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Upperseption — Neo Gourage
(Garden of Delights CD 185, 1973/2019, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-04-11

Neo Gourage Cover art

A German quartet led by keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Harald Skorepa, that existed in two distinct versions from 1970 until they were last heard from in 1974, Upperseption never released a proper LP during their years together, though they did leave behind a number of recordings; one set of recordings from 1970 is on a 2013 LP titled Cornicula, while a later group spanning the years 1972-1974 is present on the CD at hand, Neo Gourage. While at times the band apparently had a singer, all of the cuts presented here are instrumentals. The opener is a nearly twelve minute rendition of “Rondo (69),” a cut that appeared on the third album by The Nice, Nice or Everything As Nice As Mother Makes It  if you prefer (it was released under both titles in the USA), credited to Emerson / Jackson / Davison — even though the piece is clearly a variation of Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo a la Turk,”  the opening track from The Brubeck Quartet’s 1959 Time Out album. Upperseption at that time in ‘72 included Skorepa (piano, organ, synth, flute, and guitar), Uwe Bekemeier (guitar), Benno Löser (bass), and Michael Heine (drums), and a rough start to this album it is, hardly worthy of the opening position, but it is what it is. All of the remaining pieces on Neo Gourage are originals penned by Skorepa, and a fine lot they are. By April 1973 three members of the original band had departed for various reasons, now replaced by drummer Wolfgang Brock, bassist Gunter Lietz, and guitarist Klaus Kluge, and it’s this version of Upperseption that features on the remaining seven cuts on the album. The second cut, “Überflug,” may only be a couple minutes long but it’s a real barn burner. “Melancholia” and “Soror Maior” are melodically pleasing instrumental workouts, the latter with a slight Allman Brothers hint. The next three cuts — “Interludium,” “CA4+CB2,” and “Flote 2” — appear to  be Skorepa solo pieces where he plays all of the instruments (keys, flute, guitar), recorded in September ‘73, though the closer “Alles auf Anfang” is a full band live rocker from April ‘74. Following the split, members went on to other musical endeavors including The Rattles, Os Mundi, Karthago, Berlin Blues Band, and others.

Filed under: Archives, 2019 releases, 1973 recordings

Related artist(s): Upperseption

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