Brainstorm -

Brainstorm was a German jazz-rock band that released the 1972–73 albums Smile a While and Second Smile on Spiegelei.

Members: Rainer Bodensohn (flute), Eddy von Overheidt (keyboards), Enno Dernov (bass), Roland Schaeffer (saxophone, flute, guitar, vocals), Jo Koinzer (drums, 1972-73), Horst Mittmann (drums, 1973-75), Nick Nikitakis (guitar, 1973-?), Rich Schwab (bass, vocals, percussion, 1974-76), Dieter Wichterich (guitar)

Background

Brainstorm originated as Fashion Pink, a psychedelic Krautrock band formed in 1969 in Baden-Baden.

Eddy von Overheidt first learned piano from his father, a pub pianist and casino orchestra conductor. Upon his discovery of American rock ‘n’ roll, Overheidt learned rhythm guitar and formed his first band, The Edwardians, with high school classmates.

Roland Schaeffer played recorder from age eight and studied clarinet from ages twelve to fourteen. When the British beat boom hit, he switched to guitar and practiced licks off Beatles, Yardbirds, and Rolling Stones records. In 1967, he formed The Snakes, an R&B band with drummer Jo Koinzer, an upstart musician inspired by John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Schaeffer soon drifted to The Edwardians. For two years, he studied soprano saxophone and double-bass at the Karlsruhe Conservatory.

Fashion Pink

By 1969, Overheidt, Schaeffer, and Koinzer assembled under a new configuration, Fashion Pink, a psychedelic band inspired by Pink Floyd. They added Rainer Bodensohn, a Bach-inspired second-generation flutist whose father played with the Baden Baden Symphony Orchestra. After six months of rehearsals as a sextet, they stabilized as a quartet with a newfound focus on experimental rock (Jimi Hendrix), free jazz (John Coltrane), and post-psychedelic jazz rock (Soft Machine, Caravan, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa).

Fashion Pink played their first shows in early 1970 at assorted 100-seat underage clubs and chapels. Overheidt acquired an organ and Leslie cabinet. Their setlist mixed originals with an extended, improvisational cover of the Beatles classic “I Feel Fine.”

On April 22, 1970, Fashion Pink cut their first four-song session for Süd West Funk (SWF), a local radio station. They returned on February 5, 1971, for a second set with a fifth member, bassist Harald Wagner. In June, they played the Strasbourg Festival in Northeast France alongside local stars Triangle. Soon after, Schaeffer and Bodensohn incurred injuries in a van accident, which scared Wagner and trimmed the group back to four members. Upon recovery, they taped a third SWF session (July 9, 1971) as Fashion Prick.

»… To Brainstorm« (SWF-Sessions Volume 3)

In 2000, French archivists Long Hair compiled Fashion Pink’s three Süd West Funk sets (twelve songs total) as part of the label’s SWF-Sessions series.

The long-vaulted set features one Overheidt original (“You See”) and two more (“Watch Time Flows By,” “Thesen – Antithesen”) co-written by Schaeffer, who lone-wrote two songs (“You Make Me Crying,” “Cry In the Morning”) and co-wrote “Herbst (Autumn)” with Bodensohn. The compiled sets (65 minutes total) also contains five group-composed numbers.

1. “You Make Me Crying” (3:23)
2. “Cry In the Morning” (4:04)
3. “Einzug der Elefanten (Arrival of the Elephants)” (4:10)
4. “You See” (2:45)
5. “Number Six” (5:54)
6. “Why Am I So Blind” (5:31)
7. “Shit Is Nothing Changing” (5:04)
8. “Watch Time Flows By” (3:05)
9. “You Knock Me Out” (3:05)
10. “Herbst (Autumn)” (3:29)
11. “Brainstorming” (10:23)
12. “Thesen – Antithesen” (13:57)

By early 1972, the band’s live popularity drew interest from the German majors, who insisted they drop the recent ‘Prick’ suffix. In an act of brainstorming, Schaeffer suggested the name Brainstorm. They signed with Spiegelei, the recently launched progressive division of Intercord Records.

Smile a While

Brainstorm released their first album, Smile a While, in October 1972 on Spiegelei. The album contains four songs, two suites, and two miniatures.

Roland Schaeffer composed “Zwick zwack” and co-wrote songs with Eddy von Overheidt (“Das Schwein trügt,” “Watch Time Flow By”) and outside lyricist Dave Soberman (“You Are What’s Gonna Make It Last”). The remaining tracks are group-credited.

Organist Overheidt shares electric piano with multi-instrumentalist Schaeffer, who plays clarinet, guitar, saxophone, contrabass, and splits electric bass with flutist Rainer Bodensohn.

A1. “Das Schwein trügt” (4:35)
A2. “Zwick zwack” (4:35)
A3. “Watch Time Flow By” (1:24)
A4. “Bosco Biati weiß alles” (8:51)
— a. Bosco Biati
— b. Weiß
— c. Alles

B1. “Snakeskin Tango” (2:15)
B2. “Smile a While” (15:18)
— a. Intro
— b. Brainstorm
— c. These
— d. Antithese
— e. Morning Tune
— f. Smile a While
B3. “You Are What’s Gonna Make It Last” (3:27)
B4. “Don’t Forget” (0:23)

Sessions commenced in August 1972 at Studio 70 in Munich and wrapped during the September hostage/massacre incident at the nearby Olympics compound. Brainstorm produced the album with Niagara engineer Peter Lüdemann.

For the album cover, Brainstorm posed in drag for photographer Joschi Jaehnike, also credited on 1971/72 Spiegelei titles by Kraan and Eulenspygel. Smile a While shows group-pics of Brainstorm in white girdles (front and back) and zoom-in shots of each member’s eyes (inner-gates).

Second Smile

Brainstorm released their second album, Second Smile, in 1973 on Spiegelei.

Roland Schaeffer composed “There Was a Time” around words by American jazz singer Leon Thomas. He co-wrote four songs with Eddy von Overheidt, including one (“Hirnwind”) with third-writer Rainer Bodensohn. Side B opens with “Affenzahn,” a group-written number.

Overheidt plays organ, clavinet, and electric piano on Second Smile, which features Schaeffer on clarinet, guitar, and saxophone (soprano, tenor). Drummer Jo Koinzer doubles on “Transylvanian fold up conga.” Select tracks feature guest bassist Enno Dernov of the band Jud’s Gallery, an unsigned SWF fixture.

A1. “Hirnwind” (5:43)
A2. “Herbst” (3:40)
A3. “My Way” (8:12)

B1. “Affenzahn” (4:47)
B2. “There Was a Time” (7:09)
B3. “Marilyn Monroe” (8:32)

Sessions spanned March through June 1973 at Studio 70, where Brainstorm self-produced Second Smile in the presence of two Wintrup soundmen: Sebastian Salm (Guru Guru) and Munich presence Jürgen Koppers, who also engineered 1972/73 albums by Amon Duul II, Embryo, Emergency, Sincerely PT, and Sunbirds.

Koinzer and Schaeffer co-designed the Second Smile cover: a riveted portal view of smiling lips and the silhouetted band on a hilltop (backside). CD reissues add a bonus track, “You’re the One,” co-written by Schaeffer with lyricist Dave Soberman.

7. “You’re the One” (2:50)

Post-Brainstorm

Roland Schaeffer joined Guru Guru for their 1976/77 albums Tango Fango and Globetrotter. He also played on albums by Kraan bassist Hellmut Hattler and the Triumvirat spinoff Jail.

Joe Koinzer and Rainer Bodensohn reunited in Open Music, an ECM-style jazz quintet that made the 1979 album Timeless on Sesam Records.

Discography: