L.S. Bearforce. 1983 Germany

Another CDRWL entry. My notes from 12 years ago stated:

As anachronistic as they come. 1983 was the last year anyone would expect an early 1970s style free form jam session, like early Guru Guru and, perhaps more pointedly, the 1974 Uli Trepte / Guru Guru album. But Lotus Schmidt (the L.S. reference) apparently was a huge fan of albums like UFO and Hinten and convinced the Guru Guru guys (Mani and Uli) to go in with him on the album. Perhaps released 20 years ahead of its time, as it would now be hailed as a retro classic today. Features both Mani Neumeier on drums and Edgar Hoffman (Embryo) on woodwinds and violin. It was even recorded by the original Ohr producer Julius Schittenhelm. 

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Last night's listen confirmed those findings. I did drop the rating -1, even though I've owned the album now for 30 years. Which still means excellent - rather than exemplary. Part of that rating was my enthusiasm of having our very own Krautrock from my era. This sound was extinct in its day, though it later made a comeback. This really could have been an early Guru Guru album. A fine work that still needs discovery.

Ownership: LP: 1983 Up Art. Single sleeve. White vinyl. Comes with a 4 page insert with Lotus Schmidt explaining himself in the liners (lol). Also contains full recording details.

There are two versions of the cover, one has colored kanji circles and the other is like the photos here. For wherever reason, the Freemans appended a 1999 date on it, without data to support. I challenged it a year ago and was met with silence. And why did I do that? Because I bought this version from a mail order dealer in 1992. I'm not sure it matters much in the scheme of things - records like this maintain the same value either way. It's not like Vertigo Swirls and Green Brain Metronomes in that way. If you think prog and psych guys are fussy, try selling in the Classical world. Oh my.

1992; 3/8/10 (CDRWL); 9/9/22 (new entry)