Pancake (Germany)

A Stuttgart progressive originating from the group Nyrvana Pancake. We know virtually nothing else of their history, except that their original drummer Günther "Kono" Konopik went on to Anyone's Daughter. The obvious reason why they remained one of the more obscure and lesser-known mid to late-1970's progressives was that they always seemed to be in a state of flux. Thus, not only was each album they released by a virtually different band, but that each was also very different musically!

Their debut ROXY ELEPHANT, was more typical of the German and British progressive style of the era, with the focus on multiple guitars, dynamics, with rock songs, ballads, hard-rock edged yet also afire with space-rocking instrumental breaks.

With only guitarist Walter Negele continuing from hereon, the only notable characteristic carried through to later albums was his delicately lyrical guitar style. Coinciding with the Blubber Lips reissue of ROXY ELEPHANT, the three years gap up to OUT OF THE ASHES moved on to rock-pastures new. In essence, it took a step on from the dreamiest moments of Jane and Novalis, but mostly came across like a Teutonic twist on the early Pulsar sound, which resulted in a superb symphonic progressive.

For the third album it was almost all change time again (though this time the drummer stayed too!) and a move to a harder edged progressive rock fronted by female vocals. In many ways, NO ILLUSIONS sounds like a hybrid of Eloy and Dutch legends Earth & Fire no less.

Pancake were a fine band throughout, though in essence, they were three different bands!