The last of the great run — Hölderlin’s fourth, with new fire. Rare Birds is the fourth album from Hölderlin’s classic period and the final studio record of their great mid-seventies run. Following the formula of Clowns & Clouds, it keeps the band’s melodic essence and signature viola but adds renewed rock energy through new guitarist Pablo Weeber. From the vibrant opener to the haunting title track and the hurtling instrumental Necronomicon, it balances complex prog with near-ethereal serenity.

The short version

Hölderlin’s fourth studio album, released in October 1977 on Spiegelei; six tracks, around forty-three minutes, self-produced and sung in English. The line-up features Christoph Noppeney on viola and vocals, Joachim von Grumbkow on keyboards and vocals, Michael Bruchmann on drums, Hans Bäär on bass, and new guitarist Pablo Weeber. It follows closely on the style of Clowns & Clouds, blending the band’s melodic, viola-led symphonic prog with a rockier edge, and stands as the last studio album of their finest period. Melodic and sophisticated, it is a fitting close to Hölderlin’s classic run.

A new guitarist, a last classic

By 1977 Hölderlin were riding the momentum of two acclaimed symphonic albums, and Rare Birds continued that run. The main change in the ranks was behind the guitar: founder Christian von Grumbkow stepped back from playing to concentrate on the band’s lyrics, cover paintings, stage design and management, and the Spanish guitarist Pablo Weeber came in to take the instrumental role. Weeber brought a renewed rock energy that set the album a little apart from its predecessors, even as the band held on to its melodic essence and Noppeney’s ever-present viola. Built to a similar template as Clowns & Clouds, it balances complex instrumental writing with stretches of pastoral calm. It would prove the last studio album of Hölderlin’s great period, before the live high point of 1978 and the changes that followed, which lends it a quiet valedictory feel.

The sound

Melodic German symphonic progressive rock with folk and jazz shadings, a touch rockier than before thanks to Weeber’s guitar. The band’s signature remains intact: Noppeney’s viola sings at the centre of the music, Joachim Grumbkow’s keyboards supply warmth and colour, and the arrangements move gracefully between intricate, energetic passages and moments of near-ethereal serenity. The opener has a bright, flowing feel that recalls Caravan, while the softer, more atmospheric pieces carry the pastoral melancholy often associated with Genesis. Weeber’s playing pushes the harder moments with real drive, giving the record a renewed sense of momentum without sacrificing the melodic sophistication that defined the band. It is warm, enveloping and finely crafted, the work of a group still very much at the height of its powers.

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The songs

The album opens with the vibrant Häktik Intergaläktik, an eight-minute piece whose fluid, melodic structures recall Caravan, before Sky-Lift eases into softer, more atmospheric territory. Before You Lay Down Rough and Thorny pairs warm guitar with Noppeney’s expressive viola for one of the record’s most emotive moments, and the haunting title track Rare Bird, sung by Joachim Grumbkow, is its quiet heart. The clear instrumental highlight is Necronomicon, a hurtling, scorching showcase driven by Weeber’s guitar and a guest drummer, before the near-nine-minute Sun Rays brings the album to a spacious, satisfying close. Six pieces that move easily between energy and serenity.

Reception and legacy

Rare Birds is well regarded as the fourth and final album of Hölderlin’s great mid-seventies run, and by some accounts an essential one. Admirers praise the haunting title track, the fiery instrumental Necronomicon, and the way Weeber’s arrival refreshed the band’s sound without disturbing its melodic core. It is generally placed just behind the acclaimed Clowns & Clouds and the self-titled album, but it remains a rewarding, sophisticated record and a strong close to the band’s classic period. After the following year’s celebrated live album, further line-up changes and a shift in direction would take Hölderlin somewhere new, so Rare Birds stands as the last word from the band at their symphonic best.

The verdict

A rewarding album for lovers of melodic German symphonic prog and a fitting close to Hölderlin’s finest run — sophisticated, viola-led and a little rockier than before. Come to it for the haunting title track, the scorching Necronomicon and Noppeney’s viola, rather than for the gentler folk of the band’s beginnings. Play Rare Bird and Necronomicon. Then Clowns & Clouds and the self-titled Hölderlin for the run that precedes it, and Hölderlins Traum for the folk debut. The last of Hölderlin’s great albums — and a fine one at that.

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