Today we accept a listener's invite up to Hamburg, for a visit with A.R. + Machines.

Achim Reichel grew up near the docks, listening to sea shanties. He found work at the Star-Club waiting tables, but soon enough he was on its stage playing with the Rattles—and running with Lennon & McCartney.

Come 1971 he ditched his bandmates for a tape machine. Krautrock followed. Turns out Achim was just passing through on his way to other sounds and traditions. But this green leg of his musical journey was rich and rewarding, even if it took 20 years for critics and listeners to get it.

Join us as we tell the story of A.R. + Machines!

In today's episode, Carla and Brad tip their caps to the ten or more young Bavarians who stood up to Mom and Dad, demanded money for a swank downtown apartment, and most assuredly drove their neighbors nuts with the ensuing band rehearsals.

Well, maybe we tip our caps more to the parents who funded this grand and glorious adventure.

Musical Münchner communards choose attitude over aptitude. Drum circles and pudding plots abound. Push the levels all the way up into the red, while we celebrate Amon Düül and their first record, Psychedelic Underground!

It's a tale as old as time. Boy meets Moog III synthesizer. Boy drops a wad of cash to buy it. Boy and Moog blissfully record two studio albums and a film soundtrack together. Boy abruptly breaks up with Moog and finds religion.

Boy is, of course, gifted and accomplished pianist Florian Fricke. His project, and at times even his alter ego, is Popol Vuh. In this episode we do some Before and After sampling: i.e., we talk through the records on either side of the Moog separation.

**SPOILER ALERT**: we like one of these records a lot more than the other.

Fricke died far too early, but his was a life *very* well lived. Dig in deep with Popol Vuh in this latest, oversized episode of Carla and Brad Talk About Krautrock!