REAL AX BAND - MOVE YOUR ASS IN TIME - 1977

German band The Real Ax Band was formed by Marlon Klein and Toffi Mache in 1976. Between then and early 1977 people came and went while the group played dozens of small concerts in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Early in 1977 the line-up that made their first and only album coalesced when Ghana-born Maria Archer, Heinz-Otto Gwiasda and Dieter Miekautsch entered the frame. Maria Archer and Dieter Miekautsch were newly returned from Africa and were looking for a new band with whom they could perform. Both had already worked with Embryo.

Band mixed and matched rock, jazz, soul and Latino elements. In Maria Archer the group had a vocalist who sounded real when singing English, not like KrautRock's standard painful Anglo-American imitation. Their first album was recorded in Sunrise Studio in Switzerland studio and released on Schneeball (self-financed) in 2000 copies only. Each month they play some ten to fifteen gigs.

Then things became a bit problematic : three musicians had to go to hospital, and somebody stole their uninsured sound systems and instruments . They stayed with 25 000 DM debt for stolen devices and album release. After all pros and cons of the situation were counted, the band decided to be disbanded.

Wow here is a great find... The REAL AX BAND only released one album in their short lifetime but man what an album. "Move your ass" mixes and matches jazz, fusion, soul and progrock (Krautrock) in ways that few ever attempted. Most notably 2 members of REAL AX BAND were from one of my personal favourite Krautrock bands EMBRYO : Dieter Miekautsch and Maria Archer. The album is one wild concoction of genres with tons of great grooves and instrumentation to get into... I would say a cross of EMBRYO with ECHOLYN and toss in some groovy SLY and The FAMILY STONE and you have it. Considering the age I am blown away by the fantastically lovingly recorded sound quality on this album CD.'
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