LA DÜSSELDORF

Drummer Klaus Dinger first appeared in the public eye as a guest on KRAFTWERK's debut from 1970. He would go on to form NEU ! along with guitarist Michael Rother. After that band broke up Klaus quickly regrouped and formed a band he called LA DUSSELDORF in honour of his hometown. By now he had grown weary of drumming, so he plays the guitar on this one while his brother Thomas and Hans Lampe take care of the percussion duties. Brian Eno had this to say about Klaus : "There were three great beats in the 1970's. Fela Kuti's Afrobeat, James Brown's funk and Klaus Dinger's Motorik". Julian Cope adds "Klaus Dinger's sound was the architectural blueprint for British punk". In fact I was reminded of both Punk and New Wave on this record that was recorded in the fall of 1975 at Conny Plank's studio.The album's cover is a picture of the Dusseldorf airport at night.

"Dusseldorf" opens with a lady making an announcement in the airport as the sound of a jet takes off. Dual drums and synths take over. Vocals 2 minutes in with organ. Some power 2 1/2 minutes in. Piano before 9 1/2 minutes while synths return a minute later. A relentless beat is featured throughout. Interesting lyrics about his city of Dusseldorf : "Sharp wind, expensive real estate. Mirror and stainless steel = the corporate brand names. Today let's go to the old city. Golden bridge and pround swans". It's all in German of course. "La Dusseldorf" opens with the sounds of a crowd at a hockey game.Then an aggressive beat comes in with vocals. Very punk-like. The tempo shifts throughout.

"Silver Cloud" is an instrumental that hit the German singles chart "fulfilling Klaus' goal to push the left-field NEU ! sound into popular entertainment". It's mid- paced with a catchy beat and prominant synths. A calm arrives as this contrast continues. "Time" is laid back to open with gentle guitar and piano as psychedelic vocals come in that at times echo and whisper.The tempo picks up after 3 minutes with a great sound to follow. Electric guitar before 5 minutes is tasteful. It settles after 7 minutes as whispered vocals, synths and organ create a Psychedelic / Krautrock mood.

I was reminded of CAN, NEU ! and KRAFTWERK at times.There is something special about this album that may take a while to really appreciate.This is all about the beat man !