Abacus was a German art-rock band that released four albums and three singles on Polydor/Zebra between 1971 and 1973.
Members: Hans Rolf Schade (guitar, percussion, sitar, vocals), Felix Hans (drums, percussion, vocals), Chris Williams (vocals, guitar), Klaus Kohlhase (bass, percussion, harmonica), Chris Barutzky (piano, organ), Jürgen Wimpelberg (keyboards, vocals, guitar), Norbert Leifert (keyboards, vocals, flute), Rainer Niklowitz (drums), Manfred Heilmann (vocals, guitar), Alan Warran (drums), Konstantin Bommarius (drums), Reinhard Schulte (bass), Robert Valet (guitar), Peter Terhoeven (guitar), Pattrick Pelzer (vocals), Norbert Hötger (bass, guitar), Marc Klemme (guitar), Gianmarco Moroder (drums)
Abacus evolved from the band Fashion, an unrecorded act from Hamm. They became Abacus with the arrival of English singer/guitarist Chris Williams, fresh off a stint with Grail. In 1971, the new band played before an audience of 30,000 at the Germersheim Rock Festival, appearing alongside Pink Floyd, ELP, and Santana.
Abacus released their self-titled debut album in 1971 on Polydor. Side one features three songs:
The band’s second Polydor release, Just a Day’s Journey Away, appeared in early 1972. It features seven songs, including the seven-minute opener and the side-two trilogy
Abacus released their third album, Everything You Need, in late 1972 on the local Polydor-subsidiary Zebra. Side one features four songs, including
In 1973, Abacus issued the non-album Zebra single “Fly With Us” (b/w “The Big Moody”). Their final album, Midway, appeared later that year on the same label. It features nine shorter songs, including
(Abacus are not to be confused with the namesake English hard-rock band that issued the single “Indian Dancer” (b/w “Be That Way”) on the German Bellophon label in 1974.)
Discography:
- Abacus (1971)
- Just a Day’s Journey Away (1972)
- Everything You Need (1972)
- “Fly With Us” / “The Big Moody” (1973)
- Midway (1974)
Sources:
Artist/Album Pages:
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