Friedemann's wonderful and rare 1983 Voyager (not to be confused with the CD compilation)

This wonderful guitarist by the full name of Friedemann Witecka made a series of acoustic guitar new agey albums in the seventies and eighties full of delightful compositions, usually quite unique and unlike most other new agey genre stuff you might have heard and been annoyed by.  In fact as late as 1990's Aquamarin there are still delights to be found, consider Wednesday's Intermezzo, here on youtube, and that's really a rarity to see--in such a late (recent) year.  I just love that meld of classical chamber music with acoustic guitar.

Notice that his career started in 1977 with Songs for a Beginning, which had just a tiny bit of progressive in it, but overall, was not as good as I would have hoped.  I'm sorry, I can't recommend you try to track that one down, you will be disappointed too.  Nonetheless, by the next album (The Beginning of Hope, 1979) you have some really delightful and completely unknown compositions, like Ich Kann Nicht Bleiben (I Can't Stay), youtubed here.  Many of the songs remind me of my old favourite German album, Blonker from way back when, if anyone out there still remembers that one.

Turning our attention to the 1983 LP, so far not on CD-- although a similarly titled, identically covered album called Voyager in Expanse which is actually a compilation appeared in the late 80s to confuse us all, this for me is his best work.  First of all, consider this track called Damon Allein which gives you an idea of his unique 'take' on new age music:





The following track called Atlantis is really magical:





I guess there are hints of that reverbed plus or minus sustained electric guitar Richard Pinhas sound in there.

For me the highlight is the closer which is called Venusberg.  Here the notable feature is the dropped-C tuning which, as usual, gives a resonant fullness to the guitar chords thanks to the overtones on the octaves multiplying those gorgeous harmonies into an eternity of sound waves of infinite beauty.  The electric bridge adds to it instead of detracting, note the female chorus that comes in at the end.  It's just such a gentle, soft song, presumably love song, I could listen to it forever:



I suppose for these unprecedented and difficult times where all over the world a giant tsunami is approaching us and is about to wipe out a random number of lives we can be reminded of those painfully beautiful and innocent days to take us away from our hard reality and existence.

I recommend you seek out more from this much, much too unknown artist.