Jane
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1970-72) - Klaus Hess -- lead guitar, backing vocals - Charly Maucher -- bass, backing vocals - Werner Nadolny -- keyboards, flute - Peter Panka (RIP 2007) -- drums, percussion, vocals - Bernd Pulst --
vocals line up 2 (1972-73) - Klaus Hess --
vocals, lead guitar (replaced Charly Maucher) - Werner Nadolny -- keyboards, flute - Peter Panka (RIP 2007) -- vocals drums, percussion,
line up 3 (1973-74) - Klaus Hess --
lead guitar, backing vocals NEW - Charly Maucher -- bass, backing vocals (replaced Werner Nadolny) - Peter Panka (RIP 2007) -- drums, percussion, vocals
line up 4 (1974-75) - Klaus Hess --
vocals, lead guitar Charly Maucher) NEW - Godfried Janko -- vocals, keyboards (replaced Wolfgang Krantz) - Peter Panka (RIP 2007) -- drums, percussion, vocals
line up 5 (1975-76) - Klaus Hess --
vocals, lead guitar NEW - Werner Nadolny -- keyboards, flute (replaced Godfriend Janko) - Peter Panka (RIP 2007) -- drums, percussion, vocals
line up 6 (1977-79) - Klaus Hess --
vocals, lead guitar - Peter Panka (RIP 2007) -- vocals, drums, percussion NEW - Manfred Wieczoke -- keyboards, vocals (replaced Werner Nadolny)
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- Alex Oriental Experience - Bastard - Big Mama and the Golden Six - Blackmann Lane - The Chain - Der Chef - Harvery Cooper Band - D Boys - Domain - Dull Knife (Godfried Janko) - Efiendi's Garden - Eloy (Manfred Wieczorke) - Epitaph - Gigantor - Harlis (Wolfgang Krantz and Charly Maucher) - Harrison, Panka & Nadolny - Klaus Hess (solo efforts) - The Hungry Eyes - Justice of Peace - The JPs - Lady (Werner Nadolyn) - Lady Jane - Charly Maucher (solo efforts) - MoonDoc - Mother Hane - Mountain Ash - New Entry - Rizzo (Klaus Hess) - Saxon, Reiner, Schone Band - Sinner - Victory - VIva - Warlock, Jutta, Weinhold Band - Manfred Wieczoke (solo efforts)
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Genre: progressive Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Between Heaven and Hell Company: Brain Catalog: 80.001-2 Country/State: Hanover, German Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG Comments: gatefold sleeve; original German pressing; softer passages play with some hiss, but no skips Available: 1 Catalog ID: 222 Price: $30.00
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Self-produced, 1977's "Between Heaven and Hell" found Jane seemingly trying to decide whether they were a progressive band (side one), or a rock outfit (side two). Showcasing four band-penned originals, including the twenty minute title track, you could literally hear the pull of different genres across these tracks. A perfect example of that creative dysfunctional was found on the extended title track which included everything from dollops of Pink Floyd-styled rock to Gregorian chants. 'Between Heaven and Hell' was technically never less than proficient and parts of it were intriguing, but strung together over twenty minutes, you eventually hit a point of diminishing returns. The three side two compositions were far more conventional and commercial, including a slab of boogie rock ('Your Circle') and a ballad ('Voice in the Wind').
- Clocking in at almost twenty minutes, the title track more than a bit of resemblance to Pink Floyd. 'Between Heaven and Hell' opened up with an extended spare sound-scape that's always reminded me a bit of a heartbeat. About a minute in the track abruptly shifted gears with some snarling Klaus Hess lead guitar. When Hess started singing the song took on an even more obvious Floydian feel, bouncing around between hard rock, Gregorian chants, and Eno-styled synthesizer washes over the next fifteen minutes. I guess it was fairly impressive from an artistic point of view, but I can't say it was all that much fun to listen to and by the time you were about halfway through it ... well, there was always side two. rating: ** stars - Clocking in at a relatively brief eight plus minutes, 'Twilight' sounded a bit like Lou Reed hanging out with Deep Purple. Propelled by Hess' best end-of-the-world apocalypse vocals and squealing guitar, the song actually went through a couple of phases, including a mid-song segment that sounded like Jon Lord and company circa 'Smoke On the Water'. Way better than side one, but nothing that a casual fan would have to own. rating: *** stars - Built on a stuttering and infectious Manfred Wieczoke keyboard pattern, 'Voice In the Night' found the band slowing things down with a pretty, mid-tempo ballad. Yeah, Hess' accent became far more prominent when they slowed things down, but it was a pretty composition that could have generated some radio play with a bit of promotion. YouTube has a slightly ragged live performance of the song (I'm guessing it's from the early '90s) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe9Besg-QtY rating: *** stars - 'Your Circle' found the band turning in a slice of boogie rock with Hess sounding like a Teutonic version of Lou Reed ... 'Sweet Jane' with a Krautrock edge ? Totally unlike the rest of the album ... Well, I liked it and would have even given it a higher rating except for the abrupt ending - the song literally just slammed to an abrupt ending like they'd run out of recording tape. rating: *** stars
Again, nothing particularly special and probably not the place I would start an exploration of the band's discography.
