Jane: What In God's Name Happened?

[spiderfeathers]

Very surprised about the dislike of III and Lady. I think they are a great band throughout the 70's and especially like Fire, Water, Earth & Air.

One of my favorite Jane songs is from Lady:

So, So Long

[Trane]

Early 80s Wallenstein, Mythos and Triumvirat aren't exactly slouches either in that regard.

7I'd even say that the mid to later-70's started stinking for many of these German groups... Novalis, Eloy, Holderlin, Birth Control and even Grobschnitt were not nearly as good (though the latter did have the amazing SML album, but that music was written in 72/3). Germany wasn't escaping the late-70's syndrome of English prog.

[TheH]

Novalis, Eloy, Holderlin, Birth Control and even Grobschnitt were not nearly as good

Really? Don't think so, maybe a matter of taste. I think Eloy had their best run from the late 70s to the early 80s.
I can't see anything wrong with the Albums from Grobschnitt from that time (only their last two stink).

Novalis where also still great (Vielleicht bis Du ein Clown), and Anyone's Daughter just got startet in '79.

[Trane]

Really? Don't think so, maybe a matter of taste. I think Eloy had their best run from the late 70s to the early 80s.
I can't see anything wrong with the Albums from Grobschnitt from that time (only their last two stink).

Novalis where also still great (Vielleicht bis Du ein Clown), and Anyone's Daughter just got startet in '79.

colours & tastes, as you say...
Funny thing is that Grobschnitt started with their own sound on the first two albums, then grew derivative (Gen & Yes) for their next two.

as for AD, it was never my cuppa.

[ashratom]

I have a bit of a different perspective than Jeff's on III (and Lady too, though I have no notes to share).

My notes on Jane III first:

Hanover's finest come back with their 3rd album, a marked changed from the blues rock of Here We Are and further from the Krautrock sounds of the debut. Keyboards were a big part of Jane's early day (and latter day) music, and with those out of the way, the band got down to a straightforward hard rock style. Like their neighbors, the Scorpions, Jane was gobbled up for international release - including the USA. Jane got a slot on Capitol while the Scorpions found themselves on RCA. Well we know who won that battle, now don't we? Even still, their albums aren't that far apart in terms of general mindset. With Uli Roth on board, the Scorpions did not let go of their psychedelic past for many years. And the same can be said for Jane here, and tracks like 'Comin' Again', and the first three songs on Side 2 are all winners that point out that, yes, Jane are a Krautrock band indeed. The music is still drenched in psychedelics and phasing, and there's much to enjoy here. Given that they got booted off the US roster in one year, Jane began to look toward Pink Floyd for inspiration going forward. So an interesting one-off experiment from Jane, whose 15 minutes of fame in the US were used up. A good hard rock album on the whole, but often times misunderstood given Jane's progressive rock pedigree.

And now here's my notes for Together, where I do align with Jeff (and others):

When the Hamburg based Brain first launched their famous green label, they reached a bit south to Hanover for the two bands they thought were ready to make it to the big time: Scorpions and Jane. They proved to be right on both. Jane enjoyed popularity back home and in Europe, while the Scorpions slowly built up an international audience, especially in the US and Japan. The Scorps began to distance themselves in the late 70s, and then became global superstars in the 80s. Jane meanwhile kept slumbering along, forgotten by everyone except within the comforts of Germany.

But in 1972, both bands were completely different than where they ended up. Lonesome Crow is one of the finest of the Krautrock works, an album that still manages to stick out amongst the crowded genre. Jane's entry is a bit more typical of the 1972 landscape. More blues based, with heavy organ (the one key era instrument the Scorpions somehow managed to avoid), guitars, and lost desperate vocals in English. The album is broken up into two styles across its length: Short blues tracks juxtaposed against longer, more traditional jam based Krautrock. It's the latter element that shines, and a style that Jane more or less abandoned altogether afterward (once again, similar to the Scorpions). For my tastes, Together is Jane's finest moment, even though I enjoy all of their albums through 1977 or so.

If you're a Krautrock fan, and the albums of Jane have left you disappointed, then be sure to listen to Together before giving up on them.

