FEATURED ALBUM: Grobschnitt - Jumbo

[Poisoned Youth]

Over 40 years since the release of Jumbo, how does this album hold up along the rest of Grobschnitt's catalog and German 70s prog as a whole?




Review at ProgArchives

What comes next after Solar Music ? Well another very good "Grobschnitt" album!

The extravaganza of the band is still present and it is combined with such great and beautiful symphonic music. One of the central pieces of this album is the magnificent "The Excursion of Father". A devastating, flamboyant and sophisticated song. Sublime guitar work and fantastic drumming (as usual ?). I guess that a band like TFK must have heard this great song.My second fave from this album and a highlight.

"The Clown" is also a very pleasant and melodic song. A wonderful symbiosis amongst the whole band. The sustained beat is so powerful. It really transports the vocals to another high.Deadly, but very short guitar riffs adds such a great touch. Even delicate at times.

"Dream & Reality" features complex vocals and perfect harmonies during the chorus. It reminds me of "10CC" at times but the instrumental are fully "Grobschnitt", don't worry.

The spacey mood of their fabulous "Solar Music" is back for the longest number of this short album : "Sunny Sunday's Sunset" is rather hypnotic. The guitar work during the intro is not alien to the one of Fripp, but less powerful. This song is a superb balance between the most melodic and quiet vocals and the most grandiose keyboards parts you could think of.

During certain moments, it is very emotional and , yes. I like it an awful lot. Probably the sweetest "Grobschnitt" number so far. A symphonic orgy which culminates at the highest levels during the bombastic and frenetic finale.

For the first time so far, I like a "Grobschnitt" album from start to finish. The last short track highlights again their fantastic sense of humour. During "Auf Wiedersehn", the band is saying hello to the listener in a similar and irresistible way that they were greeting their fans during "Sahara" on their previous effort.

Four stars. - ZowieZiggy

[battema]

I have the CD with both language versions...I prefer the German version overall.

Vater Schmidt's Wandertag is a favorite of mine. I put on the Solar Box DVD over the weekend and had to stop and really enjoy their run-through of this tune at the start of the set

[Rarebird]

What is there not to like on Grobschnitt?
I have the German version of this album on vinyl, a CD-edition with both the English language version and the German version + one bonus-track and both versions on seperate CD's with bonus-tracks in the box-set.

[alucard]

Grobschnitt was a great live band with shows lasting up to 4 hours with lots of visual elements, jokes and interaction with the audience (this part obviously hard to understand for a non German speaking audience and the main reason they never toured outside of Germany)
Their studio records never reflected their live shows and the live records missed the visual element . The double studio LP Ballermann tried to represent the live show with the cover depicting the band on stage , the first record reflected the first half of the show , especially the track Sahara , which was the intro to the Sahara show where the band members came on stage dressed as beduins The second record presented the second half of their show their big show piece Solar Music.
Jumbo was mainly conceived in the studio and even so the band played some of thd tracks live they weren't part of any conceptual stage element and apart from the short funny in and outros more "serious " music. The cover was a famous cover of the GermanTV Magazine Hör Zu and was the first price of a readers contest which gave a good overview of German popular culture.
Grobschnitt was one of the bands I saw often in concert when I was still in school . They played a lot in school auditoriums and I was a bit disappointed by Jumbo when it was released compared to Ballermann, I like the melodic side of the record but the lyrics are very generic and not very interesting . I found the other day a couple of 80s Grobschnitt records on sale and even so they aren't prog anymore the lyrics got really better and I can understand that Erocs favourite record is Razzia.

