Thoughts on Harmonia : De-Luxe

the singing on "immer wieder" always sticks in my head for days after listening.

I have a LaDusseldorf CD, but I think its a Japanese comp. How many albums did they put out?

... first is best, third is worst, which means second is, errrrrrrrrr, second. I know Klaus Dinger did a lot more stuff in the 90s/00s but I've never bothered with any of that. The "Ich Liebe Dich/ Koksnodel" single from 1983(?) is good tho.

But both Harmonia albums are classics (brilliant cover art too).

Immer wieder rauf und runter, (Up and down again and again,)
Einmal drauf und einmal drunter, (Once on top and once underneath,)
Immer wieder hin und her, (Back and forth again and again,)
Kreuz und quer, mal leicht, mal schwer. (Crisscross, once easy, once hard.)
Immer wieder rauf und runter, (Up and down again and again,)
Einmal drauf und einmal drunter. (Once on top and once underneath.)

Immer wieder rauf und runter, (Up and down again and again,)
Einmal drauf und einmal drunter, (Once on top and once underneath,)
Immer wieder hin und her, (Back and forth again and again,)
Kreuz und quer, mal leicht, mal schwer. (Crisscross, once easy, once hard.)
Immer wieder rauf und runter, (Up and down again and again,)
Einmal drauf und einmal drunter. (Once on top and once underneath.)

Immer wieder hin und her, (Back and forth again and again,)
Kreuz und quer, mal leicht, mal schwer. (Crisscross, once easy, once hard.)
Immer wieder rauf und runter, (Up and down again and again,)
Einmal drauf und einmal drunter. (Once on top and once underneath.)

me too. for teenaged me that was what paradise looked like, electronic music in the far countryside. it's the reason to own that album on vinyl, that gatefold image... likewise Cluster II ('equipment echolette'!).

who was paying for all this gear anyway?

you have to remember; these people were selling records! the debut Neu! sold 20,000 copies, and Cluster's debut was on Philips. People were expecting big things from Harmonia, so I'm sure they got a sizable enough advance from Brain...

that's what I think of Bob Drake's rent-free villa in the south of France

I hear the second album had actual commercial pressure behind it, Neu! '75 hadn't sold the way they'd hoped, the label was aiming to recoup. I actually like the stripped down approach of Rother's first four solo albums just as much but it helps to be a goon.

I also like the Harmonia & Eno disc, but I wasn't expecting it to be more than a series of casual, impromptu jam sessions & demos. they'd pick two chords (if that) and hit record. but their sound is still absolutely unique.

if you're a huge fan of the first three Neu! records you'll want to hear the first two La Dusseldorfs. The first one is prolly classic.

Krautrock Side-Projects
Michael Rother
Harmonia: Who knows this stuff?
finally heard harmonia
CLUSTER: I have fallen in love with this band, please help

outed as Cluster fanatic AGAIN

or something.

When I first heard that album I thought instead of Geld they were singing "Keds". Which of course would have completed the whole white overall fashion perfectly.

"Watussi" ist der bomb.

"Deluxe (Immer Wieder)" may be my very favorite song of the 1970s. It's the definition of how to write a relatively long song (just under 10 minutes) that flies by. Perfect pacing.

"Walky-Talky" is no slouch either. Deluxe is so fucking awesome.

deluxe (immer wieder) was transcendent when i saw it live

I'm going through a crazy Michael Rother/Cluster/Harmonia phase right now -- and am sure Neu!/La Düsseldorf are not far behind. I totally reject the idea that Rother's first four solo albums are somehow boring or loaded with guitar that's "too tasty" as some have suggested. They sound better than ever to me. The title track from Sterntaler is as brilliant as anything Neu! or Harmonia ever did. I still don't really know how that song goes from the bleeping synths at the beginning to that epic chorale of distorted guitar at the end -- it really sneaks up on you. Plus, as Milton has mentioned on these threads periodically, the opening track on Fernwärme is like glue in my head. I actually like that whole record -- the electronics on it fit his sound perfectly.

http://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/harmonia-%E2%80%93-deluxe-%E2%80%93-round-11-nick%E2%80%99s-choice/