Nine Days Wonder ~ Germany

The Best Years of Our Life? (1971-1975 / 2001)

For my tastes, Nine Days Wonder is all about their debut album, and they fall off a cliff after that. This compilation covers four tracks from that superb era, including two lengthy live radio recordings. All of which was quite good, though not revelatory. From there I braced myself for the worst. And was pleasantly surprised to find that Nine Days Wonder were really a hard rock band at heart, but the production gloss of their follow up studio albums took away all their edge. As such, this is a fine compilation of unreleased material, and is worth seeking out for fans of their debut album, with regards to their more aggressive attributes.

Ownership: 2001 Garden of Delights (CD). Historical liner notes.

12/24/16 (acquired / review)

Nine Days Wonder (1971)

Was there a more radical album in 1971 than Nine Days Wonder's debut? Nothing stays in one place too long, some themes explored only in mere seconds, moving from idea to idea similar to how some Italian progressive rock albums did two years later in 1973. Electric guitar, sax and flute are the primary drivers, and the rhythm section is very inventive. Imagine fellow Germans Brainstorm circa Smile Awhile, but rather than taking it through the Canterbury blender, it takes as its blueprint Frank Zappa at his most progressive. The humor component, and the heavier edge, also recalls early Grobschnitt, a band that most certainly was influenced by NDW. I could see a modern group like Polytoxicomane Philharmonie being heavily swayed by this album as well. From here, Nine Days Wonder changed personnel and decided to focus more on their glam rock / David Bowie side of their sound, and the quality dropped dramatically from here IMO.

Ownership: 1971 Bacillus France (LP); 2010 Long Hair (LP). Foam coated gatefold cover. Bio sheet; 1993 Bacillus (CD).

1989 (acquired); 1997; 10/5/11 (review); 9/23/23

10/5/11 (new entry)