Prog Britannia - Album Reviews

Bachdenkel were a Birmingham band who released two albums, "Lemmings" (1970) and "Stalingrad" (1977). Their first album was a Prog-Rock masterpiece in my opinion.

 

 

 

Album Review #1:- Despite the Germanic-sounding name, Bachdenkel were formed in Birmingham, England in the late 1960's. Their first album "Lemmings" (1970) was far superior to their later album "Stalingrad" (1977). Although "Lemmings" was recorded in 1970, the album wouldn't see release until 1973. The album was recorded at a time when the Psychedelic Rock era was merging into the Progressive Rock era, and this is very much reflected in the music contained within the album. "Lemmings" is a real treasure of the era for Psychedelic and Progressive Rock lovers alike.

 

The album features a superb opening track, "Translation", with a deliciously slow build-up of laid-back, mellow vocals and electric guitar and then exploding into life towards the end with some really wild and intricate guitar virtuosity, very reminiscent of the psychedelic sixties era. Track 2, "Equals" is a
short continuation of the opening number with a return to a gentler guitar sound again, together with hazy-sounding vocals. The third track "An Appointment With The Master" is outstanding! The song has a triumphal,  marching rhythm to it, combined with uplifting, feel-good vocals and superb psychedelic guitar mastery which leaves one feeling euphoric. Track 4, "The Settlement Song", the last track on Side One and the longest track on the album at over 11 minutes long,  opens with a
deceptively quiet beginning with dreamy vocals before launching into a powerful rhythm and pounding electric guitar. The song sounds in places like it could be the Beatles on a crazy psychedelic acid trip. The epic song returns to a more laid-back pace during the middle section before the tremendous finale, featuring the heavy, pounding electric guitar and drum rhythm, a prevalent feature of the album as a whole.

 

Side Two of the album opens with a short duration 2-minute song  "Long Time Living" with a more laid-back pace and featuring the gentle sound of an organ playing in the background. The sixth song on the album "Strangerstill" has an impressive build-up with the familiar pounding guitar, bass and drum pattern heard on previous songs. It's another classic song combining wild psychedelic guitar riffs and grandiose major chords, which will sound familiar to Prog_Rock fans everywhere. The final track on the album "Come All Ye Faceless" is a 9-minute masterpiece and it makes a fitting highlight to a great album. The song starts off gently and gradually builds up into a tremendous crescendo of wonderfully wild, psychedelic guitar freak-outs and sonorous organ playing for the majestic grand finale, rounding off a first-rate album in magnificent style.

 

If you don't want to follow the crowd and be a "Lemming", then give this often overlooked and under-appreciated album a listen. You may like it and might even grow to love it. All of the superb tracks on the album blend perfectly together and make the album as a whole a rock masterpiece. This rare album treasure still sounds fresh and original 50 years on. Highly recommended for lovers of classic Psychedelic & Progressive Rock from the early 1970's era.