Wednesday 21 September 2016

Meeting with GDR's Modern Soul Band (1979)




OK, here we go with more large German soul-rock bands with one foot in the fusion scene, the other in a commercial cesspooled septic tank.

This is an offshoot of the Klaus Lenz project Modern Soul Big Band...  Klaus Lenz was presented here earlier as a master of GDR fusion with his two big mid-seventies masterpieces, and accompanying Uschi on a 1974 record that proved slightly disappointing.  I presented his bio in that earlier, earliest post and won't repeat it here.

On this record there is a Klaus, but it's a Nowodworski (specifically, on vocals), not a Lenz.  Note also that arranging credits are ascribed to one Gerhard Laartz and compositional credits to a number of musicians: Gerhard Laartz, Joachim Schmauch, and Wolfgang Nicklisch.  So Lenz no more.  However, they did have an ST release 3 years before which seems to have involved him.  I'm not so sure, since his presence usually brings more creativity, of which that ST is lacking.

But the stunning closing instrumental Meeting hits all the right notes both musically and fusionally:



To summarize or perhaps to clarify from the above random notes, there are two related albums, the ST Modern Soul Band from 1976 and the original from 1974, which was called Klaus Lenz' Modern Soul Big Band (the better album).  Both I have and can post on request.





18 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I'm sorry to interrupt with my first request on this site...;)
    Warren Bernhardt:
    - Free Smiles: Live At Montreux 1978
    - Floating
    - Manhattan Update

    And anything by TOTO BLANKE not posted yet? Some of his stuff is on Spotify, but I'd prefer a download Version.

    Any help is appreciated, thanks.

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    1. Requests are perfectly ok. I'll look into those.
      With regards to Toto I have all his output, most in good healthy vinyl rips. He was a genius!

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    2. Here's Warren Bernhardt - Manhattan Update (1980):

      http://www92.zippyshare.com/v/dZH1TwE6/file.html

      thanks to the original ripper!

      Delete
    3. Toto Blanke - Electric Circus (1976)
      https://www.discogs.com/Toto-Blanke-Electric-Circus/release/652970

      https://yadi.sk/d/H7kuHC_2qsgqR

      Delete
    4. https://www.discogs.com/Association-PC-Erna-Morena/release/1055275 (ToTo Blanke, guitar)

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9WaHZf-P4g

      http://www38.zippyshare.com/v/COQGBfnV/file.html

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    5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rIgc9L8jMg , a request if it´s possible ,
      Birds of a Feather" by Toto Blanke's Electric Circus feat. Stu Goldberg

      Delete
    6. http://softforlinux.blogspot.pt/2014/04/toto-blanke-spider-dance-1975.html searching

      Delete
  3. Killer...
    I have some requests
    1)https://www.discogs.com/%E5%A4%A7%E9%87%8E-%E9%9B%84%E4%BA%8C-James-Dean/release/5835607
    2)http://www.ebay.com/itm/OST-KIMAGURE-TENSHI-LP-Yuji-Ohno-Chu-Kosaka-JAPAN-77-Jazz-Funk-Breaks-/221517770469
    Here is something from youtube..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_kVz2NYs4
    thanks in advance..these albums seems to be killer!!!!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. I'll look into it... thanks for the info
      As for Toto Blanke, I can try to post all his output, but it will take a while to get everything together...

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  4. Dear Julian and St. James Jazz Club, many thanks for your magnificent contributions!

    Julian, I would be very happy indeed (and probably many others, too) if you could one day compile Toto's oeuvre. I was totally thrilled when I heard the breadth of his skills on Spotify. His lyrical approach to fusion is pure magic. Thanks again for all your musical gifts.

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  5. Hi Julian,

    I'd love to hear the Klaus Lenz Modern Soul Big Band and the Modern Soul Band LPs you mention at the end of the original post.

    Thank you,

    ReplyDelete