While they have made stronger albums, there’s something quintessential about 1976’s Letzte Tage – Letzte Nächte (Last Days – Last Nights). It’s the album where Daniel Fichelscher really made his presence felt, and on this album and the following Herz Aus Glas / Cœur De Verre, he takes up much of the sonic spectrum, the album a fantasia for his flinty, swirling guitar, pedalling the album in a more rock direction than usual. He also writes the opener, “Der Große Krieger”, and co-writes a few tunes with Fricke. Indeed, Fichelscher is really keyed into the yearning quality of Fricke’s compositions here, none more so on “Oh, wie nah is der Weg hinab”; if the title of the album hints at apocalyptic visions, then a song like this is the phoenix from those ashes. Renate Knaup from Amon Düül II joins on vocals, and she’s a partial presence in Popol Vuh for years to come.

– Jon Dale