Krokodil -

Krokodil was a Swiss hard-rock/psych band that released five albums between 1969 and 1973 on Liberty/United Artists and Bacillus.

Founded by drummer Düde Dürst and pianist Hardy Hepp, the band coalesced around guitarist Walty Anselmo, harmonica/flute player Mojo Weideli, and English bassist Terry Stevens. Their early albums Krokodil and Swamp combine blues structures with violin, sitar, and extended instrumental sections, while An Invisible World Revealed pushed into Mellotron-heavy, suite-based arrangements. Later records added dual guitar lines and electric piano textures before the band dissolved in the mid-1970s.

Members: Walty Anselmo (guitar, vocals), Düde Dürst (drums), Hardy Hepp (vocals, piano, violin, 1969-70), Terry Stevens (bass, guitar, vocals), Mojo Weideli (harmonica, flute, percussion)

Background

In 1969, Zürich drummer/designer Düde Dürst and pianist/violinist Hardy Hepp formed Krokodil as a break from Swiss beat and a move toward heavier blues-based improvisation. Dürst arrived from Les Sauterelles with a dual identity as a working musician and trained graphic artist, while Hepp already operated as a visible local songwriter and performer, having issued early originals and built a stage profile through Swiss TV and major local appearances.

Guitarist Walty Anselmo brought the band its lead voice after years of Zürich club work and a rapid stylistic arc from early rock ’n’ roll groups to folk duo work with Hepp, then back into amplified formats via Hendrix-era trio playing. Harmonica/flute player Mojo Weideli came out of the Zürich blues circuit as a specialist soloist with a distinct attack, and he gave the new lineup an upper-register counterweight that could cut through amplified textures without relying on keyboards. English expatriate Terry Stevens completed the group after settling in Zürich, first in support roles around the local scene and then as the band’s anchor player; he shifted quickly into bass as the final piece of the ensemble and contributed a steady, repetitive sense of phrasing that shaped the group’s early identity.

With the five-man lineup in place—Anselmo, Hepp, Weideli, Stevens, and Dürst—Krokodil entered Liberty’s orbit and moved from live experimentation into formal sessions for their late-1969 debut Krokodil, balancing blues-derived structures with extended development, multi-instrument color, and a band-arranged approach that emphasized interplay over hierarchy.

Krokodil

Krokodil released their self-titled debut album in late 1969 on Liberty.

Krokodil released their self-titled debut album in late 1969 on Liberty. Guitarist Walty Anselmo and keyboardist/violinist Hardy Hepp alternate melodic leads across the album, trading bright electric runs, sitar passages, and rustic piano figures with tonal contrast and close interplay. Harmonica player Moio Weideli adds upper-register tension over a rhythm section anchored by Düde Dürst’s fluid backbeat and Terry Stevens’ stable basslines and vocal counterweight.

Krokodil opens with a thick-toned version of “Morning Dew,” played at mid-tempo with harmonica breaks and sustained organ lines beneath clipped guitar phrasing. “You’re Still a Part of Me” shifts between raga-mode sitar and a faster, riff-driven section with a boogie pulse. “Prayer” and “Dabble in Om” slow the pace, built on acoustic layers—flute, sitar, and light percussion—before opening into longer passages shaped by repetition and sparse transitions. “Watchin’ Chain” leans into blues-based improvisation with modal soloing over a seven-minute frame that drifts into a brief classical motif before returning to a loose backbeat.

A1. “Morning Dew” (4:34) – Tim Rose
A2. “You’re Still a Part of Me” (6:20) – Anselmo
A3. “All Alone” (3:50) – Hepp
A4. “Mis Blues” (3:15) – Stevens

B1. “Prayer” (4:09) – Hepp
B2. “Watchn’ Chain” (6:49) – Krokodil, Trad.
B3. “Dabble in Om” (9:24) – Stevens

Sessions took place in West Germany under producer Siegfried Loch for Liberty/UA GmbH, with pressing handled by Sonopress and jacket printing by Carl v. d. Linnepe. Düde Dürst designed the cover, which features Zurich-based photography collective Focus-Zürich. The band arranged all material collectively.

