JOIN INN

Ash Ra Tempel was a German progressive rock band formed in Berlin, Germany, in 1970. Ash Ra Tempel was linked to the Krautrock music scene. The group was originally founded by the guitarist Manuel Gottsching, the percussionist and drummer Klaus Schulze and the bassist Hartmut Enke. All three founding members had already played together as part of the short lived band Eruption, created by Conrad Schnitzler. Before that, Schnitzler and Schulze had worked together in Tangerine Dream. Besides that, Gottsching had played in Steeple Chase Blues Band, a band that also featured Enke.

Along with Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel was one of the first bands to convert the trippier side of late 60's psychedelia into the Kosmische rock of the 70's. Most of Ash Ra Tempel titles were solely the work of Gottsching, plus other additional players. The band released four studio albums in the 70's, "Ash Ra Tempel" in 1971, "Schwingungen" in 1972 and "Join Inn" and "Starring Rosi", both in 1973, plus a collaboration album with Timothy Leary, "Seven UP". In the 90's, Ash Ra Tempel released a soundtrack album "Le Berceau De Cristal" in 1993. A final album was released in 2000, "Friendship". It represents a kind of a return to the origins with Gottsching and Schulze working together again.

But, somehow, it was a coincidence that gave birth to this album. Schulze, a founding member of Ash Ra Tempel who had already given up after their first heavily psychedelic album "Ash Ra Tempel", suddenly and surprisingly he returned behind his drums and the keys on "Join Inn". Still, in this time he was here exclusively as a "special guest" alongside with Gottsching, Enke and the singer and poet Rosi Muller, Gottsching's girlfriend at the time. The cover of the album clearly shows that Schulze is no longer part of it, as he is only inserted as a photo. As a viewer, one has the impression that the personal chemistry is no longer right, but the listener of can get a completely different impression.

"Join Inn" was the last album of Ash Ra Tempel with their classic line up, Gottsching, Schulze and Enke, a completely unplanned work, but in the end a masterpiece of very great improvisational art, which is probably one of the most unusual and extraordinary phenomena in the German music history. This is why Ash Ra Tempel is considered today a model of that time and music called Krautrock, one of the most creative and inspired German progressive rock bands.

As is usual with all Ash Ra Tempel albums in that time, "Join Inn" has also two lengthy suites equally divided between the psychedelic style of Gottsching and the cosmic style of Schulze. The first one is an energetic jam with about nineteen minutes long. It's Gottsching's crazy, thrilling guitar performance accompanied by a solid Krautrock rhythm section and few electronic additions. The second one is an atmospheric and floating track with about twenty four minutes long, dominated by keyboards and electronics. It has a more atmospheric, psychedelic ambient recording, with lots of keyboard sounds, with hypnotic bass and a subtle guitar that appears only after a long time. A reference to the two previous albums of them is the presence of a short vocal part performed by Rosi Muller in the latter of these songs.

As the title may suggests, "Freak'n'Roll" is the rocking track but isn't as "freaky" as its title can suggests. As always, Gottsching clearly sets the tone contributing with a great spacey guitar playing. It's an improvised piece characterized by guitar and bass, on which Schulze also plays drums and keys. It's a guitar dominated piece with a humming bass driving and flat keyboards and accompanied by a precise drumming work. The whole track is quite inspired. Sometimes it's a bit heavier, yes almost heavy, but mostly very soulfully. All in all, this is an excellent piece, really. But, personally, I like most of the electronic side of the band and "Jenseits" is no exception. This is a great dreamy, spacey, mystic and very atmospheric track that takes you to a far away and dreamy place. The track also featured some lyrics which were spoken by Gottsching's girlfriend Rosi Muller in a childlike voice. It perhaps conveys a little the musical aura behind the song. The track would have fit perfectly well onto any of Klaus Schulze's 70's albums. I just can't get enough tired of stuff like this one. It's a wonderful track, really. This and the first album are, decidedly, Ash Ra Tempel's best albums.

Conclusion: With Schulze again on keyboards and drums, the novelty and intuition came with the entry into the band of Muller, a young muse who for years became an inseparable companion of Gottsching. Her presence, indeed, actually marked a definitive achievement of a more effective sound team and Ash Ra Tempel took advantage of her highly fascinating and evocative voice to create what it's rightly considered by many their most balanced album, convincing and mature, "Join Inn". In many ways "Join Inn" could be seen as the first Ash Ra Tempel Mk II. It too had a side of intense psychedelic rock and a side bliss-out. With "Join Inn" the band has left their experimental phase and has consistently performed well and well worth a listening of it from start to finish. For me, "Join Inn" is the most beautiful work of the band and the most coherent in itself. So, overall, "Join Inn" is a very pleasant and unique Krautrock album.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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