Beekstraat 1 - B-2640 Mortsel - Belgium

KRAAN: Wiederhören - Nachtfahrt - Live 88 (remastered)

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Three of their albums have been reissued now, al of them in deluxe cd-box with booklet and bonus material. Very nice is the cd itself which looks like a mini vinyl LP of the older days.

One of the most successful albums of the band was Wiederhören, originally released in 1977. The album sounds surprisingly modern, very funky, with a lot of cymbals and great bass playing. The instrumental parts are often great and show the skills of the musicians. “Silky Way”, though not representative for the album because it’s a very slow track, gives a very good idea of the atmosphere of the late seventies: a bit dreamy and with a lot of passion. Great song! But most of this mainly instrumental album is good, funky rock with a very important role for the bass guitar. The bonus track is a live version (20 minutes!) of one of their most famous songs “Wiederhören” (a melody that everybody will now) with a gorgeous bass solo.

Nachtfahrt which was originally released in 1982 shows the evolution the band has gone through. The funky element can still be heard in some tracks, but the rock element is far more present. The bass is still important, but the guitar has a more important role. There’s a lot more singing on this record, both in German and in English. This album tends a bit more to a ‘classic’ rock album with some good rock songs, and I must state this again, terrific bass playing. Noticeable is also the reggae riff which is used in some tracks. The album doesn’t exceed the average level of rock music however.

Third in a row is Live 88, recorded in October 1987 (!), 5 years after Nachtfahrt. And again it’s very different. There’s again a tendency towards the more funky music, but time and again mixed with some psychedelic sounds. The omnipresent bass could perhaps be called the most important instrument producing the Kraan-sound. Listen in amazement to the solo in “Air Bass”! Nice guitar solos, mellotrons and synthesizers and only sporadic singing complete the picture.

There are parts where The Ozric Tentacles crossed my mind, but just when I wanted to look for the similarities, I always had to conclude that the Sound of Kraan is quite unique. These three cd’s are a very nice introduction for those who don’t know the band yet. My favourite is Wiederhören.

Musicians

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