1970/11/11
Beat concert - music to dawn upon
Three groups in the main auditorium of the Kassel State Theater received applause and protest
On Wednesday evening, fans from Kassel once again made the pilgrimage to the 11th Beat Concert at the Großes Haus on Friedrichsplatz to experience how spontaneous and vital progressive rock music is played live. When, as on this evening, the expectations raised by record consumption were disappointed not only by the lack of technical studio facilities but also by the weak performance of a decimated star band, such live acts inevitably had to put up with being whistled at. This refers to the performance of Munich's Amon Düül Communards, who performed their debut as a quartet with restrained passion. Anyone familiar with this band from other events will know that they are also capable of delivering something new and spontaneous outside of the studio retreat, without having to chase after their records. One could not speak of an artistic encounter of a higher order here; rather of a manic montonic twilight state on the tracks of primitive sound shaping. What was missed was the courageous and committed free thought process, the dam-demolishing, chain-breaking musical happening. The other groups involved did not offer this either, but it was certainly not expected of them. It may be that this circumstance boosted the “Embryo” to a particularly energetic performance. In any case, this evenly formed band offered the most mature performance of the evening with a rock-solid concept. The tough but flexible approach of the sonorous soprano saxophone and the rhythmic accent shifts of the loosely held lines were impressive. Less convincing was the ambivalent role assigned to the passable guitarist in this collective. The performance by local heroes Praeludium Magnum cast a significant light on the local beat scene. Martin Großkurth's “organism”, now expanded to a quintet, resembled a complex puzzle of sonic self-expression. To venture into a big concert with such an elaborate musical concept after such a short rehearsal period takes courage. The courage to commit suicide! You could sense where the wheels were going, but they didn't really start rolling because they still needed a thorough artistic balancing. So the 11th Beat Concert - once again under the proven patronage of Wolf Martienzen - was like a twilight hour brightened by a few bright spots, which was partly cheered enthusiastically and partly acknowledged with protest. Both seemed inappropriate. Eb
Hessische Allgemeine, 1970/11/13