Featured album : Parzival - Legend

[Trane]

parzival.jpg

Songs / Tracks Listing
1. One Day (3:37) (bonus track from 72 single)
2. Marshy Legend (2:20)
3. Resignation (2:53)
4. 8 Years Later (4:40)
5. Senseless No. 6 (4:54)
6. Wall Bungalow (2:40)
7. Empty Land (5:12)
8. Groove Inside (16:00)
9. Change Your Mind (2:04) (bonus track rough demo 69)
10. Sarah Girl (1:58) ) (bonus track rough demo 69)

Total Time: 46:18
Line-up / Musicians
- Lothar Siems / guitar & vocals
- Walter Quintus / violin, bass, organ & piano
- Thomas Olivier / drums, vocals & percussion
- Matthias Müller-Menckens / flute & piano
- Joachim Reichhold / cello
- Hans Jaspers / viola
Releases information
Telefunken 3984-23108-2


here is what Philippe Blache had to say about it on ProgArchives

This album combines the use of plenty traditional, acoustic instruments (violin,viola, flute) in a deeply middle age atmosphere. It isn't acid /psych folk music as the compositions offered by other germans as Emtidi, Carol Of Harvest but it is very closed to Ougenweide and their Pagan, traditional folk. The result can (mentaly) lead you to have the feeling that you go back to the past. Each track of the album has its very special mood, sometimes written in a plaintive tone (the delicious Wall Bungalow accompagned fo the piano, the pastoral song Empty land), epic (Marshy legend), dark & melodic. Despite that the instrumentation is essentialy acoustic and the "roots" are in traditionnal folk music, a few rock ingredients are mixed with the ensemble, creating original musical sequences and progressive harmonies. This album is not at all basic folk music and really defines what prog folk is. Moreover it is made in a very emotional mood, the musical qualities are always present in favor of fixing the attention of the listener. A deep musical journey in the past! It can easily be conceived as the legendary adentures of Parzival put into music!

http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=36862

[Rarebird]

Played this album a few days ago. Bought it in a box named Krautrok Original Album Series. Other albums in that box were:
Message - s/t
La Düsseldorf - Viva
Asterix - s/t
Gift - s/t

[Scrotum Scissor]

I like this one, despite the sometimes obvious or even overt anachronism at play.

Perhaps not as refined as some of the French bands doing similar things with their medieval music heritage (Ripaille, Asgard, Troisieme Rive), but more interesting than some of the Britons like Amazing Blondel or Magna Carta - IMO.

And that dark, teutonic vibe of vintage tonal visigoth cloth. Or some such stoph.

[Trane]

I

Perhaps not as refined as some of the French bands doing similar things with their medieval music heritage (Ripaille, Asgard, Troisieme Rive), but more interesting than some of the Britons like Amazing Blondel or Magna Carta - IMO.

And that dark, teutonic vibe of vintage tonal visigoth cloth. Or some such stoph.

In terms of acid-prog-folk, I'd liken them more to a more modern Ougenwxeide, though the acidish vocals remind me of a cross between Comus' Wootton, Spirogyra's Cockerham and Family's Chapman.



I also find their second album BaRock just as good as their debut, but it looks like I'm in the minority on this issue.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ I never considered Parzival a part of the "acid-folk" conundrum; they were more conceptual and theatrical to my ears than Carol of Harvest, Kalacakra, Bröselmaschine and the lot.

[Duncan Glenday]

YUUUUGE kudos to Trane for helping us out with the featured CDs!

Many thanks.

[spacefreak]

In the early 80s I had bought a 2-in-1 double LP on Nova, containing both their albums. Since then, it was difficult for me to consider them as two separate pieces of work and I value them equally.

[Progbear]

It’s been a very long time since I last heard this one, to the point that I forgot I even had it! As I recall, I found the long track a little tedious, but found their offbeat medieval folk stylings fairly entrancing otherwise. I knew Walter Quintus (the violinist) mainly for his contributions to Novalis’ “Der Geigenspieler” (from one of the first albums I ever bought not in the English language) and engineering on a bunch of German albums. I also own Rock Opera: Der Führer, which he and Parzival bandmate Lothar Siems co-composed. In general, it’s not all that much worth bothering with apart from the super-intense, almost Magma-esque “Overture: The Pact.” Parzival were a lot more special (though I still have yet to hear their second; looks like there’s two schools of thought on that one!).