TOGETHER

JANE is a german band originating from Hanover.This doesn't mean it has to be classified as a Krautrock band as they were not in the experimental mood like AMON DUUL 2, CAN, ASH RA TEMPEL and other TANGERINE DREAM. JANE sound was more ''earthy'' , more of a hard rock band with prog leanings or vice versa a prog band with some hard-rocking guitar depending the sound of their albums which could be quite different from one to another.

The prog bands you could associate with their music are old PINK FLOYD, especially RICK WRIGHT organ and occasional Gilmour- esque guitar, ELOY whom they will share the same keyboardist MANFRED WIECKZORKE with and a little bit of BIRTH CONTROL. You mix all these ingredients, add some bluesy Hard-rock, but not the english style ,rather the american mid-west sound with raunchy vocals a la CACTUS for exemple and you have JANE! URIAH HEEP influence can be heard sometimes as well.

Some of their albums would be pure prog, others can be labeled as blues/hard rock only!Sometimes, they will blend all of their influences together and released great albums, averages LPs and poor ones (like verybody else, i guess). TOGETHER is their first album and one of their 3 best ever! The line up consists of KLAUS HESS on guitar, PETER PANKA on drums who both would be the 2 constant features of the band. WERNER NADOLNY plays organ, CHARLY MAUCHER is on bass and for the first time and last time, there is a lead singer BERNDT PULST ( who thankfully left after this album with KLAUS HESS taking over the vocals)

TOGETHER is all about simple melodic rock with a nice organ kind of wall of sound creating a soundscape leaving room for the guitar of HESS to play sometimes heavy, sometimes in a more delicate mood.Even when HESS is playing hard, he never loses his sense of melody as the music is well structured and every guitar part he plays is always ''musical'' !

The best example of JANE music can be heard in the 8 mns opener DAYTIME: slow athmospheric start,organ all over nice melodic vocals, then beautiful guitar solo Gilmour style. This is not complicated music with time changes , complex arrangements and phenomenal virtuosity. No, this is 1972 prog music, very efficient played with a lot of feelings where each note, each word has a meaning and placed where it should be. Just listen to TRY TO FIND and you'll learn how to it is possible to let emotions coming out of a guitar solo, not by playing fast but just by playing the right note and let it breathe.KLAUS HESS does it masterfully.

SPAIN is a 11mns epic, once again starting slow with a nice melodic line before the music get loose with a wild organ solo and then another fantastic performance from the guitarist alternating between a cosmic psychedelic mood and a more hard-rocking edge, never losing his sense of melody throughout.PROG music can be so rewarding when we have the chance to listen to music like that and wait for the 10 mns HANGMAN which would be played each night everytime JANE is on stage for years to come. The beauty of this track is this epic 3-4 mns long guitar solo performance. I have heard thousands of guitar solos in my life, but this one from HANGMAN is well among my 10 all-time favorites.No less!! The song is great in its entirety staring slowly (as usual) , very athmospheric, very melodic before the guitar crashes the party abruptly and brings you to a furious world but looking like heaven to me.

The vocals of berndt PULST sound kind of raw to me, more like of a mid-west singer performing in smoky lounges; This is no JON ANDERSON for sure. If you like early PF, URIAH HEEP, ELOY give yourself this pleasure and get TOGETHER (not easy to find, i think, but you should try)

4 STARS.

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