Hoelderlin - Discography

This absolutely delightful record is an incredibly successful mix of medieval ambiances, stunning 60's folk rock, slight Indian music influences, the whole thing sprinkled with a tad of hippy idealism and great progressive arrangements including the odd Mellotron. From the opening Waren Wir to the closing Traum (dream), the album is invitation fly out of our realm and head for Nirvana, paradise, Eden, Babylon, with flaunts of flutes, loads of Hamonds, Trons of Mello, guitars strings by the dozens and superb vocals both male and female. If you cannot find a suitable album to get comfy and shag the partner, try this one and do not forget to put the repeat (the album is fairly short), and the trick is half-done. To name a highlight would be quite difficult, as you'd be doing injustice to the other non-mentioned tracks. Not a weak note on this album. Nanny de Ruyg's voice is right up with the cannons of the genre and the German lyrics are simply heavenly music for the mind.

One of those incredibly good-vibes record, with breathtaking beauty, this is easily in my top 50, and it would be criminal of you if it was not in yours within two months of reading this review. Run for it!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-)
(Review by Sean Trane, Progarchives.com)

With their third album C&C, Hoelderlin tried to have a conceptual album with one side dedicated to clowns and the others to clouds, and this album came less than a year after their second eponymous second album. By now, one of the Kaseberg brothers had gone and the other was responsible for the stage sound. So down to just one set of brothers (with Joachim still the main songwriter - but not the sole anymore - and responsible of the artwork), newcoming Hans Bäär is more than just a gap-filler. But this album is vastly inferior to the previous two, partly IMHO due to the shared songwriting.

Opening track Madhouse is already failing to develop the exact feeling that the title announces as they timidly try to get crazy, but either not really daring to or not being capable of. The next track, Your Eyes is one fairly weak track, but not completely without charm. The three-part mini-suite closing the Clown side is finally developing a bit more the "Circus" feeling, partly because of the opening Tango Mili section, but Marching is clearly uninventive (gladly quickly dealt away with) and the main theme Sensations saving it from disaster but eyeing a bit too much Genesis. Even though Joachim Grumbkow gets help from Noppeney (violin) and the lyrics from his brother, clearly he was out of ideas and it cruelly shows here. Not that the music is bad, but when comparing to their previous work.... it even hurts to write it as an outsider!

The second "Cloud" side is definitely under Bäär's influences, and clearly is the better-inspired one. As you'd expect the tracks are more aerial, celestial, airy and .... water-ey! The slow developing Streaming is one of two highlights on this album, finally taking the album somewhere and thankfully stays within the usual Hoelderlin trademark-sounds. The 12-min Phasing is again a slow starter with the electric piano slowly giving way to a violin, while that slow crescendo is taking its importance slowly leading towards the clouds. Whereas on the previous excellent album, the density of the composition was remarkable, clearly on this album, the better moments are when the music is sparse and not as encumbered. Another hint at this album being inferior to its predecessors is the fact that conny plank only engineered it, but was not producing it.

As one might fear with this kind of conceptual sides of a single album, there is a very schizophrenic feel to the album, which is enhanced with the Cd (as opposed to the vinyl where the album played A or B and your choosing of playing the other side), clearly highlighting the album's weakness. Not really up to par with the previous two album, this one is not completely devoid of charm and quality (mostly the second Cloud side), but do not expect the same kind of gratification from it. Still worth a spin.
(Review by Sean Trane From Progarchives.com)

Fourth album from Hoelderlin with the last pair of brothers being broken, Christian Grumbkow providing the lyrics and artworks, and managing the band, his spot taken by Spanish Pablo Weeber. Released end 77, this album is the last one susceptible to interest progheads (outside the double-live album coming the following year) as they will experienced much line-up and musical direction changes after this album.
The least we can say is that not much remains from the debut or the eponymous albums, and Conny plank is not involved anymore with the group. Not that the album is bad, far from it, but the magic is gone and when hints of it are present, they are still the highlights, but do not shine the same way. By now Joachim Grumbkow is not main songwriter anymore (fairly democratic sharing of credits, actually with newer members actively contributing). The opening Intergalaktik holds some glimpse of foregone greatness, but the following Sky Lift (Bäär-penned but not quite reaching heights of C&C) is lacklustre, while Rough And Thorny (penned by newcoming Weeber) is still worthy of the previous album and works well because of Noppeney's violin.

The second side of the vinyl is opened by the title track, which just another average Hoelderlin track but followed by the brilliant instrumental track Necronomicon (penned by Weber), which is a real scorcher and the album's highlight. The magnificent ambiances (reminiscent of the eponymous second) of the slightly fusion-esque aerial theme are quite enthralling, while the closing Sun Rays is yet another typical track of theirs, which means nothing exceptional by the time of this album's release even if the closing three minutes are worth the detour.

Clearly with every new album Hoelderlin was losing original members, inspiration and most likely a bit of faith as well. Although still a worthy prog album, much worth the occasional spin, this was to be their final prog offering, with its share of moments (but also weaknesses), but the-times-they-are-changin-again!!
(Review by Sean Trane, From Progarchives.com)

I can see why this album would get some bad reviews, but unjustly so. For one thing, Hoelderlin are one the more underrated bands on the progarchives.com site. It may have something to do with them being listed in the wrong genre of PROG. FOLK, where their first album, Hoelderlin's Traum, really only qualifies in that genre. Hoelderlin took a 4 year break after Traum, coming back sounding more like mid-period Camel/Caravan meets SFF, 10cc and the Alan Parsons Project. Anything after Traum should be listed in Symphonic Prog. If you enjoy Camel's Breathless album, Hoelderlin's NEW FACES should be on your priority list. The track I Want You sounds very 10cc meets Brian Wilson. Cold Winds sounds like something you might hear on Camel's Nude and it actually sounds longer than its 3 minutes. High In Shanghai sounds very SKY meets Camel's Rain Dances and is a great instrumental on par with anything by Camel. The shouter is very 10cc at their headphone candy best. Footsteps/Weekend is a cross between the finest parts of 10cc, Camel's Breathless, and may sound a little like SFF instrumentally near the conclusion. Of note to fans of SFF, Eduard Schicke is the new drummer on this album adding a bit of jazz rock fusion to the mix, sounding not unlike Andy Ward from Camel. I must stress, for fans of Camel's Breathless, Holderlin's NEW FACES comes highly recommended. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
(Review by Gooner, From Progarchives.com)