Liberty issued two singles from the album: “You’re Still a Part of Me” backed with “All Alone” in October 1969 (Liberty 15 270), and “Don’t Make Promises” / “Hurra! Alive” in July 1969 (Liberty 15 229), the former drawn from the album and the latter exclusive to 7-inch.

Krokodil Solo

In mid-1970, Düde Dürst released Krokodil Solo on Sunset Records, a division of Liberty.

Dürst frames the album as a two-suite program built from extended, continuously developing sections, using layered percussion colors (drums, tabla, gong) as the central organizing force rather than a fixed song-based format. Guitarist Brew Bruckner and flutist/soprano saxophonist Jonas C. Häfeli trade lead roles above a shifting backbone anchored by Terry Stevens, whose bass figures and piano voicings lock into Dürst’s pulse while also opening space for the ensemble’s episodic transitions.

Krokodil Solo centers its two side-long suites around layered percussion frameworks and episodic instrumental shifts. “Chemical Harvest” moves from slow-burning electric piano themes into hand percussion patterns that open space for flute and wordless vocals, with intermittent bass and guitar adding brief tonal reinforcement. Midway, the arrangement thickens into tom-heavy drumming beneath sparse soprano sax and echoed cymbals before thinning into a bright, flute-led coda. “The Sound of Sunshine” begins with sustained cymbals and overlapping pulse variations, gradually introducing treated bass and vibraphone figures that cycle through low-key transitions before settling into a hypnotic, drum-driven finale with delayed feedback textures and acoustic repetition.

A1. “Chemical Harvest” (18:04) – Dürst, Stevens
a. “The Preparation” (4:25) – Dürst, Stevens
b. “Consumption and Anticipation” (7:34) – Dürst
c. “Utilization” (6:05) – Dürst, Stevens, Häfeli, Bruckner

B1. “The Sound of Sunshine” (21:23) – Dürst, Stevens
a. “Sounds of Sunshine” (2:59) – Dürst, Stevens, Häfeli
b. “Heaven Help Us” (4:00) – Dürst, Stevens
c. “The Leaving Examination” (9:41) – Dürst
d. “Fatigue” (4:43) – Dürst, Stevens, Häfeli

Recording took place in April 1970 at SM Studio in Zürich, with Dürst producing the sessions for Liberty. Düde Dürst and Terry Stevens handled the arrangements. Liberty/UA GmbH issued the album in Germany, with pressing by Sonopress and jacket printing by Carl v. d. Linnepe, and design credited to Rainer Kunert.

The Krokodil cover displays an intricate black-and-white illustration of a seated crocodile figure holding a torch, with its body filled by an array of detailed symbolic images—Swiss crosses, skulls, machinery, and religious iconography—under punk-style liberty spikes.

Swamp

Krokodil released their second album, Swamp, in October 1970 on Liberty.

Guitarist Walty Anselmo and keyboardist Hardy Hepp alternate frontline passages, shifting between layered electric leads, sitar lines, and violin counterphrases with intermittent overlap and spatial contrast. Moio Weideli reinforces upper-register breaks with sharp harmonica and flute interjections, while Terry Stevens and Düde Dürst underpin the set with a pivoting low-end fulcrum—Stevens doubling on guitar and bass, Dürst alternating his steady backbeat with vibraphone and added percussion.

Swamp opens on a clipped harmonica phrase and bass-centered pulse in “Get Your Personality Together,” which shifts from a compact lead vocal into passages colored by leslie-treated guitar and bowed accents. “Light of Day” unfolds across layered instrumentation—violin, flute, organ, and sitar—set against a rising rhythmic pattern that peaks in a doubled bass–drum finale. “Sunlight’s Beautiful Daughter” moves at slow pace with close vocal harmonies, acoustic strumming, and soft percussion, while “Tell Me What You Want” and “Blue Flashing Circle” alternate between static rhythm figures and short instrumental asides. “Human Bondage” stretches the format with piano and flute framing its core, giving way to slow-tempo harmonica and guitar shifts before returning to a final chorus.

