Nimbus, Germany

Nimbus - s/t. 1980 private

And now it's time for our weekly review of the AC's latest archeological finds. Of all the albums in his latest dig, I have to say Nimbus (Germany) is one that I keep hearing about, but never have actually heard. Its reputation is stellar, so does it live up to the "hype" as it were? I use the term hype carefully, but I fear to say that there are many out there who do, in fact, hype this one to me. As in "buy my CD-R... now!" (I don't buy or trade CD-Rs, but that doesn't seem to stop the solicitors of such).  And one can't possibly have a deep dive expedition without at least one Kraut Fusion album, now can we?

Let's check in with The AC and see what his lab results produced: "Yet another instrumental progressive fusion rarity from the vast German private press scene. But this one's a cut above the norm, with excellent compositions spiced with a healthy does of progressive rock, keeping things interesting all the way through. The keyboard work in particular stands out. Unfortunately, the sound could do with some cleaning up, which makes a reissue all the more necessary. This is certainly in the top tier for this style, so hopefully one of the German labels will step up to the plate someday."

And as usual, The AC's findings are as accurate as a DNA sample. One of the more frustrating aspects about this release is finding information on it. Try looking for Nimbus (1980 Germany) on the internet or any online discography. Oh, I tried all my database tricks I picked up as a professional DBA in the 90s, but not much relevant showed up in any event. Too generic I'm afraid.

The music is as The AC describes, a highly melodic instrumental jazz rock album, with guitar and keyboards in the lead. Bands like Surgery, Mosaik, Moira, and Profil are all good guideposts here, and all just as obscure as hell too (though at least the former did get reissued by Garden of Delights - and one we bought immediately).

And speaking of GoD, this album has their name all over it. Clearly one for their digital archival machine. And, just as the AC notes, a sound cleanup probably will take this one up a full point.

Priority: 3