Solar Music
Solar Music is the most famous piece of music by the German rock group Grobschnitt . According to the band, it has been played at every concert from the band's formation in 1971 to its dissolution in 1989. The length of the piece is remarkable, depending on the version it was at least 30 minutes long, but could also take more than an hour.
"Solar Music" has continued to develop over the years. No recording sounds completely like the other. There is a basic structure around which the musicians improvise, which is why it has been possible to publish the song 23 times so far (without remastering versions), three of them officially by the Grobschnitt group on vinyl / CD, once on video, the rest is possible to the account of the former drummer Joachim Ehrig ( Eroc ), who restores old rough cut recordings in his studio and publishes the best recordings again. Due to the development, the name changed from "Solar Music" to "Powerplay" (from 1979) and finally to "Sonnentanz", whereby the song was always announced by both names.
"Solar Music" was the highlight of every concert and consisted of music and a show. The main visual actors were artificial fog, which at times enveloped the entire hall, puzzling figures that appeared, such as monsters who held fire rituals, monsters who fought with laser swords, and fireworks that could sometimes be created with an angle grinder .
Publications in the active time of Grobschnitt
"Solar Music" can be found three times on the total of 14 albums that Grobschnitt released during its existence. There was also a video showing the band at their last concert. A total of 4 publications can be named.
Studio version
In 1974 the double LP "Ballermann" came out. "Solar Music" had to be split over two record sides. The length of this studio version is approx. 33 minutes.
After a hard, guitar-heavy beginning with a short, distorted, very intense vocal part, the song becomes very spherical, meditative, almost hypnotic for 20 minutes. The band lingers on the same harmony for a large part; one after the other, all musicians play solos - sometimes hard guitar sounds, sometimes drummed melodies on numerous differently tuned tom toms , sometimes spherical keyboard soundscapes or a voice that asks: "Do You Hear Solar Music?" and various noises. In the overall work this version is considered successful, albeit very short , considering the duration of other versions of an hour and longer.
Occupation:
- Eroc (Joachim Ehrig): drums, percussion, electronic effects
- Lupo (Gerd-Otto Kühn): solo guitar
- Mist ( Volker Kahrs ): Keyboards
- Baer (Bernhard Uhlemann): Bass
- Wildschwein (Stefan Danielak): vocals, guitar
Live version
In 1978 the piece was released a second time - this time live - with the LP Solar Music - Live . It is the only piece on the LP, but is probably divided into several titles (such as Mülheim Spezial - the recording was made in Mülheim) for GEMA legal reasons . Again, you have to turn the LP around to hear the complete song. On the remastered CD, Solar Music has 54 minutes, with an encore 66 minutes.
The beginning of the piece is similar to that of the studio version, except that the vocal part is much longer. After that, extravagant meditative soundscapes, elaborate solo improvisations and long guitar solos, but also slapstick over the listener, such as a voice declaring to marching music underlaid, do not want to fail to point out to you that the artificial fog that you are Have been breathing in for ten minutes, an extremely poisonous substance that can lead to unconsciousness and death after just a few moments. Thank you for the trust you have placed in us ... " . To hide the claims that rock music often contains satanic messages, the warning is then repeated a second time, this time backwards .
There was only one difference in line-up compared to the 1974 version - this time the bass was played by Wolfgang Jäger called Pepe , Popo or Hunter .
Occupation:
- Eroc (Joachim Ehrig): drums, percussion, electronic effects
- Lupo (Gerd-Otto Kühn): solo guitar
- Mist (Volker Kahrs): Keyboards
- Pepe / Popo / Hunter (Wolfgang Jäger): Bass
- Wildschwein (Stefan Danielak): vocals, guitar
Sun dance
In 1985 "Solar Music" was released a third time as the sun dance . Here, too, it is the only piece on the LP, again subdivided into several tracks that merge into one another without interruption.
