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SIDDHARTHA

Krautrock • Germany


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Siddhartha biography
SIDDHARTHA from Korntal in the neighbourhood of Stuttgart existed for nearly four years. Formed in 1973 and named after a novel by Hermann Hesse the band was a five-piece line-up consisting of Martin Mörike (organ, piano, vocals), Klaus Hermann (drums), Gerhard Kraus (violin, vocals), Eberhard Müller (guitar) and Klaus Scharff (bass). The band's trademark is a special obscure blend of styles like jazz and art rock, folk, psychedelia with unique vocals in german and english.

The debut and single album was produced with three additional musicans which delivered further colours due to female voice, flute and tuba. 'Weltschmerz' (literally translated 'World's Pain') was released in 1975 and limited to 400 copies what makes it a rare collectors' item today. It's an impressive work, approximately hard to digest and therefore needs time to come in. The songs are experimental, full of surprising variations, often with an orchestral mood. Total time is not more than 38 minutes. No recordings from live performances were known and unfortunately another tape with 30 minutes got lost and has not been found yet.

SIDDHARTHA is recommended to collectors of weird kraut albums of the early german prog phase.

Rivertree (Uwe Zickel)


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3.52 | 33 ratings
Weltschmerz
1975

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SIDDHARTHA Reviews


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 Weltschmerz by SIDDHARTHA album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.52 | 33 ratings

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Weltschmerz
Siddhartha Krautrock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars SIDDHARTHA were a five piece band out of Germany, forming in 1973 and releasing this one studio album in 1975. While this record has it's flaws I am a pretty big fan of this one. It reminds me why I'm so into that psychedelic style of krautrock. A very interesting album from start to finish as we get five tracks worth under 38 minutes. A uniform sounding album which I like despite the different directions they seem to go on this one. They disbanded in 1977. The dominant instrument is the organ but usually floating, creating atmosphere. The violinist and guitarist are often soloing, and we get a solid rhythm section. The bass player would become part of PANCAKE in the late seventies.

We get three guests on here adding different flavours including a female singer on the opener who turned 18 the year this album was released. Guest tuba on one track and flute on another. Wait did I just say tuba? I've heard tuba on some avant releases but it's a rare instrument, it adds some levity, although I'm not a fan. "Looking At The Past" is a great way to start in my opinion with Gabi coming out of the gate like a storm, reminding me of Renate at first. She's really only on at the beginning and ending with actual singing but adds wordless vocals as well in between. Nice deep bass lines here and the organ leads when the tempo picks up.

The opener was almost a deceptive start on my first spin thinking she was their singer, that we had a female fronted band here. Not so much. The keyboardist and bass player between them sing on three tracks leaving one instrumental "Tanz Im Schnee" my least favourite even though I still like it. Jazzy bass on this one with shuffling drums, guitar and piano. Organ will lead more than the piano here. This is the shortest song at 5 minutes. "Times Of Delight" features a significant amount of violin and guitar even them trading off at one point. Some Gilmour-like guitar and the male vocals are just okay. It's the other male singer who sings on the final two tracks that I wish was the only singer even though I like Gabi. He just has this voice that draws me in. Character sure, but fragile and crying out at times.

He sings in German on the best track "Weit Weg" an over 12 minute piece of brilliance and a track featured on one of those krautrock various artist albums. Love this one! The mood, the repeated themes. Come on! Flute on this one and the organ creates atmosphere. The flute brings RPI to my mind every time I hear it here for some reason. This one has a couple of tuba excursions but overall just kills in a psychedelic manner. The closer "Gift Of The Fool" features more floating organ as the violin and guitar lead the way. English vocals at 2 minutes.

I honestly think this album could have been much more well known and appreciated if the band had say Conny Plank guiding them. A talented group though, and a very interesting listen. My music.

 Weltschmerz by SIDDHARTHA album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.52 | 33 ratings

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Weltschmerz
Siddhartha Krautrock

Review by Rivertree
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Band Submissions

3 stars Obscure - promised ...

Well, this is obviously krautrock music. A more appropriate category doesn't come into my mind when listening to this very special thing. The songs are experimental with surprising changes - full of variations and freaky contributions by the musicians. This album is referring to many different music styles which is significant for kraut. On the other hand there are also poppish vocals and simple elements which are far away from a prog relation. But that's not unusual what I would say. SIDDHARTHA mixes this in a very special unique manner, often in an orchestral mood similar to the german band Out Of Focus for example, supported by a dramatic organ. Stylistically something which I never heard before and it takes time to come in for sure.

Beginning with Looking In The Past I was first thinking to be on a song contest not only because of the female vocals (which are finally suitable though when you are listening to this for more than one or two times). Then suddenly the song changes into a fantastic blend of Jazz and Art Rock which is later divided by some simple dancing school impressions. Crazy! The instrumental Tanz Im Schnee starts jazzy swinging, gets a little bit rockier later and ends symphonic and very dramatically with classic impressions and a church organ. Times Of Delight impresses with twin electric guitars and violin, mainly psychedelic with a maniac end.

