My work is done here......?

Hi there readers. Firstly I want to apologise for a lengthy absence from the blog. Not through choice, I must add. This has been down to the fact that Blogger have changed their interface and frankly almost everything about it has been driving me around the bend! I find the new layout much harder to navigate and the new set up wasn't allowing me to post photographs either. Finally this morning it seemed to work, for some reason.

It's a shame about the delay with this blog post because last weekend I had big news to share. After an extended round of tweaking, which was really a sixth draft, I suppose, I think I finished the book. Have I finished the book....? I ask that question in a slightly confused way because I'm now so close to it that  I can't tell. To me it feels and looks done. A friend of mine who is in publishing suggested that when I had finished I should leave the draft for six weeks and go back to it. A break should hopefully give me better perspective. In the meantime I need to be thinking about a thanks list (there are a lot of good folk to thank for their help with this), the referencing (starting to feel like an academic piece of work!) and a skeleton index - I say skeleton index because obviously when my Microsoft Word document goes to a publisher all of the page numbers are going to shift. All I can do for now is produce an alphabetical list of the key topics.

So, is that it, I wonder? Four years of toil and I think I might be there. Can't quite believe it.....

Nearly there...I think

Time for a quick update: after quite a bit of work last weekend I'm now just 11 pages from the end of the fourth draft. I've got a busy couple of weeks coming up but after that it's time for a very brief round of tweaking and I then need to turn my attention to thinking about how I can get my work in to your hands. Yes, readers, I'm talking about publication! The end of this project is now in sight. Dare I say that this is the final straight....Expect to hear a lot more from me very soon.

M.G. - Top 10

As mentioned in my previous post, Robert, one of the friends I have established contact with since starting this blog has sent me his Manuel Gottsching top 10 for a bit of fun. Having spoken to Robert again he has given me permission to post his choices, along with his comments and here they are. Enjoy!

1. Midnight on Mars (from the Manuel Gottsching album Blackouts)

"Possibly the best MG.ART piece ever. Just sublime." 9.5/10

2. Sunrain (from the Manuel Gottsching album Live at Mt. Fuji and the DVD Postcards from Japan)

"A really difficult choice between this performance and the one recorded in Wroclaw. Sunrain makes it in twice - just wonderful uplifting music, beautifully composed, structured and played. The same pieces, but each so individual, mark Gottsching as a modern composer in the true sense of the word." 9.25/10

3. Gin Rose - Eine Pikant Variante (from the Ash Ra Tempel album Gin Rose at the Royal Festival Hall)

"No matter how many times I listen to this I hear more and more. Little pieces of Schwingungen if you listen carefully. In some respects, it seems, at times, as if Gottsching is allowing Schulze the limelight but if you listen to MG's contribution it is superb. It never fails to divert me, draw me in, lift me, haunt me, inspire me, - what a magnificent performance. Truly a masterpiece. Absolutely timeless. Apart from Gottsching and Schulze who are just brilliant, Tom Dams has done a beautiful job with the production. Oh, that I had been there in London in 2000!" 9/10

4. Sunrain (from the Ashra album @shra Vol. 2)

"Classic performance - beautifully played by the band and mixed by Steve Baltes." 8.5/10

5. Pikante (from the Ash Ra Tempel album Friendship)

"Hard to pick a favourite from the three tracks on this album, but I suppose it would have to be Pikante which features some beautiful guitar by Gottsching, accompanied by the wonderful 'machines' of Klaus Schulze. Again hats off to Tom Dams for the production." 8/10

6. Bois de Soleil (from the Manuel Gottsching/Ash Ra Tempel/Ashra collection The Private Tapes Vol. 1)

"Exquisite, dreamy guitar. Beautiful, almost ethereal playing. In one sense perfect Gottsching." 8/10

7. Ocean of Tenderness (from the Manuel Gottsching album New Age of Earth)

"This has to be one of the most chilled pieces of ambient music ever produced. The gentle, hypnotic, pulsing - the beautiful keyboard playing, almost classical in composition at times, the wonderful atmospherics of its time, the light, distant guitar in the closing minutes - must make this one of Gottsching's finest." 7.75/10

8. Music from the Manuel Gottsching album Concert for Murnau

"I listen to a lot of classical music and MG proves he could be a Philip Glass. Der Abend and Die Beichte are particularly delicate, contemplative pieces with a subtle, dark edge to them. Leitmotiv has a beautiful, maudlin quality about its cello playing, as good as many of the established composers of the 18th and 19th centuries, while Saint and Sinner is a wistful bridge between classical and electronica." 7.5/10

