LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

CD Digipack, remastered
TRACKLISTING: 1. In den Gärten Pharaos 17:38 2. Vuh 19:51 Bonus Tracks : 3. KHA-White Structures 1 10:14 4. K-White Structures 2 10:09
In Den Gärten Pharaos - which was originally released in April 1972 - marked a further detachment from the cliches of "Kosmische Musik". Besides partially retreating from the use of electronic instruments, it displays a spiritual tone that is akin to Deuter's Aum. It was also one of the first albums to conceive each side of the LP as a piece. The title track, a masterpiece of spiritual music, one of the first pieces to place the emphasis on the ambience and on angelic tones, and one of the first pieces ever recorded inside a cathedral, begins with ghostly electronics that simulate sub-human voices. This is where Popol Vuh abandons the "teutonic" element that was pervasive in German rock of that time. The sound is inert and timeless: there is no melodic center, no rhythmic underpinning, no narrative development. This is "ambience" for the sake of ambience. In the second part a thick layer of tablas provides the fuel for a cloud of galactic glissandos, proto-ambient floating drones that pervade the whole environment. The third part is very percussive (Tibetan bells and frenzied tablas) but over the tumult there soars a cosmic wind, while a church-like organ intones a psalm. The fourth part is the most electronic one, and clearly derived from jazz improvisation (the tones of the Moog recall the vibraphone), playing crystal music with angelic counterpoints that is also proto new-age music. Vuh is one long organ drone with wild percussions. The idea is similar to Pink Floyd's masterpiece A Saucerful Of Secrets, but the implementation is completely different. First of all, the atmosphere is apocalyptic from start to end: the listener is positively waiting for the end of the world throughout the piece. Secondly, the piece "is" a chronicle of the end of the world, as it is happening: it is happening inside the soul. It begins with an emphatic organ ouverture, then the organ melody is slowed down to become a terrifying drone, while the electronics simulate a wordless choir extending a colossal "om" to the universe. The percussions develop from merely loud gongs and timpani to frenzied percussive noises that become louder and louder, thereby obliterating the majestic crescendo of the organ. The cosmic storm and the spiritual orgasm eventually abate. By the end, quiet has been restored. If the title track is a journey in the "sub-human" world, Vuh is a journey in the "super-human" world. Vuh bridges the epic chaos of A Saucerful Of Secrets and the ecstasy of Indian mysticism.