Kosmik Radiation Radio - November 4, 2011 Playlist

An Extra-Kosmik Show
post-pledge drive
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CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Nektar "Journey To The Centre Of The Eye" 1971 (UK/Germany)

Nektar is an interesting cult band from the 1970's -- though the members of the group are English, they were based out of Germany and somewhat associated with the kosmische "krautrock" scene. They toured the world and were as reknowned for their psychedelic light show as their music (their debut album credits two lighting technicians as full members of the band along with the four musicians!) Uber-trippy album covers and song titles generally make Nektar seem like a cross between the Grateful Dead and a German version of Pink Floyd, though they are really not in the same rank as either of those bands. Still, their are a lot of great moments to be found on Nektar's classic run of albums, which commenced with the Dieter Dierks-produced Journey. It is a complete concept album with all tracks running together into two side long suites; the story line as described in the liner notes pretty much reads exactly like the psychedelic climax of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (astronaut goes through trippy space warp and giant eyeballs and inner visions and stuff. It doesn't get much heavier than that!) By later albums such as Down To Earth (1974) and Recycled (1975) they developed a more refined "melodic prog" sound.
Here is a neat clip of Nektar from 1975 that shows a glimpse of their legendary light show: "Remember The Future", and here is the reunited group in Germany in 2003 playing "A Tab In The Ocean". Another band based out of Germany that tried to reach a global market was Epitaph -- their 1974 LP on the short-lived American indie label Billingsgate is a common bargain bin find to this day. But the most successful groups to come out of Germany in the 1970's began as krautrock but ended up somewhere else entirely: heavy metallers Scorpions and electro-pop pioneers Kraftwerk (both originally produced by the late, great Conny Plank). However we're not playing any of those other groups this week, though we are spinning the legendary underground electro-kraut duo Cluster.

Artist	Song	Album	Year	Country
Donovan	Cosmic Wheels	Cosmic Wheels	1973	UK (Scotland)
Solus 3	Corner Of The World	Corner Of The World (N)	2011 (Solus 3 Recordings)	UK
Stomu Yamashita (with Klaus Schulze, Steve Winwood, Al DiMeola & Michael Shrieve)	Space Song --> Carnival --> Wind Spin	Go Live From Paris	1976	Japan

Nektar	The Dream Nebula Part II --> Burn Out My Eyes --> Void Of Vision --> Pupil Of The Eye --> Look Inside Yourself --> Death Of The Mind	Journey To The Centre Of The Eye CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK	1971	UK/Germany

Cranium Pie	Drying In The Sun	Mechanism (Part 1) (N)	2011 (Regal Crabomophone)	UK
Sun Araw	Impluvium	Ancient Romans (N)	2011 (Drag City)	USA
Moon Duo	Mazes	Mazes (N)	2011 (Sacred Bones)	USA

Ash Ra Tempel	Laughter Loving	Starring Rosi	1973	Germany
NEU!	Sonderangebot --> Weisensee	NEU!	1972	Germany
Cluster	Im Süden	Cluster II	1972	Germany

Zolar X	Plutonian Elf Story	Timeless (CD compilation)	rec. 1974-80	USA
Chrome	Wings Born In The Night	Raining Milk	1983	USA
Radio Moscow	No Time	The Great Escape Of Leslie Magnafuzz (N)	2011 (Alive Natural Sound)	USA
Graveyard	Hisingen Blues	Hisingen Blues (N)	2011 (Nuclear Blast)	Sweden

Far Out (pre-Far East Family Band)	Nihonjin	Nihonjin	1973	Japan