Founded in 1972, Germany's Brain Records is often regarded as one of the country's most important and influential labels, capturing and eventually catapulting a style of leftfield rock'n'roll that came to be known more commonly as Krautrock. Now, the storied history of the label that helped bring groups like Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Popol Vuh and Harmonia to the world is set to be explored with an extensive retrospective box set.
Containing eight CDs, The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds of Brain Records 1972-1979 will arrive through Universal on April 21. The eight-disc release contains a total of 83 songs and is accompanied by a 76-page hardcover book illustrating Brain's history with photographs and artwork.
A description from the label reveals that the first five CDs in the box feature material from all those aforementioned Krautrock legends, as well as works from the likes of Guru Guru, Klaus Schulze, Jane, Gomorrha and Scorpions. The sixth CD also focuses on international records, including tracks from Steamhammer, Spyro Gyra, Atomic Rooster, Alexis Korner & Snape, Gryphon, Dutch outfit Light, Hungary's Locomotiv GT, Finnish band Tasavallan Presidentti and their guitarist Jukka Tolonen.
The box set also marks the first-time release of the two "Brain Festival Essen" live double albums, which came out in 1977 and 1978, respectively. What's more, the deluxe set comes with a tote bag branded with the label's iconic logo. English liner notes were provided by Mark Powell, who also compiled the collection, while the German introduction was written by Krautrock expert Andreas Dewald.
Pre-orders for The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds of Brain Records 1972-1979 can be found here, and you can check out the sprawling tracklist below.
The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds Of Brain Records 1972-1979:
CD1:
1. Scorpions – Leave Me
2. Gomorrha – I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was
3. Jane – Daytime
4. Wolfgang Dauner Group – Kamasutram
5. Cluster – Plas
6. Guru Guru – Oxymoron
7. Grobschnitt – Wonderful Music
8. Os Mundi – A Question Of Decision
9. Creative Rock – Natron
10. Gash – A Young Man's Gash, Part Two
11. Sameti – Get Up Don't Sleep So Long
12. Cornucopia – Morning Sun (Version 127)
13. Emergency – I Know What's Wrong
14. Guru Guru – Samantha's Rabbit
CD2:
1. Electric Sandwich – China
2. Embryo Feat. Jimmy Jackson – Radio Marrakesch / Orient Express
3. Lava – Tears Are Goin' Home
4. Tangerine Dream – Circulation Of Events
5. Thirsty Moon – Big City
6. Guru Guru – The Story Of Life
7. Sperrmüll – No Freak Out
8. Novalis – Laughing
9. Curly Curve – Shitkicker
10. Harmonia – Watussi
11. Embryo – A Place To Go
CD3:
1. Kollektiv – Rambo Zambo
2. Thirsty Moon – You'll Never Come Back
3. Yatha Sidhra – A Meditation Mass, Part Three
4. Satin Whale – Desert Places
5. Klaus Schulze – Ways Of Changes
6. Emergency – No Compromise
7. Jane – Waiting For The Sunshine
8. Novalis – Dronsz
CD4:
1. Grobschnitt – Solar-Music, Part One
2. Cluster – Caramba
3. Klaus Schulze – Mindphaser
4. Eroc – Des Zauberers Traum
5. Release Music Orchestra – Slapstick
6. Harmonia – Walky Talky
7. Schicke, Führs & Fröhling – Explorer
8. Emergency – No Compromise
CD5:
1. Jane – Windows (Live)
2. Liliental – Vielharmonie
3. Gate – Frankfurt
4. Popol Vuh – Engel Der Gegenwart
5. Führs & Fröhling – Ammerland
6. Birth Control – Titanic
7. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part I: Come Away
8. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part II: The Disguise
9. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part III: Adonis
10. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part IV: Epitaph
CD6:
1. Steamhammer – For Against
2. Tasavallan Presidentti – Lounge
3. Light – The Water
4. Alexis Korner – You Got The Power (To Turn Me On)
5. Atomic Rooster – Time Take My Life
6. Spirogyra – Island
7. Gryphon – Second Spasm
8. Jukka Tolonen – Wanderland
9. Tasavallan Presidentti – Milky Way Moses
10. Locomotiv Gt – Intuition
CD 7 - Brain-Festival Essen, 1977:
1. Gate – Friedrichstr. 18
2. Novalis – Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hört
3. Release Music Orchestra – Rico
4. Jane – Expectations
5. Jane – Out In The Rain
6. Message – River Field
7. Guru Guru – I'm Really Into Rock'n'roll, Man
8. Guru Guru – All We Need
9. Ruphus – Second Corner
10. Ruphus – No Deal
Various - Brain-Festival Essen II, Part I, 1978
11. Gate – Heart
12. Gate – Herrenwies
13. Führs & Fröhling – Every Land Tells A Story (Excerpt)
CD 8 - Brain-Festival Essen II, Part II, 1978:
1. Message – World Keeps On Turning
2. Release Music Orchestra – New Day / Meadow
3. Novalis – Astralis
4. To Be – Drei In Drei
5. To Be – Samba Für Heino Reher
6. Schicke, Führs & Fröhling – Explorer / Wizzard
7. Blonker – Mädchen
8. Blonker – Irgendwie
9. Ruphus – Joy
10. Ruphus – Inner Voice
Containing eight CDs, The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds of Brain Records 1972-1979 will arrive through Universal on April 21. The eight-disc release contains a total of 83 songs and is accompanied by a 76-page hardcover book illustrating Brain's history with photographs and artwork.