The line-up, but also the musical style of Grobschnitt, had changed significantly in the meantime. After 13 years, Solar Music had developed so far that the piece can hardly be compared with the studio version from 1974. The first part is completely different, followed by long solos by lupo and wild boar. The rest of the musicians act - in contrast to the old versions, where there were melodic drum solos and the bass and especially the keyboard took over important parts - only as accessories. Some listeners criticize the singing, which is occasionally interwoven with lyrics (open a hand under time - hold the sun when it falls - energies without beginning - explosions of a world - with your back against the wall - all wolves are counted - seven blind people are forgotten - explosion in my world ...) . The version is about 34 minutes.
Occupation:
- Lupo (Gerd-Otto Kühn): solo guitar, acoustic guitar
- Milla Kapolke: bass, acoustic guitar
- Toni Moff Mollo (Rainer Loskand): vocals, light
- Wildschwein (Stefan Danielak): vocals, guitar, saxophone
- Peter Jureit: drums, natural flute
- Thomas "Tarzan" Waßkönig: Keyboards
Last Party - Sun Dance II
In 1990, Solar Music was released on video for a fourth time. This is a similar version to Sonnentanz, but with more solos it is stretched to 52:30 minutes. The video was only available for a short time. It was Grobschnitt's last party video showing the band's last appearance on December 4, 1989.
Occupation:
- Lupo (Gerd-Otto Kühn) solo guitar, acoustic guitar
- Toni Moff Mollo (Rainer Loskand) vocals
- Wildschwein (Stefan Danielak) vocals, guitar, saxophone
- Admiral Top Sahne (Rolf Möller) drums
- Sugar Zuckermann (Dirk Lindemann) keyboards
- Harry Stulle porter ( Harald Eller ) bass
German Television Proudly Presents
As part of a German rock festival, Grobschnitt also performed at Rockpalast in 1978 and played three songs, including a 54:30 minute version of Solar Music, which was similar to the version of the record recording of the same year. The group suffered from technical problems - a loud humming sound can be heard throughout the recording.
The Story of ...
When "Eroc" released a double CD called The Story of Grobschnitt in 1994 , Solar Music was released a fifth time. The story's success drew 11 more story CDs, five of which were double CDs each containing at least two versions of "Solar Music". There are also several concert CDs that contain Solar Music , so that the number of releases is 23 (including remaster versions of the studio and the official live version from 1978). There is also the Rockpalast recording.
Chronological order of publications with location and length
Original version Solar Music
- 1969 - Suntrip Hagen 12:00
- 1973 - Osterholz - 40:00
- 1973 - Winterhude - 36:00
- 1974 - studio - 33:00
- 1975 - Hagen - 44:00
- 1975 - Gevelsberg - 42:00
- 1976 - Plochingen 59:22
- 1976/77 - Mysteria - Nothing is known about the recording time and location - 55:00
- 1977 - Lünen - 56:00
- 1977 - Bielefeld - 55:00
- 1977 - Gütersloh - 54:45
- 1978 - Berlin - 55:00
- 1978 - Mülheim - 54:00
- 1978 - Warburg - 58:00
Power play
- 1979 - Cologne - 35:10
- 1979 - Wesel - 29:09
- 1979 - Emden - 29:29
- 1979 - Münster - 29:00
- 1981 - Osnabrück - 38:00
- 1981 - Meschede - 38:00
- 1981 - Donaueschingen - 38:00
- 1981 - Essen - 38:00
Sun dance
- 1983 - Dortmund - 43:00
- 1983 - Düsseldorf - 42:00
- 1985 - Saarbrücken - 34:00
- 1989 - Hagen (video) - 52:30
- 1996 - Solingen (Toni Moff Mollo's raid) - 40:00
- 2008 - Menden - 42:30
Discography
At least one version of "Solar Music" can be found on these LPs / CDs / videos. The interpreter is always rough.
