Tetragon ~ Germany

Nature (1971)

Tetragon were formed out of Trikolon with the addition of a new guitarist plus a drummer replacement. The music formula largely stayed the same, and this is most evident on the 16 minute Bach rendition opener 'Fugue'. It's jamming the classics essentially. Tetragon began to carve out their own identity on 'Irgendwas', a fascinating interplay with plenty of rhythmic organ against heavy guitar soloing. This brings back the other Trikolon influence, that of Brian Auger. The title track also has a cool jazz undertone that once again allows for extended jamming. I've had it in my mind for many years that Tetragon were a bit more composed, but this revisit confirms that the group had many great ideas but didn't take the time to arrange them before diving into improvisation mode. It's a difficult album to pigeonhole. It's not jazz rock or fusion; it most certainly isn't Krautrock; nor hard rock. It ultimately falls into progressive rock, though it's not as compositionally sophisticated as that may imply, though the individual players most certainly are. 

The CD also includes one 14 minute unique live track that is very similar to the album itself (and sounds great).

Ownership: 1995 Musea (CD). Booklet with historical liner notes. Acquired in 1995. 

3//95; 4/25/10; 4/16/13; 8/29/23 (review)

Stretch (1971)

Stretch was to be the second album from Tetragon, and the third when considering Trikolon. This bunch never were what I would consider a classic Krautrock band. Definitely more of an English vibe. Colosseum is certainly one guidepost. But even more so, from the beginning with Trikolon, keyboardist Hendrik Schaper was heavily influenced by a one Brian Auger. The two cover tracks are the same ones Auger had recorded recently ('Listen Here' and 'Dragon Song'). But where Tetragon earn their namesake shape is the performance and the orientation. This is Brian Auger for the instrumental prog rock set. And while the music certainly is jammy in nature, it is remarkable how composition acumen is continually portrayed. Five long instrumental tracks is a recipe for boredom, and yet Tetragon are anything but. Since this album was completely in the can and ready to be released, you are getting far more than the usual archival release here. It's as if a new treasure had been found in the caves. Not one to miss and I hear it better than the previous album.

Ownership: 2009 Garden of Delights (CD). Booklet with historical liner notes. Acquired in 2010.

1/26/10; 1/30/17 (review)

2/10/17 (new entry)