Why Grobschnitt isn't consider the best band ever?

I am a big fan of Krautrock; it is one of my favourite genres, if not THE favourite genre. I am too young to have seen Grobschnitt live in their heyday, but from what my brother (who is ten years older than I am) tells me it must have been quite an experience. The concerts were over four hours long, and they had an incredible stage show. "Solar Music Live" captures their live quality quite well, although of course the visual aspect of their concerts gets lost on CD. Their studio albums, however, don't quite manage to capture their anarchic live presence and are generally a bit too conventional for my taste; the sticker "symphonic prog" fits them quite well, although this symphonic prog is certainly interspersed with a lot of humour. Other Krautrock bands (Can, Amon Düül 2, Guru Guru, Embryo, to name just a few of those with the most prolific output) are much more unconventional in their approach to music. The first three albums of Grobschnitt are their best because they at least show some originality, but "Rockpommel's Land" is a bit of a disappointment, in my opinion. and does not really differ much from other outputs in the symphonic genre. And their latter studio albums were even more of a disappointment.
I would have liked to see one of their four hour concerts though; they really must have been an incredible experience.


Edited by BaldFriede - January 04 2009 at 14:58

Grobschnitt had the bad idea to sound like genesis and Yes with Jumbo and Rockpommel and this plays heavily  against them. Otherwise the debut album is fantasdtic and Ballerman is good. Solar Misick Live is tremedous music as well.

Several people likes other bands that copies much more Genesis and Yes than Grobschnitt... Jumbo and Rockpommel's Land are great albums... Symphony and Ballermann, too... Grobschnitt could combine the better of the british with the better of the german progressive...

Rockpommel's Land and Jumbo are a little bit more symphonic than the previous ones, but you can find in these album some kraut, comic moments and space rock, too... The Rockpommel's Land song is one of the best suites ever... the guitar solo in the end is PERFECT!!!... Rockpommel's Land in one of the best symphonic record all time... much better than all other symphonic progressive that followed it... but this is my opinion...

But even though they are great albums, they aren't Solar Music Live...

One aspect I'd like to get an anwser...
Why Grobschnitt only release an album after the label Brain was created?
The labels of AD II and others Krautrock bands didn't like the work?? Grobschnitt was the first band of the Brain label I think...

No. The Brain label was created by two guys from Ohr records got fed up with the way it was being managed and formed Brain in early '72. Guru Guru were the first band ( who were previously on Ohr ) to be signed. Their Kanguru album was the first album to be released on Brain or it might have been Lonesome Crow by The Scorpions or Together by Jane. I've got an original fold out copy of Kanguru. Other bands such as Grobschnitt, Neu!, Birth Control and Novalis followed. Amon Duul already had a contract with Liberty Records at the time that's why they weren't on Brain.

Edited by Vibrationbaby - January 05 2009 at 07:14

I can't vote in this poll

BaldFriede wrote: I am a big fan of Krautrock; it is one of my favourite genres, if not THE favourite genre. I am too young to have seen Grobschnitt live in their heyday, but from what my brother (who is ten years older than I am) tells me it must have been quite an experience. The concerts were over four hours long, and they had an incredible stage show. "Solar Music Live" captures their live quality quite well, although of course the visual aspect of their concerts gets lost on CD. Their studio albums, however, don't quite manage to capture their anarchic live presence and are generally a bit too conventional for my taste; the sticker "symphonic prog" fits them quite well, although this symphonic prog is certainly interspersed with a lot of humour. Other Krautrock bands (Can, Amon Düül 2, Guru Guru, Embryo, to name just a few of those with the most prolific output) are much more unconventional in their approach to music. The first three albums of Grobschnitt are their best because they at least show some originality, but "Rockpommel's Land" is a bit of a disappointment, in my opinion. and does not really differ much from other outputs in the symphonic genre. And their latter studio albums were even more of a disappointment. I would have liked to see one of their four hour concerts though; they really must have been an incredible experience.

I had the first Grobschnitt album as well as Ballerman when Rockpommel`s Land came out. and I sort of said whaaaaaat? After a while I got used to it. Anywhere has got to be their prettiest song. On the `78 tour the first part of the show was mostly Rockpommel`s Land and the particular show I saw they had a big bird flying around the stage.  Freaked me right out. I was 16 and not even supposed to be at the bloody show. What about the new Grobschnitt? I`ve only had the chance to see the poor quality videos on youtube.

It wasn`t really announced publicly even in Germany (as far as I know) , certainly not here but Volker Kahrs ( MIST ) passed away last July. I found out through a friend. Anybody here know anything?

I would like to listen to their last album.. Grobschnitt 2008... Mist is no more between us... he died last year... I think some sons are playing now...

About the Brain label, we need to search one by one because all the first albums are from 1972...
Grobschnitt is by far better than Guru Guru, Can and Frumpy...

I have Rockpommel's Land in long-play...

Some good reviews of Rockpommel's Land:

"For me this is the album of all albums.......This is certainly one of the most brilliant prog recordings ever..."
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=19523

"With whimsical story telling and a delightful floating symphonic sound Grobschnitt takes you on a prog rock fairytale!... "
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=194623

"Now i know that Grobschnitts´s : "Solar music" are supposed to be their best album!! But this..in my opinion ..is their absolute best moment..that being:"Rockpommel´s land"..."
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=19524

I don't have anything from after Solar Music Live, nor do I have their debut album.  I like everything I have, but I like Eloy more.  Virtually everything from 1973's Inside to 1982's TIme To Turn was excellent IMO.  That's a long run.  And I thought that even though Eloy copied a variety of groups, they sounded like Eloy more than Grobschnitt sounds like Grobschnitt.  If you take the humorous bits away they are very chameleon like, which is good in a way too.  I also find the humourous bits a bit detracting in general, although the intro to Ballerman is fun I must admit, as is the way it leads into Sahara.

So yes they are a fine group 

tszirmay wrote: BTW its pronounced Gross schnitt (in german , you cannot have 3 esses in arow , it would be silly, so the use of a weird B  replaces 2 of the esses) . Of course , on some German farms you can have 3 asses in a row but then you use the word Arsch .

No, you are wrong about that, it is definitely pronounced "Grobschnitt" and was always meant to be nothing else but "Grobschnitt". It is a word that is descriptive of the quality of tobacco, with "Feinschnitt" being high level quality tobacco and "Grobschnitt" low level quality. The equivalence of "Grobschnitt" in English is "severance cut" (while "Feinschnitt" is fine-cut or shag). The German word "grob" means "rough", "severe".


Edited by BaldFriede - January 05 2009 at 22:38