxophone-organ combination strongly recalls the signature snarl of early Van Der Graaf Generator (the Famous Charisma Label klezmer quartet).

The production too was unusually sharp for its time: in-your face organ solos; front-loaded guitar heroics; and some of the meatiest electric bass grunge since the arrival of rockabilly legend John Wetton. Eight credited musicians contributed to the din; three of them were named Wolfgang.

It's an almost criminal shame they managed to record only one album, and that it somehow fell so completely between the cracks. With a little more effort and output Cornucopia might have been superstars, instead of an unknown ensemble still waiting for rediscovery. But never in a million years by the Jazz Rockers among us...

I definetly agree with Guldbamsen that this is pure Krautrock. Talk about adventerous, underground sounding music. And it can't be overstated how important that Producer Jochen Peterson was to their sound. He influenced them on the direction they should go and also added sax, flute and guitar on here. Jochen was part of the band IKARUS who released one amazing album back in 1971. So he's been a part of two pretty incredible one and done projects.

Day Of A Day-Dream Believer" is a schizophrenic 20 minute side long piece. It's somewhat haunting to start with floating organ as sounds come and go. It settles in with spoken vocals 1 1/2 minutes in along with a laid back, trippy sound. It kicks in with guitar and drums after 2 1/2 minutes. Nice. Some huge bass lines followed by vocals before 3 1/2 minutes as he shouts out the lyrics. A haunting calm after 5 1/2 minutes then it picks up with the vocals and organ standing out 6 minutes in. Drums to the fore along with sax then we get another calm 7 1/2 minutes in. It kicks back in a minute later with guitar and drums. The vocals are back. The guitar is grinding it out after 10 minutes. The mood and tempo continue to change. Spoken words 13 minutes in as the music stops. It starts to build after 14 1/2 minutes then settles back after 18 minutes. A great track that does come off at times as being patched together. "Morning Sun (Version 127)" is a bright tune with vocals and guitar. It's fuller before a minute. The singing here reminds me of Kevin Ayers. The intro soundscape is back to end it. Excellent little number. "Spots On You, Kids" is over 12 1/2 minutes and begins with prominant organ, drums and guitar. A change before 1 1/2 minutes as we get a calm with organ. It's building then it kicks in with vocals after 2 minutes. The guitar sounds great ! Sax after 5 1/2 minutes along with vocals. The sounds then echo in a freaky way after 9 minutes before it ends in a crazy manner with samples. "And The Madness..." is silly with vocals. maybe insane is a better word. There's even laughing done to a melody believe it or not after a minute. A calm follows then theatrical vocals return briefly. The music sounds great 3 minutes in.

An easy 4 stars maybe closer to 4.5 stars but regardless this is a must for Krautrock fans out there. Thankyou David for allowing me to finally hear this one.

German Laundromat

Although listed here on PA under fusion, Cornucopia's sole album Full Horn is what I'd personally call a genuine Krautrock gem. Sporting a murky yet highly eclectic and varied sound, this album is a regular force to be reckoned with. Krautrock was more than just a few chosen artists such as Amon Düül, Can and Neu! - and even if those 3 acts pretty comfortably illustrate just how wide the range of sound was, it still doesn't quite put into focus just how sprawling and diverse the scene was.

One of Krautrock's branchings was made up of bands that incorporated fusion into the mix. Kraan, Exmagma, Embryo, Guru Guru and Passport all paddled these waters, whilst still, at least during their first couple of albums, remaining deeply planted within the German kosmische scene - better known as Krautrock today. Cornucopia fit the bill as well, although I think they are among the least fusion sounding of these bands. The emphasis on muddy grainy guitars and gelatinous song structures trumps those small jazzy rhythms that once in a while show their heads - only to be pulled back into the batter - getting thrown around in this psychedelic German Laundromat.

The first cut here is a huge slice of everything under the sun. People around here would probably call it an epic on account of its different movements and the running time of 20 minutes. It quite brilliantly conveys what this album is all about, which is mixing things up - throwing all kinds of different ingredients and differentiating moods into one big bowl and then serving it up like a sonic hors d'euvre. The organs are creepy and sticky like one of those small matinee pauses that used to fill up the tiny breaks in old movies. The guitars fluctuate between roaring fiery creatures going a hundred miles an hour to the swampy entities psychedelically sprinkling over the beat like new falling snow - ever so gently adorning the music in what feels like colourful piglets' tails. The vocals remind me of Amon Düül ll with the somewhat archaic and staccato sounding English. Come to think of it, the music does also seem like a close cousin to said band, although I do find the Cornucopia sound to be original and on its own terms. Still if you are approaching this record as a fan of Amon Düül ll, I almost guarantee sonic satisfaction.