"Live At
Home" track listing: 1.) Between
Heaven and Hell (Klaus Hess -
Martin Hesse - Peter Panka - Manfred Wieczoke)
- 19:47 (side
2)
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Genre: progressive Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Live At Home Company: Brain Catalog: 80.001-2600557 Country/State: Hanover, German Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve; double LP; original German pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5683 Price: $30.00
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I spent a year going to college in Germany and one of my roommates had this album. Since my idea of a progressive band at the time was something along the lines of Kansas, or Supertramp, I remember being pretty pissed off whenever he'd play "Live At Home" - which was frequently - helped him study. Not only did this mixture of Krautrock progressive moves get under my skin, but the damn thing seemed endless (a double album set, it clocked in at over an hour !)
So here I am some three decades later and I stumble across a copy of the album at a yard sale. My initial thoughts are something along the lines of $#@(&%, but now that I'm a much more mature and balanced individual I decided to give the album another chance.
left to right: Martin Hesse - Manfred Wieczoke - Klaus Hess - Peter Panka
Well what did I think about this reunion? I'll admit it. I was wrong. I was totally wrong. How could I have been so far off base? Beats the crap out of me. Having listened to this collection a dozen times over the last year I'm hard pressed to believe I was hearing to the same album. What once irritated me to no end now sounds surprisingly good - in fact it's one of those live sets I wish I'd been able to attended. A twelve track, double live set, the album captured the band at an August 1976 concert in Hannover's Niedersachsenhalle. The fact they were playing in front of a hometown audience probably went a long way to explaining the crowd's obvious enthusiasm, as well as the band's taunt performances. Musically the set served as kind of a 'best of' overview covering material as far back as 1971 ('Hangman' and 'Daytime') up through 1975's "Fire, Water, Earth + Air". There was also two new songs - the rather bland rocker 'Another Way' and the sideline jam 'Windows'. Stretching out over an hour the album certainly wasn't perfect. Jane never had a great singer and this time out guitarist Klaus Hess, bassist Martin Hesse, and drummer Peter Panka alternated on vocals. Singing in accented English (I've always laughed when listening to the band's English stage patter), all three were professional, though none was awe inspiring. Like a lot of 1970s German bands they also had a penchant for stretching out their performances; sometimes to the breaking point - 'Hangman' clocked in at 11 minutes, while the side long 'Windows' was just under 20 minutes. Yes, pretense occasionally raised its ugly head. So what about the good news? Featuring a series of four shorter, more commercial rock numbers side one was quite impressive with 'Rest of My Life' and 'Expectation' among the standout selections. With the exceptions of 'Daytime', 'Hightime for Crusaders' and 'Windows' there wasn't nearly as much Pink Floyd drone as I recalled. Long the band's not-so-secret weapon, guitarist Klaus Hess was nothing less than great. He was clearly capable of showy performances, but Hess seldom went for the overboard performance, instead showing restraint and good taste throughout the set - check out his dazzling solos on the ballad 'Fire, Water, Earth & Air', or the instrumental 'Hightime for Crusaders'. A fantastic player. Another highlight came in the form of former Eloy keyboard player Manfred Wieczorke, making his debut on the collection. Unlike many synthesizer players Wieczorke was actually capable of playing the instrument with a degree of restraint - check out his solo on 'Out In the Rain'. By the way, this is one you'll want to find on vinyl since due to time considerations the CD reissue dropped the track 'Daytime'. Probably not an album I'll play on a regular basis, but good enough for me to hold onto a copy.
"Live At
Home" track listing: 1.) All
My Friends (Jane) - 4:58 4.) Expectation (Jane) - 5:32
(side
2)
(side 3) 1.) Fire,
Water, Earth & Air (Jane) - 4:00 (side
4)
As of this writing, the band is still active and has a website at: http://www.jane-music.com/jane-eng/Seiten/Start.htm
YouTube has a couple of related performances:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFn49aXwCLE&feature=related 'Out In the Rain'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Np-PWFWDA&feature=related 'Expectations'
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