I acquired this album from a friend and the jacket is not in mint condition like most of the albums I bought and I had never heard this band before this album. The record is in near mint and is a pleasure to listen to. To me owning a first release record is like owning an original Picasso painting instead of a rerelease or copy of the same album. This makes it worth more and is more desirable for the serious record collector. Here is more about this band. It's the fourth album that A.R. & Machines (whose driving force was Achim Reichel, hence the A.R) find the balance between the long-form songs that they're best at while also keeping the album not too long, their second album (Echo) contains just 5 songs over 80 mins. Some of the songs never seem to end (which is a good thing), the melody loops over and comes back to where it started from, almost putting you into a trance (I definitely have to make it a point and listen to this under the influence of mind-altering substances...).

Published

ashratom May 12 2019 ▼ 4.50 stars

The 4th album from Achim Reichel's experimental phase is regarded by many to be his best work. I too had it rated highest even though, oddly enough, it was the album (of the 6 classics) I was the least familiar with. It was also the last one for me to acquire, and we'll discuss that below.

After absorbing the album for two straight listens, I can now say with conviction that my instincts were correct. This is the one I enjoy best. It takes the same concept as AR 3, but adds a crispness, clarity, and intensity not found there. In this way it's more like Die Grune Reise, yet it's far more psychedelic, creating hypnotic patterns similar to what Gottsching would do two years later on Inventions for Electric Guitar. As I said on AR 3, Reichel's music is something one needs to immerse themselves in, and absorb, rather than seek for melodic hook lines or to sit back and await being blown away. Reichel and his band - along with his machines, namely tape decks - have created their own musical world. One that only existed with them, and never reappeared again after 1975. I only have the one record from A.R. and the Machines so if you want the real thing get while it’s still available.