LIVE IN LONDON

Amon Duul II blast off here with Renate Kanup in full form with her witchy vocals on a prodigal rendition of Archangel`s Thunderbird from the Yeti LP where roughly 50% of the material is taken. Followed by a kalaedescopic barrage of more witchy vocals, scorching guitars, screaming violins and sonic contortions that doesn`t let up until the smoke clears at the conclusion of this searing London set with a rendition of From Here To Your Ears from Tanz Der Lemminge where roughly the other 50% eminates from, it`s more than evident that Amon Duul II are not finished with the psychedelic sixties yet ( titles such as Dehypnotized Toothpaste and A Short Stop At The Transyvanian Brain Surgery are good indicators of this theory!).

Not many connoissuers of their previous studio albums will have any difficulty grooving to the incessant amps turned to eleven freaking out here except for the fact that maybe 42 minutes is not enough considering 2 of their 5 studio albums up to that time were double LPs. Despite the intensity, they reproduce the studio material remarkably well with an improvisational attitude. It must also be remembered that 1973 was a sort of transitional period for Amon Duul II at a time when they were revamping their sound which would discard much of the free form spontnaeity and puissance which characterized their music up to that stage in favour of more structured compositions and arrangements. While foreshadowing of this shift within Amon Duul`s creative collective can be detected here, the galvanizing force of the performance will nonetheless definitely give Kozmische Musik purists something to rave about. Those who prefer the lucidity of Amon Duul`s Vive La Trance LP onwards might want to throw in the towel after the first three more conventional tracks, Archangel`s Thunderbird, Eye Shaking King and Soap Shop Rock here because that`s when the real tripping out kicks in with a short improv that`s followed by all the things that could show up unexectedly during a bad LSD trip.

Amon Duul II delivers all the goods here if you`re into the early phase of their career and it`s just about as dark as they would get before moving on in a more orthodox direction. Play loud for full scare effect.