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Ash Ra Tempel & Timothy Leary: Seven Up (1973)  
Reviewer: Ben Miler | See all reviews by Ben Miler
Section: Reviews | Category: Music | Area: Germany
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Seven Up, Ash Ra Tempel's third album is often very misunderstood by fans of their music. It's a real odd one to say the least, and if you're familiar with such albums as their 1971 debut, Join Inn (1973), or Inventions For Electric Guitar (1975, actually a Manuel Göttsching solo album) this one is quite a shock indeed. By this point, trying to figure out who was in the group has became pretty pointless. Guitarist Manuel Göttsching and bassist Hartmut Enke are still here, with tons of different vocalists, and ex-Tangerine Dream organist Steve Schroyder (he played on Alpha Centauri and guested on Zeit).

The album starts off with "Space". It's a suite divided in to four movements. It starts off with "Downtown", which doesn't sound too encouraging. It sounds like downright generic blues sung by a female vocalist, but never let that deceive you. You quickly face some truly mind blowing spacy electronic effects and noise that never lets up! It's pretty much the same throughout, although three more blues songs will follow, but as always, the blues songs never last because it sounds like the band was just so stoned at the time, they'd rather blow people's mind. I can sense quite a bit of irony in the way the band played those blues numbers.

Thanks to the presence of Timothy Leary (who was in exile in neighboring Switzerland), it's no surprise that this music is the effects of an LSD trip. The second half of the album is taken up by a three movement suite called "Time". Here's where detractors of the album finds its redeeming qualities, as this is very much like like Alpha Centauri-era Tangerine Dream. The last movement of "Time" is "She" which is basically a re-recording of "Suche & Liebe" off Ash Ra Tempel's 1972 album Schwingungen. This is a wonderful, and underrated album, which if you approach with an open-mind you'll probably enjoy it.

More Info

- Timothy Leary, Brian Barritt, Liz Elliot, Bettina Hohls, Portia Nkomo, Michael Duwe: voices
- Manuel Göttsching: guitar, electronics
- Hartmut Enke: bass, guitar, electronics- Steve Schroyder: organ, electronics
- Dietmar Burmeister: drums
- Tommy Engel: drums
- Klaus D. Müller: tambourine
- Dieter Dierks: synthesizer

Related Link: Official Ash Ra Tempel/Manuel Göttsching website
   [ Back to Reviews Index | Post Comment ]

Visitor Comments about Ash Ra Tempel & Timothy Leary: Seven Up (1973)
Posted by on 2005-02-10 21:52:33
My Score:

Comment: good stuff. a little out there but good if you are sick of all the generic shit these days. Just check ash ra tempel out/

Posted by D.elfin on 2004-08-02 19:59:02
My Score:

Comment: What a wind for such a bluff...

one of the singers...

anybody interested in the Story?

Posted by D.elfin on 2004-08-02 19:57:30
My Score:

Comment: What a wind for such a bluff...

one of the singers...

400+ Free Speech Forums!
More Music Reviews by Ben Miler
· Birth Control: Backdoor Possibilities (1976)
· Scorpions: Lonesome Crow (1972)
· Alan Stivell: Roak Dilestra (Avant d'Accoster) (Before Landing) (1977)
· Comus: First Utterance (1971)
· Espiritu: Crisalida (1975)
· Sloche: J'un Oeil (1975)
· Attila: Attila (1970)
· Flasket Brinner: Fläsket Brinner (1971)
· Ash Ra Tempel & Timothy Leary: Seven Up (1973)
· Enigma: MCMXC A.D. (1990)
· Frank Zappa & the Mothers: Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
· Unusually packaged LPs and CDs
· Writing on the Wall: The Power of the Picts (1969)
· Khan: Space Shanty (1972)
· Eloy: Ocean 2 - The Answer (1998)
· Ash Ra Tempel: Join Inn (1973)
· Nektar: Journey to the Centre of the Eye (1971)
· Ash Ra Tempel: Schwingungen (1972)
· Spring: Spring (1971)
· Family: Fearless (1971)
· Family: Music in a Doll's House (1968)
· Fleetwood Mac: Then Play On (1969)
· Acidente: Quebre Este Disco (1990)
· Goblin: Roller (1976)
· Eela Craig: One Niter (1976)
See all reviews
by Ben Miler
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