Atlantis -

Atlantis was a German hard-rock/soul band that released five albums and a live disc on Vertigo/Venus between 1972 and 1976. The band grew out of heavy-psych legends Frumpy, sharing vocalist Inga Rumpf and French-born keyboardist/composer Kravetz, who released a self-titled album with colleagues from both bands in 1972.

Members: Inga Rumpf (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion), Kravetz (organ, keyboards, 1972-73), Frank Diez (guitar, 1972-73, 1975-76), Karl-Heinz Schott (bass), Curt Cress (drums, percussion, 1972-73), Udo Lindenberg (drums, 1973), George Meier (guitar, 1973), Dieter Bornschlegel (guitar, 1973-74), Ringo Funk (drums, 1973, 1975-76), Rainer Schnelle (keyboards, 1973-74), Adrian Askew (keyboards, 1974-76), Alex Conti (guitar, 1974-76), Marz (guitar, 1975-76)

Background

Atlantis formed in late summer 1972 as an outgrowth of Frumpy, with vocalist Inga Rumpf, keyboardist Jean-Jacques Kravetz, and bassist Karl-Heinz Schott regrouping around a new band format. They completed the founding lineup by adding guitarist Frank Diez and drummer Curt Cress, the latter coming in from Emergency. After initial German live dates, the group traveled to London to record their first LP at Island Records’ studios, establishing the five-piece configuration that launched Atlantis on record.

Atlantis

Atlantis released their self-titled debut album in February 1973 on Vertigo.

Inga Rumpf commands the foreground with hardened phrasing and percussive inflection, offset by the dynamic interplay between guitarist Frank Diez and keyboardist Jean Alain Roussel. Diez shapes the harmonic contours with thick, riff-based voicings and abrupt solo bursts, while Roussel alternates between Fender Rhodes and Hammond textures that cut across the rhythm section. Bassist Karl-Heinz Schott and drummer Curt Cress form a resilient backbone, locking into steady pulse patterns that shift weight beneath the instrumental tension. Guest conguero Reebop Kwaku Baah adds tightly clustered accents on two cuts.

Atlantis centers on compact ensemble playing built around alternating solo focus and rhythm-forward pacing. “Maybe It’s Useless” unfolds in clipped layers, with keys and guitar circling Rumpf’s phrasing before resolving in a staggered vocal release. “Let’s Get on the Road Again” rides a backbeat-driven push with accent hits and steady harmonic turns, while “Words of Love” leans into longer phrasing across slower chord shifts and call-and-response inflections. “Living at the End of Time” stretches out with longer instrumental cycles and broader voicings before breaking into sharper cadences.

A1. “Get Up” (5:20) – Rumpf
A2. “Big Brother” (5:03) – Rumpf
A3. “Rock ‘N Roll Preacher” (3:39) – Diez
A4. “Maybe It’s Useless” (3:39) – Kravetz, Rumpf

B1. “Let’s Get On the Road Again” (3:33) – Rumpf
B2. “Living at the End of Time” (9:05) – Diez
B3. “Words of Love” (4:52) – Diez, Rumpf

John Burns engineered and co-produced the album with the band during sessions at Island Studios, London, from November 13 to 22, 1972. He returned to the same facility for remixing between December 2 and 5.

It’s Getting Better

Atlantis released their second album, It’s Getting Better, in October 1973 on Vertigo.

Dieter Bornschlegel shapes the upper dynamic with elongated guitar lines and abrupt phrasings, locking into extended exchanges with keyboardist Jean-Jacques Kravetz, whose shifts between Fender Rhodes, grand piano, and organ set the harmonic direction. Kravetz and Bornschlegel work in tandem to frame Inga Rumpf’s vocal entrances, often weaving their parts around her phrasing. Karl-Heinz Schott underpins the material with grounded harmonic ballast, while Ringo Funk drives the pulse with a centered backbeat. Guest percussionist Gaspar Lawal adds syncopated textures with Afro-accented patterns on three tracks.

It’s Getting Better opens with layered call-and-response phrasing and accent-driven shifts that tighten behind Rumpf’s vocal cadence. “Changed It All” escalates from steady mid-tempo figures into a break led by guitar punctuation and dynamic pacing. “Days of Giving” pivots between pulsed electric piano figures, a descending rhythm change, and a closing vamp with brighter chord coloration. “Drifting Winds” moves with slower harmonic pacing, centered by organ swells and restrained phrasing, while “Fighter of Truth” alternates between relaxed vocal lines and clipped ensemble bursts.

