Yeti [Import]

Amon Duul II | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 23, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Repertoire
• ASIN: B00000ILGB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,090 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Soap Shop Rock: Burning Sister/Halluzination Guillotine/Gulp a Sonata

2. She Came Through the Chimney

3. Archangels Thunderbird

4. Cerberus

5. The Return of Ruebezahl

6. Eye-Shaking King

7. Pale Gallery

8. Yeti (Improvisation)

9. Yeti Talks to Yogi (Improvisation)

10. Sandoz in the Rain (Improvisation)

Editorial Reviews

First released in 1970, Yeti was the second album by Amon Düül II and is quite a musical achievement. Originally released as a double vinyl album set and now re-mastered onto a single CD, Yeti contains some of Amon Düül's most impressive work, delivering their thick, full-fledged, multi-layered sound with dense instrumentation and a certain epic vastness... in many ways not unlike the craftmanship of early Can. This is Krautrock in the full mass of its power: huge, towering, dark and completely devoid of any happy optimism but still bound full of energy. Instrumentally, Yeti is an album of pure magic with some great psychy, sitarish, acoustic guitar plucking and hand percussion interplay. Yeti is also abundant in the fusion of electric guitar, bass and drum interplay and is totally devoted to improvisation and stands up as some of the most intriguing music you will ever hear. The first three Amon Düül II albums are essential artifacts of the psych/prog era.

Amon Düül II, the second formation of this now legendary band, are one of the earliest and best known of the German experimental (Krautrock) bands. For the complete re-issue series of the Amon Düül II catalogue, the CDs will be released as remastered deluxe editions, with enhanced booklets, featuring new liner notes and photos. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful, Scary Statement, August 20, 1999

By 

"icb" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yeti (Audio CD)

It's easy to over-think the meaningfulness of German rock (Krautrock) of the late 60s and early 70s, especially since its image has always been somewhat cerebral and cold in itself. Too much from the head, not enough from the crotch, some have complained. Its players meant for it to be "head" music certainly, and all that implies - there was an intention to the music, a commitment to experiment and improvisation sparked by the intellectual and chemical freedoms of the 60s. But at its best Krautrock conjured a mood distinct unto itself, which in its post-WWII teutonic heaviness could be as threatening and scary as any music ever made, and in its experimental innocence also convey a warmth and humor that speaks to the soul. The album Yeti does both these things. Amon Duul II's second record is a double-album monument of dark European soundscapes that possess a Led Zeppelin heaviness without an over-reliance on the blues or a dependency on rock cliches. The hard riffing has a much more exotic, eastern European or central Asian tone, and the improvisatory tenor, no matter how edited the music might have been in the end, contributes to the feeling that this is NOW music, that this music is happening in the present. Made in 1970, it could be straight out of any time in history. It's as heavy as Beethoven, as Gothic as, well, the Goths, as free from the restrictions of language as Can, as art-y as Roxy Music, as punk as you think you are, and ROCKS in its way like the most electric god of all time. So yeah, it's music that's actually worth thinking about.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential psychedelic prog rock, November 27, 2006

By 

Chris 'raging bill' Burton (either Kent or Manchester, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yeti (Audio CD)

I didn't really know what I was letting myself in for. I'll be honest, I downloaded this album (initially), it wasn't a blind purchase. But if it had been, it would have been quite possibly the best blind purchase I ever made. Having never heard of krautrock prior to hearing this, I was introduced to the genre via this album. And what a way to be introduced to a genre of music! Yeti remains my favourite krautrock album. It's the perfect blend of psychedelic improvisation, driving riffs, moments of catchy pop and all out experimental weirdness.

It feels strange to call this album rock, because it feels like so much more than you'd expect from a rock band. Nonetheless, aside from the occasional violin, the instrumentation here comprises rock instruments first and foremost. Catchy riffs and drum beats maintain a sense of accessibilty which a ton of guitar and violin soloing drives forward the improvisational nature of the music. But most important is the overall ambiance and feel of the music. I'm not going to try to describe the feel of the music, you just have to hear it. The songs themselves are a mixture of shorter composed pieces and longer jams. The title track itself weighs in at 18 minutes and sounds almost wholly improvised.

If you're looking to get into Amon Duul II or krautrock in general, or just want to hear an incredible, psychedelic rock album then you need Yeti. It's a great piece of work that never fails to captivate me. I've heard other Amon Duul II albums besides Yeti and other krautrock bands besides Amon Duul II and they've all been great, but Yeti remains my favourite.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sandoz was famous for..., June 29, 2002

By 

Junglies (Morrisville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Yeti (Audio CD)

Amon Duul were a German collective who split thus Amon Duul and Amon Duul II. Whereas the former were more politically involved and wanted to be closer to the people, II focussed on raising the people's awareness through the music. Inspired in part by the Grateful Dead, in part by Pink Floyd, Amon Duul were very much part of the nascent Krautrock scene in Germany.

Yeti, along with the first Ash Ra Tempel album, are representative of the psychedelic side of the German scene. Another reviewer appears somewhat critical of aspects of the album but given the situation at the time in Europe, it is not clear to non-Brits why this was such an innovative album.

For a start most German bands were guys. Amon Duul had non-descript female vocals but II had Renate. Influences here included Yoko Ono, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin and the Teutonic goddess Nico. The combination of the vocals, the guitar effects and the focus on improvisation marked this band out from almost every other aside from Can.

Yeti is the gem in the crown of their work. One of the earliest European albums to include recorded improvisational material, Yeti occupied one complete side of the album. At the time they were little known outside of Germany although there was a growing awareness by a small cognescenti in Britain due to the connections with members of the psychedic warlords, Hawkwind.

In a sense the track listings do not really matter as the album was intended to be a reflection of their live gigs but aside from the title track, two others standout. Archangels Thunderbird became a crowd favourite much to the disdain of the band reportedly at the time but was included in many gigs and appeared in Live in London. The last side of the vinyl album devoted to Yei, Yogi and Sandoz is a genuflection to the company who first created LSD and is played accordingly.

This is the last album which would capture the band in it's full improvisational glory. Thereafter there music became more complex much in line with other developments on the music scene at home.