Cosmic Dreams At Play was first published 10 years ago by author Dag Erik Asbjornsen, and is now reissued in a limited edition of 2,000 copies. It’s a welcome reprint because the German progressive rock market of the 70s is a fascinating animal, and it’s a delight to get off the autobahn and onto side roads that lead you to bands such as Out Of Focus, Karthago, Orange Peel and the mega-rare Grave, whose 1974 debut was limited to 100 copies.
As with the Freeman brothers’ essential Crack In The Cosmic Egg, the author’s opinions make this a pleasure to read, with a cracking line about the band Jane’s debut album from 1972 reading, “For many people the low-point of Together has been the turgid vocals of Bernd Pulst…” Also, the coverage of the 70s extends to vital later groups such as Der Plan, although the electro-thud of DAF is absent, as are the more recent adventures of Faust (though this is after 1970). Another quibble is that album sleeves are very poorly reproduced, which is a real shame. That aside, this is an essential reference book for 70s German music. Order via eBay or azio.rubertelli@tiscali.it.
