FROM FASHION PINK TO BRAINSTORM

Fashion Pink were actually the ancestor band to Brainstorm,which recordings saw no light until 2000.They were formed in Baden-Baden in 1968 by multi-instrumentalist Roland Schaeffer along with Eddy von Overheidt on keyboards,Jürgen Argast on bass,Helmut Rusch on guitars and Joachim Koinzer on drums,all coming from local pop groups.Aaarst and Rusch would soon leave the band,replaced by Harold Wagner and Rainer Bodensohn in 1969.The members' parents had strong connections with the SWF radio and the young musicians recorded at three different dates some tracks for SWF from April 1970 to July 1971.These recordings would lead them to signing a contract,but the band (with a slightly different line-up) had already changed their name to Brainstorm.Fortunately this material was collected and released in 2000 by Long Hair Music.

The album shows the interesting transformation of Fashion Pink from a Psych/Blues Rock band to a Progressive/Jazz rock beast.The short opening tracks see them playing decent Psychedelic Rock with lots of organ and flute by Bodenshon and decent vocals,not far from bands like early CARAVAN and JETHRO TULL.Moving on Fashion Pink develop a more complicated sound with strong Jazz leanings and a tension for improvisation,like the highly experimental ''Number six'',yet they never denied their psychedelic roots,the driving organ and melodic flutes are still alive and well and the guitar remain a trademark of the band.Towards the middle of 1971 they had fully transmitted into a complex Jazz Rock act with Schaeffer grabing the saxes for good and FRANK ZAPPA being a notable inspiration,while now the best comparison would propably be OUT OF FOCUS.Powerful organ grooves,sax attacks,lovely flutes and jazzy guitars compose a good sound-picture of the totally instrumental 10-min. ''Brainstorming''.The following and closer of the album 14- min. ''Thesen-Antithesen'',again an all instrumental number, is even more demanding with great guitar/organ/flute interplays,complex guitar and flute work always in a jazzy mood,psychedelic and nervous organ playing and improvisational saxes.The later sound is actually a very good introduction to the real Brainstorm band,recording a year later.

''...to Brainstorm'' is a very good archival release of the pre-Brainstorm days and the listener can see it as a living document of a company of young guys trying to search for a personal and inventive music approach.Recommended,especially for the two long and most progressive tracks,but the rest of the album will also appeal to fans of Heavy/Blues/Psychedelic Rock.