TANZ DER LEMMINGE [AKA: DANCE OF THE LEMMINGS]

I swear I would have given this album a five had it not been for the embarrassing lyrics on the entire record. I also have strong reservations about 'Stumbling Over the Melted Moonlight' and the lengthy 'Chamsin Soundtrack.' Plus, I do not like the idea of a musician or a group of musicians stitching several things together and pretending that the whole thing is coherent. Maybe they weren't really pretending; after all, they were raised on the works of the "greats" of classical music. Nonetheless, I'm not a big fan of symphonies that don't flow well. But let's subject this album to the Cartesian approach of scrutinizing things in nature, i.e. slowly and carefully.

The opener is my second favorite on the whole record. It has some sweet keyboard work. I don't really care much for the chord progressions played on that "choir organ" (I suppose that's the choir Mellotron) as well as the work on the actual organ. I just like the sounds of the instruments. How in the world did the keyboardist make a chord on the organ quickly morph into another chord (7:44-7:50)? Oh, I think I know. But this is some five-star winning material here. But here is a problem. As it was mentioned before, I really hate the lyrical work. How prog is that? "What they've got was the parrot (parent?) flesh from the pa-asta-a-a-a-a-a-a-a" (11:51-11:58.) It makes me want to say things I'm not supposed to say in my reviews. Oh, well. If today isn't going to suck, then one of the reasons for that is that I'm not going to let myself suck. But there's other good news to this track: John Weinzierl saves it with his delicious and frenetic guitar work and, on an occasion, lets a pianist take a turn with a corny solo, which, actually, works for me.

The following track is my biggest favorite because it has Weinzierl almost everywhere. He is an apt guitarist indeed. His stuff just makes me think: "OK, looks like I don't know how to improvise or write a decent guitar solo, but how do dudes like him do that?" In fact, if I come up with a lick, it will be likely to have John's philosophy in it. Plus, "The Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child" has some frigged out experiments on it. This really reminds me of Yes: freaking experiments and rich keyboard timbres with some technical electric guitar work and slick production. The end of it all is a must-hear. Every progger should hear it at least once in his life or, maybe, more than once.

Each one of the other tracks on the album has smaller value than any of the first two tracks on it. I can't remember anything from 'Chamsin Soundtrack' except for (someone's) dormant electric organ part and the berserk drum work of Peter Leopold, where the latter is one of the most powerful moments on the entire record. 'Chewing Gum Telegram' is a nice groovy track with Weinzierl and Leopold really running the voodoo down. 'Stumbling Over the Melted Moonlight' has a ridiculous bass riff in which the melody and the rhythm just don't work together very well. On the other hand, you have Weinzierl, who, along with Lothar Meid, jams on through to the other side till you hear Peter Leopold's "treated" drums backed up with something that sounds like a rough draft of Cluster's 'Fotschi Tong'. A journey to The Limbo indeed. Finally, 'Toxicological Whispering' sounds like a track where Weinzierl was given some room to indulge himself in playing and dubbing on various guitar parts, some of which make sense. I heard a couple of riffs that were preceded and followed by pointless guitar lines that give me this impression as if the guy was influenced by The Grateful Dead. There is nothing special about this track, but I really do like the guitar tone and those riffs.

Ratings/comments:

'Syntelman's March of the Roaring Seventies' - ****

'Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child' - *****

'Chamsin Sountrack/The Marilyn Monroe Memorial Church' - ***

'Chewing Gum Telegram' (those Germans probably thought that it rhymes) - ****

'Stumbling Over the Melted Moonlight' - ***

'Toxicological Whispering' - ***

Stamp: "I like it."