NINE DAYS' WONDER

Manheim-based act Nine Days Wonder started in 1966 under the name The Graves, led by drummer and singer Walter Seyffer.They became Nine Days Wonder in 1970, when Seyffer gathered a multi-national line-up, consisting of British drummer Martin Roscoe, Austrian bassist Karl Mutschlechner, German guitarist Rolf Henning and Irish multi-instrumentalist John Earle.They were signed by Bacillus, which released their self-titled debut in 1971, released also on Harvest with a different cover only for the UK market.

Nine Days Wonder played very complex and jazzy Kraut Rock with unusual vocal sections and extreme musical ideas, aking to the hardest moments of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or KRAAN.Maybe the most extreme is the opening, long ''Fermillion'', a unique mix of Kraut Rock with endless jams, Heavy Rock with strong guitar moves, Funk with sweet sax solos and Jazz Rock with measured, improvised passages, spoiled by the needless, ZAPPA-esque but hillarious vocals towards the end.''Moss Had Come'' is a short Psych/Hard rocker with a sudden acoustic break at the middle, featuring some impressive sax moves.''Apple Tree'' is possibly the best track of the album.Again a furious and complicated jazzy Kraut Rock with sax in evidence is nicely blended with a softer vocal moment and very good Hard Prog sound towards the end with intricate guitar work.The closing ''Drag Dilemma'' clock at over 12 minutes and continues in the same vein yet with a bit more flexibility.Lots of nice interplays with sax, flutes and guitar battling, also lots of different displays like Classical-influenced parts, Proto-Fusion solos and Hard Rock offerings to go along with very passionate vocals.

Definitely pioneers of the German Prog, but maybe a bit too dense for their own goods, Nine Days Wonder debuted with an interesting album, lacking melodies and emotion, but filled with passion, energy and impressive music.Recommended.