Genre: rock
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Atlantis
Company: Polydor
Catalog: PD-6513
Year: 1975
Country/State: Germany / France / UK
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: cut lower right corner
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5500
Price: $25.00
Inga Rumpf ... 99.9% of American music fans wouldn't have a clue. Sad since she's quite a talented singer, though few people outside of Germany know it. Adding to her misfortune, the few American references to Rumpf repeatedly compare her to Janis Joplin - 'the German Janis Joplin' seems to be a popular if inappropriate description. Talk about a way to kill off a career !!!
Born
in Hamburg, by the time she was a teenager Rumpf had already acquired
professional credentials singing with various
blues bands. Her recording career started in 1965 with The City
Preachers, which evolved into Frumpy. Frumpy survived long enough to
record two critically acclaimed studio albums before collapsing in
1972. Later that year Rumpf, French keyboardist Jean Jacques Kravetz,
and bassist Karl Heinz Schott subsequently elected to continue their
partnership forming Atlantis. The initial line up was rounded out by
lead guitarist Frank Diez and ex Emergency drummer Curt Cress.
In Germany and the rest of Europe the group's third studio set was released with the title "Ooh Baby".
Vertigo catalog number 6360621
For some reason Polydor management elected to release the set domestically with a new title ("Atlantis") and with alternate if equally bland packaging. Never mind the fact their 1972 debut album had been entitled "Atlantis". Produced by Dieter Dierks the collection was released in the wake of another set of personnel changes including the addition of the English keyboardist Adrian Askew and former Curly Curve lead guitarist Alexander Conti. With Askew and Conti assuming responsibility for the majority of writing duties (Rumpf contributed four tracks), the album found the band pursuing a mixture of German soul (yes it is a genre that exists) and conventional AOR. Propelled by Rumpf's surprisingly funky accented voice, tracks like 'Mr. Bigshot (You Get the Credit)' and 'Smiling People' were more than a match for their Anglo-American competitors. Personally my tastes ran towards their rock moves with 'Son of a Bitch's Son' and 'New York City' being quite memorable numbers. On the other hand taken as a complete package there simply wasn't a great deal of originality to be found across the album. Vertigo tapped the album for a pair of German singles:
- 1975's 'Son of a Bitch's Son' b/w 'Friends (Vertigo catalog number 6147 007)
- 1975's 'Mainline Florida' b/w 'Ooh Baby' (Vertigo catalog number 6147 010)
In the States Polydor released 'Son of a Bitch's Son' b/w 'Friends' as the single (Polydor catalog number PD-15106).
In an effort to break the band in the States the band toured the US opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The tour did little for sales, but saw Conti fired (he reappeared with Lake). Former guitarist Frank Dietz returned to the line up along with second guitarist Rainer Marz.
"Atlantis" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Mainline Florida (G. Terry)- 2:56
2.) Son of a Bitch's Son (Inga Rumpf) - 3:51
3.) Waiting and Longing (Inga Rumpf) - 3:14
4.) Mr. Bigshot (You Get the Credit) (Adrian Askew - Alexander Conti) - 5:34
5.) The Way I Choose (Adrian Askew - Alexander Conti) - 3:53
(side
2)
1.) Ooh, Baby (Inga Rumpf - Alexander Conti) - 2:53
2.) Smiling People (Inga Rumpf - Jean Jacques Kravetz) - 3:53
3.) New York City (Adrian Askew) - 4:41
4.) Godfather (Adrian Askew - Alexander Conti) - 3:43
5.) Leave It To the Devil (Adrian Askew) - 3:15