[Rarebird]

Grobschnitt was a great live band with shows lasting up to 4 hours with lots of visual elements, jokes and interaction with the audience (this part obviously hard to understand for a non German speaking audience and the main reason they never toured outside of Germany)
Their studio records never reflected their live shows and the live records missed the visual element . The double studio LP Ballermann tried to represent the live show with the cover depicting the band on stage , the first record reflected the first half of the show , especially the track Sahara , which was the intro to the Sahara show where the band members came on stage dressed as beduins The second record presented the second half of their show their big show piece Solar Music.
Jumbo was mainly conceived in the studio and even so the band played some of thd tracks live they weren't part of any conceptual stage element and apart from the short funny in and outros more "serious " music. The cover was a famous cover of the GermanTV Magazine Hör Zu and was the first price of a readers contest which gave a good overview of German popular culture.
Grobschnitt was one of the bands I saw often in concert when I was still in school . They played a lot in school auditoriums and I was a bit disappointed by Jumbo when it was released compared to Ballermann, I like the melodic side of the record but the lyrics are very generic and not very interesting . I found the other day a couple of 80s Grobschnitt records on sale and even so they aren't prog anymore the lyrics got really better and I can understand that Erocs favourite record is Razzia.

To be fair I don't always listen to the lyrics. Some lyrics on Merry-Go-Round are funny and the same can be said for Illegal and Razzia. I prefer Razzia over Illegal.

[TheH]

I always feel the strange need to:

Drink a Wickühler Pilsener and smoke a HB cigarette.
Have some Milka and Sarotti Chocolade afterwards.
Clean my cloth with Ariel my kitchen with Meister Proper
and wash my hair with Schwarzkopf.
And of course a sip of Klosterfrau Melisengeist before I go to bed.

when I hear that album.

[alucard]

I always feel the strange need to:

Drink a Wickühler Pilsener and smoke a HB cigarette.
Have some Milka and Sarotti Chocolade afterwards.
Clean my cloth with Ariel my kitchen with Meister Proper
and wash my hair with Schwarzkopf.
And of course a sip of Klosterfrau Melisengeist before I go to bed.

when I hear that album.

Not To forget to eat some pickles from Miss Kühne :-)

[TheH]

Not To forget to eat some pickles from Miss Kühne :-)

Only if Tilly from Palmolive helps me to wash the dishes afterwards

And Tim & Bello will help me cleaning the floor
with Dual.

After that a fine sip of Leibwächter Liquor will help,
or a Jägermeister?

And will I now get sued by all the companies which
commercials I just don't remember anymore?

[soundsweird]

I also have the CD with the German/English versions. Prefer the German version, because I'm not a big fan of the vocalist and it's easier to take him in German; he's just not right for the proggy music. Wish Eroc had done some lead vocals. BTW, his first two solo albums are great.

[yesstiles]

A favorite of mine. I prefer the English version I guess....German is not the nicest language to sing in.

I adore Lupo's guitar work throughout "The Excursion of Father Smith." Side 1 in particular is just very strong.

[Rael]

A good album, but my favorite studio Grobschnitt has always been the debut. To me, Jumbo always sounded like a bit of a runner up to Rockpommel's Land, which I think is a much better album over all.

[alucard]

A favorite of mine. I prefer the English version I guess....German is not the nicest language to sing in.
.

Don't mention this to Mozart , Schubert , Wagner , Schönberg, Weill or Dagmar Krause.
:-)

[alucard]

Only if Tilly from Palmolive helps me to wash the dishes afterwards

And Tim & Bello will help me cleaning the floor
with Dual.

After that a fine sip of Leibwächter Liquor will help,
or a Jägermeister?

And will I now get sued by all the companies which
commercials I just don't remember anymore?

I found one more 'Henkel Trocken', sparkling wine. Do you remember the couple in the rear of the plane ?

[Rarebird]

A favorite of mine. I prefer the English version I guess....German is not the nicest language to sing in.

I adore Lupo's guitar work throughout "The Excursion of Father Smith." Side 1 in particular is just very strong.

Considering German is the second language in my collection, including some German dialects, I don't agree with your opinion on German language

[Trane]

my least-fave of their pre-SML albums, along with Rockpommel

Both are too much in the Genesis-Yes camp for me, especially after the great debut album and the upcoming historical SM Live

[Zappathustra]

A very original, inventive, honest band and an excellent record. In all the seriousness and pretentiousness of symphonic-prog, they were the exception to bring to the music humor and a certain lightness of spirit. Respect for that - and even more respect considering their German origin and all the grand, serious, romantic musical tradition behind them.

But what is more important is that they did not set out to play prog, or copy the already established bands of the genre: they reached to prog via their own way, as the most suitable musical form of expression at the given time. Similar to bands like Man or Nektar. Which is the "true" progressive way.