9. Nightdust (from the Manuel Gottsching album New Age of Earth)

"Deep, moody sounds from a synthesiser." 7/10

10. Donna Wetter (from the Ashra album Making of, now available in The Complete Correlations box set)

"As MG states in the sleeve notes 'despite the garage-like sound, these tapes reflect much of the energy and lust of playing that possessed us in May of 1978.' Pulsating beat, overlaid with beautifully played guitar - pure skill, composition and inventiveness. Far ahead of its time. Brilliant playing, superb music. That's it." 7/10

Many thanks to Robert for his efforts. Do you have your own top 10 to share? If so, please feel free to send it my way and I'll post it here on the blog.

In other news yesterday I had a writing session and managed to fly through another draft of both the prologue and the first part of the book. I'm already far prouder of this than my previous effort and with each successive run-through it takes less and less time to come up with a result. So, things are looking very positive. More soon.....

Take Me to Your Reader

Hi all. I'm just checking in for a quick update. After spending several weekends getting stuck in and having also had the last week off work I've been able to move forward at a rate of knots with the book-in-progress. I've managed to update and improve sections about Ashra's live dates of 1997, the Die Mulde album, the Ash Ra Tempel reunion of 2000 and I've now managed to get as far as the Concert for Murnau of 2003. As you can see things are moving forward at a fair pace! Having said that every time I look through my document again I see little things I'd like to add, take away or rewrite so it may be a short while before I can confidently say that I've finished the third draft. Watch this space, though. Be there soon.....

Under construction

Today I have had a second writing session for the third draft of the book and I have been rewriting/improving upon the first section, detailing the period of time leading from post-war Germany up to the Steeple Chase Bluesband, which split up in 1970 to make way for Ash Ra Tempel. Initially I must confess that the first pages of the book in progress were one of the parts that I was least happy with. Bringing together all of the strands of what was happening with politics and popular culture during a 20+ year stretch of history in parallel with Manuel Gottsching's early musical evolution was proving to be a difficult task but it I think it is finally starting to come together now.

I'm getting married in February and inbetween the relentless organisation taking place finding pockets of time to progress with the book has proved to be difficult. Nevertheless it is happening and things are moving ever forward. At Christmas I anticipate being able to spend some significant chunks of time writing and I'm really looking forward to having this luxury. The forthcoming year will inevitably be a process of fine tuning; chipping away bit by bit, altering the sections that can be improved upon whilst taking into account little facts that I learnt here and there during the course of the last draft. I already have a mental note of many of the parts of the book that I would most like to change and with much of the hardest work now done I think the next hurdle: aiming to bring greater flow, colour and accuracy to the words should be highly enjoyable. Stay tuned....Back soon!

Ash Ra Tempel and the Holy Isle

Well for the last week I've been on the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland. The weather was most certainly on side and the highlight of the week had to be a trip to the nearby Holy Isle. This island was the site of a 13th Century monastery and is now owned by the Samye Ling Buddhist Community.

On our arrival we were greeted by a Buddhist monk, who informed us that it was possible to climb to the summit, head around the far side and be back for a boat within 2-4 hours. This was like throwing down the gauntlet, a challenge it was simply impossible to refuse and one hour later, both breathless but happy my partner Vicky and I had reached the top.

Known for centuries as a sacred site Holy Isle was without exception the most peaceful place I have ever visited, the only sounds at high altitude being that of the wind and the gulls above.

A march back to the tiny jetty in time for the boat and we had returned to the mainland within 3 hours of arriving, exhausted and ready for lunch.

During my restful stay in Arran I have been listening to Talking Heads, Frank Zappa and also Friendship and Gin Rose, the two Ash Ra Tempel reunion albums released ten years ago. So far I have avoided writing notes for these CDs as I wanted to spend some time carefully absorbing the subtleties of the music. Repeated listening and a measure of concentration really pays rewards with these records and by the time of my return to Newcastle yesterday I found myself ready to write about them. This pretty much takes things up-to-date, as I have spent today putting my thoughts into a Word document. I'm pleased to say that I have now written notes for almost all of Manuel Gottsching's albums and for my next writing session I will need to pop back to Ashra's visit to Japan in 1997.....

Until the next time....

Were you there?

