Rock On Brain
One of the first German bands presenting already an acceptable stage-act many years ago, was the 1966 founded “Crew”, consisting of Gerd Otto Kühn, Joachim H. Ehrig, Peter Klassen and Edgar Hüber. This Westfalian quintet split up in 1969. Two following groups were the result: first Charing Cross with guitar player Gerd Otto Kühn, bassist Bernhard Uhlemann and drummer Axel Harlos. The other one by the name of Wutpickel (“fury pimple”) consisting of singer and guitar player Stefan Danielak, drummer Joachim H. Ehrig and some other musicians. After nine months of separate ways both bands reunited in February 1971 by the name of GROBSCHNITT. Later that year keyboarder Hermann Quetting (former Chris Braun Band) joined in. This 6 piece line-up with two drummers performed until mid of 1972 and is also to be heard on the first album. When finally Bernhard Uhlemann, Axel Harlos and Hermann Quetting left the group in summer 1972, GROBSCHNITT was disbanded for a short peroid, but started again in September that year. The reason was a new keyboarder from Bremen, Volker Kahrs, joining the trio Danielak, Kühn and Ehrig. From January 1973 on GROBSCHNITT came up with a spectacular stage-act, a monstrous freak-comedy lasting for three hours, searching for itself and shooting with a mixture of rock-show, theatre, pantomime, ZDF charts and madhouse tears of joy into the eyes of the public. Prepaired collages from tape-recorders, greasepaint and snotty anti-costumes ruled the scene as well as special “actions” by the former roadies and now actors Ralf “John McPorneaux” Gräber and Rainer “Tono Moff Mollo” Loskand. Focus of the first GROBSCHNITT-show was the 20 minutes act “Am Ölberg” (mount of olives) pesenting even Godfather himself. Meanwhile the musicians had adequate nicknames like Eroc, Lupo, Wildschwein (“wild boar”) and Mist. As fifth member Bernhard “Baer” Uhlemann joined the band again on September. Also their second record, the double album “Ballermann”, presented own compositions and English lyrics.
The on very wide passages based space-rock culminated in the 33-minutes version “Solar Music”. Without Bernhard Uhlemann who finally left the band in spring of 1975, but with the bassist Wolfgang “Popo / Hunter” Jäger GROBSCHNITT brought the “Sahara Show” on the German stages. Between dream and reality, gags and slapstick, bedouin's clothing and magician's costumes, evening news and march music GROBSCHNITT celebrated a stage-program which – worldwide – looks for it's equals. Additional sound-collages and electronic effects are ideas of drummer Joachim “Eroc” Ehrig.
Their third album “Jumbo” first released with English lyrics hit five months later as same set with German lyrics again the shops. The follower “Rockpommel's Land” shows the features of a concept-album. On two sides of the record a story about a boy called Ernie is told, who dreamingly escapes all-day-life to join an adventurous trip with a bird called Maraboo, finally finding his luck in Rockpommel's Land.
Early in 1978 the band produced their “soldier's show”, a story about a German troup garding a brewery against the French. They saw it as their duty to “destroy” each single drop before the enemy shows up. In another scene (with bed and earth closet on stage ) at visit of the old companions by Captain Elias Grobschnitt is presented. With such nonsense and a non-stop-show lasting up to four hours the group established themselves as one of the most popular live-acts in Germany. Im Februar 1978 more than 5000 fans were all aflutter after a concert in the Munsterland Hall. The sign-piece of each GROBSCHNITT concert, the one-hour opus “Solar Music” fills up the fifth album of the band. Recorded live in Mülheim the LP shows more than 53 minutes (!) of excellent musicianship.
Excerpts from Günther Ehnert's “Rock in Deutschland”, published by Taurus Press
