Untitled Document

Born in Düsseldorf of Germany on 18th December 1954, Ulrich Jon Roth was meant to become one of the most great, important and influential guitar players in hard rock and heavy metal, despite the fact that he always kept a very low profile for himself. He left the Scorpions while they were continuously rising and becoming more and more popular because of that reason on May 1978. Exactly the next year he came up with his first solo album under the band name of Electric Sun, called “Earthquake” (he also handled the vocals in the album), an album dedicated to the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, who had been the hugest and most obvious influence of Roth’s playing.

The Electric Sun debut album is one of those who we call “monuments”; an album off those which influenced countless musicians from lots of genres all over the rock area. All of the compositions included in this album are coming straight from Roth’s always honest heart and they aim at the listener’s heart. Excellent arrangements and incredibly good guitar work of course are just some very few remarks on the cold technical description of this album, which is actually a creation that can not fit into just an album review, because it offers much more than words can describe. Maybe we could mention the self-titled 10 minutes track as the most outstanding one, an instrumental tune where one can listen to some of the most electrified and pioneering guitar work ever recorded. But listen to “Electric Sun”, “Japanese Dream” or “Sundown” and you will realize that this is not just another excellent album; it’s a whole life musical experience.

KJP / October 2003

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Electric Sun’s second album was released almost two years (about 20 months) after the debut. “Fire Wind” had a bit of better sound and maybe a more virtuoso-like guitar work and a fresher atmosphere, but what was mentioned about “Earthquake” is valid here too. What matters in the case of Uli Roth is the honesty of his musical personality and not the technical details of his creations (which were really perfect as well, anyway!). It’s a very rare type of honesty that praises the real spirit of the pure kind of music which was created as a piece of art and not as a material for sale. A good proof could be the fact that while Roth never had a singer’s vocal abilities, he is the one who sings his compositions for these two Electric Sun albums with the whole final result being more than satisfying. Especially on “Fire Wind” one can easily see he is not talented in singing, but believe me, that’s not the matter at all and those who own these records know what I mean.

As aforementioned, “Fire Wind” had a little bit more commercial (whatever that means in the case of Roth) sound than the debut. Roth sounds more free, the guitar work is for once more outstanding and shinning, this time a step more forward than the straight Jimi Hendrix influences. Some of Electric Sun’s most brilliant songs are included here, like “Cast Away Your Chains”, “Indian Dawn”, “Fire Wind”, “Just Another Rainbow” and the 10 minutes epic of “Hiroshima” which closes the album and is divided into four sub-unities (“Enola Gay”, “Tune Of Japan”, “Attack” and “Lament”), where it’s obvious that the concept has to do with the fall of the atom bomb in that area. In “Hiroshima” Roth once again gives seminars of pure emotional inventiveness in guitar playing and closes the album with the last chapter of the “Hiroshima” song, “Lament”, a great 3 minutes tune with a continuous solo full of passion which is able to cause lots of shivers, especially when listening alone and concentrated in the room with the lights off. Another monument of rock is complete.

KJP / October 2003

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