Time for a progress update. The book is coming along very nicely and things are moving ever forward. I've just completed a section about Manuel's archive of unreleased music. Obviously I can only write about the known material and I strongly suspect I've merely scratched the surface of what is really in the vault, awaiting possible release. One thing is certain, though: if Manuel were to at some stage decide to release a series of archival recordings we fans would be in for a serious treat.

My current writing finds me in 1985/86. This has been a great period to write about, firstly because it hasn't been documented in any detail in the past and secondly because alongside the recollections of Lutz Ulbrich and Harald Grosskopf I have accounts from two fans who saw Ashra live in Sheffield in 1985. This leads on to some questions that I'd like to ask you:

Were you there too?....or were you lucky enough to see the Berlin Planetarium shows from 1988? Did you see the Cologne Cathedral concert of 1991 or maybe you saw Ashra live in 1997? Perhaps you caught Ash Ra Tempel or Ashra back in those heady days of the 1970s or you've seen a more recent Manuel Gottsching live performance?

If you have ever seen Manuel, Ash Ra Tempel or Ashra live at any point I would love to hear you accounts and I hope to be able to put them in the book too. Please get in touch!

Progress report

Hi there! Firstly I just want to take the opportunity to say a big thank you if you’re signed up to or have popped by to read my blog. I also want to say thank you to everybody who has contributed to my work in progress with articles/concert tickets/press cuttings or if you have simply offered your knowledge or memories: I’m very grateful to all of you for your vital input.

After posting some of my reviews I thought it might be fun to give you a bit of background into my writing process and how the book is coming together.

I work full time, looking after three very busy school libraries so in theory I should have a bit of time left for writing both on weeknights and also on weekends. The truth is that on most weeknights by the time I get home from work I’m too tired to write anything with any dynamism whatsoever! I believe that writing with passion requires energy and if I try to write when I’m drained it ends up showing on the pages. For the most part this leaves weekends. My partner, Vicky used to be a children’s nurse and still works one or two shifts per week in a hospital. This often happens during a Saturday or Sunday, leaving me with a whole precious day in which to write…when I’m not interrupted by our beautiful little pair of fur balls (or Persian cats), Smokey and Fluffy…...He’s crazy and she likes to be cuddled.

The process of putting together the first (early) draft of the book took almost a year. Basically I trawled the Internet looking for relevant articles and information about Manuel Göttsching, Ash Ra Tempel and Ashra, cross-referencing facts wherever possible to check accuracy. When I felt I had exhausted this search I had to create a framework: a timeline, if you like to make sure that all of the significant musical events in the life of one Manuel G were covered. This was rather time consuming but fun as well. With that done what I had was a skeleton, on which to cover the information in more detail. What are facts without enthusiasm and (hopefully) a bit of verve? I then spent quite a long time putting more information into what was to become an early draft.

In addition to writing about a lot of Manuel’s great music I’ve found myself on some really interesting little diversions so far: I’ve liked Terry Riley for a while but found myself buying more of his albums. I also explored Steve Reich a bit too. I bought a few early Fleetwood Mac albums to sit alongside my Peter Green-era greatest hits. I’ve found myself researching about the events of 1968, Timothy Leary, Rolf Ulrich Kaiser, the New York blackout of 1977, the UFA Fabrik, the birth of the dance music scene, the Tokyo Tower, F.W. Murnau and Willy Sommerfeld and the writing isn’t over yet!

I’m currently working on some reviews of the albums of Ash Ra Tempel, The Cosmic Jokers (and related), Ashra and Manuel’s solo work. This is a fun process but also very time consuming because I’ve been trying to listen carefully in order to do the music justice. What really stands out for me is that Manuel may not always be prolific in his output but the standard of what is released is remarkably high.

Anyway: that’s what I’ve been up to. Now you know. Thanks again for reading and more soon!

Your favourite album?

What is your favourite Manuel Göttsching, Ash Ra Tempel or Ashra album? I'd love your thoughts on this. Please drop me a message and let me know what you think and why. All contributions will be considered and if your views end up in the book you will be credited. I'm really looking forward to your opinions!

Manuel Göttsching: A very short biography (indeed)

Manuel Göttsching was born on 9th September 1952. As a child he studied classical guitar and later studied with Swiss avant-garde composer Thomas Kessler.

