Altona (Germany) - Chickenfarm, 1975 [Disconforme, 2000]

The Crack in the Cosmic Egg

Scarcely four months after the demise of Thrice Mice, Altona was born. Basically an expanded version of the same band, their sound had a major shift in focus, and thus they wisely chose this new name (Altona is a town on the edge of Hamburg) when dropping the former band's classical edge in preference for a jazzier front.

On their debut LP (housed in a delightful cover sporting mannequin tourists photographing the band) Altona played a lively fusion that crossed many boundaries, but kept the Blodwyn Pig feel that dominated the early Thrice Mice recordings. Notably, their music was fast-paced and lively, they sounded almost like a hybrid of Birth Control and Creative Rock, occasionally hinting at Eiliff, with songs and instrumentals that were full of surprises!

In contrast, their second album CHICKENFARM, disappointed as it saw a mellowing of style, to funky edged jazz-rock with blues and soul tendencies, very vocal saturated it was closer to the mid-1970's albums of Dutch bands Solution or Alquin. A few Altona members later reappeared in the obscure band Dirty Dogs.