Critic's Review
Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Simply put, 70s Progressives is a Popol Vuh compilation. Four tracks come from the soundtrack to Coeur de Verre, including the amazing "Hüter der Schwelle," which borrows a bit of the riff from the Velvet Underground's "Venus In Furs" and turns it into an electro-acoustic raga. Two others come from the lovely Agape-Agape, four others from the very rare Letzte Tage -- Letzte Nächte, and one more from Die Nacht Der Seele: Tantric Songs. The pieces, taken as they are from the mid-'70s, offer a solid look at how Florian Fricke had moved away form his initial obsession with new electronic sounds as explored on the Moog III, and embraced the trance and pulse-like qualities that electronic music offered in an acoustic setting. It also reveals how deeply Fricke began exploring instruments, tonalities, and harmonics from other world cultures. This is a seamless listening experience form front to back and is a fine introduction to Popol Vuh.
