LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Siddhartha’s Weltschmerz is a rare German progressive rock album from 1975, originally issued as a private pressing in a very small run. The group, formed near Stuttgart and named after the Hermann Hesse novel, created a sound that sits between progressive rock, art rock, folk colour and late psychedelic atmosphere, with keyboards, violin, guitar and vocals giving the music a carefully arranged but still underground character.

The album is short but very distinctive, built around five extended pieces rather than a large number of compact songs. Looking In The Past and Tanz Im Schnee open the record with a melodic, slightly dreamlike mood, while Times Of Delight, Weit Weg and Gift Of The Fool show the band’s more dramatic side. This Garden Of Delights LP reissue presents the album with the original cover artwork and a four-page LP-size insert.

1. Looking In The Past – 6:08
2. Tanz Im Schnee – 5:10

1. Times Of Delight
2. Weit Weg
3. Gift Of The Fool