Thoughts on Harmonia : De-Luxe

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I bought the reissued Musik Von Harmonia and it's great! Anyone got De-Luxe and would like to tell me how it compares? I beleive it has a live drummer on some tracks - does this make for a more Neu-like motorik stomp, or something else entirely?

Incidentally, does anyone know which two tracks on Harmonia were recorded live? The sleevenotes don't say.

Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

I prefer "Deluxe" to the first album. The tracks seem less collaborative - the first three track are obviously the Michael Rother tracks and the final three are pure Cluster. However the title track is better than anything on Michael Rother's solo albums by a mile - and Brian Eno obviously thought so too or wouldn't have expended so much energy trying to recreate the feel of this track on "Julie With...". Talking of Eno ripoffs, the track "Monza" (which is the "Neu-like motorik stomp" on the album) basically is "Red Sails" from "Lodger" sans Bowie's vocals. "Monza" is also the best Neu! track not to be found on a Neu! album. And that's not all! "Notre Dame" and "Kekse" are better than most Cluster tracks - in Cluster's sweet and sunny mode not the sturm und drang stuff.

Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

Cheers Dada - sounds good.

Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:27 (twenty years ago)

... a lot of the first (I actaully typed "forst album" which is a great Freudian slip for all Krautrock fans out there!) album sounds live to me, lots of jamming going on, edited together every cleverly and seamlessly. By the genius Plank perhaps?

Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

Deluxe is well named. It's one of those "perfect" records.

LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

I don't know the La Dusseldorf records. Any thoughts on these also?

Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

i as well prefer deluxe to musk von...

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

cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

I love La Dusseldorf but they are kind of silly. Pompous and punky at the same time. Think of Opus, or some other daft Euro-oompah band, collaborating with Kraftwerk on synths borrowed from Abba and drumkits borrowed from the Glitter Band.

Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:28 (twenty years ago)

i only own La D's Viva, and it's pretty awesome. just copied it for a visiting friend last weekend actually. the title track is truly beautiful.

andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Thursday, 6 January 2005 16:23 (twenty years ago)

The first La Dusseldorf record has one amazing amazing track (I can't remember the name.) It's well worth buying if you can find. Both Harmonia albums are amazing.

Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 6 January 2005 16:33 (twenty years ago)

Harmonia has somehow slipped through the cracks of canonized krautrock, which seems pretty odd considering their membership. Anyway, yeah, Deluxe is great - I like it better than any of the Neu records, and only like a couple of Cluster records more.

Dominique (dleone), Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

I got that "other" Harmonia allbum ("Tracks and Traces"???), and thought it was uneventful. But I do know that "Music Von..." and "Deluxe" are the ones to get, but I've never seen them anywhere. They were reissued???

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

peepee (peepee), Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:23 (twenty years ago)

fyi, LTSD, i ref. Deluxe to that chaos-luvin' Acceptor sound, but since Cheddy didn't kin Harmonia, it was deemed "too obscure."
tis perfect though, esp. if you take the cover's hint and sunbathe or watching sunsets to it.

Beta (abeta), Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:24 (twenty years ago)

Certainly an influence!
Forced Exposure has the Harmonia stuff reissued on Polydor Japan.
21 bux cheap.

LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:27 (twenty years ago)

1976 La Dusseldorf
1978 Viva
1980 Individuellos

... 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.

Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

De Luxe is pretty great. The first half is all chill and austere and then Neu! style it recapitulates those themes in the second half with chuggachugga motorik aggression. Too bad it's always so expensive.

steve hise, Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:47 (twenty years ago)

Secret Machines do ace cover of "immer weider"
Apparantly they've done a collabo with Roether.

LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:49 (twenty years ago)

I like Viva but I can see why some wouldn't. It sounds to me like a collection of anthems written for the 1984 olympics or something. It helps to be immensely stoned early in the morning, watching the sun come up and listening to the birdies chirping. Then you can get in the right mood to rock out to songs about White Overalls.

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

walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 6 January 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

I have looked longingly and enviously at the photograph inside the sleeve of "Musik Von Harmonia" of that rad practice/studio space filled with antiques and analogue keyboards and big fuck-off amps and floor-to-ceiling french doors with curtains and fur coats thrown gallantly across big comfy overstuffed chairs so many times . . . sigh.

Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

Oh yeah! All of those bands had such cool spaces. Can had more of that hippy crash-pad vibe and Ralf & Florian had that cool loft space with neon signs of their names! If only rent were so cheap in California.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:21 (twenty years ago)

who was paying for all this gear anyway?

cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:23 (twenty years ago)

DELUXE (IMMER WIEDER)

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.)

cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)

is that about sexy?

cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)

I have looked longingly and enviously at the photograph inside the sleeve of "Musik Von Harmonia" of that rad practice/studio space filled with antiques and analogue keyboards and big fuck-off amps and floor-to-ceiling french doors with curtains and fur coats thrown gallantly across big comfy overstuffed chairs so many times . . . sigh.

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...

(Jon L), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:51 (twenty years ago)

. . . sigh

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

Dominique (dleone), Thursday, 6 January 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

a pilgrimage is in order to that studio as well. with a possible detour to Rennes Le Chateau.

(Jon L), Thursday, 6 January 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

I think I like the first Harmonia record slightly better, it's less pop, less studio, more flowing, pastoral and unforced, and occasionally flat out weird, a couple nice noisy moments. that first track 'watussi' is probably my favorite Harmonia moment and 'sehr kosmiche'... yes.

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

(Jon L), Thursday, 6 January 2005 20:24 (twenty years ago)

A job lot of lap steel guitars must have shown up in West Germany around 1972 because everyone seemed to have one - check the photos in "Cluster II" and "Ralf and Florian" - in fact just listen to the records. Even Can had one, which apparently Irmin Schmidt was wont to play at gigs.

Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 January 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

"white overalls" is the best song ever.

or something.

hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 6 January 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

"white overalls" is the best song ever.

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.

walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 6 January 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

Musik von.. is amazing, still haven't heard De-Luxe. I think the stuff with Eno, including Cluster & Eno, is weak. They did just fine on their own, thanks, and certainly didn't need him around since they already had the brilliant Conny Plank. I understand why he would want to play with those guys (who wouldn't?) but I just wish they hadn't worked together.

contribute, Friday, 7 January 2005 03:33 (twenty years ago)

I think I like the first Harmonia record slightly better, it's less pop, less studio, more flowing, pastoral and unforced, and occasionally flat out weird, a couple nice noisy moments. that first track 'watussi' is probably my favorite Harmonia moment and 'sehr kosmiche'... yes.

"Watussi" ist der bomb.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 7 January 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

"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.

I f'd up the word rear (Z S), Saturday, 28 March 2009 18:47 (sixteen years ago)

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

Bad, Bad Memories of a Good Time (electricsound), Saturday, 28 March 2009 23:10 (sixteen years ago)

four months pass...

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.

Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 7 August 2009 02:57 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

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

lol sickmouthy (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 30 June 2011 15:11 (thirteen years ago)


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