Thursday, April 27, 2023

The Albums of 1973: Faust: Faust IV


Release Date: September 21, 1973

Members: Werner "Zappi"Diermaier (drums); Hans Joachim Irmler (organ); Jean-Herve Peron (vocals, bass); Rudolf Sosna (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Gunther Wusthoff (synthesizer, sax)

Produced by Uwe Nettlebeck

Side One: Krautrock; The Sad Skinhead; Jennifer

Side Two: Just a Second; Giggy Smile/Picnic on a Frozen River/Deuxieme Tableau; Lauft . .Heibt Das Es Lauft; Oder Es Kommt Bald . . .Lauft; It's a Bit of a Pain

Experimental German band Faust released their fourth album in 1973, appropriately titled, Faust IV

"Krautrock" opens the album with 12 minutes of drone, synth, and tape loops in a collage of electric noise. "The Sad Skinhead" is more of a pop song and a strange one that. "Jennifer" is both hypnotic and epic with its minimal lyrics (and a surreal fadeout to a Western piano). "Just a Second" is a medley of sound collages, "Giggy Smile" moves from art pop into free jazz (ends with shattering guitar solo). The one with the long German title blends together folk and closes out with a meditative synth/organ piece. "It's a Bit of a Pain" is a pretty cool song.

Faust IV must've offered a breath of fresh air in its stretching of the album. Neither indulgent (or downright cheesy) like much of prog-rock, it offered a sonic experience for the mind, ready made for repeated plays.


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