DESCRIPTION:
Arcàngelo / ARC-7042 (2003)

1. Waren Wir 00:00:00
2. Peter 00:04:51
3. Strohhalm 00:07:46
4. Requiem Fur Einen Wicht 00:09:50
5. Erwachen 00:16:26
6. Wetterbericht 00:20:30
7. Traum 00:27:08

- Michael Bruchmann / drums, percussion
- Nanny DeRuig / vocals
- Christian Grumbkow / guitar
- Joachim Grumbkow / cello, acoustic guitar, flute, keyboards, mellotron
- Peter Kaseberg / bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Christoph Noppeney / violin, flute, piano
- Peter Bursch / sitar (3)
- Mike Hellbach / tablas (3)
- Walter Westrupp / flute (5)

A ravishing album, very folk, acoustic and dreamy with delicate, fragile female voices. This is their best and unique highly recommended effort they made. Celestial and floating kraut / folk music whose approach can be compared with Broselmaschine, Emtidi and others. "Waren Wir" is a magic, majectic, melancholic composition, very acoustic with desperate voices, lyrical passages and colourful "cosmic" improvisations for flute, keyboards and drums (at the end). "Peter" is a pleasant, dancing ballad for acoustic guitar and voices. An eastern flavour is sometimes added by the use of the sitar (in "Strohhalm"). We can also notice a subtle jazzy guitar touch, mainly improvised for long solo interludes. Specials guests as Walter Westrupp, Peter Bursch contribute to make this album an inspired progressive rock item with many acoustic ingredients added in a kind of fusion style. "Traum" can be highly recommended for every prog folk lovers. A very inspired effort that is hard to ignore!

This, in my opinion, underrated German progressive rock band has its roots in '63 when the brothers Joachim and Christian Grumbkow founded the rock-band The BEATKIDS and played covers from The BEATLES, The ROLLING STONES and The SHADOWS. In november '70 the brothers GRUMBKOW presented the name HÖLDERLIN (derived from a German romantic poet) after they had played with a sery of musicians mainly folk-rock covers (especially TRAFFIC), all layered with long instrumental improvisations. Then HÖLDERLIN got an invitation from a record company, this after only three months of their existence! The debut-album "Hölderlin's Traum" was released in '72 with a nine-piece line up, including female vocals and instruments like the Mellotron, Grand piano, violin, cello, sitar, tablas and flute. Their sound is a progressive blend of rock, jazz and folk. It sold 5000 copies and the LP is still a collector's item. But then the troubles began with their producer Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser (TANGERINE DREAM, KLAUS SCHULZE and WALLENSTEIN). He tried to force the band into a more cosmic approach ('LSD' inspired complained the band) and was not amused with the "more political oriented lyrics" as he analyzed.

It took almost three years with many juridical conflicts to get rid off the contract but eventually HÖLDERLIN won their case. Under the new name HOELDERLIN (in German the pronunciation of "oe" is the same as the "ö" and much easier to write or type) the second eponymous LP was released in 75. The band called their music 'romantic rock', it sounded more jazzy and it contained echoes from KING CRIMSON and GENESIS. HOELDERLIN toured through Scandinavia, Holland, Germany and Switzerland, got good reviews and radio - and tv-airplay. In '76 HOELDERLIN released the album entitled "Clowns and Clouds". The music consists of more complex rock with many theatrical and surrealistic elements. In '77 Christian had a mental breakdown, he could no longer combine the too busy work with the band and his family life (the upbringing of two children). He left and Spanish guitar player Pablo Weeber joined HOELDERLIN. In '77 they released the album "Rare Birds", a year later followed by the 2-LP "Hoelderlin Live Traumstadt". Soon after the unstable personality of Pablo led to his dismiss. "Traumstadt" got very good reviews, it even reached the German charts. Further releases were "New Faces" ('79) and "Fata Morgana" ('81), including new drummer Eduard Schicke, know from the progrock trio SCHICKE, FUHRS, FRÖHLING. These albums have a more accessible melodic rock approach.

Taken from
http://cuncunnama.blogspot.com/2014/03/holderlin-1972-holderlins-traum.html