ome albums just have the perfect name, and Amon Duul's debut nails that perfectly; Psychedelic Underground is music at its most experimental and relentlessly uncommercial, using late-'60s inspirations as a launching ground for what came to be described as Krautrock.Taken from a jam session from the previous year, but treated with many studio effects that enhance the strangeness of the collection, Underground rocks to its own weird beat. Opening track "Ein Wunderhubsches Madchen Traumt von Sandosa" captures what sounds like a great experience for everyone involved, a 17-minute composition heavy on the drums and percussion, with a basic, chugging guitar riff in one channel and chanting, call-and-response vocals located throughout the mix. (...) The tracks on the second side have the same understandable vibe, but some are sparer in comparison, as with the keening strummed guitar/vocal combination "Im Garten Sandosa" and "Mama Duul und Ihre Sauerkrautband spielt auf," which is mostly clattering percussion in one stereo channel! (...)"

A confused piece of Krautrock history. Apparently this, the debut LP by the original Amon Düül, was originally issued as just "Amon Düül" with no title or text on the cover. I do not have any evidence to prove this, except if you check the label's and spine there's no mention of Psychedelic Underground. Apparently the silver text on the cover was added with the second pressing. This would probably explain how the tracks on the rear cover are listed wrongly, first the side B tracks and then the side A tracks.Of course this means that now nearly every CD release has the tracks listed wrongly, replicating the error first made by Spalax. You think they would have noticed though, as with all CD reissues it's an LP transfer, and the times and track titles don't tally with the music!The only properly done releases I know of to list the tracks correctly on the cover are the LP reissues: "This Is Amon Düül" album (see Discogs release 887707) and Minnelied (see Discogs release 402268).But, all that aside, what of the first really significant slice of what was to become known as Krautrock? Well, I'd say it's a masterpiece of raw energy, as great and as groundbreaking as it ever was, well-over 40 years on. Want to know more? Read my feature in Audion magazine or in "The Crack In The Cosmic Egg".