Amon Duul II

Amon Duul II is a German band with heavy Krautrock influences whose name is a reference to the Egyptian Sun God. Amon Duul was initially an anarchist community, but was separated into two factions: Amon Duul I and Amon Duul II. Amon Duul I was especially political, while Amon Duul II preferred to play music.

Fast Facts

1. Origin: Munich, Germany
2. Years Active: 1969 to Present
3. Record Label: Atlantic Records
4. Genres: Krautrock, Psychedelic, Experimental, Progressive
5. Members: Dieter Serfas, Peter Leopold, Shrat, Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz, Jolin Weinzierl, Falk Rogner, Dave Anderson
6. They won a Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Award) for their contribution to the film "San Domingo"
7. The song "Phallus Dei" is 21 minutes long
8. Their second album Yeti obtained Top Five success in UK
9. Often compared to Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd
10. Member Peter Leopold died November 8, 2006

Partial Discography

• 1969: Phallus Dei
• 1970: Yeti
• 1972: Carnival In Babylon
• 1972: Wolf City

Career

Amon Duul II emerged from the hippie scene in Munich, but their strong interest in music led them in a different direction. The band had two different periods: the period of improvisation, which is obvious in the records Phallus Dei and Yeti, which contained lengthy, improvised songs. The period of composition begins with their album Carnival in Babylon and is accentuated in Wolf City. During this phase, the group composed structured songs. In spite of their success, the group disbanded in 1981. Nevertheless, they reappeared during the 1990s with the albums Live in Tokyo and Kobe. In 1999 the band re-released three of their albums: Wolf City, Yeti and Alive the Trance. They are currently getting airplay again in the UK.

Quotes

1. "I'm not interested in mere nostalgia, but Amon Duul was too good to forget." — Chris Karrer, Delerium's Psychedelic Web

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