A1. “Get Your Personality Together” (3:08) – Stevens, Anselmo
A2. “Light of Day” (5:18) – Stevens
A3. “Sunlights Beautiful Daughter” (5:43) – Stevens, Anselmo
A4. “Tell Me What You Want (Tell Tale)” (2:59) – Stevens

B1. “Blue Flashing Circle” (3:27) – Anselmo
B2. “Snow White and Blue” (4:09) – Stevens, Anselmo
B3. “Human Bondage” (7:55) – Hepp, Stevens

Swamp was recorded at Bavaria Musikstudios and produced by Siegfried E. Loch for Liberty/UA GmbH. Peter Kramper engineered the sessions.

On the Swamp cover, a close-up of textured crocodile skin spreads across the frame, with the band name stamped in bold white and the title Swamp overlaid in stretched black type that mimics the hide’s surface.

Liberty issued “Tell Me What You Want (Tell Tale)” backed with “Blue Flashing Circle” as a single in September 1970 (Liberty 15 396).

After Swamp, Hardy Hepp departed for a solo career, launched with his 1971 Warner release Hepp, Hahn & Huhn – Alive and Goodnight, comprised of six songs and a side-long suite, recorded with members of Lucifer’s Friend.

Meanwhile, Krokodil cut the May 1971 standalone single “Pollution” backed with “Lady of Attraction” (Liberty 15 466).

An Invisible World Revealed

Krokodil released their third album, An Invisible World Revealed, in November 1971 on United Artists.

Guitarist Walty Anselmo and multi-instrumentalist Terry Stevens expand their roles across overlapping arrangements, with Anselmo shifting between sitar, slide, and acoustic guitars while Stevens adds Mellotron, acoustic strums, and second electric lines. Moio Weideli accents the upper range with flute and harmonica, often in direct exchange with the rhythm section, which pivots on Düde Dürst’s tabla-inflected backbeat and Stevens’ shifting bass foundations.

An Invisible World Revealed opens with “Lady of Attraction,” a slow, flute-laced acoustic track shaped by harmonica and Mellotron, with vocals pitched in a strained upper register. After the brief acoustic interlude “With Little Miss Trimmings,” the side expands into “Odyssey in Om,” which unfolds in sections: an opening stretch of tabla and sitar, a flute-and-harp midsection held in suspension, and a series of alternating guitar surges and Mellotron backdrops, all loosely stitched with return motifs and spoken voice passages.

“Green Fly” builds on a central bass pattern, layering harmonica and Mellotron over repeated figures, while “Looking at Time” begins with acoustic/electric guitar interplay and cycles through phased tempo shifts, alternating between harmonica leads, strummed interludes, and eventual full-band acceleration. “Last Doors” closes on a harmonica-led blues progression with a mid-track electric guitar solo and drum-led pacing.

A1. “Lady of Attraction” (4:20) – Dürst, Weideli, Stevens, Anselmo
A2. “With Little Miss Trimmings” (1:31) – Dürst, Weideli, Stevens, Anselmo
A3. “Odyssey in OM” (15:15) – Dürst, Weideli, Stevens, Anselmo

B1. “Green Fly” (4:13) – Dürst, Weideli, Stevens, Anselmo
B2. “Looking at Time” (13:56) – Dürst, Weideli, Stevens
B3. “Last Doors” (3:20) – Stevens, Anselmo

The band recorded An Invisible World Revealed at Dierks Studios in Stommeln, West Germany, with engineering by Dieter Dierks.

On the An Invisible World Revealed cover, a surreal red-orange landscape unfolds beneath a blackened sky, where a crocodile with staring eyes emerges from lava while a serpent-tailed Statue of Liberty figure reclines near a flaming ruin and distant castle.

United Artists did not issue a single from the album, but Krokodil released one further 7″ on Bacillus in September 1972: “Krock’N Roll” backed with “A Mighty Long Way to Go” (BF 18133).

Getting Up for the Morning

Krokodil released their fourth album, Getting Up for the Morning, in December 1972 on United Artists.

