Ash Ra Tempel by Ash Ra Tempel

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Ash Ra Tempel, the 1971 debut album by Ash Ra Tempel, a legendary German band, one of the leading representatives of Kosmische Musik (cosmic music, commonly known as Krautrock).

This beautiful 50th anniversary edition includes a reissue of the album supervised by Manuel Göttsching, an A2 poster, two A4 inserts explaining the band's musical concept dating back to 1970 (available in German and English), and the original biography written by Manuel Göttsching. The 180-gram vinyl pressing features all the detailed photos.

Their sound is characterized by strong psychedelic and cosmic elements. Their first albums, including this debut, were oriented towards psychedelic rock sounds and generally featured one song per side, one more dramatic and vigorous, the other more atmospheric.

The group's name is a portmanteau of Ash (ash), Ra (the Egyptian god of the sun), and Tempel (German for "temple," and also a place of rest for the group).

The first lineup formed in 1970 in Berlin and consisted of Manuel Göttsching, Hartmut Enke, and Klaus Schulze, who had just left Tangerine Dream after the album Electronic Meditation.

After this album, Schulze left the group to pursue a solo career (returning for the release of the album Join Inn in 1973) and was replaced by Wolfgang Müller, with whom he released Schwingungen in 1972.

There are no vocals on the album (except for some wordless vocals on Traummachine).

Two tracks, one per side, for a total of about 45 minutes.

Amboss is an exceptional guitar jam, slowly evolving with a pulsating sound that progressively expands, with the drums (Schulze) creating a hypnotic rhythm that intensifies. The guitar solos are fantastic. There's a lot of experimentation in the middle, and then the guitar returns, marvelous, with its melodies.

Traummaschine (which means "Dream Machine") is a ghostly, very ambient piece with rare guitar forays. It's also a great track, but for the opposite reasons. It opens with a carpet of electronic sounds, almost eerie and spacey. The percussion is beautiful, as is the brief guitar part that interrupts the atmosphere.

The artwork is beautiful, now iconic, and has become famous independently of the album for its beauty and unique style.

This is one of the greatest Kosmische Musik albums of all time.

Manuel on guitar is exceptional, as are Schulze's drums and percussion, which produce wonderful rhythms. A gem of spacey, psychedelic jamming and a great introduction to the world of Kosmische Musik. A masterpiece of its kind and a must-have for all fans of space rock and Kosmische Musik, or as it's commonly called, Krautrock.

The tracks
1. Amboss (7.40pm)
2. Traummaschine (25:24)
Duration 45:04

Line-Up
- Manuel Göttsching - guitar, electronics, vocals
- Hartmut Enke - bass
- Klaus Schulze - drums and percussion, electronics