Operation

's second album, , stands as one of the band's finest recordings, getting the vote as the second best album of 1971 by one of Germany's leading music magazines. has employing a nine-piece string section as well as a smaller brass entourage in order to produce a larger sound, and while their air is just beginning to flourish, a rather large difference in musical strength and instrumental craft is noted right away. Not fully abstract or left-of-center just yet, the powerful crunch of 's guitar surely leads the way, dominating the rhythms of every track while complimenting the aeronautics of the keyboard passages. With the tempos quicker because of the stern synthesizer work, the entire album moves along at a brisk pace. has the vocals on par with the whirlwind guitar riffs, echoed perfectly to produce a mysterious rippled effect. and utilize the keyboards at the heart of both the songs, while the full 11 minutes of emanate 's instrumental coalescence in the momentum of both the drums and guitar. became one of the group's most renowned efforts, with percussion creating the perfect bottom-heavy underlay for the strings and horns. The 1997 pressing of includes five bonus tracks, including another version of and a peculiar little number entitled With the band maturing and slowly working back toward a more route, makes for a truly consistent studio album that offers a firm cross section of their sound. ~ Mike DeGagne