Cluster - Cluster II - 1972


Review

Cluster II is the second full-length album by German electronic music outfit Cluster and their first album with the band reduced to a duo. Conny Plank, who was credited as a member on the first album, decided to concentrate on production and engineering. Plank is still credited as a composer together with Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius on all tracks.

Cluster II was recorded at Star-Studio in Hamburg, Germany in January, 1972. It was Cluster's first release for legendary Krautrock label Brain Records, a relationship which would last until 1975 and include the subsequent album Zuckerzeit as well as the first two Harmonia albums, a group which included both remaining members of Cluster and Michael Rother of Neu!.

Cluster II continued the transition away from the discordant, proto-industrial sound of Kluster towards a more electronic sound. It was the first album to feature relatively short tracks and it was the first album in which tracks were named. (Earlier Kluster albums as well as the eponymous first Cluster album had unnamed pieces.) Julian Cope included Cluster II in his Krautrock Top 50.

The album was first reissued on CD in 1994 on the Spalax label with subsequent reissues on Universal in 2004 and Revisited in 2007.

Track listing

"Plas" – 6:00
"Im Süden" – 12:50
"Für die Katz" – 3:00
"Live in der Fabrik" – 14:50
"Georgel" – 5:25
"Nabitte" – 2:40

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