NARZISS

German musician and composer Stefan Zauner was born in 1952 in Göttingen as son of the German director George Zauner.He studied graphic design in Munich and Basel but his love for music soon overcame his studies to the point he even made it to the line-up of Psych/Kraut Rockers Amon Düül II from mid-70's to early-80's as a keyboard player.Around the period he officially became an Amon Düül II member, Zauner produced his first solo output ''Narziss'', recorded at the studios of Ariola Records in Munich and released in 1976 by the top German label.

Heavily influenced by bands like GENESIS and YES as well as pinpointing the direction NOVALIS would take around the same period, Zauner created an album of sensitive and easy- listening Symphonic Rock with many romantic moments but also some superb keyboard playing.He also handles all instruments and vocals except drums, took over by Renard Hatzke.Unlike the hillarious, commercial style Amon Duul were delivering in 1976, Zauner chose a more adventurous and demanding style for his solo debut, of course there are a few tracks of cheesy straightforward Blues/Rock'n'Roll music, totally unacceptable for his talent and completely unrelated to the majority of the compositions.So, fortunately, the rest of the album is highly-inspired keyboard-based Progressive Rock with plenty of great TONY BANKS- like moog workouts and a strong Classical influence on the isolated piano passages, offering nice moments of pure grandieur.Touches of Mellotron here and there is definitely to satisfy all lovers of vintage Prog, while the vocals of Zauner are smooth yet trully decent and expressive.The acoustic guitars blended with Zauner's keys are another reason followers of GENESIS will like this album a lot.

A one-man effort, which not only deserves a CD reissue but also a greater exposure to the public.Lovely GENESIS/YES-influenced Symphonic Rock with massive interesting keyboard parts and a very delicate atmosphere.Warmly recommended.