The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds Of Brain Records 1972-1979

Brain Records is regarded as one of the most important label outlets for German rock music of the 1970s, a genre generally referred to as krautrock, although the term hardly does justice to the range of styles covered by these groups and their records. The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds Of Brain Records 1972-1979 contains 8CDs and a total of 83 songs. The set is completed by a 76-page hardcover book with extensive information about the label as well as photographs and artwork; it also includes a Brain tote bag featuring their iconic logo. The collection was compiled by Mark Powell, who also provided the English liner notes. The German introduction was written by krautrock expert Andreas Dewald. Grobschnitt icon Eroc was in charge of remastering.

The first five CDs in this set are dedicated to German bands – from the Scorpions and the opening track of their debut album, “Lonesome Crow,” to Gomorrha, Sameti, Yatha Sidhra, Satin Whale, RMO, Eroc, Harmonia, Schicke Führs Fröhling, Liliental, and Anyone’s Daughter with their four-part track “Adonis,” as well as all of the acts mentioned earlier. The sixth CD contains material from international records, including tracks by Steamhammer, Spyro Gyra, Atomic Rooster, Alexis Korner & Snape, Gryphon, Dutch group Light, Locomotiv GT from Hungary, and Finish band Tasavallan Presidentti and their guitarist Jukka Tolonen.

A particular highlight of this box is the first-time release of the two “Brain Festival Essen” double albums, which first came out in 1977 and 1978 respectively, and during which the label presented its bands exclusively on a big stage and then on record: established acts such as Jane, Guru Guru, Novalis and RMO, as well as bands that were new at the time, including Gate, Message, SFF, To Be, Blonker and the Norwegian jazz rock five-piece Ruphus, which closed the event both times. These two albums mark the perfect documentary finish to an extraordinary label history which is always worth exploring.

Buy now/more info | Shop for Brain Records | Krautrock

Track listings:

CD1

1. Scorpions – Leave Me

2. Gomorrha – I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was

3. Jane – Daytime

4. Wolfgang Dauner Group – Kamasutram

5. Cluster – Plas

6. Guru Guru – Oxymoron

7. Grobschnitt – Wonderful Music

8. Os Mundi – A Question Of Decision

9. Creative Rock – Natron

10. Gash – A Young Man’s Gash, Part Two

11. Sameti – Get Up Don’t Sleep So Long

12. Cornucopia – Morning Sun (Version 127)

13. Emergency – I Know What’s Wrong

14. Guru Guru – Samantha’s Rabbit

 

CD2

1. Electric Sandwich – China

2. Embryo Feat. Jimmy Jackson – Radio Marrakesch / Orient Express

3. Lava – Tears Are Goin’ Home

4. Tangerine Dream – Circulation Of Events

5. Thirsty Moon – Big City

6. Guru Guru – The Story Of Life

7. Sperrmüll – No Freak Out

8. Novalis – Laughing

9. Curly Curve – Shitkicker

10. Harmonia – Watussi

11. Embryo – A Place To Go

 

CD3

1. Kollektiv – Rambo Zambo

2. Thirsty Moon – You’ll Never Come Back

3. Yatha Sidhra – A Meditation Mass, Part Three

4. Satin Whale – Desert Places

5. Klaus Schulze – Ways Of Changes

6. Emergency – No Compromise

7. Jane – Waiting For The Sunshine

8. Novalis – Dronsz

 

CD4

1. Grobschnitt – Solar-Music, Part One

2. Cluster – Caramba

3. Klaus Schulze – Mindphaser

4. Eroc – Des Zauberers Traum

5. Release Music Orchestra – Slapstick

6. Harmonia – Walky Talky

7. Schicke, Führs & Fröhling – Explorer

8. Emergency – No Compromise

 

CD5

1. Jane – Windows (Live)

2. Liliental – Vielharmonie

3. Gate – Frankfurt

4. Popol Vuh – Engel Der Gegenwart

5. Führs & Fröhling – Ammerland

6. Birth Control – Titanic

7. Anyone’s Daughter – Adonis, Part I: Come Away

8. Anyone’s Daughter – Adonis, Part II: The Disguise

9. Anyone’s Daughter – Adonis, Part III: Adonis

10. Anyone’s Daughter – Adonis, Part IV: Epitaph

 

CD6

1. Steamhammer – For Against

2. Tasavallan Presidentti – Lounge

3. Light – The Water

4. Alexis Korner – You Got The Power (To Turn Me On)

5. Atomic Rooster – Time Take My Life

6. Spirogyra – Island

7. Gryphon – Second Spasm

8. Jukka Tolonen – Wanderland

9. Tasavallan Presidentti – Milky Way Moses

10. Locomotiv Gt – Intuition

 

CD7

Various – Brain-Festival Essen, 1977

1. Gate – Friedrichstr. 18

2. Novalis – Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hört

3. Release Music Orchestra – Rico

4. Jane – Expectations

5. Jane – Out In The Rain

6. Message – River Field

7. Guru Guru – I’m Really Into Rock’n’roll, Man

8. Guru Guru – All We Need

9. Ruphus – Second Corner

10. Ruphus – No Deal

Various – Brain-Festival Essen II, Part I, 1978

11. Gate – Heart

12. Gate – Herrenwies

13. Führs & Fröhling – Every Land Tells A Story (Excerpt)

 

CD8

Various – Brain-Festival Essen II, Part II, 1978

1. Message – World Keeps On Turning

2. Release Music Orchestra – New Day / Meadow

3. Novalis – Astralis

4. To Be – Drei In Drei

5. To Be – Samba Für Heino Reher

6. Schicke, Führs & Fröhling – Explorer / Wizzard

7. Blonker – Mädchen

8. Blonker – Irgendwie

9. Ruphus – Joy

10. Ruphus – Inner Voice

Buy now/more info | Shop for Brain Records | Krautrock

OWM Amazon | OWM eBay | OWM Facebook | OWM Twitter