Novalis was a 1970s progressive rock group formed in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Their best-known albums include ''Sommerabend'' and ''Wer Schmetterlinge lachen hört''.
Band history
Vocalist Jürgen Wentzel and bassist Heino Schünzel placed a newspaper advertisement in search of bandmates in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
in 1971. They were joined by organist Lutz Rahn and drummer Hartwig Biereichel. Together with guitarist
Carlo Karges
Carlo Karges (31 July 1951 – 30 January 2002) was a German musician known for his work as a guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Nena.
Personal life
Karges was born in Hamburg in 1951 and grew up there with his single mother. He bega ...
they formed Mosaik, soon changing the name of the band to Novalis. After the release of their first album in 1973, Wentzel left the group and Heino Schünzel took on vocal duties. Carlo Karges, who would go on to join
Nena
Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena (band), Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". I ...
's backing band, was replaced by Detlef Job.
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n vocalist Fred Mühlböck joined the group in 1976.
The lyrics used on the group's first album were written in English, but on the suggestion of new producer
Achim Reichel
Achim Reichel (born 28 January 1944) is a German singer, musician, producer and songwriter from Hamburg. He is known for his 1991 hit single ''Aloha Heja He'', and serving as the frontman for the 1960s beat group The Rattles, who, among other ac ...
, formerly of
The Rattles
The Rattles are a German beat and rock band formed in Hamburg in 1960, best known for their 1970 psychedelic hit single "The Witch".
Career
The Rattles performed in Hamburg, and played at the same venues as The Beatles on several occasions i ...
, they began to sing in German in 1975. The group incorporated poems by their namesake, the
Romantic-era writer
Novalis
Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (; ), was a German nobility, German aristocrat and polymath, who was a poet, novelist, philosopher and Mysticism, mystic. He is regarded as an inf ...
, among others, into their work, along with their own lyrics.
With Fred Mühlböck's powerful and unmistakable voice, the group's greatest successes and even a degree of international recognition came with the albums ''Sommerabend'', ''Brandung'' and ''Vielleicht Bist Du Ein Clown?'' Lutz Rahn released a 1978 solo album entitled ''Solo-Trip''.
Proceeds from the group's 1979
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, ''Flossenengel'', which was based on the theme of
whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...
, went to the
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the ...
.
By the early 1980s, and in the wake of the
Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, , "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Ritmeester on the popular na ...
, Novalis appeared rather outmoded. The group sought a new direction, but split following numerous personnel changes.
Their final album was 1985's ''Nach Uns Die Flut''. They were accompanied on tour that year by guitarist Günther Brackmann. Rahn and Biereichel put together a 1993 compilation of live recordings of Novalis at their peak.
Members
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Discography
* ''Banished Bridge'', 1973
* ''Novalis'', 1975
* ''Sommerabend'', 1976 (''Summer evening'')
* ''Konzerte'', 1977 (''Concerts'')
* ''Brandung'', 1977 (''Tide'')
* ''Vielleicht bist du ein Clown?'', 1978 (''Maybe you're a clown?'')
* ''Wer Schmetterlinge lachen hört'', 1978 (''Who hears butterflies laughing'')
* ''Sonnenwende'', 1978 (''Solstice'')
* ''Flossenengel'', 1979 (''Angel with fins'')
* ''Augenblicke'', 1981 (''Moments'')
* ''Neumond'', 1982 (''New Moon'')
* ''Visionen'', 1982 (''Visions'')
* ''Sterntaucher'', 1983 (''Star diver'')
* ''Bumerang'', 1984 (''Boomerang'')
* ''Nach uns die Flut'', 1985 (''After us the flood'')
* ''Novalis lebt!'', 1993 (''Novalis lives!'', live compilation)
* ''Flossenengel'', 1995 (compilation)
References
External links
Novalis on germanrock.de(in German)
(in German)
Novalis on Babyblaue Prog-Reviews(in German)
(in German)
{{Authority control
German progressive rock groups
Krautrock musical groups
Musical groups established in 1971
Musical groups disestablished in 1985
Brain Records artists
Warner Music Sweden artists
Vertigo Records artists