A description from the label reveals that the first five CDs in the box feature material from all those aforementioned Krautrock legends, as well as works from the likes of Guru Guru, Klaus Schulze, Jane, Gomorrha and Scorpions. The sixth CD also focuses on international records, including tracks from Steamhammer, Spyro Gyra, Atomic Rooster, Alexis Korner & Snape, Gryphon, Dutch outfit Light, Hungary's Locomotiv GT, Finnish band Tasavallan Presidentti and their guitarist Jukka Tolonen.
The box set also marks the first-time release of the two "Brain Festival Essen" live double albums, which came out in 1977 and 1978, respectively. What's more, the deluxe set comes with a tote bag branded with the label's iconic logo. English liner notes were provided by Mark Powell, who also compiled the collection, while the German introduction was written by Krautrock expert Andreas Dewald.
Pre-orders for The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds of Brain Records 1972-1979 can be found here, and you can check out the sprawling tracklist below.
The Brain Box – Cerebral Sounds Of Brain Records 1972-1979:
CD1:
1. Scorpions – Leave Me
2. Gomorrha – I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was
3. Jane – Daytime
4. Wolfgang Dauner Group – Kamasutram
5. Cluster – Plas
6. Guru Guru – Oxymoron
7. Grobschnitt – Wonderful Music
8. Os Mundi – A Question Of Decision
9. Creative Rock – Natron
10. Gash – A Young Man's Gash, Part Two
11. Sameti – Get Up Don't Sleep So Long
12. Cornucopia – Morning Sun (Version 127)
13. Emergency – I Know What's Wrong
14. Guru Guru – Samantha's Rabbit
CD2:
1. Electric Sandwich – China
2. Embryo Feat. Jimmy Jackson – Radio Marrakesch / Orient Express
3. Lava – Tears Are Goin' Home
4. Tangerine Dream – Circulation Of Events
5. Thirsty Moon – Big City
6. Guru Guru – The Story Of Life
7. Sperrmüll – No Freak Out
8. Novalis – Laughing
9. Curly Curve – Shitkicker
10. Harmonia – Watussi
11. Embryo – A Place To Go
CD3:
1. Kollektiv – Rambo Zambo
2. Thirsty Moon – You'll Never Come Back
3. Yatha Sidhra – A Meditation Mass, Part Three
4. Satin Whale – Desert Places
5. Klaus Schulze – Ways Of Changes
6. Emergency – No Compromise
7. Jane – Waiting For The Sunshine
8. Novalis – Dronsz
CD4:
1. Grobschnitt – Solar-Music, Part One
2. Cluster – Caramba
3. Klaus Schulze – Mindphaser
4. Eroc – Des Zauberers Traum
5. Release Music Orchestra – Slapstick
6. Harmonia – Walky Talky
7. Schicke, Führs & Fröhling – Explorer
8. Emergency – No Compromise
CD5:
1. Jane – Windows (Live)
2. Liliental – Vielharmonie
3. Gate – Frankfurt
4. Popol Vuh – Engel Der Gegenwart
5. Führs & Fröhling – Ammerland
6. Birth Control – Titanic
7. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part I: Come Away
8. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part II: The Disguise
9. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part III: Adonis
10. Anyone's Daughter – Adonis, Part IV: Epitaph
CD6:
1. Steamhammer – For Against
2. Tasavallan Presidentti – Lounge
3. Light – The Water
4. Alexis Korner – You Got The Power (To Turn Me On)
5. Atomic Rooster – Time Take My Life
6. Spirogyra – Island
7. Gryphon – Second Spasm
8. Jukka Tolonen – Wanderland
9. Tasavallan Presidentti – Milky Way Moses
10. Locomotiv Gt – Intuition
CD 7 - Brain-Festival Essen, 1977:
1. Gate – Friedrichstr. 18
2. Novalis – Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hört
3. Release Music Orchestra – Rico
4. Jane – Expectations
5. Jane – Out In The Rain
6. Message – River Field
7. Guru Guru – I'm Really Into Rock'n'roll, Man
8. Guru Guru – All We Need
9. Ruphus – Second Corner
10. Ruphus – No Deal
Various - Brain-Festival Essen II, Part I, 1978
11. Gate – Heart
12. Gate – Herrenwies
13. Führs & Fröhling – Every Land Tells A Story (Excerpt)
CD 8 - Brain-Festival Essen II, Part II, 1978:
1. Message – World Keeps On Turning
2. Release Music Orchestra – New Day / Meadow
3. Novalis – Astralis
4. To Be – Drei In Drei
5. To Be – Samba Für Heino Reher
6. Schicke, Führs & Fröhling – Explorer / Wizzard
7. Blonker – Mädchen
8. Blonker – Irgendwie
9. Ruphus – Joy
10. Ruphus – Inner Voice