Klaus Schulze: Ballett 4 (2000)

Klaus Schulze - Ballett 4

KS Canon 89

Track Listing:

1.	Mellowtrone	13:53
2.	Soft 'n' Groovy	30:00
3.	To B Flat	23:52

Bonus Track:

4.

Eleven 2 Eleven

10:14

Notes:
(1) Wolfgang Tiepold plays cello.
(2) Thomas Kagermann plays flute and violin and sings vocals.

Rating: 5 Stars
Bonus Tracks: 4 Stars

This is the 39th solo album recorded by Klaus Schulze. It was originally released as the ninth album of the "Contemporary Works 1" box set.

The bonus track was originally released on the CD "Adds & Edits", the tenth CD in the "Contemporary Works 1" box set. It's a pleasant piece of music that fits better than the bonus tracks on the previous two Ballett albums.

"Ballett 4" was released as a solo CD in 2007. It's now out of print, but in 2017 it was made available as half of the double album "Ballett 3 & 4".

Yesterday someone told me he liked the third Ballett album most. I rashly said I would tell him which of the albums I prefer after listening to the fourth album again today. In retrospect I don't think that the albums should be weighed against one another, since they're one virtual album, but a promise is a promise, so I'll give my opinion.

"Ballet 1" is doubtlessly the best album, and "Ballett 2" is the weakest. It's difficult to compare the other two albums, but if I'm forced to make a decision I'd rate the fourth album slightly better than the third. I think I'm rating them on how much Klaus plays his own music without interference from other musicians, apart from Wolfgang Tiepold. His cello is always welcome. This makes my final list:

1. Ballett 1
2. Ballett 4
3. Ballett 3
4. Ballett 2

---

In 2000 Klaus Schulze and Manuel Göttsching got back together. They were two of the three original members of Ash Ra Tempel, and this was the first time they played together since "In Blue" in 1995. I have a strong suspicion that this was at the urging of KDM, who was and still is a close friend of both musicians. This reunion resulted in two new Ash Ra Tempel albums, one a studio recording, the other live.

Ash Ra Tempel - Friendship (2000)

Manuel Göttsching (guitar)
Klaus Schulze (keyboards)

Rating (3½ Stars)

This album is a slight improvement over "In Blue", but it's obvious that the two musicians have grown apart. There's no cohesion in their music. Klaus is doing his thing, and occasionally Manuel breaks into a solo, but they no longer have the magic they did in the early 1970's. They might be friends, but they're no longer partners.

I bought this album soon after its release, and I only listened to it once. When I picked it up today I hoped that I would appreciate it more. I don't.

---

Ash Ra Tempel - Gin Rosé (2000)

Manuel Göttsching (guitar)
Klaus Schulze (keyboards)

Rating (4 Stars)

As part of the Schulze-Göttsching reunion, there was an Ash Ra Tempel concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 2nd April 2000. As was the case in "Friendship", there's a lack of partnership in the music. On stage Klaus does a few pleasant tunes, and Manuel plays some inspired guitar solos, but they're not playing together. Each of them is doing his own thing.