The German band from Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia, formed in the summer of 1970, named itself Necronomicon after a book by the American writer H.P. Lovecraft. After years as a cover band – playing songs by Sabbath, Purple and Hendrix – they wanted to create something of their own. The result was the concept album Tips zum Selbstmord, which was recorded in just five days in in March/April 1972 at a small studio in Kerkrade, the Netherlands, just a few kilometres away. The five-piece band consisted of the two guitarists and singers Walter Sturm and Norbert Breuer, the keyboardist and singer Fistus Dickmann, the bassist and singer Bernhard Hocks, and the drummer Harald Bernhard.

They created a dark and powerful underground sound blending heavy prog and psychedelic hard rock, characterised by aggressive lead guitars and psychedelic moments. As one of the first bands to sing in German, Necronomicon focused on themes such as environmental issues, air pollution, the nuclear arms race and the devastation of the Earth by humankind. The album title „Tips for Committing Suicide“, as well as the politically provocative German lyrics, refer to the damage humanity is inflicting on the planet through exploitation and destruction.

Only 500 copies of the album, released in 1972 on their own label Best Prehodi, were privately pressed by the band themselves. The cover design, featuring illustrations by drummer Bernhard, was extremely elaborate: It consists of six square panels that can be unfolded to form a cross. Original copies of this holy grail of Krautrock are simply impossible to find nowadays. It is undoubtedly one of the most coveted and sought-after German albums of all time.