Starring Rosi is technically the final album by Ash Ra Tempel. It’s a Krautrock album that has been described as Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock, and Electronic.
At the time this album was recorded, the last remaining members of this “group” consisted of the extremely talented and versatile Manuel Göttsching and, unsurprisingly given the title of the album, Rosi Müller.
Starring Rosi is personally my favorite album from Ash Ra Tempel. I’m going to guess that it’s also likely the favorite of a lot of casual listeners because it’s really the first structured album (and I guess only structured album) from Ash Ra Tempel. It also sounds like Göttsching was really starting to solidify the style that would characterize his most well-known work under Ash Ra Tempel’s successor, Ashra. For example, Starring Rosi sounds more similar to Ashra’s Blackouts (1978) than it does Ash Ra Tempel’s Schwingungen (1972) from just a year prior.
Given that this album is more structured and less “experimental” (for lack of a better term), there’s actually quite a bit of variety in tone and feeling from song to song. Although, one constant throughout the album is that lyrics are sparce with most of the focus being on Göttsching’s impressive instrumental talent. In at least half of the tracks, Rosi provides some vocal talent and delivers a few lyrics — I’ve always found her voice pleasant and wished she would have played a bigger role in other Ash Ra Tempel releases.
Despite being released on the Kosmische Musik (Cosmic Music) label and being described as Space Rock, the first track in the album, Laughter Loving, featuring samples of Rosi laughing, is more upbeat than you’d expect. Göttsching’s wah-heavy guitars and the overall sunny vibe of the track almost gives it a surf rock vibe, even if that’s technically a crude/incorrect comparison.
The next few tracks are where the tone becomes more meditative and characteristically spacey. The song Day Dream even has esoteric lyrics about some “gypsy queen” from “rainbow land” and the “secret of the universe.”
The album’s B side doubles down on the spacey, psychedelic, and rhythmic vibes you’d expect from one of Krautrock’s biggest pioneers. Interplay of Forces is the longest track on the album at around 9 minutes long. It’s a long, evolving tune that will take you on a journey starting with a mellow hypnotic sound before ending with an equally hypnotic, yet more upbeat, sound featuring some great conga playing by Göttsching.
The Fairy Dance is the most “spacey” track on the album with very otherworldly vibes likely provided by synthesizer. You know the typical “alien” sound in old science fictions films? It’s sounds very much like that. But it works very well here and surprisingly doesn’t sound cliche at all.
My favorite track on the album, by far, is the last track on the A side: Cosmic Tango. There’s something extremely satisfying about Rosi’s intro, “Ready, Steady, Go,” and the few other samples of her voice like “far out.” It has a very “space-funk” feeling to it, which might turn off the traditional Prog or Krautrock listeners, but I don’t mind the break it offers in between the more atmospheric tracks. The funky vibe as well as Rosi’s lyrics makes me think of the PlayStation rhythm game Um Jammer Lammy (1999).
Overall, Starring Rosi is a great album; it’s a wonderful and accessible entry point into Krautrock, Ash Ra Tempel, or Manuel Göttsching’s work in general.
