Attempt to Restore were an obscure Krautrock band, coming from the unlikely time of the early 90s. The name itself appears to indicate the band is interested in restoring Germany's early 70s psychedelic underground past. And for that purpose, Attempt to Restore very much succeeded. Perhaps the oddest aspect of this group is that they were created by former members of the glam band Tiger B Smith, not exactly one of the purveyors of the original scene. Whether they had a bottled up desire to perform music such as this going back to the mid 70s, or it was simply the case of obtaining a later appreciation of the style, is anyone's guess. But I can tell you this - few were playing long form Cosmic Jokers styled Krautrock in 1993 - especially from Germany (Electric Orange were also just starting up, and there was the fun HNAS Damenbart album). The space rock revival had been in force for some years, but as we all know, the German variation is something more atmospheric and intense. Though all things considered, Alpha Collection 1 is not a Kosmische classic, but rather a nice return to form of a much missed style. There are 3 jams here totaling close to an hour of music, generally without build and release moments. Rather the band stays in steady jam mode for the most part. Guitars and keyboards lead the way, with some interesting rhythmic work. At the time of release it was an exciting revelation, today not as much. But given the entire historical portrait, this one is well worth hanging onto. Yet another forgotten 90s classic. Too bad there was never a Beta Collection or Alpha Collection 2.
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