Warming Up to Amon Düül II’s “Yeti”: Prog Review #41

Amon Düül II - Yeti

When I come to an album and artist that’s a complete blank to me, I worry that it will be something dense or off-putting and difficult to get into, something that’s gonna make me work in order to like it. Looking at the final 10 albums on Rolling Stone’s list, I see nothing I’ve heard before and only a couple bands about whom I know anything. That’s why I had a lot of apprehension going into this home stretch.

So, it was a wonderful surprise that I was into Amon Düül II’s Yeti (1970) from moment one. The opening riff is very much in the world of classic rock and roll. Inviting and familiar, it’s reminiscent of the Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night” at the same time as more contemporary psychedelia. The back-and-forth between the crunchy riff and the short bass-driven buildup creates an inviting space that instilled in me a lot of good will for the rest of the album.

A Different Musical Language

I’ll sometimes use words like transcendent or glorious to describe music in these reviews; that’s not the kind of language I’d use for this album. Some of my favourite prog tracks build toward a singular moment in the song when everything hits an emotional peak—the middle instrumental section of “Firth of Fifth” comes to mind—but this is not how this album works. The strength of Yeti is instead the vibe that carries through entire songs and each side of this double album. From that warm opening, I’m in the right headspace for everything that follows, sort of the reverse of more demanding prog that strings you along for quite a while before providing some excitement or catharsis.

My daughter! Soon you'll be released / They say you are the one / Who stole the neighbour's babies / The witness pointed at the chimney / And said this is her way home.
-”Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm”

The first side is the most coherent set of songs—Wikipedia in fact lists the first 5 tracks as a suite. The opening track, “Sister Burning,” has a very short moment right in the outro where the lead guitar hits a couple dramatic high notes, but that’s just part of the longer groove that runs through the whole track. This is maintained with hardly a moment’s breath as “Halluzination Guillotine” begins. It’s a bit slower and less fluid, but has a similar energy, particularly in the rhythm guitar. The drums are less restrained though, playing round the kit while the vocals go the other way, more controlled and melodic than on the first track. A short mock opera interlude and then we hit the standout “Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm.”

Thanks to the more restrained and structured songs that precede it, I’m fully onboard for the chaos of this so-called alarm. Despite the trippiness of the vocals and background instruments, Amon Düül II keeps the song focused with grounded basslines and harmonious strumming. This foundation is present just about everywhere on the album, allowing the lead guitar, keys, percussion, and flute to wander about. The result is music that is complex and rich, never boring, but also undemanding, even pleasant despite how much is going on. A nice touch on this last part of the suite is the return of that opening riff right at the end. Then, rounding out the first quarter is a beautiful bongo-heavy instrumental, “She Came Through the Chimney.”   

Changing It Up

The second side takes things a little trippier with “Eye Shaking King” and its theremin-y vocals along with the eastern-influenced “Cerberus.” There’s also the hard rocking “Archangels Thunderbird,” the band’s most popular song, at least judging by Spotify numbers.

There’s a contrast between the relative structure of side A and the freakier side B. Both end with short instrumentals, but “Pale Gallery” is an ominous, gloomy number. Very different from the gentle warmth of “She Came Through the Chimney.”

The second album flips things around once more with 3 improvised songs. The side-length “Yeti” and the following track, “Yeti Talks to Yogi” take the atmospheric, rather than rocking, approach to psychedelic music. Both tracks feature most of the instruments setting a mood or a backdrop for guitar wailing that comes in and out. The closer, “Sandoz in the Rain” comes back to the eastern influence with its acoustic lead and a lot of flute with some nasally vocal flourishes.

These last three songs don’t have the same appeal as the rest, but they do show off a band that’s as comfortable taking the King Crimson approach as they are performing undeniable bangers.

If the rest of the final 10 albums as are as inviting as this one, I’ll be in for a good time.

  Rolling Stone Rankings

1. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

2. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

3. Rush - Moving Pictures

4. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

5. Yes – Close to the Edge

6. Genesis - Selling England by the Pound

7. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick

8. Can - Future Days

9. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

10. Yes - Fragile

11. Rush - Hemispheres

12. ELP - Brain Salad Surgery

13. Pink Floyd - Animals

14. Genesis - Foxtrot

15. King Crimson - Red

16. Gentle Giant - Octopus

17. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

18. Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All

19. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico

20. King Crimson - Larks’ Tongue in Aspic

21. Camel - Mirage

22. Rush - 2112

23. Tangerine Dream - Phaedra

24. Magma - Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh

25. The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium

26. Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts

27. Supertramp - Crime of the Century

28. Opeth - Blackwater Park

29. Dream Theater - Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory

30. U.K. - U.K.

31. Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning

32. Kansas - Leftoverture

33. TOOL - Lateralus

34. Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink

35. Banco - Io Sono Nato Libero

36. Harmonium - Si on Avait Besoin d'une Cinquième Saison

37. Marillion - Clutching at Straws

38. Gong - You

39. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

40. Soft Machine - Third

41. Amon Düül II - Yeti

ASK Rankings

1. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

2. Supertramp - Crime of the Century

3. Genesis - Foxtrot

4. Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink

5. Marillion - Clutching at Straws

6. Camel - Mirage

7. Yes – Close to the Edge

8. Renaissance - Ashes Are Burning

9. King Crimson - Red

10. Gentle Giant - Octopus

11. Dream Theater - Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory

12. Genesis - Selling England by the Pound

13. Harmonium - Si on Avait Besoin d'une Cinquième Saison

14. Rush - 2112

15. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick

16. ELP - Brain Salad Surgery

17. Amon Düül II - Yeti

18. U.K. - U.K

19. Rush - Moving Pictures

20. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

21. Kansas - Leftoverture

22. Banco - Io Sono Nato Libero

23. The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium

24. Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico

25. Gong - You

26. Soft Machine - Third

27. King Crimson - Larks’ Tongue in Aspic

28. Pink Floyd - Animals

29. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

30. TOOL - Lateralus

31. Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All

32. Yes - Fragile

33. Rush - Hemispheres

34. Tangerine Dream - Phaedra

35. Magma - Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh

36. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

37. Can - Future Days

38. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells

39. Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts

40. Opeth - Blackwater Park

41. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here