SWF SESSIONS, VOLUME 5

I still remember the excitement of checking out the different sub-genres for the first time as I used to do it. I'd decide to get into Krautrock and went off looking at reviews and lists and charts over and over because back then there was no way to stream or sample. So it was a slow process but so rewarding and so much fun and those first listens were nerve wracking but also a blast. KOLLEKTIV was a band I got into fairly early in my Krautrock search and fell for the flute and the drumming more than anything. Flute in Krautrock or Psychedelic music just adds to the music big time in my world.

That debut album from 1973 is one I value highly and I include it in my top 40 all time favourite Krautrock records. The "Live 1973" is very good as well and I'd recommend it over this "SWF Sessions Volume 5" also a 1973 live event but it's just too chilled for my tastes. I do like the new track "Mollzitter" mainly for the guitar but conversely "Baldrian" is my least favourite on here and is pale when compared to the original. The closer at 20 minutes "Gageg" does seem to go on far too long unlike the studio version. On the "Live 1973" release they give a shortened version of "Gageg" at just under 13 minutes which just seems to work better.

This may not be the best place to start with this great German band but that's just my opinion.