BAYERN-ROCK

I think these guys get classified as progressive folk just because they are Bavarian, but in my mind they really should belong in the Krautrock family. I won’t pretend to understand the ethnic nuances to that statement, but the music in this debut album has many of the traits of other Krautrock albums in my collection – extended instrumental sections that are somewhat haphazard and experimental; plenty of avant-garde brass; and socio-political themes. While the band seems to have roots in psych music, there aren’t a whole lot of traditional psych characteristics like fuzz guitar, dippy lyrics or freak-out jam sessions (except for “Bluus fo da Peamanentn Razzia”, which features both fuzz and jamming. Most of the rest of the music seems to be loose but largely adherent to some measure of predetermined structure.

In fact, the only track on this album I would classify as progressive folk would be the flute-infused “I Mechd Di Gean Amoi Nackad Seng”, and that’s mostly thanks to the flute itself, and secondarily to the dulcimer that weaves around the guitar. The cadence is closer to traditional folk though, and it’s the only song of its kind on the album, although “Wans ums Farecka Nimma Ged” also features some acoustic pieces and folksy vocals.

The vocals are Bavarian, which I gather is different than German but in any case I can’t understand any of them. No matter, it seems evident the themes are cultural in nature anyway and will likely appeal mostly to those of the same or similar social bents.

The ‘bonus’ tracks on the CD reissue apparently come from earlier sessions, and are for the most part even more sparse and primitive than the album itself.

These guys must have their fans because they reformed around 2004 for more live shows and another album, but I have to say that this record is something that isn’t going to fit with the collections of most progressive folk fans (unless they are Bavarian, I suppose). For that reason I’ll say this is a collectors- only recording, and therefore will leave it with two stars.

peace

As with most bands of this type, it's hard to say exactly when SPARIFANKAL actually formed, but by the time their debut was released in 1976, their style had been developed, refined and ultimately left behind by their numerous psych and Kraut influences. As a result, this album in particular is only noteworthy for its chosen language/dialect of Bavarian, which sounds quite different from standard German even to the untrained ear.

While the term "commune" was used differently back them, SPARIFANKAL were definitely a collective whose catchment embraced far more members than whatever musicians happened to appear on the recording and live performances. Apparently and not surprisingly, the subject matter tilted left politically and tackled topics like rising consumerism. Unfortunately, your run of the mill free translation program does not deign to translate these titles let alone in depth lyrical content.

With a few exceptions, the style is a driving acid rock with a repetitive beat, distorted guitars and occasional woodwinds and brass. It's well if loosely played, an undistinguished cross between AMON DUUL II circa "Vive la Trance" and Jane circa "Here we Are". As such, it is only peripherally folk oriented, and the band would more fully merit that categorization on their strikingly different second album. Recommended only for musty historians with silty spectacles.