Let It Out is without a doubt the most unlikely Krautrock album ever made. I don't know what the good Achim Reichel was thinking when he decided to make an album with beat poet Frank Dostal, but I'm absolutely over the moon that he did. This album connects two different, and highly unlikely, worlds with a grace and power that literally made my jaw drop, when I first heard it. Psychedelic soul and Krautrock?!?!? WTF???
Yep that's right. Let It Out sounds like Richie Havens teamed up with Faust, Funkadelic and Amon Düül ll.................. I guess you must be scratching your head by now, but let me tell you straight away, this bizarre concoction works wonders. I've never been much of a 'spoken word' fan, but on here the vocals seem just right and funky to boot. Dostal's poetry speaks about esoteric notions, ganja, let's all get together teachings and anti-war, often touching on a distinct urban vibe that almost feels like proto-rap, without ever diverging from his melodic flair. Maybe it's because I've always listened to a lot of Motown and funk, but there's just something about the drive of it that makes me dance and bob my head.
What sets Let It Out apart from other psychedelic funk bands of the time, is that it employs some rather clever trickery - bending and contorting the otherwise funky rhythm and blues foundation completely out of shape. The infusion of a fuzzed guitar, strange birdlike reeds and intimate acoustic folk moments makes this venture into something else entirely. Attributing to all of this, is a slight touch of Amon Düül ll. I especially hear it in the chord shifts, and whether it is intentionally done or not, still helps blur the smooth surfaces of this record. Somewhat comparable to throwing a chilli in your vanilla ice cream.
Fluctuating between short pretty balladry tunes that take you out on the fields in tall grasses, and the deep funky experimenting rhythm n blues, this album balances a fine line of intimacy and expressionism. The inspired psych drenched guitar leads from Reichel himself often bridges the two making the album flow from either extremity with a smooth nonchalance about it.
The full line-up consists of Frank Dostal and Achim Reichel + Rolf Kohler (bass), Norbert Jacobsen (clarinet), Lemmie Lembrecht (percussion) and Helmut Franke (percussion). Additional musicians were Wolfgang \"Zabba\" Lindner (drums, ex-Wind), Peter Hecht (piano, from Lucifer's Friend), Elga Blask (vocals) and Olaf Casalich (congas). Not to mention one Conny Plank sitting comfortably at the production helm.
What I love about this album is that it doesn't seem to try at all. The music comes across so naturally and unassumingly. Even the carefully placed experimental bits feel like they belong there. It all comes together beautifully. The sparsely used female backing vocals that sound strangely like the mellotron from KCs debut, the freak folk sections with percussions galore, the Gil Scott Heron flavoured vocals - it really does come together like a dream.
Put this baby on the stereo, tune in turn on and drop out - forget about the world. I jump on this fiery funk ride that swings and grooves like a wavy tarmac road, and am instantly reminded why I love music.