With its belly full of two long cuts, the other one reaching 12 minutes, the band has plenty of time to develop their musical ideas and to branch out in whatever psychedelic and criss crossing musical patterns they wish to. Though most of this is orchestrated and rehearsed, the feel of the thing still omits a certain frivolous and jamming character, that I personally have come to love so intensely. Even within these orchestrated grooves, Cornucopia still manage to break free from the form and give to you something that is rare, extremely difficult and unforeseeable. A perfect example of this remarkable trait, is found on that opening cut called Day of a Day-Dream Believer (and no, it certainly doesn't sound like The Monkeys...), where the track suddenly starts relegating a certain groove that inspires what in the pop world would be called a chorus, or indeed a bridge. Here it actually does the same, although this bridge or whatever you want to call it takes off like an uncontrolled physics reaction. The backing singers fall off their hinges and suddenly start sounding like a pack of wild dogs, barking electronically and on top of each other - all whilst following the music that similarly spirals out of proportion. The music turns gelatinous and gooey - and by some strange miraculous musical connection, all of the 7 musicians come together and land on the same side of the Equator. Unbelievably fantastic playing right there! I just adore how this band churns out jams.

While I do believe I may have conveyed this band a tad too avant guarde in nature, I would like to stress just how winning this formula of splicing the structured way of grooves together with those wild and adventurous jam sections. It never becomes dissonant or harsh, which is why I'll happily recommend this fine album to anyone out there seeking to dive just a teeny tiny bit deeper into the mighty oceans of Krautrock.

It's too bad that Cornucopia only did this one album. It's a very accomplished (and yet very chaotic) album.

The first track, 'Day of a Daydream Believer', is a sprawling, side-long acid trip. Very much a psychedelic track with jazz elements thrown in here and there. As others have pointed out, there are a lot of similarities to VDGG. The last 5 minutes of the first track are truly a testament to that.

The second track, 'Morning Sun - Version 127 (For the Charts)' is obviously an attempt at a single. I'm not sure if it got any airplay, but it does sound like a pretty good song for a single. Has a very late 60s vibe to it.

The third track, 'Spot On You, Kids', is the other epic track on this album, clocking in at around 12 and a half minutes. The jazz elements are a lot stronger on this track, as well as the VDGG sound. The organ strays from a regular Hammond sound to a vibrating, wobbly organ sound partway through the track, giving it a very mystic and psychedelic edge to it. At the end, the music fades into the sound of a carnival.

'Spot On You, Kids' segues into the fourth and final track, 'And the Madness...'. It tries somewhat to lean towards VDGG (giving a FAINT vibe of 'Whatever Would Robert Have Said?'), but comes out somewhere between that and the typical psychedelic closing track. It's the end of the trip, and the madness ends.

All in all, a very good album. 4.5 stars from me.

OK here we have a diamond from the golden era of kraut rock. Four songs in total as it was a common thing back on these days. The album begins with the superb day of a daydream believer, a 20minute epic with twisted melodies and chaotic turns. Very interesting indeed. The rest of the album has 3 songs of the same mood but less adventurous. A must have for any serious kraut rock collector. The album was out of print for many years until repertoire released it in 2002. Unfortunately it was the only release from this fantastic group. This album gives wonderfully the spirit of this era with the unpredictable turns and the fine tunes in Zappa style. The musicians are skilful enough not to be sound dull, sounding almost heavy rock with psychedelic and jazz elements as well. A true diamond

An almost essential purchase, if you love your prog rock to be totally unexpected with mad twists and turns, this is the album for you.

Everything that folk love about 70s Prog Rock is here. Some bits are quite dancable (in the hippy late 60s early 70s way though)

Everything (possibly even the kitchen sink) is on this album..

The first track I suggest that you play in the dark.. alone..

Great treat for the ears..

Here is a real nugget from the golden underground German Krautrock era. Fans of AMON DUUL II will likely very much dig this recording with its big sound and heavy progressive tendencies. Musically this album is areal stonker with great bass and guitar lines, keyboard wizardry and a strange overall presence. Album ''Centerpiece'' is the epic 20 mins "Day Of A Daydreambeliever" which mixes VAN DER GRAAF darkness and borrows the musical wierdness from cousins AMON DUUL II. Lead vocalist Wolfgang Kause (Gurker The Goat) has a great voice and very much fits the music. This album also offers a great big and wide sound with fantastic production qualities and excellent speaker seperation. Overall a fantastic album and I would highly recommend to anyone who is into the Krautrock thing!