FROB

Despite that the band is rather unknown from the audience I consider that Frob figures at the pinacle of the tripped out-jazzy rock planet. Clearly part of the most technical, densily intuitive improvs, featuring episodic acid-stoned vibes. Wassertropfen introduces the listener into a blow out jazzy kraut improvisation with insistent rythmical phases and gorgeous solos. Spaces is an intense enigmatic jazz epic covered by emotional-sensual guitar leads and majestic-frantic organic chords. Calypso is a burgeonning, hyper-dynamical proggy interlude for nervous guitars and an immediate guitar / keys duet. Spheres is a fascinating-strangely melodic tune, featuring current atonal jazzy elements and frenetic guitar accents. The rest of the album is constantly colorful-soulful-dynamical with lot of creative-invigorating ideas. Locomotive is my favourite composition, a radical, moody, floating and spiritually fresh minded jazzy rock improv. A very cohesive album and among the best recommendations from Germany kraut-jazz underground next to the challenging ExMagma, Ibliss and the neo-classical Tetragon. This one has been recently re-issued by the prolific Garden of Delights

Although hailing from Rheda-Wiedenbrück nearby my hometown I can't remember them. Well ... probably this applies only to the bandname. However - the music sounds familiar to me, hence it's quite possible indeed that I saw them live once in the 70s. This album can be counted among the german jazz rock/fusion output which is going adrift from krautrock - similar to bands like Embryo or the later Missus Beastly at the same time.

There are significant differences to those bands on the other hand - at first FROB's classic instrumentation which excludes ethno percussion and wind instruments. Philippe Gaillant's style is variable - he often gets close to fusion guitarists like John Scofield or Allan Holdsworth but also shows some acid psych moments. And then you will find an extraordinary organ/piano work by Peter Schmits which contributes some sophisticated feeling to the sound. The songs were recorded during Winter 1975/76 in South France for a self-released LP with a limited edition of 1000 copies only - not difficult to imagine that they are sought-after items nowadays.

The music is instrumental and they use a mixture of german and english song titles - Wassertropfen is a fine introduction to the album. They start very Camel alike but then the song develops to a jazz rock improvisation with typical characteristics - the busy propelling drums and a repetitve slightly varying bass line are the fundament. Maybe I should also mention the organ. Gaillant and Schmits are additionally alternating with guitar and piano solo contributions. This reminds me much of the bands Helmet Of Gnats and Isotope.

Basically the following tracks evolve in the same way spiked with some symphonic impressions here and there and changing time signatures, break and turns - really entertaining fourty minutes from a band in a genial mood. Due to the Garden Of Delights label this gem is re-issued on CD, an insiders' tip so to say. Fans of genuine Krautrock should be careful though. Recommended to jazz rock/fusion fans at first who are interested in stuff which is off the beaten path - for example from the aforementioned bands as well as Extra Ball or Cyklus.

FROB were a GERMAN band who in my opinion played a straight-up Jazz / Fusion style with nothing in their music that I can hear that would be considered Krautrock.This is highly energetic, uptempo music with no Psychedelic flavour at all.The Spanish band ICEBERG came to mind quite often while listening to this. It''s an all instrumental affair as well. It really all came together for the band when Philippe Caillat moved to their town from France to be a music teacher. Philippe was a classically trained musician who played lead guitar and his addition can't be over-estimated. In fact because of his connections the band was able to record this album in France at a studio owned by a friend of his. We get organ and electric piano, prominant bass and some wicked guitar lines. My favourite though is the drummer.This guy is relentless and holds everything together. He's a fantastic player.

"Wassertropfen" kicks in fairly quickly to an uptempo mode. It sounds like a jazzier CAMEL right here for a minute. Check out the drumming before 2 minutes then the organ floats in.The guitar and electric piano follow as the drums continue.The guitar is ripping it up before 3 minutes then the electric piano comes to the fore. "Spaces" has this killer drum / bass intro then a full sound comes in before a minute. Love the drumming before 3 minutes and the organ is ripping it up a minute later. Some nice bass here too.