A1. “It’s Getting Better” (4:50) – Rumpf
A2. “Drifting Winds” (5:06) – Kravetz, Rumpf
A3. “Days of Giving” (7:23) – Rumpf

B1. “Changed It All” (6:05) – Kravetz, Rumpf
B2. “Fighter of Truth” (6:17) – Bornschlegel, Rumpf
B3. “Woman’s Sorrow” (3:23) – Kravetz, Rumpf
B4. “A Simple Song” (1:59) – Rumpf

Atlantis recorded and mixed the album in July 1973 at Phonogram Studios, London, with engineers Chris Harding and Roger Wake. Wake also handled band management. Initial pressings appeared with Vertigo’s swirl label and lacquer cuts from both Phonodisc GmbH and Tonstudio Pfanz.

Ooh Baby

Atlantis released their third album, Ooh Baby, in November 1974 on Vertigo.

Guitarist Alex Conti and keyboardist Adrian Askew trade clipped phrasings and sustained fills across compact, riff-based arrangements, locking in with bursts of phrasing from Jean-Jacques Kravetz on grand piano. Askew adds acoustic figures behind Conti’s upper-line solos, while guest Jasper van’t Hof appears briefly with a featured piano spot. Karl-Heinz Schott anchors the low end with unshifting harmonic weight, and Ringo Funk centers the pulse with clipped syncopation and compact breaks. Backing vocals from the full lineup, plus Linda Fields, reinforce the rhythmic phrasing across select sections.

Ooh Baby pivots on clipped pacing and vocal-driven front ends, framed by sharp instrumental punctuation. “Godfather” opens with layered accents that tighten into a mid-tempo sequence, shaped by contoured guitar figures and rhythmic stops. “Smiling People” rides a lighter pulse with sustained piano chords and staggered guitar lines, while “Brother” anchors its movement around focused backbeat interplay and brief instrumental breaks. Shorter songs emphasize punch and brevity, leaving solo passages compact and rhythmically tied to vocal phrasing.

A1. “Brother” (3:05) – Rumpf
A2. “Son of a Bitch’s Son” (3:51) – Conti, Askew
A3. “Waiting and Longing” (3:14) – Rumpf
A4. “Mr. Bigshot” (5:34) – Conti, Askew
A5. “The Way I Choose” (3:53) – Askew

B1. “Ooh, Baby” (2:53) – Conti, Rumpf
B2. “Smiling People” (3:33) – Kravetz, Rumpf
B3. “New York City” (4:41) – Askew
B4. “Godfather” (3:43) – Conti, Askew
B5. “Leave It to the Devil” (3:13) – Askew

Sessions took place at Dierks Studios, where Dieter Dierks produced and engineered the album in collaboration with the band. Dierks also co-arranged the material and handled the final mix. The album appeared on Vertigo under the Phonogram GmbH imprint, packaged in an unlaminated foldout cover with photography by Jens Ehlers.

Live

In April 1975, Atlantis released Live, a two-record document of…

Alex Conti and Adrian Askew trade sharp thematic lines and accent-driven fills, splitting space across electric guitar and keyboards while backing Inga Rumpf with both counterpoint and vocal support. Kravetz is absent; Askew assumes all keyboard duties, bridging electric piano and organ textures across extended mid-tempo sections and ensemble breaks. Karl-Heinz Schott anchors the harmonic base with an unshifting fulcrum beneath the soloists, while Ringo Funk holds the rhythmic frame with crisp cymbal detail and full-kit punctuation.