Guitarist Walty Anselmo and multi-instrumentalist Terry Stevens alternate electric and acoustic passages, sitar accents, and clavinet textures in layered sequence, interweaving lead lines with tonal variation and tight coordination. Moio Weideli offsets their phrasing with harmonica and flute overlays, while Düde Dürst and Stevens hold the fulcrum—Dürst cycling through precise kit work and percussive interjections, Stevens anchoring the low-end while trading instrumental roles with Anselmo on several tracks.

Getting Up for the Morning opens with “Marzipan,” built on harmonica outbursts and guitar lines that alternate between clipped phrases and extended solo passages. “And I Know” drifts at slow tempo, layering electric piano and harmonica beneath group vocals and Mellotron swells before shifting to a sustained instrumental rise. “Schooldays” moves through overlapping flute, phasing guitar textures, and warped harmonica tones with bass and drums locking into a pulsing, circular pattern. “Song No. 2” opens on acoustic strums and subdued harmonica, then gradually lifts into an open electric rhythm section marked by prominent bass figures and delayed Mellotron accents.

A1. “Marzipan” (6:10) – Dürst, Weideli, Stevens, Anselmo
A2. “And I Know” (7:45) – Stevens
A3. “Rabatz” (3:22) – Dürst, Weideli, Stevens, Anselmo
A4. “Was There a Time” (1:17) – Anselmo

B1. “Schooldays” (8:10) – Stevens
B2. “Song No. 2 (Thoughts Under Bad Conditions)” (6:10) – Anselmo
B3. “The 12th of March” (7:25) – Stevens, Anselmo

Sessions took place July 30 through August 2, 1972, at Dierks Studios in Stommeln, West Germany. Krokodil arranged the material and co-produced the album with Peter Hauke. Dieter Dierks engineered the recordings. Bellaphon issued the LP in a fully laminated gatefold sleeve with René Leutwiler photography and layout by Düde Dürst.

On the Getting Up for the Morning cover, four sun-drenched portraits of the band members appear in a warm orange glow, captured in casual, half-awake poses and arranged in a square grid on a clean white background.

Sweat and Swim

Krokodil released their fifth album, Sweat and Swim, in July 1973 on Bacillus.

Guitarist Walty Anselmo and newcomer Rainer Marz share lead duties across alternating electric and acoustic settings, trading off layered chordal support and clipped, accent-based phrases while keyboardist Veit Faiden shifts between Fender piano, vibraphone, and organ textures. Harmonica player Moio Weideli reinforces the upper register with focused breath phrasing while Düde Dürst and Terry Stevens hold the rhythm section in constant motion—Dürst combining kit work with auxiliary percussion, Stevens alternating between bass and third guitar positions while maintaining the low-end anchor.

Sweat and Swim unfolds across four sides with a rotating blend of compact blues-driven tracks and longer instrumental stretches. “Daybreak” opens on subdued piano before escalating into a dense mid-tempo section marked by overdriven guitar and harmonica breaks. “Skylab” pivots on a static rhythm foundation while layered synth textures and guitar phrasing build intensity across its six-minute arc. “Linger” spans a full side, beginning with extended flute and sitar interplay over slow percussion, then shifting halfway into an open-ended jam with distorted leads, sharp tonal shifts, and alternating dynamic weight.

A1. “Talking World War III Blues” (4:37) – Bob Dylan
A2. “All I Ever Wanted” (5:00) – Krokodil
A3. “Daybreak” (8:10) – Krokodil
B1. “Skylab” (6:05) – Krokodil
B2. “Two to Twelve” (5:30) – Krokodil
B3. “That’s All Right, Mama” (4:51) – Arthur Crudup

C. “Linger” (17:05) – Krokodil
D1. “Little Girl” (5:48) – Krokodil
D2. “Billy Dee” (3:54) – Krokodil
D3. “There You Stand Entangled” (7:10) – Krokodil

Krokodil recorded the album between May 9 and 13, 1973, at Dierks Studios in Stommeln, Germany. They co-produced it with Peter Hauke, while Dieter Dierks engineered the four sides.

The Sweat and Swim cover displays a stylized title rendered in hand-drawn letters that morph from crocodile texture to red-orange heat and pale blue water, each word shaded to reflect the album’s physical and elemental title themes.

Discography: