Carol Of Harvest – Carol Of Harvest (1978)

Carol of Harvest is the debut album by the German Krautrock band of the same name from Fürth. The album was released on the Brutkasten label from Nuremberg

Despite the very small print run of only 200 copies and the band’s dissolution soon after the recording, the album was remarkably well received, even outside Germany.

The band existed from 1976 to 1978 and was named after the 1867 poem A carol of harvest by Walt Whitman. Role models were Camel, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Renaissance and Clannad.

The photo of the record sleeve was taken in the park of Nymphenburg Palace in Munich. (wikipedia)

One of the many German bands to release a single album on a private label and watch it grow into a collector’s dream. Carol of Harvest played a dreamy blend of Progressive Rock and Folk with female vocals that might be compared with Mellow Candle and early Clannad mixed with Jane, Pentangle and Renaissance. The music has the added edge of long arrangements with Moog synth and acid guitar solos, and in reality has little to do with Krautrock.

Information on the band members is very hard to find, helping to shroud this hard to find album with an air of mystery. (progarchives.com)

Alternate frontcover:

A German band from a semi-rural town immediately west of Fürth and Nuremburg, the band’s members were right out of high school (except for late addition, singer Krause, who was only 16 years old when she joined the band–17 or 18 at the time of recording this album.) There are so many diverse influences in the psychedelic nuances to this prog folk music. With Beate’s crystalline Celia Humphries/Jacqui MacShee/Sandy Denny-like voice singing in perfect British English, one could easily mistaken this music for something coming from the Isle of the Britons.

1. “Put On Your Nightcap” (16:02) synthesized or filtered wave/wind sounds provide the background for some standard blues chord construction with electric guitar over its two minute introduction. When the haunting voice of Beate Krause enters it is with surprising confidence and maturity. Bass and drums eventually join in as do layers of background vocals (provided, no doubt, by Ms. Krause). Annie Haslam-like vocalise in the fifth minute precede a shift into a second motif in which an interesting synthesizer solos over the foundational two chord rhythm section. Beate’s confident, cleary British-accented English is also remarkable for its lack of German accent.

Very nice lead electric guitar solo in the tenth minute before the song fades into electronic waves in order to make way for a new, more pastoral movement founded upon arpeggiated guitar chords from multiple guitars. Beate’s vocal styling stolidly mimics that of Britain’s finest female folk singers of the previous decade–especially those of Jacqui MacShee and Sandy Denny. In the thirteenth minute the band ramps up the pace and volume with a kind of “Just a Singer in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Band” motif within which keyboardist Jürgen Kolb goes a bit wild. Beate makes a final appearance in the final minute to both bring the uptempo passage to a close and then to usher out the song with a dreamy, lullaby-like melody. Wonderful stuff! (27/30)

2. “You and Me” (2:31) in this more traditional folk song Beate’s voice sounds years older than her age would suggest–as if a wise woman singing about a long-time relationship. Remarkable. Two (or) more) acoustic guitars entwine their picking for the second half as Beate’s lyrics peter out. (8.6667/10)

3. “Somewhere at the End of the Rainbow” (6:26) electric guitar arpeggiates four chords before Beate joins in with a plaintive voice. Accordion-like synth joins in and then bass and drums kick in to support the chorus as Beate drops her pitch a full octave. Wow! That was unexpected. Can this singer be truly only 17-years old? The music is very warm and engaging though not very technically sophisticated, but the vocal performance is remarkable. (8.875/10)

4. “Treary Eye”s (4:17) the guitar opening of this one sounds so British Folk! Very nice. I kept expecting it to slide into a JETHRO TULL song or something from Fairport Convention. When Beate enters her ethereal vocal moves the music more into the realm of the hypnotic Jacqui MacShee. She is a force! An excellent folk song. (8.875/10)

5. “Try a Little Bit” (9:59) the music is perhaps a little simplistic and one-dimensional but the amazingly confident singing of young Beate Krause illustrates how polished and dedicated the band was to its craft and songs. (18.75/20)

Total Time 39:15

A style and sound of Prog Folk that resonates very deeply with me. Ms. Beate Krause (later Sampson) deserves the credit and recognition lauded upon the great British folk sirens of the era.

A minor masterpiece of Prog Folk and one of my favorite Classic Era Prog Folk albums. (by BrufordFreak)

Personnel:
Roger Högn (drums)
Jürgen Kolb (keyboards)
Beate Krause (vocals)
Heinz Reinschlüssel (bass)
Axel Schmierer (guitar)

Alternate backcover:

Tracklist:
01. Put On Your Nightcap 16.02
02. You and Me 2.31
03. Somewhere At The End Of The Rainbow 6.26
04. Treary Eyes 4.17
05. Try A Little Bit 9.59
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06. River (live) 2.36
07. Sweet Heroin (live) 7.04
08. Brickstone (live) 1.14

Music & lyrics: Axel Schmierer

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Beate Sampson (born Beate Krause in 1960) is a German music journalist, presenter and jazz singer.