A1. “Friends” (8:15) – Rumpf
A2. “Ooh Baby” (3:52) – Conti, Rumpf
A3. “Somewhere” (5:36) – Askew, Conti
B1. “It’s Getting Better” (6:41) – Rumpf
B2. “Waiting and Longing” (3:31) – Rumpf
B3. “Brother” (5:29) – Rumpf
B4. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Preacher” (3:53) – Diez

C1. “New York City” (3:48) – Askew
C2. “Mr. Bigshot” (5:43) – Askew, Conti
C3. “Mainline Florida” (6:16) – George Terry
D1. “Godfather” (3:18) – Askew, Conti
D2. “Going to the Country” (4:55) – Rumpf
D3. “Rock Me Baby” (4:31) – Traditional; arranged by Atlantis
D4. “Leave It to the Devil” (3:39) – Askew

Dieter Dierks recorded the concert live at Fabrik with the Dierks Recording Mobile and later remixed the tapes at Dierks Studios in Cologne. Heiner Friesz served as assistant engineer. The double album appeared in a gatefold sleeve with photos by Rainer Drechsler and design by Jens Ehlers. Pressing and lacquer work were handled by Phonodisc GmbH.

Get on Board

Atlantis released their fourth studio album, Get on Board, in October 1975 on Vertigo.

Guitarists Frank Diez and Rainer Marz shape the upper arrangements with doubled lines and traded breaks, while Adrian Askew outlines harmonic shifts with keyboard voicings that reinforce and counter the guitars in alternating cycles. All three contribute vocal parts behind Inga Rumpf, tightening the ensemble phrasing during turnarounds and refrains. Karl-Heinz Schott provides a grounded low-end anchor, locking in with Ringo Funk’s punch-driven backbeat to stabilize the flow across both restrained and upbeat passages.

Get on Board leans on direct, rhythm-forward writing, with the band tightening its attack into shorter forms and more clipped transitions. “The Man” pushes hardest, riding a driving pulse with sharp guitar punctuation and abrupt dynamic turns, while “Change My Mind” settles into steadier mid-tempo pacing, shaped by sustained keyboard pads and staggered instrumental breaks. “Keep the Music Going On” stays compact and upbeat, locking into a repeated rhythmic cycle with quick turnaround figures. Across the album, the arrangements favor punchy entrances, short solo statements, and immediate returns to the vocal frame.

A1. “Get On Board” (3:45) – Diez
A2. “Change My Mind” (4:32) – Askew
A3. “The Man” (3:46) – Askew, Schott
A4. “Let Me Stay for a While” (3:58) – Diez

B1. “Keep the Music Going On” (2:50) – Askew, Marz
B2. “Chartbuster” (3:10) – Diez
B3. “The Captain and the Ship” (3:44) – Rumpf
B4. “If I Couldn’t Sing” (3:37) – Rumpf
B5. “Tried to Climb a Mountain” (4:33) – Askew, Marz

Dieter Dierks produced and recorded the album at his studio in Stommeln and co-arranged the material with the band. Breeze Music published the album through Phonogram GmbH, who also handled the pressing at Phonodisc. Lacquers were cut in-house, and first editions appeared in German-printed sleeves.

Top of the Bill

Atlantis released Top of the Bill in 1976 as their sixth overall album and final release for Vertigo.

Frank Diez takes the lead on guitar with extended phrasing and unbroken sustain, threading blues-based lines through rhythmic interplay with keyboardist Adrian Askew and guest soloist Ingo Bischoff, who appears on multiple tracks with additional electric piano and organ layers. Rainer Marz supports the arrangements with clipped rhythm figures and shares vocal duties with Rumpf and Funk, adding harmonic contrast across the shifting lead roles. Karl-Heinz Schott underpins the material with solid, unembellished low-end anchoring, while Ringo Funk alternates between sharp backbeats and drawn-out fills, shaping the live session centerpiece with deliberate dynamic shifts.

A1. “He’s Got a Gun in His Hand” (4:12) – Diez
A2. “Hot Rocks” (2:53) – Applegate, Marz, Diesel-Smith
A3. “Out of Tune” (3:24) – Rumpf
A4. “Don’t Put the Lady Down” (3:46) – Diez, Palmer James
A5. “Northern Bounty” (3:59) – Applegate, Marz, Diesel-Smith

B1. “Haven’t You Heard” (5:26) – Rumpf
B2. “Just Blues (Session)” (11:28) – Atlantis

Sessions took place at Dierks Studios, with tracks A3, A4, and the extended B-side cut recorded in December 1975, followed by A1, A2, and A5 in March 1976. Dieter Dierks produced the album and supervised all recordings, which were cut to lacquer by SST Brüggemann GmbH. Michael Fessel’s studio handled the cover design, and Breeze Music published the material.

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