Hoelderlin (aka Holderlins Traum)
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1970-73) as Hölderlins Traum - Michael Bruchmann -- drums, percussion - Nanny de Ruig -- vocals, dance - Christian Grumbkow -- lead guitar - Joachim Grumbkow -- vocals, cello, flute, guitar, keyboards, mellotron - Peter-Kaseberg -- vocals, bass, guitar - Christoph Noppeney -- viola, acoustic guitar, vocals
line up 2 (1973-75) as Hoelderlin - Michael Bruchmann -- drums, percussion - Christian Grumbkow -- lead guitar - Joachim Grumbkow -- vocals, cello, flute, guitar, keyboards, mellotron NEW - Joachim Käseberg -- guitar - Peter Kaseberg -- vocals, bass, guitar - Christoph Noppeney -- viola, acoustic guitar, vocals
line up 1 (1976) NEW - Hans Bäär (aka Hans Maahn) -- bass, guitars (replaced Peter Kaseberg) - Michael Bruchmann -- drums, percussion - Christian Grumbkow -- lead guitar - Joachim Grumbkow -- vocals, keyboards, cello - Christoph Noppeney -- vocals, viola, acoustic guitar
supporting musicians (1976) - Joachim Käseberg -- stage sound - Jörg-Peter Siebert -- sax, flute, percussion
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- The Fred Banana Combo (Hans Bäär) - Fehlfarben ( Hans Bäär) - Food Band ( Hans Bäär) - Kowalski ( Hans Bäär) |
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Genre: progressive Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Clowns & Clouds Company: Spiegelie Catalog: 26
605-6 U Country/State: Wuppertal, Germany Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $40.00
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One of Wuppertal, Germany's contributions to Krautrock, Hölderlins Traum started out as a family affair featuring brothers Christian Grumbkow (guitar) and Joachim Grumbkow (keyboards). Under the name Die Beatkids, they cut their chops as a cover band taking on English bands like The Beatles, The Shadows and The Stones. By the late-'60s they'd shifted their musical interests and direction.
As Hölderlin (named after German poet Friedrich Holderlin), the brothers shifted their musical direction towards a sound heavily influenced by English folk bands including Fairport Convention, Pentangle and Steeleye Span. They also underwent a string of personnel changes, including the addition of Dutch vocalist/dancer Nanny de Ruig (Christian's future wife). By1970 they'd begun to include jazz and rock influenced original material in their repertoire.
In 1972 the band was signed by Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser's small Pilz (mushroom) label. After releasing their debut as Hölderlins Traum, they changed their name to Hoelderlin. They also sued label head Kaiser, eventually winning their lawsuit which saw Pilz go out of business. In 1975 the band signed with the small Spiegelei (Fried Egg) label.
Their
second album under the "Hoelderlin" nameplate, 1976's "Clowns &
Clouds" was recorded after a personnel change - bass player
Peter Kaseberg replaced by Hans Bäär. Musically the album found the band
moving towards a more complex
progressive sound. Produced by Karlheinz Borchert, the album was
apparently intended as a concept piece. To state the obvious, si
"Clowns
& Clouds" track listing: 1.) Mad House (Christian Grumbkow - Joachim Grumbkow) - 6:50 rating: **** stars Kicked along by some bouncy Joachim Grumbkow Clavinet and Jörg-Peter Siebert's blaring sax, "Mad House" started out surprisingly funky, before shifting into a melodic, pastoral composition and ending in more of a jam. Christian Grumbkow's heavily accented sing-song vocals took a little while to get acclimated to, but once he actually started singing things got much better; the song interesting enough to overlook other shortcomings. For some reason this one has always sounded really good on my stereo system. 2.) Your Eyes (Joachim Grumbkow) - 6:05 rating: *** stars Imagine if Lake had been fronted by a German vocalist (keyboardist Joachim Grumbkow) rather than the late Scotish singer James Hopkins-Harrison and you'll have a feel for the mid-tempo ballad "Your Eyes". Like the best of Lake's catalog, the song mixed progressive and pop influences. Sweet melody though Christoph Noppeney;s extended viola solo cost the song a star in my grading scale. 3.) Circus - 9:09 a) Tango Mili (instrumental) (Christian Grumbkow - Christoph Noppeney - Joachim Grumbkow) rating: ** stars Showcasing more of Noppeney's screeching viola, the instrumental "Tango Mili" sounded like ... well, a tango. Pass b) Marching (instrumental) (Christian Grumbkow - Christoph Noppeney - Joachim Grumbkow) rating: ** star Perhaps not a surprising, the brief instrumental "Marching" sounded like ... well, a military march. c) Sensations (Christian Grumbkow - Christoph Noppeney - Joachim Grumbkow) rating: *** stars Thankfully the opening section of "Sensations" boasted a pretty melody. Once again Joachim Grumbkow's sing/speak vocals didn't do a great deal for me, nor did the "circus" related lyrics.
(side
2) Opening up with the sound of a streaming creek, the dark, slightly ominous "Streaming" gave Christian Grumbkow a chance to showcase his melodic lead guitar. Penned by bassist Hans Baar, the tune started out as the album's most conventional rocker (I'm using "rocker" in a broad term). Midway through it shifted into a dreamier melody showcasing Jörg-Peter Siebert's sax. Always loved Baar's rumbling bass lines on this one. 2.) Phasing (instrumental) (Hans Bäär - Christian Grumbko) - 12:12 rating: **** stars Joachim Grumbkow's opening keyboards gave "Phasing" a charming, child's lullaby feel. With the addition of Joachim Grumbkow's cello, the opening section stood as was one of the band's prettiest melodies. It would have been perfect for a film score. About three minutes in Michael Bruchmann's drums kicked in; the song picked up speed and powered by Christoph Noppeney's viola you were off to the races.
© Scott R. Blackerby November 2025
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de one, including the
extended "Circus" suite had something to do with with
clowns. Personally I'm not
a big fan of clowns, so the subject
matter didn't do much for me. I'll admit I've listened to the
album at least a dozen times and even read the lyrics and to this day don't
have a clue what the plotline was. Featuring two extended compositions, side two had something to
do with clouds. Again, the plotline was wasted on me. Joachim Grumbkow
and Christoph
Noppeney shared lead vocals; the lyrics in heavily accented English.
Interestingly, it didn't take long to get acclimated to their accents,
though on "Mad House" Grumbkow's speak/sing delivery didn't do
much for me. While the lyrics may
have left me in the dust, musically the album included some of their
prettiest material - check out the opening section of
"Phasing". Maybe I'm alone, but I frequently find myself
playing "spot the influences" on German progressive
albums. This time around tracks like "Sensations"
and parts of the extended instrumental "Phasing"
sounded as if the band had been listening to a lot of
Gentle Giant, or Peter
Gabriel era Genesis. That made it very different from your typical
"Krautrock" release; perhaps not something that was going to
appeal to hardcore Krautrock fans, but I enjoyed it.