[engl] This is the third longplayer of AKA, the leading Indonesian rock band of the 70s and there has been a slight change concerning the overall direction. With the powerful funk rock of the opening title track, the dirty garage beat of the b-side opener “Skip away” and “Raja jalan”, some energetic up tempo soul pop you will find three exceptions to the rule and this implied soft rock and indo pop ballads for six out of nine tracks. And guess what, it is either the ongoing springtime in my heart or these folks really know how to pull it off even with lush pop harmonies that often touch the borders to the tear jerker field. “Crazy Joe” is a rather courageous album for adding those three rawer and more energetic tunes to the gentle plush of the pop tunes for either the power rock fans or the followers of fluffy sounds may be scared off. All those who dare to listen between the notes will find a massive load of delicate arrangements and rather striking melodies that will give you a good time in case you are open for it. This is rather solemn indo pop but it is well composed and executed by musicians who know how to throw in their passion even in with such dreamy clouds of sound. The depth of the arrangements has to be explored to show its entirety and the playing is just excellent. Even pop music can be enchanting. And if a band like THE BYRDS may go for pure country and country rock -and I really adore it despite being by far no country fan - AKA may do the same in the field of bombastic pop and soft rock for they really, really grab my soul with this. These melodies project pictures of greatest emotions into my mind and send me on a journey into a beautiful romantic love story. Well, if you’re in for some feel good pop rock music that still goes beyond the typical trash, grab a copy of this but beware; most titles are sung in the band’s native tongue and have this exotic touch despite all catchiness. I cannot say of whom this reminds me but fans of exotic pop like Baris Manco, soft rock like the late 60s to mid 70s HOLLIES and Eastern German emotional pop rock like KARAT and DIE PUHDYS may lay their ear on this. Not exciting just utterly beautiful.

[engl] A while ago their first album “Do what you like” from 1970 made a crash landing on my desk and is a great and joyful thing to listen to every once in a while. It combines earthy, heavily buzzing and fuzzed out rock monuments in the vein of the classic UK and US bands with a few tunes in the Continental European heavy rock style with big chorus lines and a bit of a pop feel to it thrown in for the good measure plus great melodic ballads and pop tunes in their native Indonesian language. It worked out from the start although both sides of the band’s repertoire went into completely different directions. This is a trademark AKA carried on through their whole recording career it seems for now I hold their fifth effort “Reflection” from 1974 in my hands. A beautiful reissue and you can bet, it is just different melodies and titles but it is the same wild crossover of styles with a change between each and every song. Lush epic ballads, powerful heavy rock, a great beat tune with a flowery feel that drags you straight to the dancehall and another epic, yet utterly heavy blues rock and psyche freak out track make this a colorful album to spin in my stereo. For the time of its release most of the tunes in Western countries would have been already retrospective except for the heavy rockers but everything here comes well performed and executed with passion and the stuff away from the more accessible pop sound will definitely swallow your brain into a gorge of swirling colours. Fans of 60s US west coast dream pop who may stand heavier tunes and devoted music lovers who go for the classic 60s and early 70s sound will go nuts!