FAUST

Since a really started to like Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa and Henry Cow I was looking for more music related to the Rock-in-opposition/ Avant-Garde movement. So I found Faust described as RIO on PA and bought their first record on vinyl.

After the first listening I realised that Faust was very different than the earlier bands I've mentioned; there are no polyrythmic sessions or avant-garde wind-sections and is less complex. This debut contained many acts that fits well in the psychedelic/acidic spacerock movement. Faust had surely listened good to the early Pink Floyd records, because many of the admospheres on their debut are quiet the same, but with different sound-effects.

Faust is described as a record not for the faint-of hearted. I do really disagree with this position. I just thought Faust is fun. I've heard my wife complaining with Captain Beefheart and the Mothers of Invention, but surely is much more accessible than those bands. Faust does experimentate with new sounds and makes use of tape-manipulation, but is IMO as accessible as early Pink Floyd composition like "The saucerfull of secrets" and "Be carefull with that axe, Eugene". I don't mean that those compositions are accessible, but that's just the case with the progressive movement: it was never meant to be accessible for the crowd!

So, it's not that accessible. What is Faust alike then? Faust is just fun. This debut contains some psychedelic party music with some false happy emotions. There is always some dissonance, but it became never really dark. This music is narcotic and relaxed and has some really original ideas (that is the reason that this music is called RIO). This music is dynamic: their are some full-sounding acidic spacerock parts, but also minimalistic parts.

This music is not just a nice addition: the material is really original and therefor I'll give it five stars, while in fact the quality of this record is about 4,5 star.

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