Biography
Amon Düül originated as a German art collective whose participants began creating spontaneous psychedelic rock during the final years of the 1960s. The collective issued multiple albums drawn largely from one lengthy communal improvisation. At the same time, the commune’s more technically ambitious participants launched the enduring ensemble Amon Düül II, whose first release was the 1969 album Phallus Dei and whose later efforts included the expansive Tanz der Lemminge (1971) and the comparatively accessible Made in Germany (1975). Both projects left a lasting mark on subsequent experimental rock acts and are recognized as foundational to the Krautrock movement.
The Munich-based collective took shape in 1967 with bassist Ulrich Leopold, his drumming brother Peter Leopold, and guitarist Rainer Bauer among its core. After an initial basic-lineup session that year, an expanded roster captured a marathon improvisation in 1968 or 1969 that later supplied the bulk of the group’s catalog. Psychedelic Underground and Collapsing: Singvögel Rückwärts & Co. appeared in 1969 and were subsequently reissued under numerous alternate titles. A 1970 session yielded the more cohesive, folk-tinged Paradieswärts Düül, which surfaced the next year. Two further documents from the original session—Disaster (Lüüd Noma) in 1972 and Experimente in 1984—were also eventually released.
Although membership in both the commune and Amon Düül remained fluid, several participants with stronger compositional goals chose to establish a distinct rock unit under the name Amon Düül II, seeing no need to contest rights to the original moniker. John Weinzierl, Chris Karrer, and Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz guided the new group, which unveiled its striking debut with Phallus Dei (1969). The double album Yeti followed in 1970, its cover featuring one of the band’s roadies.
Another two-record set, Tanz der Lemminge (“Dance of the Lemmings”), arrived in 1971 and is widely viewed as the cornerstone of the Amon Düül II discography. The album freely blended straightforward rock, extended improvisation, and science-fiction motifs while maintaining a buoyant spirit that masked the rigor of its experimental underpinnings. The band sustained this approach for several years, issuing well-regarded works that nevertheless met with only modest commercial response. Made in Germany (1975), issued in both double- and single-LP editions, represented an attempt at broader appeal that failed to register with listeners. Persistent lack of mainstream traction eventually prompted a return to experimental territory, though not before the central lineup entered a period of inactivity.
John Weinzierl later formed a separate offshoot that retained the original name (also known as Amon Düül UK and, occasionally, Amon Düül III), recording intermittently through the 1970s and 1980s. Working with former Hawkwind member Dave Anderson, Weinzierl produced five albums (one of them the compilation Airs on a Shoestring, which incorporated extra material), drawing additional musicians from Britain’s progressive and psychedelic circles. For Die Lösung, Weinzierl and Anderson collaborated with the late Robert Calvert and drummer Guy Evans.
Amon Düül II resurfaced in the 1990s with remixes, new material, Live in Tokyo, and the benefit album Kobe (Reconstruction), which revisited pieces from 1969–1971. Members have remained active in solo and group projects. EastWest Records Germany issued a four-CD retrospective box set in 1997. Renewed interest in Krautrock during the decade led to the reappearance of Wolf City, Yeti, and Viva la Trance in 1999. A 2010 reunion recording was first self-released digitally as Bee as Such and later received a full release by Purple Pyramid under the title Düülirium in 2014.
The Munich-based collective took shape in 1967 with bassist Ulrich Leopold, his drumming brother Peter Leopold, and guitarist Rainer Bauer among its core. After an initial basic-lineup session that year, an expanded roster captured a marathon improvisation in 1968 or 1969 that later supplied the bulk of the group’s catalog. Psychedelic Underground and Collapsing: Singvögel Rückwärts & Co. appeared in 1969 and were subsequently reissued under numerous alternate titles. A 1970 session yielded the more cohesive, folk-tinged Paradieswärts Düül, which surfaced the next year. Two further documents from the original session—Disaster (Lüüd Noma) in 1972 and Experimente in 1984—were also eventually released.
Although membership in both the commune and Amon Düül remained fluid, several participants with stronger compositional goals chose to establish a distinct rock unit under the name Amon Düül II, seeing no need to contest rights to the original moniker. John Weinzierl, Chris Karrer, and Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz guided the new group, which unveiled its striking debut with Phallus Dei (1969). The double album Yeti followed in 1970, its cover featuring one of the band’s roadies.
Another two-record set, Tanz der Lemminge (“Dance of the Lemmings”), arrived in 1971 and is widely viewed as the cornerstone of the Amon Düül II discography. The album freely blended straightforward rock, extended improvisation, and science-fiction motifs while maintaining a buoyant spirit that masked the rigor of its experimental underpinnings. The band sustained this approach for several years, issuing well-regarded works that nevertheless met with only modest commercial response. Made in Germany (1975), issued in both double- and single-LP editions, represented an attempt at broader appeal that failed to register with listeners. Persistent lack of mainstream traction eventually prompted a return to experimental territory, though not before the central lineup entered a period of inactivity.
John Weinzierl later formed a separate offshoot that retained the original name (also known as Amon Düül UK and, occasionally, Amon Düül III), recording intermittently through the 1970s and 1980s. Working with former Hawkwind member Dave Anderson, Weinzierl produced five albums (one of them the compilation Airs on a Shoestring, which incorporated extra material), drawing additional musicians from Britain’s progressive and psychedelic circles. For Die Lösung, Weinzierl and Anderson collaborated with the late Robert Calvert and drummer Guy Evans.
Amon Düül II resurfaced in the 1990s with remixes, new material, Live in Tokyo, and the benefit album Kobe (Reconstruction), which revisited pieces from 1969–1971. Members have remained active in solo and group projects. EastWest Records Germany issued a four-CD retrospective box set in 1997. Renewed interest in Krautrock during the decade led to the reappearance of Wolf City, Yeti, and Viva la Trance in 1999. A 2010 reunion recording was first self-released digitally as Bee as Such and later received a full release by Purple Pyramid under the title Düülirium in 2014.
Albums
