Bröselmaschine, Bröselmaschine (CD)

1971's Bröselmaschine, the group's sole album, is a primitive, meandering walk through folk-psych, vaguely reminiscent of the Incredible String Band, only stranger and even more awkward. There are no drums and little bass, and the tabla (which is more prevalent) does not provide any foreground pulse. The vocals, while sung by Germans, are in English when there are lyrics. All of the instruments are particularly bright and present, while the vocals sound duller and more traditional—the strange mix is somehow appropriate for this record. The cover image is such an exaggerated cartoon of the era/style, it can be hard to take seriously. The CD reissue from 1994 is nicely done, with good mastering and a nice Digipak.