Weit weg is the longest song, epic with german lyrics, several speed and style variations, sometimes folk oriented, sometimes jazz rock. I'm sure drummer Klaus Hermann must have been a member of a german marching band (Spielmannszug) before he came to the band. The psychedelic Gift Of The Fool begins with violin impressions which I associate spontaneously with relaxing in an austrian Heuriger drinking a glass of wine. The vocals - this time in english - are very special once again. Another interesting song whereby you might have problems to get the orientation back afterwards.

As you hopefully have mentioned now 'Weltschmerz' is a very special object. Is it simple or is it brilliant? Both is suitable but it's hard to digest. If you're interested in obscure krautrock this album is a recommendation which you cannot ignore - 3.5 stars.

 Weltschmerz by SIDDHARTHA album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.52 | 33 ratings

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Weltschmerz
Siddhartha Krautrock

Review by ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Researcher

3 stars I don’t really know what the hell to make of this thing. Garden of Delights reissued it on CD, and from what I’ve read the original vinyl is pretty much a collector’s item, if you can find it at all. I got this from a friend who has a penchant for picking up off-the-wall CDs, but has a tendency to pawn them off quickly if he doesn’t take a liking to them. So I guess considering he didn’t even want any money for this one, I should have been wary. No need to be, as it turns out, because this is a pretty interesting and entertaining album, despite the fact that it doesn’t fit cleanly into any category I can think of.

The band was apparently a group of university students who played local venues in Germany in the mid-seventies, and disappeared in the latter part of that decade leaving only this album in their wake.

The first track is quite misleading, as it begins with some kind of new-wave female vocals and poppish accompaniment. This quickly turns psychedelic though, and over the six minutes or so of the track manages to work in a little bit of punk, some twisted blues, and an extended instrumental section that sound like it might have been an attempt at a proggy number. Very weird, but it has grown on me a bit after a dozen playings or so. Very strong electric guitar presence on this track too.

The second track is almost as long, but is more of a blend of swing and artsy keyboards, with a doodling bass line that sounds more like a tuning session than anything else. There’s some echoing footsteps dubbed in for some reason and plenty more guitar, but here the tone is deeper and less pronounced.

“Times Of Delight” might qualify as a symphonic number, but the guitar here borders on Animals-era Pink Floyd before shifting to a strumming acoustic section around the time the violin kicks in. This is a pleasant tune whose meaning completely escapes me.

“Weit Weg” is the most disjointed and confusing track on the album, with a mixture of strumming and picking guitar and violin that doesn’t seem to quite track with the keyboards, and giving way to folkish flute and electric piano and eventually German vocals that also border on folk. There’s also some tuba mixed in midway, but the first couple times I heard this track I wasn’t sure if this was really a tuba, giving this an almost carnival feel. Then again, I always think tuba gives music a carnival feel, much like acoustic guitar picking always sounds like Spanish music to me. So maybe you should disregard that comment altogether.

The last track is “Gift of a Fool”, and the organ is quite prominent here, with the violin mixing with the guitar and vocals to give off a very dated feel. For some reason the vocalist has shifted to English, and the drums move to the forefront for about the only time on the album during the latter part of the song.

I’m not sure what to make of this album, but I suppose it should be considered progressive simply because I can’t think of how else to describe it. A very interesting and eclectic collection of tunes, and recommended if you happen across it somewhere. Three stars.

peace

 Weltschmerz by SIDDHARTHA album cover Studio Album, 1975
3.52 | 33 ratings

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Weltschmerz
Siddhartha Krautrock

Review by ChileProg

4 stars I think that unjustly this band like related has been classified prog, for my taste is a progressive band without no doubt.

"Looking In The Past" begins with a powerful song of a female singer, followed by a surrounding keyboard and underground, the subject is developed almost completely instrumental.

"Tanz Im Schnee" is a jewel made by this group of adolescents, enthusiastic bass guitar, with powerful rates, a guitar that perfectly follows the development of the subject, a style support jazz of the battery and the omnipresent keyboard that makes of this subject an intense experience, really is the high point of the album.

"Times Of Delight" is good and mysterious, the bad thing is the poor performance of the male singer in where it is not reached to listen nor to understand what says, besides to have an English very badly spoken.

"Weit Weg" this it is the most complex track of the album, sung in German, diverse changes of rates, is used the violin and tuba giving him to a strange atmosphere of circus and mystery is a great subject although it is not easy to understand initially, but its power catch you and like.

"Gift Of The Fool" the disc finishes with a mysterious song in where it becomes to emphasize the great work of the organ, delicate sound of violin and an appropriate vocal performance.

Finally single it is to say that it is a good discovery of the underground German progressive world of 70's, you do not doubt purchase to it this disc

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition.

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