*. Ihre Kinder .* (Remaster)

Album: 2375 004 (Jeans-Cover) (1970)(Remaster 2011)
Genre: Prog Rock (Krautrock/Heavy/Psych.)  /  Germany

The untitled album with the order number 2375 004 (often called "Jeans-Cover" because it was not packed in paper but in jeans cloth) is by most observers seen as the best record of Ihre Kinder and marks the peak in their public awareness. The album was most important at the evolving "Krautrock" scene. This album had a musical blend between American protest song, white blues and carefully set elements of electronic rock and Jazz, which had not been heard in this form and to this date in Germany. In an excellent way the songs with all German lyrics take up political and social problems of the time like overpopulation and anonymity ("Menschen wie Sand am Meer"), outsiders in the welfare state ("Straßenkind"), nuclear armament ("Toter Soldat") or drug misuse ("Weißer Schnee, Schwarze Nacht"). Especially the calm songs still sound well and interesting. In the more than 6 and a half minute long "Toter Soldat" Ihre Kinder describe the perversity of warfare in a nuclear world and produce an oppressed atmosphere with distorted organ and electric guitar chords and drum rolls that lead into nothingness. "Weißer Schnee, Schwarze Nacht" is in musical and lyrical terms the German predecessor to the Stones' "Sister Morphine" (1971) and Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done" (1972). Sonny Hennig's singing maybe peculiar but still is touching here. His lyrics were seen as the most pretentious in German popular music these days. The transfer of the music to CD has not been well done. The booklet is minimalistic and doesn't mention any names of producers or engineers or a year of the cd release. Whoever these people were they couldn't stand the temptation to adjust the songs to "modern taste" by emphasizing the rythm section and so falsifying the original sound. Further the heights (especially the hi-hats) clink that it almost gives you pain in the ears. Also the digitizing didn't do any good to Sonny Hennig's voice. Review by "Peter Pan" (Prog Archives).

RATING:  8 / 10

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