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Birth Control \ Backdoor Possibilities + Live (2xCD/LP) [BOU 6612]

Formed in Berlin in 1968, Birth Control were known for a progressive hard rock sound fused will elements of jazz, psychedelia and Krautrock. A surreal concept work from 1976 recorded by legendary producer Conny Plank, Backdoor Possibilities arguably marked their final creative peak, combining rock, jazz and avant-garde stylings with intricate polyrhythmic textures and lyrical nods to Faust and Odysseus.

Our expanded CD double disc edition has been remastered by Zeus B. Held and features three bonus live tracks recorded in Korbach on 1 May 1977, as well as a bonus live disc taped at the famous Sartory Saal in Cologne on 24 September 1976. The CD booklet includes archive band photographs and ephemera.

The double vinyl version features the original Backdoor Possibilities studio album on Disc 1, together with three previously unreleased studio improvisations on Disc 2: Figure Out the Weather and Shake Those Crazy Nights recorded in Cologne with Conny Plank in 1976, and Rock It With A Long Bone, taped at Dierks Studio in 1982. Gatefold sleeve, Optimal pressing.

2xCD tracklist:

Disc 1 (Backdoor Possibilities)

1. Prologue
2. Physical and Mental Short Circuit
3. Subterranean Escape
4. Film of Life
5. Childhood Flash-Back
6. Legal Labyrinth
7. Futile Prayer
8. The Farrockaway Ropedancer
9. Le Moineau de Paris
10. Cha Cha D'Amour
11. Behind Grey Walls
12. No Time To Die
13. Meta Ventilator (live)
14. Gamma Ray (live)
15. Long Tall Sally (live)

Disc 2 (Live at Sartory)

1. Plastic People
2. One First of April
3. BeeDeePees: Backdoor Possibilities
4. My Mind
5. La Ciguena de Zaragoza
6. Behind Grey Walls
7. Keyboard Solo/No Time To Die/Guitar Solo

2xLP + digital tracklist:

Disc 1 (Backdoor Possibilities)

A1. Prologue
A2. Physical and Mental Short Circuit
A3. Subterranean Escape
A4. Film of Life
A5. Childhood Flash-Back
A6. Legal Labyrinth
A7. Futile Prayer
B1. The Farrockaway Ropedancer
B2. Le Moineau de Paris
B3. Cha Cha D'Amour
B4. Behind Grey Walls
B5. No Time To Die

Disc 2 (Figure Out the Weather)

C1. Figure Out the Weather
D1. Shake Those Crazy Nights
D2. Rock It With a Long Bone

Available on digital (MP3 or FLAC). CD and vinyl are now sold out. To order please select correct shipping option (UK, EU or Rest of World) and click on Add To Cart button below cover image. Digital copies are delivered to customers via link sent by email.

Reviews:

"Once you've manfully taken on board the tiresome confluence of band name and album title here, there is in fact much to commend about this furiously busy set piece of German 70s prog. Despite being formed in Berlin in the revolutionary ferment of 1968 - and despite, in this instance, the presence behind the mixing desk of krautrock kingpin Conny Plank - Birth Control have little or nothing in common with otherworldly, envelope-pushing peers such as Can, Neu!, Kraftwerk and Faust. If anything, the band's rocky schtick is closer to the Nektar end of the spectrum, albeit replacing the latter's trippy stock-in-trade with a gimlet-eyed, mathematical, fusion-forged proficiency. 1976's Backdoor Possibilities is the band's sixth album, a diffusely conceptual undertaking bristling with complex instrumental subdivisions and parentheses. It's not an especially attractive sound, mind: exceptionally musical but hardly melodious, with keyboardist Zeus B Held's arcing ARP synths and Moogs the very embodiment of a cold, future-shock dystopia. It is, however, broadly representative of Birth Control's take-no-prisoners ethos if considered in tandem with the bonus live tracks, including a maniacal Long Tall Sally, which demonstrate just what gurning, crowd-coaxing monsters they were - and indeed still are - when taking to the stage" (Record Collector, 07/2011)

"Backdoor Possibilities was BC's sixth album and followed the masterpiece Plastic People which has been oft overlooked. Backdoor Possibilities is an excellent concept based on a story about a corporate businessman who is trapped by his own success and who ultimately reflects on his life before meeting death in a subway. Overall, the music manages to maintain BC's typical hard rock sound, but is augmented with jazz and classical elements. The album is divided into three suites, One First of April, Beedeepees, and La Ciguena de Zaragoza with the latter being the strongest and closest to Plastic People. Musically this album does it all with creative song writing, superb arrangements and some excellent playing. Line up was pretty much the same with Bernd Noske re-joining on lead vocals again. As you would expect the albums strength lies with in this inherent complexity and instrumental prowess. This album was very well recorded and sounds very warm with the Richenbacher bass runs and Farfisa and Arp Synths. The Remastered version offers a pretty solid re-interpretation of this album and contains bonus 1976 era BC recordings which are very good. Album was produced by two noted 70s prog producers - Conny Plank and David Hitchcock. This is a great album to get lost in" (ProgArchives, 2004)