RARE BIRDS

"Rare birds" is the German group Hoelderlin (Hölderlin)'s fourth studio record and it was released in 1977 and featured Hans Bäär(bass), Michael Burchmann (drums), Christian Grumbkow(lyrics), Joachim Grumbkow(keyboards, vocals), Christoph Noppeney (viola, vocals), Pablo Weeber (guitar, vocals) and Manfred von Bohr (drums). An aesthetic cover with a fire bird and a girl predicted good music, but I don't find these songs especially rare.

When I put the record on I came into a nice world of prog rock, no doupt about that, but this music was in no way an eye opener or especially interesting. The early Hölderlin was a progressive folk rock band put the only folky here is the viola, but it doesn't make it folky alone. In some moments it's possible to hear symphonic approach. With German lyrics perhaps I would have liked it very much, but now it wasn't so fun. The singers didn't sang enough loud either so they didn't took place.

My favourite song on this record Rare birds is "Necronomicon" which is very good(8/10). It has the right prog edge, some kind of a melody and a dark feeling, some symphonic moves and viola solos.

Three other song are little more than just good. "Häktik Intergaläktik"(7/10) starts with giving this little withdrawn feeling. If you think other symphinic rockers use to be to pompous perhaps late Hoelderlin is something for you. Even "Before you lay down" (7/10) is nice and the closer "Sun rays (7/10) has also a pleasent soundscape with a great guitar solo in the end. Two songs doesn't make sense for me: "Rare bird" the titel track is too boring with weak vocals and a sleepy feeling (6/10) as well as "Sky-Lift" which is even more boring (5/10).

I find Hoelderlin in no way bad but in this way the choice to sing in a foreign language wasn't a good idea. A German band stays genuine with singing in German, that's my opinion. That's perhaps not Rare Birds biggest shortage but it's something. I will continue explore Hoelderlin but this record has to wait a while until I'll listen again.