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Tomorrow’s Gift from Hamburg (like the similar bands Frumpy and Joy Unlimited) originally formed as a blues and soul-rock band and evolved into a progressive rock group in the late 1960s, but still remind faithful to their roots. In 1970, the young but experienced band, comprising Ellen Meyer (voc), Carlo Karges (g, perc), Manfred Rürup (keyb), Wolfgang Trescher (fl), Bernd Kiefer (b) and Gerd Paetzke (dr), secured a record deal. The recordings took place at Dierks Studio and Windrose Studios in Hamburg with the support of producer Jochen Petersen, who also played saxophone on one track. As expected, the production gave the album a raw, unpolished character and thus the typical vintage progressive sound. The album impresses with an abundance of guitar, organ, flute and drum solos, accompanied by Ellen Meyer’s vocals, which have been compared to those of Janis Joplin.
The debut album, released in the same year, featured cover artwork by Helmut Wenske. It was in fact not only one of Dierks’ very first productions, but also the first album on the small label +plus+ and an ambitious double album right from the start. This label belonged to Jochen Peterson, who was attempting to establish a Krautrock label with two other bands (Wind, Ikarus). All three albums released on it are now extremely sought-after rarities.
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