VAMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Alcatraz was an obscure, yet long-lived German band who's debut, "Vampire State Building," is an exciting blend of Krautrock and jazzrock that must be heard by aficionados of German rock music from the 70's. Every song is great, with a mix of heavy rock and jazz guitars, jazzy sax and/or flute, and a lively rhythm section. My favorite tracks are, well all of them. To be honest, my least favorite song is "Your Chance of a Lifetime," but it is still a great tune. The vocals are somewhat typical for the genre, not bad or good, just "unique." Probably the best song is actually the bonus track on the CD version. Most CD bonus tracks are usually poor quality live or demo recordings, but "Change Will Come" is a well-recorded, mind-blowing, 6 minute, adventure into Alcatraz's Kraut/jazz/prog/rock lunacy. One of the great, and unfortunately lesser known, classic albums of Krautrock. Five stars, seriously.