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Kluster/Cluster live albums
Important have really pushed the boat out for Kluster/Cluster fans. A brace of live albums from Conrad Schnitzler's archives and another live album from one of last year's Cluster reunion shows. Not all three releases are essential but all have been made with a lot of love and care, from the audio right down to the embossed sleeves made in the style of the original Kluster LPs.
Admira and Vulcano both document live performances by Kluster but without Hans-Jochim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius who had left to form Cluster at this point. Both these live albums sound quite different to the studio albums Kluster released around the time these performances occurred, no doubt due to the departure of Roedelius and Moebius and the addition of unspecified "friends" to the lineup. No matter what the lineup, these archive recordings sound remarkably crisp for tapes that have been sitting on a shelf for decades. I may not enjoy everything Schnitzler has put his name to but the man sure knows how to make recordings sound good.
On Admira, a collection of pieces from multiple concerts in 1971, the clanking rhythms of the studio albums mentioned above appear and an echoey violin is scraped queasily alongside. It is easy to imagine a young Throbbing Gristle taking notes while listening to this. Some of the pieces sound like an unfinished jam (which they probably were), stopping dead in the middle of a piece in some cases. However, there are moments of almost ecstatic clarity such as the sixth track: nearly eight minutes of pulsing synths and a languid, trippy drum rhythm. Overall, Admira is more chaotic than the studio albums and because of its nature as a compilation, it does not flow very well but it is still a wonderful set of recordings.
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Vulcano is an entire gig recorded in Wuppertal in 1971. The violin has been left in its case and a flute is instead employed to great effect. The music is less uncomfortable sounding than that on Admira. As this is a full concert, the sounds are given enough time to unfold into their full form. Although it is a far cry from the motorik style of Krautrock typical of Neu!, this is a perfect album for driving. On an empty motorway at night, I got deeply into this album (although not too deeply!). The undulating waves of sound build up slowly to an almost cosmic intensity, Vulcano is utterly immense. It is a shame that it has lain in an archive for so long but thankfully it has finally seen the light of day.
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Jumping forward nearly 40 years since the group's inception, Roedelius and Moebius returned to the stage as Cluster. Berlin 07 features two long tracks, bubbling electronics that echo the older Cluster releases but also have a modern sheen to them. To be honest, I was not expecting this to be great as the Rother and Moebius performance I saw a couple of years ago was so patchy. Thankfully, this pairing works much better (or I saw a bad night of the other duo). It is by no means a classic release and when compared to the two live albums above, it pales. However, taken on its own terms Berlin 07 is a decent album with some stellar moments. It may drag at times but its merits far outweigh its faults. It may not be worth a thousand words but the picture of Roedelius and Moebius grinning over a glass of wine says it all: a pleasant time with old friends.
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