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Novalis
Novalis
Novalis
Genres: International Music, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #1

The real big breakthrough for these Romantic-Rockers from Hamburg came actually with their third album, but this, their second effort originally released in 1975, already shows their direction: poetic German text, surro...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Novalis
Title: Novalis
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Repertoire
Original Release Date: 1/1/2005
Re-Release Date: 11/25/2002
Album Type: Import
Genres: International Music, Pop, Rock
Styles: Europe, Continental Europe, Progressive, Progressive Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1

Synopsis

Album Description
The real big breakthrough for these Romantic-Rockers from Hamburg came actually with their third album, but this, their second effort originally released in 1975, already shows their direction: poetic German text, surrounded by ever changing progrock with classic influences, which in this case is still rough enough not to descend in to insipid drivel. Their fondness for German Poet Friedrich Hoelderlin shines through and their music has also been borrowed in sound and style by French Duo Air, for their soundtrack to the Virgin Suicides. Guest guitarist Carlo Karges is present here, (who later became the guitarist for famous Nena) and his Track Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hört became the secret hymn of the band. Novalis are one of the best in the genre.

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CD Reviews

Magnificent
ERICK | Cancun, Quintana Roo Mexico | 08/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first album of Novalis that I listen, but I can tell you,it is beatiful music composed in 1975 by this german band. This cd needs to be in every really prog fan collection. A lot of synthesiser, for all ELP lovers."
German 'romantic rock' for the ages.
EtherealCereal | Michigan | 10/26/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Novalis was a band out of Hamburg, Germany that existed roughly for a period of ten years. They specialized in taking romantic, atmospheric symphonic rock pieces and interspersing them with harder rocking material, dynamic keyboard flourishes, and harmonic guitar interplay.

These guys were masters at evoking moods and textures, using Moog, Mellotron, strange sound effects, multiple time changes and dynamic shifts, and Heino Schunzel's wonderful vocals. The album starts out with 'Sonnengeflect', an uptempo piece with lots of analog synth runs, harmonic basslines, and wah-wah guitars. 'Wir Schmetterlinge Lachen Hort' is a slower, haunting piece with Hammond organ. 'Dronsz' is another slow piece with eerie vocals, more Hammond organ, and various weird sound effects, kind of reminiscent of another German band, The Eloy. For the next song they chose to do a rendition of an Anton Bruckner piece, titled 'Impressionen'. Hammond organ kind of dominates the song(you'd swear you were in church). 'Es farbte Sich Die Wiese Grun' is another slow song with vocals by Heino Schunzel, and a nice Moog intro, with strings played on Mellotron. The middle section of the song gets quite a bit jazzier, but still great. The album (what's an 'album'?) ends with a live version of 'Impressionen', so it's obvious that the chops these guys had didn't exist simply in the studio, and why they were such a popular live act.



Novalis ceased to exist around the mid-eighties, but left a rich and diverse musical history on the albums they released. They are worth checking out.

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