[JeffCarney]

Can anyone maybe comment about which is the best version of Jane's records on cd ?
I know of old "Repertoire" and now maybe "SPV", or am I wrong ?

The albums released on Brain sound wonderful (Together, FWE&A, Live At Home). The rest have not been done well on CD, IMO, and are far better experienced on vinyl.

[JeffCarney]

I have a bit of a different perspective than Jeff's on III (and Lady too, though I have no notes to share).

My notes on Jane III first:

Hanover's finest come back with their 3rd album, a marked changed from the blues rock of Here We Are and further from the Krautrock sounds of the debut. Keyboards were a big part of Jane's early day (and latter day) music, and with those out of the way, the band got down to a straightforward hard rock style. Like their neighbors, the Scorpions, Jane was gobbled up for international release - including the USA. Jane got a slot on Capitol while the Scorpions found themselves on RCA. Well we know who won that battle, now don't we? Even still, their albums aren't that far apart in terms of general mindset. With Uli Roth on board, the Scorpions did not let go of their psychedelic past for many years. And the same can be said for Jane here, and tracks like 'Comin' Again', and the first three songs on Side 2 are all winners that point out that, yes, Jane are a Krautrock band indeed. The music is still drenched in psychedelics and phasing, and there's much to enjoy here. Given that they got booted off the US roster in one year, Jane began to look toward Pink Floyd for inspiration going forward. So an interesting one-off experiment from Jane, whose 15 minutes of fame in the US were used up. A good hard rock album on the whole, but often times misunderstood given Jane's progressive rock pedigree.

And now here's my notes for Together, where I do align with Jeff (and others):

When the Hamburg based Brain first launched their famous green label, they reached a bit south to Hanover for the two bands they thought were ready to make it to the big time: Scorpions and Jane. They proved to be right on both. Jane enjoyed popularity back home and in Europe, while the Scorpions slowly built up an international audience, especially in the US and Japan. The Scorps began to distance themselves in the late 70s, and then became global superstars in the 80s. Jane meanwhile kept slumbering along, forgotten by everyone except within the comforts of Germany.

But in 1972, both bands were completely different than where they ended up. Lonesome Crow is one of the finest of the Krautrock works, an album that still manages to stick out amongst the crowded genre. Jane's entry is a bit more typical of the 1972 landscape. More blues based, with heavy organ (the one key era instrument the Scorpions somehow managed to avoid), guitars, and lost desperate vocals in English. The album is broken up into two styles across its length: Short blues tracks juxtaposed against longer, more traditional jam based Krautrock. It's the latter element that shines, and a style that Jane more or less abandoned altogether afterward (once again, similar to the Scorpions). For my tastes, Together is Jane's finest moment, even though I enjoy all of their albums through 1977 or so.

If you're a Krautrock fan, and the albums of Jane have left you disappointed, then be sure to listen to Together before giving up on them.

Good stuff, Tom.

I'd only recommend a revisit to Here We Are. That album is really loaded with ideas given that aside from Panka the band was somewhat limited in a technical sense. From the sludgy, jammin' groove of "Redskin" to the downer symph-prog of "In The Rain" and even what I'd call almost a form of "space rock" in "Moving" and the title track, this album really showed a band capable of making a lot of ideas work within a distinct musical identity. And man, some of the organ tones ... WOW!

OTOH, I think Jane III kinds of makes their limitations as musicians (again, sans Panka of course) and straight rock songwriters apparent. It's not "bad" by any stretch, but if taken by a true comparison and matched up with similar ventures within the international scene, it's patently average. And a real downgrade to where they were headed, IMO. Not surprisingly the album went nowhere in the US, and frankly it was a major mistake by Capitol to market the album as their debut US release, IMO. Either of the first two records might have seen them at least get a chance to do something in the US. Jane III just does not have enough meat on the bones.

[ashratom]

Good stuff, Tom.

