Amon Düül II were one of the wildest and most influential bands of the entire Krautrock movement. Born in 1968 from a Munich art commune, they made a heavy, hallucinatory psychedelic rock built on twin guitars, free improvisation, tribal rhythms and Renate Knaup’s commanding voice. Their 1970 double album Yeti remains a cornerstone of the genre. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their finest songs.

The short version

If you only hear a few, make them “Archangels Thunderbird”, “Soap Shop Rock”, “Phallus Dei” and “Sandoz in the Rain” — their fiercest anthem, the four-part suite that opens their masterpiece, the sprawling title epic of their debut, and the beautiful improvisation many call the birth of space rock. The full ranking is below.

The hallucinatory heart of Krautrock

Amon Düül II were the untamed heart of the Krautrock explosion. They emerged in 1968 from a radical Munich art commune — splitting from the more chaotic Amon Düül — and forged a heavy, hallucinatory sound: twin fuzz guitars, Chris Karrer’s snaking violin, tribal percussion, free improvisation and the fierce, otherworldly voice of Renate Knaup. Their run of albums from Phallus Dei (1969) through the double-LP masterpiece Yeti (1970) to Wolf City (1972) has echoed through everyone from punk to post-rock. These fifteen songs are the best.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing invention, intensity, that untamed psychedelia and lasting influence. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate.

The essential six

At the very top sits “Archangels Thunderbird” (1970), their fiercest anthem, powered by Renate Knaup’s raging vocal. With it: “Soap Shop Rock” (1970), the four-part suite that opens their masterpiece; “Eye-Shaking King” (1970), a heavy, pummelling psych workout; “Phallus Dei” (1969), the sprawling, side-long title suite of their debut; “Sandoz in the Rain” (1970), the beautiful, folky improvisation many call the birth of space rock; and “Syntelman’s March of the Roaring Seventies” (1971), a centrepiece of the catalogue’s keystone album.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. “Cerberus” (1970) is a delicate, folk-tinged gem that turns electric; “She Came Through the Chimney” (1970) is a haunting, violin-led instrumental; “Surrounded by the Stars” (1972) is a soaring highlight of their most accessible album; “Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child” (1971) is a wild, multi-part suite; and “Jail-House Frog” (1972) is a driving, riff-heavy rocker.

Deeper cuts

For the dedicated, these reward repeat listens. “Sleepwalker’s Timeless Bridge” (1972) is a hypnotic, atmospheric closer; “Kanaan” (1969) is the propulsive opener of their debut; “C.I.D. in Uruk” (1972) is a punchy opener from their folk-leaning turn; and “All the Years Round” (1972) is a gorgeous Renate Knaup ballad.

Every song at a glance

All fifteen songs, in chronological order — each linked to the album it comes from, so you can hear it in context.

Where to start

Begin with Yeti, their double-album masterpiece and the birthplace of much of what we call space rock, then the debut Phallus Dei, the sprawling Tanz der Lemminge and the more accessible Wolf City. Their later, more conventional albums — Vive la Trance, Hijack and Made in Germany — reward deeper exploration.

The players

Amon Düül II grew out of a Munich commune and never quite settled into a fixed lineup, but its heart was co-founders Chris Karrer (violin, guitar) and John Weinzierl (guitar), keyboardist Falk Rogner and, above all, singer Renate Knaup, whose powerful voice defined their classic records. Drummers Peter Leopold and Danny Fichelscher and bassist Lothar Meid passed through the ranks, and both Knaup and Fichelscher would later join Popol Vuh. Co-founder Chris Karrer died in 2024; bassist Lothar Meid had died in 2015 and drummer Peter Leopold in 2006. Renate Knaup and John Weinzierl are among the survivors.

Why they still matter

Amon Düül II proved that rock could be as free, strange and adventurous as any avant-garde art. Standing alongside Can, Faust and Guru Guru at the front of Krautrock — one of the boldest branches of progressive rock — they made music so far ahead of its time that echoes still surface in punk, post-rock and psychedelia decades later. Yeti remains one of the defining albums the genre ever produced.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: rank their records with our guide to the best Amon Düül II albums, dig into the underrated Amon Düül II albums, or place them in the bigger picture with the best progressive rock songs of all time.

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