2ND

This is considered as a Krautrock classic, deservedly so. It is better than their debut Malesch, especially if you are not that fond of its ethnic (mainly Egyptian) ingredients. There's a new chap on guitar, Stefan Diez, and his elegant soloing graces especially the fine, laid-back opener 'First Communication' and the two-part, more energetic 'Laila'. Perhaps the weakest piece is the short synth experiment by Michael Hoenig called 'Dialogue And Random', which is a bit irritating curiosity.

The B-side of the original vinyl is quieter, at part even meditative of nature. This is positive to me; at least the whole album doesn't sound the same even for a Krautrock newcomer. Nine- minute 'A Quiet Walk' takes several minutes before it seems to be going anywhere, but it turns out to be rewarding as the guitar starts to colour the track. The final piece 'Haunted Island' is a hazy, psychedelic song reminding of Saucerful Of Secrets-era Pink Floyd as it contains gloomy singing or rather poem-reading (E. A. Poe - not mentioned in the track information though) and mellotron. Otherwise the album is instrumental. The CD re-issue contains also live version of 'Laila' plus many brief essays on Agitation Free, Thomas Kessler's studio which played an important role in birth of the Berlin School, and other related little memoirs.

Agitation Free is worth checking out if you're interested in Krautrock (they are quite accessible part of it), Space Rock in the early Floyd vein, or in free-orientated fusion. It's a shame that despite their formation already in 1967 they did only two studio albums. They disbanded in 1974 due to some musical disagreements.

3,5 stars actually.