Gila-Night Works (1972)

Despite its flawed production, the second album by the German band Gila is a true historical document of one of the cult bands of krautrock. Recorded live in the studios of a radio station based in Cologne in 1972, "Night Works" was the chronological (though unofficial) successor to their monumental debut, "Free Electric Sound", an album that showcased an ambitious and experimental approach focused on the psychedelic and hypnotic sounds of so called Kosmiche Music. On this second release, the lineup still consisted of guitarist and vocalist Conny Veit, bassist Walter Wiederkehr, organist Fritz Scheyhing, and drummer Daniel Alluno. With a style clearly related to their debut, the Stuttgart-based band follows in the footsteps of the acid and lysergic sounds of early Pink Floyd led by Syd Barrett, featuring expansive jams like "The Gila Symphony". a tour de force encompassing everything from atmospheric and hallucinatory passages to intricate interplay between a heavy Hammond organ and biting guitars, all under the spell of a powerful and brutal rhythm section. In addition to this impressive piece, the album includes memorable instrumental passages such as the psychedelic heavy rock of "Around Midnight", the lysergic "Braintwist", the hypnotic "Trampelpfad", and the atmospheric "Communication II".