Wallenstein (band)
| Wallenstein | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Viersen, Lower Rhineland, Germany |
| Genres | Progressive rock, Krautrock |
| Years active | 1971–1982 |
| Labels | Pilz |
| Past members |
Jürgen Dollase Bill Barone Harald Grosskopf Jerry Berkers Wolfgang Steinicke Joachim Reiser Dieter Meier Jürgen Pluta Gerd Klöcker Nicky Gebhard Jakob "Jaky" Diener Michael Dommers Pete Brough Charly Terstappen Joachim "Kim" Merz Kurt Schmidt |
The band Wallenstein, founded in Viersen in Lower Rhineland, later based in Mönchengladbach, was a German rock band from 1971 to 1982, which was later associated with the so-called Krautrock of the 1970s.
Wallenstein was founded in the summer of 1971 under the martial name of Blitzkrieg by the ambitious student of art (at the Art Academy Düsseldorf), Jürgen Dollase, from Viersen. He had already been trained in classical music, playing the piano and the double bass, and he had played in skiffle as well as in jazz formations. In addition, the businessman and band manager, Peter Gielen (Octopus Productions) from Mönchengladbach-Hehnerholt, and Corrado Faccioni, Italian buddy and former road manager of Dollase, were involved in the foundation. Wallenstein started as a kind of "test-tube child", because Dollase and Roadie Faccioni gathered the initial lineup from other bands. The first solo-guitarist of the group was Wolfgang "Ginger" Steinicke from Erkelenz, today a renowned astronomer; but the former member of Smiddys Blues Band was soon replaced by the American William (Bill) Joseph Barone from Philadelphia because Steinicke's studies in physics or astrophysics and mathematics had his highest priority. Jürgen Dollase had already been able to win over Harald Grosskopf from Hildesheim, and Dutchman Ger (Jerry) Berkers (now deceased) from Brunssum was taken on board shortly after Bill Barone.
Because the name Blitzkrieg was already in use by an English band (but was often misspelled Blitzkreig by the British music press), and because the name was far from being politically correct for the German record labels of that time, the group named itself after the Thirty Years' War commander Albrecht von Wallenstein in early 1972. Also in early 1972, the debut album of the classical or art rockers was released. It had been recorded in the studio of Dieter Dierks in Stommeln near Cologne from September to December 1971 and it was titled after the first name of the band. In the same year, the German record label Pilz released Mother Universe, succeeding the debut album (also from the Pilz record label) as fast as lightning (Blitz). (Rem.: The album cover photo by Harald Grosskopf depicts Dollase's grandmother.)
...
Wikipedia