In the late 1960s Manuel listened to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Peter Green and took their work to another place with his intense freeform jamming as part of the awesome three piece band Ash Ra Tempel who released their self-titled debut album in 1971. A.R.T. were joined by icon Timothy Leary for their third album, Seven Up (1972). Göttsching went on to play in the jam sessions that would be released under the band name Cosmic Jokers. Their albums, all released in 1974, represent some of the greatest space rock ever committed to tape.

Absorbing the sounds of the minimalist composers Terry Riley and Steve Reich and then incorporating this into his own style, Göttsching made a series of masterful records. Inventions for Electric Guitar (1975) deserves a place alongside the most innovative LPs in the history of rock music. Everything was played with guitar and tape effects but many think that sequencers and synthesizers were used. New Age of Earth (1976) was another masterpiece but this time keyboards were the focus. Sunrain is quite simply one of the most stunning instrumentals of all time. Blackouts (1977) fused the sounds of the previous couple of albums and is in many ways the quintessential Manuel Göttsching record, as it incorporated cutting edge electronics, rock guitar and hypnotic patterns of notes in a style favoured by the minimalists. Although the previous two long players had been released using the name Ashra they were essentially Göttsching solo efforts. Joined by Lutz Ulbrich and Harald Grosskopf, Ashra became a band for the next two albums: the meticulously crafted Correlations (1979) and the eclectic and rewarding Belle Alliance (1980).

Off the back of touring with Klaus Schulze in 1981, Manuel recorded an improvisational piece for guitar and electronics lasting one hour. Unsure of what to do with this unusual and seemingly perfect piece of music he stored it for three years before its eventual release in 1984 as E2-E4. Whilst Manuel was recording Tropical Heat, a sunny musical travelogue with Ashra in 1985/86 (released in 1991) and Walkin’ the Desert, another Ashra recording to accompany a performance at the Berlin Planetarium in 1989, E2-E4 was gaining a reputation as a New York club classic. The dance music community was also embracing the record in Ibiza and across Europe. Suddenly an improvised piece for electronics and guitar was being hailed as the beginning of contemporary dance music. E2-E4 certainly sounded closer to techno than anything recorded by Kraftwerk or any of Göttsching’s early musical contemporaries. The belated success of the record was well deserved as it was both startling futuristic for its time and a true classic.

In 1997 Ashra reunited for a series of concerts that were later documented by the albums @shra and @shra vol. 2 (both recorded live in Japan). With younger musician and DJ Steve Baltes on board Ashra’s music was imaginatively and stylishly reinvented for the techno generation. 1997 also saw Göttsching compose and record music for an installation of 34 mirrors by artist Mercedes Engelhardt, titled R.S.V.P. This smooth, electronic, pastoral piece was later released in 2005 as Die Mulde.


The Ash Ra Tempel duo of Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze reunited to record new studio material in 1998, which would later be released in 2000 as Friendship. When asked by Julian Cope to play at the Royal Festival Hall in 2000 as part of the Cornucopia festival, Manuel in turn invited Schulze and their performance was released as Gin Rosé. The new Ash Ra Tempel recordings showed musical maturity, with slow burning, atmospheric pieces, a far cry from the molten intensity of the debut album.

In late 2002 Manuel was commissioned to write and perform music for the filmfest Braunschweig. The following year he delivered a series of compositions to accompany F.W. Murnau’s 1921 silent film Schloss Vogelöd (Haunted Castle). The result was a suitably sombre, yet addictive mixture of electronic pieces, compositions for chamber musicians accompanied by electronics and musical vignettes for chamber orchestra alone. First performed in 2003, much of the music was released in 2005 under the title Concert for Murnau.

In 2007 Göttsching released his first live album Live at Mount Fuji, a satisfying collection of reworked music, also featuring the new and exclusive track Trunky Groove. As an appealingly unpredictable musical career continues we can only wait and guess at what may come next. Manuel: your move……

My biography and how you can contribute

The story of this musical legend is long overdue, which is why I have been busy writing a biography for the last 12 months. I am currently finishing an early draft and writing reviews of the albums. Be sure to watch this blog because the content will be expanding, as I chronicle the writing process and post reviews and opinions here and there.

I need your contributions too. Have you seen Manuel Göttsching live recently or in the early days? Perhaps you saw Ash Ra Tempel in the early ‘70s? Maybe you saw the 1977 Ashra show at Regent’s Park in London? Were you at the Sheffield UK Electronica show in 1985 or the Berlin Planetarium in 1988? Wherever you have seen Manuel playing live I’d like your recollections. Please get in touch and if I use your story you will be credited.