Parzival -

Parzival was a German folk-rock band behind the 1971–73 Telefunken albums Legend and BaRock.

Members: Lothar Siems (guitar, vocals), Thomas Olivier (drums), Walter Quintus (violin, bass, organ, piano), Walter von Seydlitz (cello, 1972-73)

Background

Parzival emerged in Bremen from the folk trio Siems/Quintus/Olivier, whose roots trace back to 1965 when guitarist Lothar Siems and drummer Thomas Olivier formed the beat group Chamberlains. After its 1967 split, the two toured as the acoustic duo Tom & Cherry before teaming with violinist Walter Quintus and a cellist to form the Quintus Quintet, which debuted that December at the Lila Eule club.

By 1969, the trio renamed themselves Beazzic Conservatory—fusing beat, jazz, and classical into a chamber–rock hybrid enriched by flutist Matthias Müller-Menckens. In 1970, they cut demos at Decca Studios London under the guidance of Glenn H. Friedman and Dave Grinsted, but further UK work was blocked by the Musicians’ Union. Producer Conny Plank signed the band in 1971 and under the name Parzival.

Legend

Parzival released their debut album, Legend, in November 1971 on Telefunken.

The album pairs chamber instrumentation with rock rhythm structures and tightly woven ensemble interplay. Guitarist Lothar Siems and keyboardist Walter Quintus trade foreground roles with alternating textures—Siems applies restrained phrasing over Quintus’ shifting presence on organ, piano, and violin. Their dynamic entwines with three classical guests—Joachim Reichhold (cello), Hans Jaspers (viola), and Matthias Müller-Menckens (flute, piano)—while drummer Thomas Olivier anchors the arrangements with crisp backbeat and percussive accents.

“Resignation” places clipped flute and cello phrases in tight alternation over steady piano, with inserted tempo shifts that maintain structural unity. “8 Years Later” opens with extended organ-string layering before tightening into a short vocal-guitar sequence that reins in the earlier expansion. “Senseless No. 6” pivots to fractured interplay: overlapping flute accents, scraping cello, unstable organ tones, and a staggered vocal sequence that ends in collapse. “Wall Bungalow” narrows the arrangement to linear piano and flowing flute with no internal breaks. On Side B, “Empty Land” sustains heavy-string overlays and slow organ patterns beneath isolated vocal lines, while “Groove Inside” stretches across slow-shifting motifs, built on flute–cello callouts and near-static pacing that gradually breaks apart near the end.

Siems and Quintus group-wrote everything with Olivier. Producer Conny Plank helped then co-write “Marshy Legend” and the two Side B pieces.

A1. “Marshy Legend” (2:20)
A2. “Resignation” (2:53)
A3. “8 Years Later” (4:40)
A4. “Senseless N°. 6” (4:54)
A5. “Wall Bungalow” (2:40)

B1. “Empty Land” (5:12)
B2. “Groove Inside” (16:00)

Legend was recorded over a three-week period between August 21 and September 12, 1971, at Star Studio in Hamburg. Conny Plank produced, engineered, and contributed writing to three of the album’s tracks. TELDEC manufactured and pressed the release, issued in an outside-laminated gatefold sleeve with cover art by Günter Blum and inner photography by Thomas Koch.

“Souls Married to the Wind”

In 1972, Parzival released released a non-album single: “Souls Married to the Wind” backed with “One Day,” both Siems–Quintus–Olivier originals.

A. “Souls Married to the Wind” (3:37)
B. “One Day” (3:37)

BaRock

Parzival released their second album, BaRock, in January 1973 on Telefunken.

BaRock expands their chamber–rock framework with sharper transitions and layered voicings across classical and electric instrumentation. Guitarist Lothar Siems and keyboardist Walter Quintus alternate frontline passages, balancing clipped phrasings against bowed violin lines and overlapping organ/piano textures.

Bassist Harald Konietzko underpins the material with firm low-end anchors against the steady backbeat of Thomas Olivier, interlocked with percussionist Hans Lampe. Cellist Walter von Seydlitz appears as a musical guest alongside Mat Me Miller (aka Matthias Müller-Menckens), whose flute and piano counter Quintus on the album’s contrapuntal sections.

“Black Train” unfolds in extended episodes, layering bowed strings and organ swells across slow-shifting sequences that give way to animated ensemble bursts and a fragmented close. “Scarlet Horses” contrasts brisk rhythmic figures with spacious string overlays and contoured transitions in phrasing. “Thought” opens on clipped string figures beneath subdued vocals, then lifts into agile flute runs and a final ritornello-style resolution. “Paradise” stretches across shifting meters and harmonic turns, with stark vocal lines set against densely woven instrumentation. Shorter pieces like “Stories” and “It’s a Pity” offer concise, rhythm-centered interludes between the longer forms.

All but three tracks are group-credited to the core trio.

A1. “Stories” (1:55)
A2. “Black Train” (8:34) – Plank, Siems, Olivier, Quintus
A3. “Mrs. Virgin” (4:28)
A4. “Frank Supper” (2:22) – Me Miller, Quintus
B1. “Scarlet Horses” (6:26) – Plank, Kulka, Siems, Olivier, Quintus
B2. “It’s a Pity” (2:59)
B3. “Thought” (5:58)
B4. “Paradise” (8:26)

Conny Plank produced and engineered BaRock at TELDEC Studios in Hamburg.

Discography: