A listen to the album reveals identifiable influences from Genesis and King Crimson, even Jethro Tull (due to the frequent use of flute). The whole, however, is much more than a mere pastiche of the band's heroes. The band's compositional and instrumental talents are unquestionable. The highlight of the album is the 17-plus-minute "Deathwatchbeetle," which is composed of varied and contrasting sections arranged into a suite. It's memorable and original.
Despite the presence of Conny Plank as engineer, there's little on the album that is reminiscent of Krautrock. That the band is not merely a creature of the studio is demonstrated by the CD's bonus track, a 14-minute-plus live rendition of "Deathwatchbeetle" from 1974 which differs from the studio version but still shows clearly the band's virtuosity and creativity.
Personnel: Michael Bruchmann: drums, percussion; Christian Grumbkow: acoustic & electric guitars; Joachim Grumbkow: keyboards, vocals; Peter Kaseberg: bass guitar; Joachim Kaseberg: guitars, stagesound; Christoph Noppeney: viola, acoustic guitar, vocals.
Guests: Zeus (Birth Control): alto saxophone; Norbert Jacobson (Release Music Orchestra): clarinet; Conny Plank: voice, synthesizer-help.
The album was released on CD in 2007 by Capitol Music (0946 3 85380 2 8).
Hoelderlin's website: www.hoelderlin.com
Buy the album on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hoelderlin/dp/B000MGAX9K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1279326600&sr=1-1
