HÖLDERLINS TRAUM

I did my last review about the swedish band Träd, gräs och stenar's first record which was quite bad even though it was progressive. This Hölderlin records isn't very progressive, but very good. I am new to the band Hölderlin/Hoelderlin, but I love German music and think it's a shame they sometimes sing in English.

The German Prog Folk group Hölderlin'f first record is a short one and that is an advantage beacuse the whole record is so superb. The starter and the closer tracks are the most progressive but not the best songs. The group was made up by six persons: Michael Bruchmann( drums, percussion), Nanny DeRuig (vocals), Christian Grumbkow(guitar), Joachim Grumbkow (guitar, cello, flute, keyboards, mellotron), Peter Kaseberg (bass, guitar, vocals) and Christoph Noppeney (violin, flute, piano). It also features Peter Bursch on sitar and Mike Hellbach on tablas on "Strohhalm" and Walter Westrupp on flute on "Erwachen". This record was released in 1974.

This is something for you who love acoustic guitars. They didn't thought it was enough with one, it seams they got many and that's lovely. "Waren wir" starts asking and what you love immediately is the beautiful voice of Nanny DeRuig who sings like telling a tale. This song contains rock instruments like a groovy organ for exampel. The last track "Traum" is also a rock song, instrumental and a little improvised I think. The rest is very folky, totally fantastic music I'll say. "Peter" is a pure but perfect folk song with excellent vocals and a pleasant text. "Strohhalm" has an indian feeling with beautiful flute and sung by men. "Requiem für einem Wicht" is a progressive folk song with many passages. This is folk in a symphonic way with violins and cello. Perhaps the best song on this record. "Erwachen" has some mystical sounds and "Wetterbericht" has a lot of guitar heroism. This is indeed a record I would recommend to anybody addicted to music. I think this records has something for everybody and a lot for progheads and folkheads.