Biography
Emerging briefly amid the underground scene, Xhol Caravan ranked among the first Krautrock ensembles, their singular merger of jazz and rock foreshadowing the trajectory later pursued by Embryo, Out of Focus, Missus Beastly, Thirst Moon, Ikarus, Kraan, Vita Nova, Manju, and myriad other German bands across the 1970s. Saxophonists Tim Belbe and Hansi Fischer established the outfit in 1967, initially operating under the moniker Soul Caravan. A Motown-influenced bassist joined forces with two African-American vocalists, James Rhodes and Ronny Swinton, enabling the ensemble to deliver capable yet traditional R&B and soul material that included renditions of Sam & Dave numbers. Later that year CBS issued their recording Get in High. Following multiple personnel shifts by 1968, the music evolved into a distinctive amalgam of psychedelic and progressive rock with free jazz, drawing from an array of sources such as the Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, Vanilla Fudge, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Albert Ayler, and Peter Brötzmann. The lineup eventually stabilized around Belbe, Fischer, Rhodes, Klaus Briest on bass, Skip Vanwych on drums, and Ocki Brevert on organ. During a rendition of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," guitarist Werner Funk appeared onstage with the group and remained until the following year. Their concerts typically featured extended free-form jams marked by experimentation, improvisation, and a strongly drug-influenced atmosphere. In early 1969 the name became Xhol Caravan for the purpose of issuing the single "Planet Earth"/"So Down" on the Hansa label. Later that year, after Funk and Rhodes had exited, the band put out the strange and excellent LP Electrip on Hansa, an early entry in the Krautrock catalog. At the time Xhol Caravan enjoyed considerable popularity, maintaining a busy schedule of gigs and festival appearances while also performing live on WDR Radio and on television alongside Frank Zappa, Tangerine Dream, and Amon Düül II. Before the year concluded Fischer departed, prompting the group to shorten its name to Xhol in order to sidestep confusion with the British band Caravan. Additional studio and live recordings were made that year, yet none surfaced until the group secured a deal with the legendary Ohr Records. In 1971 Ohr brought out the LP Hau-Ruck, drawn from live jams captured in early July 1970. The following year the label released Motherfuckers GMBH & Co KG, which contained both live and studio tracks also dating from 1970. Around this period Xhol disbanded. In 2001 United Dairies issued Motherfuckers Live, a two-CD collection of live Xhol material from 1968—still under the Soul Caravan name and featuring James Rhodes on vocals—and from 1969, when the group performed as an instrumental four-piece.
Albums