Fritz Müller Rock [CD]

Fritz Muller is one of the most innovative musicians of the German Rock Scene. Born 1945 as Eberhard Kranemann in Germany he studied classical double bass at the Dortmund Conservatory, playing Bach / Mozart / Telemann - orchestra music and with Jazz bands. Then he went to Duesseldorf to study painting at the Arts Academy. Besides experimenting with colours and painting abstract pictures he experimented with sounds, at first on cello, clarinet, tenorsaxophone, electric guitar, hawaii guitar, later with electronic instruments.
In 1967, with other art students he founded the experimental music group PISSOFF. Critical about the social development in Germany the band demolished the established rules of music. In their concerts they played free improvised music for three hours non-stop, everyone playing as loud as possible - without harmony, avoiding correct pitch, defined structures and norms – and people liked it.
Pure freedom. Chaos. Acoustic terror. JOSEPH BEUYS, professor at the Duesseldorf art academy, was so enthusiastic that he initiated a performance with PISSOFF in Duesseldorf’s famous Creamcheese Club, Frank Zappa’s favourite club in Germany. At this time Florian Schneider-Esleben heard the sound of the group and joined the band, becoming a friend of Eberhard Kranemann’s. The two curious musicians kept on experimenting, which was the beginnig of KRAFTWERK. After four years of collaboration he began to work with Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother in the band NEU!. Later on he invented for himself the stage personality FRITZ MUELLER, working as a solo artist in concerts and recording at the Conny Plank studio in Wolperath. He formed the FRITZ MUELLER BAND, did concert tours, more studio work, and radio and television appearencies. Now, 30 years later the FRITZ MUELLER ROCK LP of 1977, co-produced by Conny Plank, is now available on CD and one of the most important releases in German Rock history.

A German Zappa with rocking of poppy, electronic and psych varieties. Enjoyably maddening - ***
-- MOJO, February 2009

Memorably described as a trend-setter so far out the trend never took off... a true one-off in every possible sense - ****
-- Record Collector, February 2009