MusicRatty: ACHTZEHN KARAT GOLD

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ACHTZEHN KARAT GOLD - All bumm (1973)

2008-07-08 02:21:16 by Editor in Progarchives.com (Progressive rock and related latest reviews)

Without a doubt a rarity of a record, but not priceless in any way. If, lets say, two listens ought to already be enough as to understand the essence of this album, by the third shot theres a serious chance the pleasure of listening to it will drop or fade, irremediably. For the kind of fortune it takes to get hold of 18 Karat Golds sole 1973(4?) album (never re-printed since then, and I guess not that many original copies either), the reward is null: the albums too simple, P comes from pop and not from prog, and besides, theres an empty satisfaction when having in your collection such an item. To add, the most bizarre of all things is to think, straight, about the concept and complexity of kraut rock upon listening to this kind of music. Of course, inside the history and the thinking of the genre, the quartet belongs to the krautrock scene in more than one way. But exactly in this detail alone, this musical effort is at the bottom of all expectations: even if it depends how initiated your are in kraut rock and what side of this ample, particular and neverendingly surprising musical phenomenon you discovered or know best, 18 Karat Gold and their All-bumm is one example that never seemed more different than anything heard before in, sadly, the dull way.

From one angle at least, disappointment would be unavoidable: how come four bright stars of the German kraut/jazz stage were inspired to join into a project where their talents would get smothered by the sheer sound of easy music. 18 Karat Gold historically forms in 1973 - in a moment when four big names, 3 of them ex(?)-members of Embryo or Amon Düül II - joined forces. The latter band is consistently mentioned as a point of reference, but in a twisted way, as in 1974, 18 Karat Gold would play the kind of music Amon Düül II have regrettably sunk into at the end of the 70s. The inlet of the vinyl tells everything there is to know about Wer is 18 Karat Gold [Who is 18 Karat Gold]: Lothar Meid, München-star, important trumpeter, bassist and electro-guitarist, initiated in jazz and Dixieland (?) bands, member of Motherhood, Embryo and, for one year, ADII; Keith Forsey, drummer, also member of ADII and Motherhood; Jörg Evers, having played with Embryo, wielding the rhythm-axe; and finally Klaus Ebert, only 18 years old, freshman guitarist. Given these CVs, its really a shame they are in vain, when compared with the music that was made.

Of course, regarding this detail, the disappointment could have actually been avoided, if we consider one thing: the motivation, the orientation behind the music. And, in some way, the quartet expressed the good reasons for what theyve come up with. If Crack In The Cosmic Egg mentions 18 Karat Golds desire to present krautrock in a commercial, dilute form to the pop public, the four kraut-poppers themselves, based again on the same record inlet, emphasized pretty much the same thing: a departure from the pompous Pop-operas meant only for experts (...) from *heavy-er*, *rapid* playing. As much as the band has indeed made music by how they first envisioned it, I still believe All-bumm is inferior to the simple desire to make pop-rock music. And, least to say, if the intention was to bring krautrock down to the pop(ular) masses, theyve forgot - not entirely, still considerably - one thing: the krautrock!

Down to music, its notably frustrating for me to realize that I dont have the proper education in 70s pop-rock. Several shades of pop and rock in All-bumm? Definitely. Still, stereotypes and simplicities dominate, and even the musicianship is dictated by this: if there are some optimistic signs of rock, the vocals push down the spirit into pop. If the vocals are clean (and thats mostly true), the instrumentality picks up nothing else but the tune and delivers rhythms and melodies in an average way. Were not talking bad songs, and the production sounds like it doesnt lack much either, but expectations are blundered and the prime fuel, leading to the only possible satisfaction, is casual music.

Good to know, after all, is that we're not in for some purely one-sided, stiff music, but that a sort of creativity makes a proper dish. I like to think the guitar tune in Going home can be considered symphonic, but meanwhile the vocals make the piece too plain. Come on Monday is pretty much rock for the dancefloor, while, a bit more heavy and instrumental, Goldrush is enjoyable. Even more symphonic in its tempered, but warm sound would be Star-Eyed, instead the vocals ease out yet again, while the guitar contrasts with a decent psych-like flavour. First fluke on All-bumm is Dr. Stein (5%), a weird cheesy song with silly vocals (Im talking about the singing manner), followed closely by Elektric infected, which is...infected with...vocals; the punching rhythms here on arent bright from the beginning, but condense better afterwards. More pop comes next, with I am just a man, while See Me In Your Dreams is so 60s. Regarding If My Gure Would Know, its probably the most polished and entertaining piece of its kind from the entire set, but a particular vocal reprise will make you grimace.

I intentionally saved Flying and Cool for last, because theyre, in my opinion, the only pieces that contain some krautrock. Indeed, the first has a smocking, gripping heavy-machine trippy intro, and even if it collides with more straight-forward rock beats and an unwise easy mezzo of vocals, the cosmische chords are authentic. As for the second, its psychedelic, druggy tone says it all. Two examples of notable if impure kraut-related music, in a content that, otherwise, different stuff is played, generally okay but particularly unremarkable.

Im not too torn about giving a grade to this album: as pop-rock, its fair to say that, cutting out silly and sloppy moments, its not bad; but kraut and prog? Definitely two stars, even a bit out of mercy either that, or kraut-pop actually matters in pure form, with bands such as 18 Karat Gold that chose this style from the start, only to die immediately after, leaving such works as their sole legacy. Anyway, German-70s-rock means a whole lot more.

Shiny, frölich, (...) das ist 18 Karat Gold. Sadly though, 18 Karat Gold is also with one foot into naive music and with the other into plain art.

by Ricochet

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