« Back to Top Level | Grave

Grave - Grave 1 (1975)

Track listing:
  1. Morning Sun 5:55
  2. Initations 3:57
  3. The Hunter 8:05
  4. Ohrwurm 3:11
  5. Please Gunter Play The Bass 5:48
  6. Little Giant 7:21
  7. Funky Stadtkommandant 7:54
  8. Grave Boogie 4:45
  9. Hey Little Lady 3:40
  10. Father Dead (Bonus 1989) 5:58
  11. Get Out Of My Life (Imitaions Ii) (Bonus 1989) 2:09
  12. Death Driver (Bonus 1989) 3:23
  13. Out Of Sight (Bonus 1989) 2:47

Notes

Size: 120
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped By: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included

A very amateurish recording where only two microphones were used. No hifi. The original album is one of the most expensive in Germany. From the area of Bremen near the North Sea coast. From the master tape. The one and only album by Grave worth nearly US$1000 nowadays was recorded in 1975 in Jugendhaus Brinkum near Bremen by most simple techniques. Although remarkable, you may criticize the unprofessional recording techniques. The last four of the seven bonus tracks however were recorded in 1989 under improved conditions. The complete CD was taken from the master tapes.

From near Bremen, the quartet called Grave was an active live band for most of the 70s and in 1975 recorded (by simple means) nine tracks, six of which were pressed onto vinyl in small runs as 'Grave 1' (CD 007). Here on CD, all nine are presented as well as four more recorded by a reunited lineup in 1989, creating over an hour of music. Grave wrote intelligent classic rock style songs and performed them quite competently, but the murkiness of the recording and the loss of certain instruments in the mix (most noticeably some important lead guitar parts) seriously diminishes the overall quality of this work. Some strong moments are found in Lutz Wowerat's bubbly psych guitar intro to "Please Günter Play the Bass," which Günter (Wendehenke) then proceeds to do quite diligently. But my favorite tune is the Guru Guru-ish "Funky Stadtkommandant" (a classic krautrock title if there were was one), wonderfully inventive and of course, highly peculiar...and luckily decently recorded. Two of the newer (professionally-recorded) bonus songs (featuring guest vocalist Anke Meyer) are surpisingly good material with more of a folk melody bent. I'd really like to give this a stronger recommendation as I think I would've become a big fan of Grave as a live act, I just wish they'd made a better quality archive of their original works.

01 - Morning Sun - 5.54
02 - Initations - 3.56
03 - The Hunter - 8.05
04 - Ohrwurm - 3.11
05 - Please Gunter Play the Bass - 5.47
06 - Little Giant - 7.20
07 - Funky Stadtkommandant - 7.53
08 - Grave Boogie - 4.44
09 - Hey Little Lady - 3.40
10 - Father Dead (Bonus 1989) - 5.58
11 - Get Out of My Life (Imitaions II) (Bonus 1989) - 2.09
12 - Death Driver (Bonus 1989) - 3.23
13 - Out of Sight (Bonus 1989) - 2.47