Amon Düül II’s body of work has the same critical focus problems that plague a lot of their German peers. Outside of their “classic” records (Yeti, Tanz Der Lemminge, Wolf City) there is a lack of discussion about the group’s work. It is really a shame too; Amon Düül II continued on as a group long after Wolf City, managing to put out a wealth of great material.
Hijack, Amon Düül II’s seventh official full length album is by no means a great record. It is a charming addition to their oeuvre though — probably the group’s most earnest attempt at putting out a straight “pop” record. They definitely tailored this album for an international audience. Elements of fusion jazz and glam rock are mixed in with the prog and psych rock that Amon Düül II were known for. Vocals are pretty on par for the group, with Lothar Meid and others taking turns singing in strangely endearing and comical broken English phrases.
“I Can’t Wait (1+2)” and “Mirror” are worth the price of admission alone. Leading off the album with a multi-part suite may seem like an odd choice, but by 1974 Amon Düül II were no strangers to this sort of sequencing. “I Can’t Wait” manages to go from string-driven Beatles-esque pop to a bass-driven boogie before “Mirror” introduces horn-filled psychedelic funk in the suite’s final stretch. The band transitions through all of this but never loses sight of their fantastically weird pop sensibilities. The rest of the album can be taken as a continuation of the suite, but it also stands on its own.
Hijack also marked the return of many original Amon Düül collective members. The group weren’t such a glorious “hot mess” by this point (which was definitely a selling point for Yeti, Phallus Dei, and anything by the original Amon Düül), but they were still bizarre and a whole lot of fun.
