Blue For You

La! Neu? - Blue (La Düsseldorf 5)

Ripped from a compact disc album eventually released on Captain Trip Records (CTCD 178) in 1999 to high quality lossless FLAC audio.

Blue (aka La Düsseldorf 5) was recorded by Dinger around 1987 with a new band under the name La!Neu? There were four  La!Neu? "studio" albums and four live albums. The first was Blue which was eventually to be released only in Japan in 1999.

Arms Control Blues is a lushly produced narrative by Dinger with some delightful guitar work, the title track Blue is a ridiculously catchy pop song and very likely Dinger's most commercial work. I love it, some may not. Lilienthal is a dreamy sequencer atmospheric much in the vein of mid-period Durutti Column. Touch You Tonight could have been a great track but here it sounds just like an unfinished Iggy Pop song.

The mainstay of the album is the eighteen minute punk masterpiece America. A shorter studio version appeared on Mon Amour but here it is in its full glory. Live "in the studio" was to become a feature of later La!Neu? albums.

1. Arms Control Blues
2. Blue
3. Lilienthal
4. Touch You Tonight
5. Für Omni (For Granny)
6. America

Sauerkraut with Noodles

La Düsseldorf - Japandorf

Ripped from a promotional compact disc released on Grönland Records (CDGRON 124) in 2003 to high quality lossless flac audio. Withdrawn as such, to be released as by Klaus Dinger & Japandorf, here's the final ever release by late Neu! drummer Klaus Dinger. Completely nütty as ever ...but totally wonderful!

1 Immermann Straße
2 Duomo Arigatou
3 Sketch No. 1-b
4 Udon
5 Kittelbach Symphony
6 Cha Cha 2008
7 Ai
8 Sketch No. 4
9 Spacemelo
10 Karnival
11 Osenbe
12 Andreaskirche

Dirty Dinger

Die Engel des Herrn - Die Engel des Herrn

Almost a year ago, I was in the middle of a post-Neu! Klas Dinger fest, covering virtually all of his musical incarnations. Pleasingly these were among the most popular posts ever shared. I rounded off with the chaotic Live As Hippie-Punks album by Die Engel des Herrn with a plead for a blog readers rip. Anyway, one never came, but just before Christmas 2013 an original copy of this album on blue vinyl did come my way, and here it is to round off my current krautrock meanderings.

The album was a self released, self distributed comeback album after years in the doldrums following numerous failed attempts to revitalise his career. Only 1000 records were ever pressed and those not given away to family, friends, press etc were sold via mail order. Any remaining compact disc versions were offloaded in Japan via the Captain Trip label.

As with most post-Neu! Dinger work, expect an eclectic blend of motorik-beat choral symphonics like the title track and the excellent Tschüs, and messy punk stompers such as Little Angel and S.O.S. The album is let down by the awful schlager-pop of Bitte, Bitte!. As a treat (sic) we also get another two unnecessary arrangements of Cha bloody Cha 2000,  plus the keen of ear will note the poor pressing quality, especially evident on side A. Blog follower Phallus Die has written an excellent in-depth review over on Julian Cope's Head Heritage website. If you haven't already, your next music purchase should be last year's posthumous Japandorf album.

Ripped from a blue vinyl album released on LSD Records (2.000-1) in 1992 to high quality lossless flac audio.

A1. Die Engel des Herrn
A2. Sunlight
A3. Little Ange
A4. S.O.S.
A5. Bitte, Bitte!
B1. Tschüs
B2. Cha Cha 2000
B3. Cha Cha 3000

Live Rascals

Die (b)Engel Des Herrn - Live! As Hippie-Punks

When you attempt to decipher the Dinger timeline, the brief career of Die Engel des Herrn seems to fit in between Blue (aka La Dusseldorf 4) and the later La! Neu? recordings. I would be happily corrected. There was a studio album recorded in 1990, but this live show recording dates from their final gig in Dusseldorf in 1993.

The set comprised tracks from the La Dusseldorf album Viva, mixed with new compositions which were later laid down in the studio for the Die Engel des Herrn album proper. The title Live As Hippie-Punks tells you exactly what to expect music wise, it's a disorganised slightly ramshackle affair (but it is punk after all) plus you get another version of Cha Cha 2000, as if we already hadn't heard it enough times.

The studio album was originally a limited edition only by mail order with the remaining items sold off in the Japanese market. It's as rare as rocking horse poop and I don't have a copy. If anybody out there has a copy and is willing to share a rip, I for one would be pleased to hear it.

Ripped from a compact disc album released on Captain Trip Records (CTCD 012) in 1995 to high quality lossless FLAC audio.

1. Intro
2. Viva
3. S.O.S.
4. Bitte Bitte '93!
5. The Song
6. The Waltz '93
7. Somewhere
8. Cha Cha 2000
9. Little Angel
10. Tchuss