My Solid Ground was a little known hard rock and psychedelic rock band with a somewhat turbulent lineup that originated in Germany in 1968, and lasted until 1974. The group only released one album during their run, My Solid Ground (1971). Though there were plans at one point for a second album, the band began parting ways and were officially disbanded in 1974. In recent decades, the album has gained some attention in krautrock circles, which makes me even more excited to give this one a listen because it’s been a little while since I’ve listened to some krautrock. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Dirty Yellow Mist” begins with some sweet, somewhat tinny piano that begins with a sort of lonely, bluesy line, and is soon joined by the tapping of some cymbals. Oh wow, some bass drums, some smooth bass guitar, and some super warm feeling and wet sounding organs come into the soundscape, seemingly guiding you into space. I’m already really digging this track a lot. The piano builds up nicely with the smooth organs, making the soundscape even more epic. Oh wow, the vocals come in and sound like Neil Armstrong talking to NASA from the moon. Oh wow, the laid back groove from the electric guitar makes the tune sound even more epic, while another guitar with some super crunchy distortion seems to keep the sound rolling along in a really groovy manner that brings some heavy psych sounds to the song. The organs almost feel reminiscent of the synths you might hear from 80s rock and pop music.
Oh wow, the organs suddenly take a mysterious turn, as though you’re being transported through the catacombs of a haunted house on the moon. I’m sort of reminded a bit of Hawkwind, but I’m mostly reminded I think of Faust with these mellow, epic, spacey jams. The vocals have come back in, and the rolls of the drums and bass seem to gradually continue to pick up momentum while organs continue to lift the jam to different levels and the crunchy rhythm guitar churns the song about. Oh wow, the track continues to evolve with some groovy space effects. The piano has taken back over at this point as the song mellows out a bit, and it almost sounds as though the piano is being played with a wah pedal. Oh wow, the tune picks back up with a ton of momentum and some grows even more epic. Oh wow, the track fades out in a really groovy way, almost sounding like some psychedelic baroque rock in space. Awesome track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Flash Part IV” begins with some classic sounding hard rock guitar with a sort of psychedelic presentation that I’m really digging. Oh wow, there’s a really groovy guitar solo in this track too. Great tune.
“That’s You” starts with some hard rock energy with crunchy distortion in the guitar work, heavy drums, and some strong vocals. Oh wow, the track launches into a psychedelic-sounding guitar solo with an energy that almost reminds me of 80s anthem rock meets Led Zeppelin, mixed with a little bit of punk rock. I really dig the drum rolls at the end of the track. Great tune.
Oh wow, “The Executioner” starts out with some strange psychedelic sounds with a particular krautrock-feel as the vocals seem scatterbrained as they reverberate around the soundscape and the smooth bass line keeps the tune grooving along to the beat. After each verse, the tune launches into a heavy movement with the organs slamming down and the beat seemingly picking up tempo and more momentum in the track. Holy smokes, the electric guitar comes in for a solo and acts as a beacon of sorts, as though the band is introducing some semblance of solid ground to the track for a moment. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Melancholie” starts with some lone, melancholic piano, which is joined by some light cymbals and drums, and a really smooth bass line. Holy smokes, the brushed strumming of the acoustic guitar somehow lightens the feeling of the track and lifts up the soundscape. Oh wow, there’s some really groovy twanginess to one of the acoustic guitars, bringing a sort of earthy flavor to the song for a moment. I really dig how the track continues building on itself and evolving as the music continues, carrying the same feeling with more and more momentum. Wow, great track.
“Handful of Grass” starts out with some groovy electric guitars and some quick cymbals, which gets the tune into a mixture of hard rock, prog rock, and psychedelic rock territories. I really dig the drums in this track, which have a groovy solo while the guitars seem to fill in the sides of the soundscape. Super sweet track.
“Devonshire Street W1” begins with a really low, mellow bass line, and is joined by the drums and some distorted guitar to bring in a hard rock sound. Oh wow, the vocals come in and the instrumentation mellows back out for a moment. Oh wow, the track really evolves a lot into a really groovy psychedelic progressive rock jam. Super groovy tune.
“X” gets grooving right away with a mixture of crunchy guitars, a smooth bass line, a super strong and dynamic beat from the drums, and some classic-sounding flavors from the piano. Oh wow, the electric guitar brings in some really groovy licks for a moment. Oh wow, all of the instrumentation but the fat, bright tones of the piano drop away for a moment, almost sounding like church bells ringing out. The tune gets grooving back into the intro movement really nicely, and then mellows back out into the solo piano part again, creating a really interesting back and forth between the different instrumental parts. Holy smokes, a really groovy drum fill signals beginning of the intro riff movement again, and the band really lets loose with this one as they bring the song to a close. Great tune, and a super sweet way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, this album is pretty groovy. I really dig hearing the sort of spacey krautrock that’s woven throughout the album, though it’s most prevalent in the first track. The album incorporates some crunchy and heavy flavors in the guitar work, and some super groovy drum fills throughout the listening experience, while the smooth bass lines walk between the alternating mellow and fast-paced styles in the album really nicely. If you’re into krautrock and/or prog rock/psychedelic prog rock from the early 1970s, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A