Daumen im Wind in Bloomington, MN

Udo Lindenberg
's second release,
Daumen im Wind
, was a risky venture: when it was released in 1972, mainstream opinion had it that
rock
music with German lyrics was impossible. On
,
Lindenberg
proved otherwise. Although he hadn't found his unique style yet, some tracks on this album, most notably
"Hoch im Norden,"
"Alkoholmaedchen,"
and the title track, gave a glimpse of what was to come starting with his next release. In terms of style,
ventured into many waters apart from
: jazzy sounds are to be found on
"Meer der Traeume,"
"Biochemon"
is very
experimental
with
Orwellian
lyrics, and there is even a spiritual dimension with the song
"In den Tiefen Gaengen der Vergangenheit,"
which deals with reincarnation -- and all in all, the album sounds more thrown together than presenting a unified approach. With
started to redefine his role as a
musician, so it has to be regarded as a transitional album on the way to his later groundbreaking work. It is not a masterpiece, but still an important step in the history of German
because it has to be regarded as the first
album making use of German lyrics. ~ Frank Eisenhuth