{"product_id":"samtvogel-2","title":"Samtvogel","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt’s hardly a secret that there was a lot of movement in German pop music during the late 60s and early 70s of the last century, and that many new things emerged then. Countless books have already been published on the subject of \u003cem\u003eKrautrock\u003c\/em\u003e, and many LPs from this period have been re-released.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGünter Schickert\u003c\/strong\u003e only released two LPs in the 70s: \u003cem\u003eÜberfällig\u003c\/em\u003e (Sky Records, 1979 \/ Bureau B, 2012) and \u003cem\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/em\u003e (Brain, 1976). Now, exactly 50 years after its original release, \u003cem\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/em\u003e has returned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGünter Schickert\u003c\/strong\u003e used only guitars, echo devices and a modest recording technique for \u003cem\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/em\u003e. The album is a genuine DIY production – radical in every respect and not at all in keeping with the zeitgeist of the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was perhaps this radicalism that made it difficult to find a suitable record label to release the album. In any case, \u003cstrong\u003eSchickert\u003c\/strong\u003e initially self-released \u003cem\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/em\u003e in 1974 in an edition of 500 copies. It wasn't until two years later that the album was released in a much larger edition on the Brain label.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eI am sure that \u003cstrong\u003eSchickert\u003c\/strong\u003e was familiar with the minimal music of Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Philip Glass. I don't know whether he had also heard \u003cem\u003eDie grüne Reise\u003c\/em\u003e (1971) by Achim Reichel. \u003cem\u003eInventions for Electric Guitar\u003c\/em\u003e by Manuel Göttsching would not appear until 1976.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith his version of minimal music, \u003cstrong\u003eSchickert\u003c\/strong\u003e completely dispenses with electronic sound generators; neither synthesizers, sequencers nor rhythm machines can be heard on \u003cem\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/em\u003e. Instead, he enters into a dialogue with the echo device and uses it and his electric guitar to create seemingly simple, almost rudimentary repetitive patterns that only reveal their minimalist nuances on closer listening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/strong\u003e is a particularly important album because it makes it clear what was musically possible in the 70s. There is no doubt that the album is extreme, even though it is of high quality musically and technically. Yet it doesn't conform to any of the trends of the time; and that is probably also the reason why it was never commercially successful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith his two albums \u003cem\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eÜberfällig\u003c\/em\u003e, which were unjustly undervalued at the time, \u003cstrong\u003eGünter Schickert\u003c\/strong\u003e was a remarkable exception in the broad scope of experimental German pop music during the 70s. \"\u003cem\u003eSamtvogel\u003c\/em\u003e\" was a venture that succeeded, but can perhaps only be truly appreciated today, 50 years after its first release. Asmus Tietchens, 2024\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bureau B","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50382100496715,"sku":"2222118","price":29.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50382101217611,"sku":"2222121","price":32.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50382100070731,"sku":"2222104","price":19.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_4a8fd096_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726242056","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/products\/samtvogel-2","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}