Ash Ra Tempel
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| Ash Ra Tempel | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Berlin, Germany |
| Genres | Krautrock Space rock Psychedelic rock Ambient |
| Years active | 1970–1976 2000–2001 |
| Labels | Ohr Virgin Komische King Cleopatra Spalax |
| Associated acts | Ashra Eruption Klaus Schulze The Cosmic Jokers Bettina Hohls Timothy Leary Agitation Free Wallenstein |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | Manuel Göttsching Klaus Schulze |
| Past members | Hartmut Enke Timothy Leary Rosi Mueller Lutz Ulbrich |
Ash Ra Tempel are a German krautrock group of the 1970s, and are an example of cosmic or ambient space rock.
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History [edit]
The group was originally founded by guitarist Manuel Göttsching, keyboardist/drummer Klaus Schulze, and bassist Hartmut Enke in 1971. All three founding members had previously played together as part of the short-lived group Eruption founded by Conrad Schnitzler. Prior to that Schnitzler and Schulze had worked together in Tangerine Dream.
A short-lived project Manuel Göttsching had in 1970 was the Steeple Chase Blues Band, which also included Hartmut Enke, Wolfgang Müller, and Volker Zibell.
Ash Ra Tempel released its self-titled debut album in June 1971. This release is considered by critics to be a classic of the genre; Schulze temporarily departed for a solo career shortly after its release. Schwingungen (1972), Seven Up (with Timothy Leary) (1972), and Join Inn (1973) are all considered key works from the band. The pop-oriented 1973 album Starring Rosi was thus named because it featured lead vocals by Rosi Mueller.
Their music is widely characterized as cosmic and atmospheric. The early albums were more psychedelic-oriented and all had one lengthy track per side: one more powerful and dramatic, the other of a more atmospheric nature. Instead of writing English lyrics, since German language was not popular in rock music at the time, Ash Ra Tempel more or less decided not to have lyrics in their songs.[1]
A reunion concert performance with the original line-up took place in Cologne on February 28th, 1973.[2]
Later, after recording the soundtrack Le Berceau de Cristal (1975; unreleased until 1993) Ash Ra Tempel shortened its name to Ashra, making a more melodic, synthesizer-based music. In 2000 the band was reunited in the line up of Manuel Gottsching and Klaus Schulze. The pair had previously worked together on Schulze's album In Blue.
Influence [edit]
Ash Ra Tempel has exerted a relatively large influence on later space rock and krautrock bands. The psychedelic bands Acid Mothers Temple and Hash Jar Tempo named themselves in reference to Ash Ra Tempel.
Discography [edit]
Studio albums [edit]
- Ash Ra Tempel (1971)
- Schwingungen (1972)
- Seven Up (1972, with Timothy Leary)
- Join Inn (1973)
- Starring Rosi (1973)
- Le Berceau de Cristal (soundtrack) (1975)
- New Age of Earth (1976) (by Ashra)
- Blackouts (1977) (by Ashra)
- Correlations (1979) (by Ashra)
- Belle Alliance (1980) (by Ashra)
- Walkin' the Desert (1989) (by Ashra)
- Tropical Heat (1991) (by Ashra)
- Friendship (2000, with Klaus Schulze)
Live album [edit]
- Gin Rosé: at the Royal Festival Hall (2000, live album)
Compilations [edit]
- The Best of the Private Tapes 2xCD (1998) (rare demo recordings)
- Schwingungen/ Seven Up (1998) (Two original LP's on one CD)
- Join Inn/ Starring Rosi (1998) (Two original LP's on one CD)
References [edit]
- ^ "Ashra - The Official Website". Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ The Making of 7-Up
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Unsung: Ash Ra Tempel
- Myspace
- The Making Of Seven Up from April 2003 issue of Mojo magazine:
- "Ash Ra Tempel". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
