A to Z of Classic German Prog

AIR      It's Bach to the future for this obscure, classically-inspired German band who deserve an Airing, and if you wonder what Teilweise Kacke means, roughly translated it means "Partly Crap", but try not to let that put you off. It's really not that bad and it still beats listening to fahn fahn fahn auf der autobahn by Krautwerk again, which is about as much fun as driving down the motorway with a flat tyre. 

ALEX ORIENTAL EXPERIENCE     Der Osten trifft den Westen! Alex is from the near east city of Cologne, but his ethnic vibes are firmly rooted far to the east somewhere in the region of Asia Minor, so if you go barmy over baglamas and have a taste for hookah pipes and hummus, then you've come to the right place. Souks you, sir! Alex Oriental Experience will be right up your kasbah, where it's all really quite bazaar. 

AMON DUUL     Mein Gott! Was ist Das!?? If you have a taste for badly-produced, interminably long improvisational experimentations, then Amon Duul will be right up your autobahn, but for the rest of us, you're better off waiting until Amon Duul II comes along. 

AMON DUUL II    A Krautrock band from Munich who are anything but dull, and if you've heard the original Amon Duul (whose albums sound like they were recorded in someone's garage), you'll know how much better their second incarnation is. Viva La Trance! 

ASH RA TEMPEL      From one of the least-known Krautrock groups (Arktis) to one of the best-known of all time, Ash Ra Tempel was led by Manuel Goettsching (1952-2022) and featured Klaus Schulze (1947-2022) on their first self-titled album, and in the spirit of Friendship, Schulze returned again for their final album together in 2000. Ash Ra Tempel later became Ashra when Goettsching went solo with "New Age of Earth" in 1976. Ash Ra Tempel may represent the ultimate in tripped-out, psychedelic Krautrock, but if you really want to tune in, turn on and drop out, then why not Join Inn with Timothy Leary with Seven Up in 1973 for some Good Vibrations (or Gut Schwingungen in German). 

ATTEMPT TO RESTORE     The aptly-named Attempt to Restore with their long spacey jams, recreates the halcyon psychedelic daze of Can, Agitation Free & Amon Duul II, so set the controls for the heart of the sun and lie back and think of Germany. This album is a blast! 

BABA YAGA       Baba Yaga could be a baby's first words, a mystical Indian fakir, the site of a Nazi massacre during WWII, or a wicked witch of the east. Either way, it's a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma - as someone famous once said -  just like the ethnic Collage of spacey improvisations by this mysterious Krautrock band. Baba Yaga's first self-titled album is their finest hour, but their sophomore album is twice as nice if you have a taste for some exotic tandoori spice from somewhere east of Londonistan.  

BAUMSTAM      INCOMING!!!! Prepare to take cover as Baumstam are live and unleashed in the greatest ever storming blitzkrieg of twin guitar attacks since the Michael Schenker Group first raised the rafters with their own artillery barrages of twin guitar fire and fury over Germany and Europe.