And it shows, in this beautiful record.

[TheH]

I found one more 'Henkel Trocken', sparkling wine. Do you remember the couple in the rear of the plane ?

Other ones:

Blue collar guy with cap is Ajax and Blue Elephant is "X-Tra"

No idea about the couple although he looks awfully familar.

still have to remember:
Eskimo
Chicken
Viking Guy with bottle
Guy with googles
Fat red king
Guy with yellow Ribbon
Bonbon with white head (P.S. Dr. Oetker Brand logo)
and of course the couple

[alucard]

Other ones:

Blue collar guy with cap is Ajax and Blue Elephant is "X-Tra"

No idea about the couple although he looks awfully familar.

still have to remember:
Eskimo
Chicken
Viking Guy with bottle
Guy with googles
Fat red king
Guy with yellow Ribbon
Bonbon with white head (P.S. Dr. Oetker Brand logo)
and of course the couple

The viking holds a bottle of aquavit like Bommerlunder. I remember the shape and colour of the bottle but not the brand.

[TheH]

The viking holds a bottle of aquavit like Bommerlunder. I remember the shape and colour of the bottle but not the brand.

It's is a bottle made of stone ware so it is most likely a Steinhäger or Schinkenhäger. There where very many Brands of those...

[Skeptrick]

the German version is my favorite studio album of theirs.

[Scrotum Scissor]

German is not the nicest language to sing in.

German is one of the nicest languages to "sing in". It's an inherently poetic and lyric tongue, sufficiently versatile to carry all imaginable sentiment, and traditionalized through centuries of written, spoken and sung word.

I was never a fan of Grobscnitt's lyrics as such, but the German rendition of Jumbo far outbeats the English one. I only wish they'd done 'pommel in German too.

[Progbear]

This used to be my favorite of their studio albums. It’s somewhat been superseded by Rockpommels Land, which I rather resisted for a long time. One of those albums that took me a long time to see the greatness. I still really like this album, in any language. The high point for me is probably “Sonntags Sonnabend.” Eroc’s electronic effects at the start are a really great moment; he always was this band’s “secret weapon.”

I was never a fan of Grobscnitt's lyrics as such, but the German rendition of Jumbo far outbeats the English one. I only wish they'd done 'pommel in German too.

It’s rather frustrating that the lyrics to Rockpommels Land are entirely in English, yet the story is only in German. At least with Kinder + Narren, it makes sense for both story and lyrics to be in German, even if that album sucks catfish eggs.

[yesstiles]

German is one of the nicest languages to "sing in". It's an inherently poetic and lyric tongue, sufficiently versatile to carry all imaginable sentiment, and traditionalized through centuries of written, spoken and sung word.

I was never a fan of Grobscnitt's lyrics as such, but the German rendition of Jumbo far outbeats the English one. I only wish they'd done 'pommel in German too.

I far prefer the PFM and Banco Italian-language albums over their crappy English-language counterparts, but for Jumbo the English sounds better to me.

[Progbear]

I far prefer the PFM and Banco Italian-language albums over their crappy English-language counterparts, but for Jumbo the English sounds better to me.

With PFM, obviously the Italian-language albums are superior. I especially object to the poor remix on Photos of Ghosts.

Banco’s first English album (the one with the nude Francesco and the old shoe on the cover) is a bit of a complicated beast. Most of the remixed/remade tracks on the B-side are worthless if you have the originals. But I love the A-side all the way through. Two new tracks, plus what I consider to be the definitive version of “Metamorfosi.” Gianni Nocenzi’s piano cadenza is one of the most heavenly pieces of Banco music ever. Still haven’t heard As in a Last Supper, and am not sure I really need to, since I have already owned the Italian version for some time.

It’s more “push” with regards to Jumbo. I’d probably give the edge to the German version because, even though my German is really rusty, it feels “wackier,” and that’s kind of in tone with about half of the album. A pity that Russian version never materialized.

[Zappathustra]

It’s more “push” with regards to Jumbo. I’d probably give the edge to the German version because, even though my German is really rusty, it feels “wackier,” and that’s kind of in tone with about half of the album.

Yes