JOIN INN

This is so far the best release I have heard from Ash Ra Tempel, and it's also among the finest studio recordings focusing to psychedelic improvised music which I remember. All of the elements are arranged almost perfectly. This song which takes the whole first side of the LP is a psychedelic rock blow, reminding early The Jimi Hendrix Experience by its sound and aesthetics, but it develops the free form improvisation to a higher degree, and the players manage to do a cosmic voyage to much deeper regions than the band mentioned in comparison ever did. This kind of musicianship is highly appreciated by me, they have had to trust and honor each other in order to keep their powerful but fragile aural entity intact. The only small question arose from me considering the beginning of the album, as the Freak'n'Roll" starts with a fade-in solution. Luckily this event does not occur at the end of this track, allowing the improvisation to find a proper ending. This seems too rare achievement on the records of this kind, and I honor it very much. "Join Inn" offers the listener also a very serious and solemn experience, reaching religious heights at second side of the LP. "Jenseits" shimmers with radiant soothing light, and it builds an astonishing cathedral of sounds. The soft pulses of bass guitar and Rosi's soothing voice calms the amazed listener, as the presence of force bigger than life radiates with energy like a sun. There is an abstract, ultimate nucleus of power somewhere close, being so strong that it has to be perceived only from a distance in order not to be burned. The whole track running over twenty minutes offers the possibility to warm oneself near this mysterious healing power, and for me this was a totally awakening experience. If you are interested of psychedelic and improvised music, I would recommend finding this holy album immediately.