Bachdenkel

Hailing from Birmingham, England, Bachdenkel produced only a pair of albums across their existence that stretched nearly ten years from the closing years of the 1960s through the bulk of the 1970s. Their music blended intricate progressive elements with melodic touches and robust hard rock skills. Although the group disbanded in 1977, enthusiasts later hailed them as an overlooked treasure from the psychedelic era, leading to the 2022 anthology Rise and Fall on which their studio efforts were supplemented by demos, live cuts, and other archival recordings.

The group's story started in 1967 when Colin Swinburne, serving as guitarist, vocalist, and leader, joined bassist Peter Kimberley to establish The U (Don't) No Who, also referred to at times as U No Who, alongside additional players. The arrival of drummer Brian Smith prompted the exit of all members except Kimberley and Swinburne, transforming the ensemble into Bachdenkel. Accompanied by engineer and extra musician Karel Beer, they moved to Paris and gradually shifted their style away from the pop-infused hippie psychedelia prevalent then toward a fuller progressive rock approach.

Their first record, Lemmings, captured in 1970, waited until 1973 for official issuance. Stalingrad, the follow-up, appeared in 1977 and ventured further from pop conventions into elaborate, occasionally near-symphonic progressive territory. Following that release, the band dissolved, yet subsequent generations of listeners exploring lesser-known prog and psychedelic works revived interest in their output. That renewed attention culminated in 2022 when the Grapefruit label issued Rise and Fall, gathering the two original albums together with assorted material extending back to 1967 demo sessions by U No Who.