Was Drosselbart a Krautrock band simply because they hailed from Munich like Amon Düül, sang in German, and released their only album on a major label in 1971?
No, insists vocalist Monika Vincent-Gunia (aka Jemima). We were Germanys first punk band. The guys could barely play more than three or four chords back then, but they had incredible energy and drive.
However, the music on their self-titled album doesnt align with the punk sound that would emerge later in the 1970s. By then, the musicians had clearly honed their skills beyond a few chords. The sound is rooted in the late 1960s, occasionally evoking psychedelic hard rock in the vein of Iron Butterfly, or the British blues-rock of artists like Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll. Keyboardist Christian Trachsel introduces some progressive rock influences, while guest musician Ralf Nowy adds a touch of classical sophistication to the mix.
Vocals are in German, delivered by Jemima and Peter Randl. Randl adopts a sharp, expressive, and often confrontational vocal style, reminiscent of early German political rock acts from the 1970s.
The album was recorded at Union Studios in Munich, with a young Reinhold Mack assisting on engineering and mixing. Later known simply as Mack, he would go on to become a high-profile producer and mixer for artists like ELO, Sparks, Deep Purple, and most famously, Queen, beginning in the mid-1970s.
drosselbart (coloured)