Flying Circus – 1968

Flying Circus
1968
Fastball Music
May 27, 2020
48:15

As is well known, 1968 was a time of radical turmoils and great changes. Flying Circus, which originated in Germany and was founded in 1990, conceptually address the various events of this year on their sixth album. Various episodes, such as the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, the suppression of the Prague Spring, the murder of Martin Luther King or the student unrest in Berlin are highlighted.

The album starts off pretty groovy with “Paris”. A rolling bass line, accompanied by Hammond organ and scratching sounds. The vocals are initially quite quiet, but increase with the length of the song. The middle section then appears quite chaotic, since the instruments drift apart in a disharmonious manner. “New York” has a light blues feeling. The Hammond organ is not neglected either. In the end, choral songs and rhythmic clapping of hands sneak into the song. With “Prague” it is calmer for now. A ballad-like introduction reminiscent of Pink Floyd with emotional singing and piano accompaniment creates a somewhat oppressive atmosphere. A song like it could have been played in a piano-bar at the time. “Derry” is a short instrumental interlude in the style of an Irish jig, played classic with acoustic guitar and violin. “The Hopes we had” mixes several genres in one song. This makes the song quite bulky and takes several run-throughs to really ignite. The violin then introduces “My Lai” rather bleakly. The crackling of a helicopter then points to the scenery of the song: The Vietnam War. The track sounds accordingly apocalyptic. At the latest when singer Michael Dorp imitates machine gun fire, one would prefer to flee to the next trenches. Supported by (keyboard-generated?) wind instruments and “ah-ah-ah” chants, “Memphis” creates a similarly oppressive atmosphere. Only the text gives a little glimmer of hope in the otherwise rather dark album. “Vienna” comes with a funky attitude. Greetings from James Brown and Co, even if this song is mostly instrumental. With “Berlin” follows the last song (apart from the reprise). This is also very prog-heavy and anything but easy to grasp.

Catchiness is written very small on this album. If you really want to enjoy 1968, you have to deal intensively with the music and the lyrics. Nowadays, unfortunately, no longer a matter of course. A target group could be older semesters who have consciously experienced the year and also like to take time for the music. This album is probably unsuitable for the younger generation (even if there are a few exceptions).

Lineup:

Michael Dorp – Vocals
Michael Rick – Guitar, Vocals
Rüdiger Blömer – Keyboards, Violin
Roger Weitz – Bass, Vocals
Ande Roderigo – Drums, Vocals

Label: Fastball Music

Out: May 27^th, 2020

Playing time: 48:15

Track list:

• Paris
• New York
• Prague
• Derry
• The Hopes We Had (in 1968)
• My Lai
• Memphis
• Vienna
• Berlin
• The Hopes We Had (Reprise)