Kin Ping Meh - Kin Ping Meh, 1971 [2004, Revisited SPV]

The Crack in the Cosmic Egg

Originally a floating group of amateur and pop musicians from Mannheim, Kin Ping Meh never actually formulated a style of their own until joined by Geff Harrison on VIRTUES & SINS. Their best material however, is to be found on their earlier patchy albums which feature jam sessions and experimental compositions amidst the pop-rock tracks. Much of the experimental material was inspired by their association with the then very adventurous Achim Reichel and other interconnected bands: Night Sun and the seminal influential Twenty Sixty Six And Then.

When Geff Harrison joined as lead singer he turned the band into a tight hard-rock outfit. Though generally what they came up with was of little interest. Geff also later fronted his own band of ex-Kin Ping Meh musicians, and on several occasions since drummer Kalle "Charlie" Weber has reformed Kin Ping Meh unsuccessfully. Geff Harrison's own reformation as The Geff Harrison band was much more engaging.

Review by Sean Trane, SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Specialist

Debut album from this Mannheim (west of Frankfurt) quintet (standard prog quartet plus a lead singer and acoustic guitarist) that will have a relatively long life, starting at the dawn of the 70's and ending just before close to the end of it. Their sound was a relatively hard prog rocking album where the organ and guitar alternate at the front of the music, while the English lyrics singing from Werner Stephan is pleasant and apt. Having taken their name from Chinese mythology, and gracing their self titled debut with an heavenly garden scene, this album

Starting out with a lengthy Fairy Tales where the organs and guitar trade licks and solos reminiscent of Deep Purple, Wallenstein or Birth Control. Although one of the more pleasant tracks on this album, the song works well but there are lengths and the drum passages is heard-elsewhere. The following slow Sometime is a better track to give you an idea of the typical KPM sound, with delicious organ layers underlining the verses and searing guitars leads between the verses and chorus. While the third track is also a lengthy affair, Don't You Know is again promising but delivering fully. The jam- like instrumental sections are good, but they are a little too brutal of a change from the average song-proper parts.

The flipside is much in the same spirit developing a semi-hard rock where the short tracks succeed to other mid-length, but there is nothing really enthralling, but rest assured nothing boring either. Typically the type of album that needs a few listens before unleashing its treasures; but those riches are not that deep either. Some moments of Drugsen's Trip and My Dove (with Mellotrons) are brilliant, but as with all other tracks, there are many other things to could've been easily bettered that it is a bit frustrating as usually Conrad Plank-engineered albums hit the spot much easier than KPM's debut. The last two tracks are average rock tracks in the line of what's been done before. The Second Battle reissue comes with bonus tracks from non-album singles and add length to the album, maintaining the general quality level, but not raising it either.

Although rather pleasant, I found this album a bit over-rated in its reputation, it is hardly worth the stamp to write home about, either. Not essential, but it won't deface your collection either.

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