....the 1969 release of
ELECTRIP by XHOL CARAVAN from Wiesbaden Germany considered one of the true pioneers of the Krautrock scene alongside the likes of Can s Monster Movie, Amon D l II s Phallus Dei and lesser known groups like Trikolon, Kluster and The Inner Space underground happening
While ELECTRIP was the only album released under the XHOL CARAVAN moniker the band would drop the CARAVAN part of its name due to confusion with the English Canterbury Caravan band , and this 1969 album was nonetheless extremely inspirational for the jazzier acid-underground side of Krautrock that would fully come to fruition with bands like Embryo, Out Of Focus, Ikarus, Thirsty Moon, Kraan, Et Cetera, Missus Beastly, Eiliff, and on and on and on
XHOL CARAVAN launched the jazzier side of the freaked-underground Krautrock scene, listeners need to accept the majesty within in the farthest-out trips the German scene had to offer, admittedly mesmerized by the complex-rock fueled trippers following as well, and in a nutshell readjusted the barometer focusing on a timeline from which this album emerged after proper antennae adjustments, lo and behold it all starts to make sense.
Some music is about tuning-into the zeitgeist of a specific era. All music doesn t have to be timeless as you know. Well, ELECTRIP is very much a product of its time and there is no possible way to misidentify this album coming from any other period other than the 1968-70 pioneering freak-prog hipster era.
ELECTRIP begins with the psychotic Electric Fun Fair which displays a form of complex-rock fusion that became the staple of bands like Soft Machine, minus Robert Wyatt and features organ and electric keys courtesy of cki von Brevern and directly links the band to a period of German freak-scene technology bringing a style of underground rock Pop Games to mind, even with sped up vocal chattering chipmunk effects then turning into stable jazz-rock grooves emerging into All Green which revives the psychedelic-soul aspects of the then recent past, including tripped out swelling organ runs. The opening tracks providing an upbeat solid run of jazz-rock meshed with psychedelic extras, including hearty effected acid winds giving the tracks a robust heft to the solar grooves,
The fourth track Raise Up High takes up roughly half the album runs almost 18 minutes long and unlike the first three features the madman vocals of drummer Skip Van Wyck. Much like the CAN albums dominating the Krautrock scene of the 70s, XHOL CARAVAN introduces ELECTRIP with somewhat accessible tracks featuring jazz and rock mangled with lengthy behemoth highlights then delving into truly mature Krautrock nurturing among psychedelic higlights ala more avant-garde freeform jazz around the bent-ends of a trippy Sun Ra, especially in the form of the bass and drums and mind you, XHOL CARAVAN was completely without a guitarist. Rise Up High sounds like the perfect psychedelic jam when if Amon D l II was jamming with the Mothers of Invention around the Hot Rats era.
The album closes with the tasty-freeze of Walla Mashalla, a reprise to the opening track.
While the band only released ELECTRIP under the XHOL CARAVAN moniker, they decided to drop the CARAVAN name part due to constant confusion with the Canterbury Scene band across the pond, releasing two more albums on the Ohr label simply as XHOL
While ELECTRIP may not be the trippiest example of Krautrock or even the most electric due to the winds section save the longest track on board, this one was one of the most influential impetuses of the entire jazzy side of the German scene. Although it takes a few spins to warm up to, general consensus have come to love ELECTRIP for its bold reach in the sky and clearly shows hints of the burgeoning Kraut scene just around the corner. XHOL CARAVAN all said, really makes the scene and is considered a 1969 landmark... ELECTRIP being nonetheless one not to be missed as a perfect blend of underground jazz-krautrock all broiled in dig the grooves fuzzed-out 60s psychedelia.
Electric Fun Fair 6:25
Pop Games 6:56
All Green 7:38
Raise Up High 17:45
Walla Masallah 1:38
The cover: rated: near M- laminated totally day-glo colors and structure present a keeper collection artifact having been carefully handled ...back non-laminated cover is black understandably even at best 56 years of age has a touch of wear beginning, and contained. There are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing ...
The vinyl:
Rated: near M- very clear smooth sides with only exception being a visible thin surface hairline that doesn t affect audio,,, and all the rest, both sides playing fantastic ...both Hansa labels
are clean having removable small total time sticker on each of labels.