"Calypso" is organ and drum led early then the electric piano joins in before 2 minutes. It's the guitar's turn a minute later. "Spheres" opens with some brief atmosphere then the drums and organ take over as the guitar starts to play over top. "Flash" is uptempo and the drums are relentless.The guitar is putting on a show as the electric piano and organ come and go.

"Locomotive" has some aggressive guitar as the drums and organ also standout. It settles back around 3 1/2 minutes with the organ leading. "Hektik" is uptempo with drums and organ out front.The guitar lights it up after 1 1/2 minutes right to the end. Nice. "La Sieste" is such a nice change as it's more mid-tempo and it sounds great with the electric piano, drums, organ and guitar. I wish they had done more of these tracks to mix it up a bit.

An excellent Jazz / Fusion album that would appeal to anyone who's a fan of that style.

First off, no disrespect to those here at PA, but Frob is not Krautrock. I honestly do not hear any Krautrock influence on their sole LP, as I do with other German jazz-rock/fusion bands of 1970's (like Embryo, for example). They are, however, one of the finest examples of European jazz-rock bands of that era. Frob only managed to release one album, but what they laid down was some serious jazz-pych-rock, displaying some fantastic musicianship. All of the members of Frob shine at points throughout the album, most notably guitarist Philippe Caillat, who went on to have a fairly successful career as a solo artist.

All eight tracks are superb slabs of 70's jazz-rock, injected with a dose of pysch. Peter Schmits' keys dominate several of the tunes, while the machine gun attack of drummer Peter Meuffels is relentless. Caillat's stellar, often acid-jazz guitar work, gleams throughout, especially on "Hektik." At times his guitar is mixed down to make way for Schmits' workouts on the keyboards, which most of the time is fine for the most part. However, there are moments when you can hear Caillat wailing away, but off in the distance and it's difficult to make out.

Another rare gem, Frob's self-titled LP should please most fans of the genre (jazz-rock/fusion). Unless you can find an original vinyl copy (which is probably expensive), the only physical version currently available is the Garden of Delights CD reissue. It's too bad these guys never saw much success, but at least we have one great album to chill to late at night. Highly recommended: 4 stars.

Folks have been apt to point out that, despite being a mid-70s band hailing from Germany, they are indeed not so much of the kosmische [Musik] persuasion of Krautrock. Perhaps there is a tie to this scene in their ability to jam, and yet, this is more the Jazz Rock of the time and of contemporaries such as Out of Focus and Secret Oyster (of Denmark). There's some space-out moments, for sure, but this is in no way a reflection of the aforementioned German Space Rock scene.

And the opener, "Wassertropfen", is an excellent Jazz Rock jam, driven by electric keys and a grooving rhythm. Ever driving forward this'n. Up next is the funky "Spaces", with groovy drums and walking bass. It picks up with fullness in the keys and the guitar. It is flying! It really is amazing how much they are filling these so-called spaces. This has one of the previously mentioned "space-out moments". It's got a certain intensity, even in its quietest sections. I think, really, the only thing that is wanting is the mix. Much feels very distant, though not necessarily unbalanced. We know what we're here for: groove and jam.

Up next, "Calypso" is reaching out and grabbing me. Once again, talk about tension. The keyboards roll around in a whirlwind, backed by the driving rhythm section. This song features a pretty nice guitar solo, yet I just wish it were louder. Then it's the spacy "Spheres". This one has more organ featured over a low and slow groove. It's a little wonky, but to really excellent effect. Compositionally, a tad wanting for me, but nothing too too serious considering this is sub-4 minutes. Nächste, we have the guitar-driven "Flash" [I'm assuming not in some way referencing the Yes-offshoot of the same name]. The bass throughout the whole is just blazing fast, caught in whatever groove the song calls for. It's impressive, to say the least. "Flash" is effectively an extended guitar solo over its entire 4 minutes [I know there are more talented guitarists in the world than Peter Banks. You get it haha].

