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SÜDWESTFUNK (SWF) SESSION 1970 – 1975
JUD’S GALLERY “SWF-SESSION”
The legendary SWF (German regional radio from Baden-Baden) radio sessions from 1970-1975 were, for a long time, considered lost. Now after extensive searching through the archives they been recovered and remastered to their original glory. These tapes are a “must” for Progressive Music and Krautrock fans. Originally the sessions were broadcast as part of an SWF talent search for up and coming bands organised by Walther Krause. The bands were invited into the studio and the results were broadcast in the popular and now sadly missed shows “STARS AND HITS” and “POPSHOP”. Unmissable for Prog- and Krautrock fans. Some of the “unknown” bands that look part in the sessions were KRAAN, MY SOLID GROUND AND CURLY CURVE. Other less known bands became their first chance to play in a “real” studio and prove that they were as good, if not even better than their contemporaries. These long lost tapes form the basis for a new series for LONG HAIR and will also reflect SWF’s pioneer work with young unsigned bands over this period.
Volume 1 presents the band JUD’S GALLERY from Offenburg (South-West Germany). JUD’S GALLERY recorded 9 songs over two SWF sessions (28.07.1972 and 29.03.1974). These songs have been digitally remastered from the original tapes to perfect studio quality.
JUD’S GALLERY were formed in 1971 by Jürgen “Judy” Winter. The only other founding member at the sessions was Peter Oehler who had been playing with Judy in other guises before. These two enthusiastic perfectionists were accompanied for the first session by Hannes Gremminger, Herbert Brandmeyer and singer Elly Lapp who left the band shortly afterwards. SWF presenter Hans-Jürgen Kiebenstein was instrumental in inviting the band to Studio U1 in Baden-Baden for a session without any overdubbing or re-recording, no easy task for a band who’s average age was at the time a mere 21.
The sessions opened up a hitherto unknown world for JUD’S GALLERY of concerts outside of their native Offenbach and surrounding area. Support slots with internationally renowned bands such as STEAMHAMMER, PRETTY THINGS, BEGGAR’S OPERA, EKSEPTION and ALEXIS KORNER followed and also a German tour with GOLDEN EARING. After this JUD’S GALLERY were ready for their own headlining tour including festivals and gigs in and around the French
border. At a festival in southern Germany the band was approached by Roland Schaeffer (FASHION PINK, BRAINSTORM, GURU GURU) who was working as a producer for SWF at the time. He invited the band for their second SWF session. The band recorded 4 songs, including the 12-minute version of Nordrach, with the line-up of Jürgen “Judy” Winter, Peter Oehler, Clem Winterhalter and Sibi Siebert. After this session it was only a question of time before JUD’S GALLERY released an LP. Contacts to Achim Reichel’s label “GORILLA MUSIC” were made and shortly before they went into a studio the band broke up due to economic hardship and musical
differences. Despite this and thanks to the excellent radio sessions we can relive a fantastic time of enthusiasm and hope from this brilliant band that deserved more at the time.
After JUD’S GALLERY Judy Winter moved to the Rhineland (West Germany) and in 1976 formed WINTERKRIEG with former SPERRMÜLL member Helmut Krieg. Sibi Siebert, who had also moved to the Rhineland, joined the band as a drummer shortly after, and now the band was complete. Considering the lack of a solid financial background a live program had to be set up as soon as possible, so that the band would be able to maintain itself through gigs. WINTERKRIEG managed to do so very soon by not only playing new songs, but reverting to classic titles from the JUD‘S GALLERY time (Nordrach and Danger of Shoot etc.) With the help of the English Roadie and live-mixer William Hindmarch, called „Billy“, a good friend of the already quite famous guitarist Gary Moore, the band was striving for an entirely professional career. Although they soon made their mark as good live performers both within the region and throughout Germany, the band did not manage to strike a record deal. Due to the Philly sound famous at that time and the disco wave that followed soon after, the German record labels were basically not interested in handmade rock music. In order to ensure the band‘s survival Jürgen Winter and Helmut Krieg founded a music store that provided the financial base for the band, and thus the band was able to be active well into the 1990ies with differing line-ups.
Sibi Siebert left Winterkrieg in the end of the 1970ies and joined the TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING, a band that was quite well known and successful in the 1980ies. He is still active in the music business as a specialist for percussion
parts. Peter Oehler, too, staid true to music and kept on playing in different bands, e.g. with NINE DAYS WONDER on their LP Sonnet to Billy Frost that appeared in 1975. Today he is musical director for Radio Ohr in Offenburg.
JUD‘S GALLERY, or, more specifically the bandleader Jürgen Winter, made the headlines again in the end of 2000. He had filed a lawsuit against Virgin Records and Gary Moore, whom he accused of having illicitly used the theme of the end part of the JUD‘S GALLERY classic hit „Nordrach“, a composition by Jürgen Winter. This was quite an explosive accusation, considering the worldwide success of the song. The proceedings are still pending with the District Court in Munich. The expert entrusted by the court with verifying the charge of plagiarism, came to the conclusion that Gary Moore could not have been able to record the catchy guitar tune of „Still got the blues“ without knowledge of the title „Nordrach“. Further information on this lawsuit is available on
www.juds-gallery.com
Today, Jürgen Winter works as a freelance music teacher and is currently coaching the up-and-coming band
TWEEKS.
Manfred Steinheuer, September 2007
Translations: Trevor Wilson,
Dr. Martina Häusler
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