Eiszeit by Günter Schickert / GAM

Track 7. Ich Bin Ein Teil 8:20
is only available with the complete album download

An album that was almost lost forever. The producer absconded with the mix-down, and the studio mislaid the multi-track tapes, only a first generation cassette survived! You won't believe how good this CD sounds (okay, there are some slight anomalies in the sound effects backing track used on one piece, and a rogue click elsewhere that refused to be removed, but I'm finicky), it's nonetheless a roaring sizzler! "Eiszeit" amounts to a solid and revolutionary Krautrock album, even a quarter of a Century on, notably with the Guru Guru and Can edges turned inside-out, and each track a new invention, not least so the "songs". Themes from GAM 1976 are heard here, sometimes out of context with their original setting, welded into more complex hybrids. This lost piece of Krautrock history is a jewel from a time when most Krautrock had died or sold-out.

Record Collector 348 review...
Lost gem of the post-Krautrock era…
“If it weren’t for yours truly, the editors of this publication, it is quite likely that GAM would have remained a mere footnote in Krautrock history.” Thus, Alan and Steve Freeman of Leicester’s Ultima Thule shop describe this trio made up of Axel Struck (guitar/ vocals), Gunter Schickert (Guitar/ trumpet/vocals) and Michael Leske (drums) in their compelling CD-ROM encyclopedia of Krautrock, The Crack In The Cosmic Egg.
GAM secured a record deal in the mid-70s but, apart from live work, these 1976 recordings were not released, and the Freeman brothers stepped in 20 years later to issue the music on cassette and CD. As you might imagine, the musical explorations are pure psych-Krautrock, but with gorgeous overtones of modern electronica. The modern throb and textured beauty of Geige passes too fast at a mere 4.50, and it’s amazing to realise that no synthesizers or keyboards are employed on the techno throb of Sepp Oben Ich Unten, whose wordless vocals are a texture of the music. Although the nonsensical chanted lyrics will make you quickly tire of Demons, every other track is a delight. All told, a fantastic release for fans not only of Krautrock, but experimental music anywhere.
4 stars Reviewed by Ian Shirley

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