Beate Krause grew up in Nuremberg. She became a singer in the band Carol of Harvest from Fürth at the age of 16, on whose album Carol of Harvest she sang in 1978.[2] She later sang in pop bands such as Joker (1983) or the Cosmic Dance Club, but also with the jazz musicians Thomas Fink (1985), Peter Fulda and Wolfgang Haffner.

From 1986, she formed the cabaret singing trio Trillergirls with Biggi Reyscher and Andrea Fleißner, which existed until 2002 and appeared on ZDF’s “Großer Preis” programme, among others. She also led her own quartet Straight Talk, sang with the Trevor Coleman Group and with Bettina Koziol’s vocal jazz project Nada. She has also performed with Lizzy Aumeier and Heinrich Hartl as well as with Joe Bawelino. In recent years, she has been part of the group Rosebud and has been on tour with a project featuring the songs of Joni Mitchell.

Since 1984, she has been working as a reporter and later presenter for Bayerischer Rundfunk, starting out at its Studio Franken, where she produced festival reports, among other things. Since 1997 she has been in charge of the programme Jazzstudio Nürnberg and its music productions; the following year she became one of the voices of the Bayern 2 cult programme Abenteuer des Alltags. In 2003, she joined Henning Sieverts and Roland Spiegel to follow Joe Kienemann in the jazz editorial department, where she also produces the series Bühne frei im Studio 2. Jazztime: Hören wir gutes und reden wir drüber – Volume 7, conceived and presented by Ulrich Habersetzer, Roland Spiegel and herself, was awarded the German Radio Prize for “Best Programme” in 2022, (wikipedia)

The now deleted official website:

Carol Of Harvest – Same (1978)

Carol Of Harvest, like Emtidi, Gurnemanz, Ougenweide and Hoelderlin, showed that a psychedelic prog folk scene did exist in Germany in the 70s, but their sole effort came along when the other bands had shifted or disappeared, and therefore the genre was of less interest by then. In fact, one might even ask what the point was. Most of the ideas presented here were long past their expiry date both in their native land and elsewhere, often sounding more like early than late 70s. The instrumentation is sparse and samey, featuring mostly heavily strummed electric or amplified acoustic guitars, with the keys secondary.

Where Carole of Harvest departs from all of the above in a favourable sense is the superb vocals of Beate Krause, who is reminiscent of the singers in the aforementioned groups but also of Jacquie MacShee and Annie Haslam. It is expressive and is in perfect sync with the accompaniment, no more so than in the finale of the original LP, “Try a LIttle Bit”, 10 minutes of prog folk bliss with more bite than Pentangle or Renaissance could ever hope to muster. Ms Krause’s wordless acompaniment that follows the main part of the song is masterfully expressive and harmonious, and the synthesizers, and perhaps mellotron at the finale, provide just the right augmentation to the basic sound. While drums are present on this track, they are kept low and are not needed, so potent is the basic groove. That is the general trend in the album.

The other major highlight is the longest song, the 16 minute anti war reflection called “Put on Your Nightcap” that opens the album with tentative guitar reflections, unrushed and pregnant with promise, accompanied by the sounds of the wind. The structure and manner of buildup is very progressive, with time given to express the lyrical themes and some impressive synthesizer and lead guitar work, mostly played at a slow pace reflecting the ponderous nature of the theme. A second part is slightly more upbeat with more emphasis on the rhythm, and some prominent bass work.

The other three original songs from the LP are all shorter and decent but not quite to 5 star level, being like more concise but less interesting versions of the two monsters. The bonus material is live, shows a more straightforward rocking side of the band, and sounds quite out of place given the strength and style of the other material.

While the harvest reaped is superficially similar to the usual autumn fare, the album manages to carve a feast for the prog fan with an interest in electric folk, as well as an indelible niche among the many German one-offs in existence. Highly recommended.(by kenethlevine)

Personnel:
Robert Högn (drums)
Beate Krause (vocals)
Jürgen Kolb (keyboards)
Axel Schmierer (guitar)
Heinz Reinschlüssel (bass)

Tracklist:
01. Put On Your Nightcap (Schmierer) 16.02
02. You And Me (Schmierer) 2.31
03. Somewhere At The End Of The Rainbow (Schmierer) 6.26
04. Treary Eyes (Schmierer) 4.17
05. Try A Little Bit (Schmierer) 9.59
06. River (Schmierer) 2.36
07. Sweet Heroin (Schmierer) 7.04
08. Brickstone (Schmierer) 1.14

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