- 1974 Ballermann
- 1978 Solar Music Live
- 1985 Sun Dance - Live
- 1989 Last Party tour video
- 1994 Die Grobschnitt Story 1 (live Osnabrück 1981)
- 1996 Toni Moff Mollos Razzia Video (Live in Solingen 1996)
- 1998 Die Grobschnitt Story 2 (Private Solar Excursion = improvisation by Solar Music)
- 2001 Die Grobschnitt Story 3 "The History of Solar Music" Vol. 1 (Warburg 1978, Münster 1979 & studio remastered 1974)
- 2002 Die Grobschnitt Story 3 "The History of Solar Music" Vol. 2 (Mysteria approx. 1976 or 1977, Cologne 1979 & Osterholz 1973)
- 2002 The rough cut Story 3 "The History of Solar Music" Vol. 3 (Meschede 1981 & Hagen 1975, as well as an excerpt from the original version from 1969 by the previous band Crew)
- 2003 The rough cut Story 3 "The History of Solar Music" Vol. 4 (Berlin 1978 & Lünen 1977)
- 2003 Die Grobschnitt Story 4 "Illegal Tour 1981 Complete" (Essen 1981)
- 2004 The rough cut Story 3 "The History of Solar Music" Vol. 5 (Gevelsberg 1975 & Dortmund 1983)
- 2004 The Grobschnitt Story 5 (Winterhude 1973)
- 2006 The International Story (Berlin 1978)
- 2007 Silver Mint Records Donaueschingen 1981-2
- 2007 Silver Mint Records Bielefeld 1977-2
- 2007 Silver Mint Records Düsseldorf 1983-2
- 2008 Silver Mint Records Plochingen 1976-2
- 2008 Silver Mint Records Wesel 1979-2
- 2008 rough cut 2008 Live (Menden 2008)
- 2008 Silver Mint Records Emden 1979
- 2008 Silver Mint Records Osnabrück 1981-2
- 2009 Silver Mint Records Hilchenbach 1974-2
- 2009 Silver Mint Records Oberhausen 1977-2
- 2009 Silver Mint Records Wuppertal 1979-2
- 2010 Silver Mint Records Gütersloh 1977-2
- 2010 Silver Mint Records Münster 1977-2
- 2010 Silver Mint Records St. August 1977-2
- 2010 Silver Mint Records Göppingen 1979
- 2011 Silver Mint Records Hamm / Sieg 1975-2
- 2011 Silver Mint Records Oldenburg 1977-2
- 2011 Silver Mint Records wins 1979-2
- 2011 Silver Mint Records Trier 1979
- 2012 Silver Mint Records Lünen 1977-2
- 2012 Silver Mint Records Trier 1981-2
- 2012 Silver Mint Records Kassel 1978-2
- 2012 Silver Mint Records Power Play Rehearsals 1980
- 2013 Silver Mint Records Brunsbüttel 1973-2
- 2013 Silver Mint Records Würzburg 1979
- 2013 Silver Mint Records Weissenohe 1978-2
- 2014 Silver Mint Records Berlin 1981-3
- 2014 Silver Mint Records Weingarten 1978-2
- 2014 Silver Mint Records Düsseldorf 1979-2
- 2015 Silver Mint Records Alsfeld 1979
- 2015 Silver Mint Records Bremen 1979-3
- 2015 Silver Mint Records Osterholz 1973-2
- 2015 Silver Mint Records Lüdenscheid 1976-2
- 2015 Silver Mint Records Aachen 1982-2
- 2016 Silver Mint Records Mülheim 1977-2
- 2016 Silver Mint Records Kassel 1979
- 2017 Silver Mint Records Hagen 1974-2
- 2017 Silver Mint Records Hagen 1975-2
- 2017 Silver Mint Records Hohenlimburg 1977-2
- 2018 Silver Mint Records Koblenz 1981-3
- 2018 Silver Mint Records Neu-Ulm 1977-2
- 2018 Silver Mint Records Mannheim 1981-2