Customer Reviews

Yeti

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is Amon Duul II's masterpiece. Furiously molten guitar playing, weird and disturbing vocals, roaring chaos contrasted with fragile delicacy, naivete bouncing against cynicism, overlaid with a glitter of lysergic glamour and undergirded with a humanity and heartfulness their American and English counterparts could not muster. Possibly the greatest psychedelic rock band of all time; certainly the greatest psychedelic rock record of all time. I am not kidding. On a par with Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and the post "Priest Driven Ambulance" Flaming Lips.

Yeti is the best album of the Krautrock movement, which produced a tremendous amount of great rock (see Neu, Can, and Faust for other esentials). Other Amon Duul albums are great and creative, but this one transcends. More than an experience; an entire universe of sound.

I got on to this great album after listening to German compilation albums I bought many years ago from a secondhand record shop Titled (Electric monster rock show and Electric rock 71\Liberty releases from the early 70's)I listened to these records especially Amon duul II-Between the eyes and Archangels thunderbird, after listening to this great band I wanted to hear more. I picked up a few Amon Duul II Albums, the first 4 and Yeti being the best out of them all, Beginning with the opening riff of 'Soap shop rock' taking you on an amazing trip on this 4 part song suite ending with the same riff that opens the song, moving on to a lighter side of 'She came through the chimney' superbly crafted the this light side breaks up into a more heavier fuzzed up 'Arcangels thunderbird', into an acoustic sound of 'Cerberus' as this track progresses through it becomes more interesting when a brief vocal comes in and the electric guitars take over completing the track which moves on to 'The return of Rubezaul a short trip into a more trippy 'Eye shaking king' with some unusual vocal sounds and again the same riff is used for the opening and closing of this track, some great lead guitar which blends in well with the rest of the band, Could'nt understand the vocals near the end. The next track is my favourite track 'Pale gallery' Great drum beat various instruments; Don't know some of them but it sounds great for a person that hates 3 minute radio songs, the track continues on with some simple lead guitar playing mostly in a minor pentatonic scale, which takes you to the end of this track. I will leave the remaining tracks up to you to decide, "Go out and buy this album"

For their first three records - this was the second - Amon Duul II were a tight, imaginative unit that could hold their own with the great American and English bands of the period. Imagine Jimi Hendrix fronting a more gothic version of Jefferson Airplane with a dash of the Who, but with a unique and trippy lyrical slant. The first LP here (this was a 2-LP set) has lots of great riffs and tracks, and the second is eerie improvisation. All in all, a fine record.

Originally released in 1970, as this was AD II's second classic record out of their first eight (8) lp's. After you listen to 'Yeti', you'll fully understand as to why old school fans simply cannot get overly thrilled about any of the band's more recent material. This is about as good as it gets. Tracks here that remind us all just how outstanding krautrock can be are the fourteen-minute acidic opener "Soap Shop Rock / Burning Sister / Halluzination Guillotine", their more recognizable "Archangels Thunderbird", "The Return Of Ruebezahl", "Eye Shaking King" and the three-part title cut "Yeti (Improvisation)" which is an unforgettable mind-blower,to say the least. A true kraut classic. Highly recommended.

Well, Amon Duul II is a serious case, at least the ultimate psychedelic group from Continental Europe, so idiosyncratic in their music and imagery... The Yeti album, with it's diverse paths, alternating acoustic and electric, is a kind of expedition through a dream-like land...Archangel's Thunderbird is psychedelia at most exciting, the voice of Renate Knaup emulating a Grace Slick mood, but with a more killer attitude, the stormy guitar "singing" side-by-side her voice...This album is a skin-shivering experience, it contains what must be the most terrifying song in rock universe, the mind-blowing "Eye-Shaking King" with that exorcist-like vocals and aggressive guitars...Finally, an important word to the aesthetic aspect of the group, so powerful as the music, people dancing in a ghostly-manner upon a mountain, anguish without-a-face masks, the esplendid image of death in the front cover, lysergic horses, altered states of conscience and panic colors!!!! A MUST!!!!!

Archangels Thunderbird is one of the most rocking and thunderous songs of the whole prog/kraut rock lexion of the 70's. Amon Duul II came as a very welcome surprise one day shopping for records at Peaches in Atlanta in 1972, as picked this and Tanz der Lemmings at the same time based solely on the album covers. Both albums turned out to be loadstones of information for the music that came out of England et al with Hawkwind, Yes, King Crimson, Atomic Rooster, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Nice, Gentle Giant, Can, Faust, Gong, Frank Zappa, Flash, Captain Beefheart, Captain Beyond, Bonzo Dog Band, and who else? What of Prog Rock without Amon Duul II? It would not have the fever of unbridled exploration and invention without Yeti and Danz der Lemmings. These two releases went where no British or American band dare go before them, and for some time, after them. Yeti is one of those essential albums not only for it's historical importance, but also for the way the music has relevance even today. Ten years passed I did not listen to them and then one day I picked up the UA years CD and from there I had to repurchase my favorites on remastered CD. I am forever thankful.
Amon Duul II is the most fearless of them all. Their music does at times meander, but it does so with unity and purpose and that purpose is the integrity of the music itself.
They rock, and they touch space, and that is what made them great.