Amon Duul II

Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2) is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the founders of the German rock music scene and a seminal influence on the development of Krautrock. Contrary to their colleagues in Amon Düül I, founding members Chris Karrer, Peter Leopold, Falk Rogner, John Weinzierl and Renate Knaup placed high value on musical ability. With their first album Phallus Dei (God's Penis) in 1969 they created what is considered to be a milestone in German rock history. The title song alone was 21 minutes in length. They received offers to write music for films, winning a Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Award) for their contribution to the film San Domingo. Their second album Yeti was their breakthrough album in the United Kingdom. Inevitable comparisons with Pink Floyd and the Velvet Underground followed. A move to a major label, Atlantic Records, in 1975 saw a succession over time of artistic control to more commercially motivated production values that resulted in a perceived drop in uniqueness. The band's first phase ended in 1981 with its disbandment. In recent years however, Amon Düül II have seen a resurgence in interest, and they are frequently played on radio shows that aim to play more experimental music (eg Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone on BBC 6music). Amon Düül II's drummer Peter Leopold died on 8 November, 2006. A memorial service was held for Leopold in Munich, where the remaining members of Amon Düül II sang a song for him.