Mind Over Matter - The Colours of Life. 1988 Germany

Klaus Schulze's Innovative Communications label turned up a great many progressive rock and electronic gems throughout the 1980s - that were hardly noticed even back then (I was a major fan of both genres back then, and only a few of their albums surfaced - mainly from Schulze himself). I believe it's a label that will be mined for many years to come.

I've been a fan of Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock for a long time, but as Cosmic Hoffmann rather than as the leader of Mind Over Matter. Word on the street said these albums were more geared towards the New Age crowd, than the Berlin Electronic / Ashra inspired Cosmic Hoffmann works. Perhaps that's true to some extent, but at least on Colours of Life, Hoffmann demonstrates a wide variety of world music, both in texture, melody, and arrangements. The tones are clearly late 1980's sounding, but in the good sense. And Hoffmann still provides some wonderful lead guitar lines right out of the Manuel Gottsching cookbook. The Colours of Life is a rich, beautiful album.

Ownership: CD: 1988 Innovative Communications. Has 4 bonus tracks, that are as good as the album itself.

5/17/12 (new entry)