In for some more rhythmic queerness, "Locomotive" is next. It's pretty cacophonous. Quite a feat given the "normal" size of this band haha. The cacophony drops away after minute 3 to a sweeter, slower groove (that gets slower?). Regardless, a wild ride. And then, just as the name implies, it is "Hektik". Keys and guitar clash with the drums, crashing wildly in the fastest manner possible. And then finally, we have a guitar solo that is mixed loud enough to truly appreciate! Really very cool. Great track. And finally finally, we have the lovely jam "La sieste". This has a solid groove and is a solo showcase, if anything. Even when they're jammy, it really is characteristic of their true Jazz Rock contemporaries (mentioned above), not identifiably Krautrock in nature. Pretty nice closer (with a really nice theme on its bookends). And a pretty solid album overall. Glad I got to hear it.

True Rate: 3.75/5.00

One of the many German Krautrock bands turned jazz-fusion toward the second half of the 1970s, FROB was a cut above the grade with four fine musicians that excelled in competent technical jazz-fusion instrumental workouts that retained some subtle Krautish psychedelic atmospheres from the earlier part of the decade. This quartet consisted of three Germans: Peter Schmits (keyboards), Klaus-Dieter Richter (bass), Peter Meuffels (drums) and the Paris born guitarist Philippe Caillat. FROB existed for five years from 1973 to 1977 and formed in the Nordrhein-Westfalen city of Rheda-Wiedenbrück. Despite a five year run FROB released only this one self-titled album that emerged in 1976.

Where the FROB name came from is a mystery but on this sole release these four guys dished out some serious jazz-fusion chops completely without any vocals. The style is somewhat typical of the German progressive jazz-rock fusion sounds of the late 70s with an emphasis on improvisation over cyclical grooves and impressive instrumental interplay centered around Caillat's blistering guitar antics and Meuffels' precision percussive mastery. The keyboards were more prominent than many a jazz-rock band from that era and emulated some of the Canterbury greats like Hatfield & the North and oft revealed a psychedelic connection to the German Kraut scene.

The album featured only tracks that just missed 40 minutes, an entire career in less than an hour but for a single album FROB did an excellent job at keeping the tracks distinct and delivered with a fiery passion. Excellent bass grooves and independent yet connectied counterpoints showcased FROB's brilliant playing style that offered some of the best jazz-rock scenes from all of Germany. The album was recorded in southern France where Caillat was working as a music teacher. He asked to join the other three guys after seeing them play live as a trio and the chemistry really shows on this fine jazz-fusion release.

Only 1000 copies were made of the original vinyl edition and FROB still remains fairly obscure even amongst prog stalwarts who have scoured the burgeoning underground but those who have discovered this underground gem pretty much unanimously become enamored with it upon a single listening experience. Despite the excellent guitar playing and the superb stylistic approach of the keyboards, the star of this show is clearly drummer Meuffels who crafted some extraordinarily complex drum rolls and technical workouts often at machine gun speeds and precision. His energy pushes the limits of this fast tempo style of jazz-fusion and although not quite up to the creative levels of Mahavishnu Orchestra, the musical performances are so adept that this was love at first listen.

For lovers of high quality jazz-fusion, you really can't go wrong with FROB. While not the most overly original on the scene, the band more than makes up for that with its virtuosic full-speed-ahead approach to charging through the tracks and make it sound ridiculously easy in the process. While disco and punk were ruling the world's music scene, thankfully a few determined underground progressively minded bands were still cranking out such high quality technical music for those who were still under the spell of the early 70s prog scene. One of the many one and done bands of the era but luckily FROB's one and only album is an underground classic even if it's not an unabashed long lost masterpiece of the ages.