I'd only recommend a revisit to Here We Are. That album is really loaded with ideas given that aside from Panka the band was somewhat limited in a technical sense. From the sludgy, jammin' groove of "Redskin" to the downer symph-prog of "In The Rain" and even what I'd call almost a form of "space rock" in "Moving" and the title track, this album really showed a band capable of making a lot of ideas work within a distinct musical identity. And man, some of the organ tones ... WOW!

OTOH, I think Jane III kinds of makes their limitations as musicians (again, sans Panka of course) and straight rock songwriters apparent. It's not "bad" by any stretch, but if taken by a true comparison and matched up with similar ventures within the international scene, it's patently average. And a real downgrade to where they were headed, IMO. Not surprisingly the album went nowhere in the US, and frankly it was a major mistake by Capitol to market the album as their debut US release, IMO. Either of the first two records might have seen them at least get a chance to do something in the US. Jane III just does not have enough meat on the bones.

Thanks Jeff for the comments. I do have Here We Are on vinyl (true green Brain Metronome original at that), and it's been a long while since I heard. I recall 'Redskin' being in the Krautrock vein and the others more towards blues rock, but I need to give it a new thorough listen, and also have no notes to reference.

And no doubt Capitol completely blew it with III. We've been talking about Capitol a lot lately here with the Flight albums. And you think about Ethos too. I mean, jeez, this had to be the label that the HBO show (dumb as it was) Vinyl was emulating. Drugs... and more drugs. And then some drugs.

[Progbear]

I did think that Fire, Water, Earth & Air was a real return to form for Jane. I wouldn’t precisely say “it was all downhill from there,” the Live *at home* disc is worthwhile, and the studio albums up to Age of Madness had their moments, though you could probably be better-served by a homemade compilation of the best bits.

[spacefreak]

I think that Jane is an overrated band, mostly due to the excellent debut album i.m.o.

[strawberrybrick]

"Superman cool again easy" ... they had a way with the words!

[JeffCarney]

"Superman cool again easy" ... they had a way with the words!

I'm drawing a blank on that line.

On "All My Friends" I hear:

All my friends
Cool again
Easy

[TheH]

I'm drawing a blank on that line.

On "All My Friends" I hear:

All my friends
Cool again
Easy

The Studio Version and the live Version on "Live at Home" have different lyrics (some other Songs two)

[strawberrybrick]

I'm drawing a blank on that line.

On "All My Friends" I hear:

All my friends
Cool again
Easy

Air (Superman)

[JeffCarney]

Air (Superman)

Right you are.

Forgot about the FWE&E track.

[Progbear]

Listened to Between Heaven & Hell again. There’s some interesting experimentation going on on that album, what with the ambient synth* and choir on the title track, and the harp on “Voice in the Wind.”

For some reason, Side 2 seems squashed on my copy, to the point that there’s an abrupt ending to “Your Circle.” Is it just mine? Why did they press it like that?

*Manfred Wieczorke, by this point, had really warmed up to synthesizers. It seemed to take him a while, considering how tentative he was with synths on Power & the Passion.

[TheH]

R.I.P Charly Maucher

[yesstiles]

The only good versions on cd of "Here We Are" and "Heaven and Hell" are the old Germanofon releases that came first. Incredibly hard to find though.

[Trane]

I think that Jane is an overrated band, mostly due to the excellent debut album i.m.o.

Yup, they never bettered that, or even equalled it.

R.I.P Charly Maucher

ouch!! RIP

[GuitarGeek]

Unfortunately, his vocals are absolutely woeful. I understand singing and drumming at the same time is, like, hard and some junk, but seriously, Peter Panka (R.I.P.) was the best vocalist the band ever had, and had been a faithful member up until his sad death. Why would they ever let anyone else sing? Especially since some of the other people they selected as vocalists (I’m thinking Charly Maucher, Klaus Hess and Martin Hesse in particular here) were just ghastly!

Kinda like Uli Jon Roth era Scorpions. They let Herr Uli sing at least one song on each of the albums he played on, and I never understood why, as he has the most ghastly voice ever. I can understand him singing on the Electric Sun album, because that was "his" band, or maybe he couldn't find a singer he liked or whatever. But when you've got someone like Klaus Meine in your band, the only lead singer ever should be Herr Klaus.