Title:  The New Lords
Company: EMI Columbia
Catalog: C 062 29429
Year: 1971
Country/State: Berlin, Germany
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: German pressing

To quote the liner notes: "They ranked with the top bands of the German pop-scene. For nearly 12 years. But progressive tendencies in music urged the group to change its styles. Lord Ulli, leader, singer and 'motor' of the band, realized this development and formed The New Lords ..." And so it was that 1971 saw lead singer Ulli Gunther return to the musical fray with The New Lords. With Gunther the only holdover from the earlier band, the new lineup showcased the talents of bassist Gunther Bopp, brother/lead guitarist Reinhardt Bopp, and drummer Hans Harbrecht.  

Produced and largely written by Rainer Pietsch (he was credited with penning seven of the ten tracks), 1971's "The New Lords" showcased a clear shift in musical direction for Gunther and company. For all intents and purposes The Lords had always been a pop band. Sure, especially in their earlier years they were capable of taking on a slice of R&B, but their primary stomping grounds had always been audience friendly pop. Against that background producer Pietsch and Gunther made a clear attempt to move in a rock direction. While there was no way you'd confuse this album with something out of the Black Sabbath, or Deep Purple catalogs, songs like '(Theme from) Twilight'', 'Power' and 'Fly Little Jeannie' (the latter complete with synthesizer and wild studio effects) were actually quite heavy. I'd always liked Gunther's heavily accented English vocals, but much to my surprise he proved quite at home singing harder edged material. On songs like the power ballad 'Rooster' and their blazing cover of The James Gang's 'Country Fever' he displayed a range and power seldom heard with The Lords. Add to that the new band were quite impressive - particularly bassist Gunther Bopp. By the way, for longtime fans, the bubble gummy 'We Go Out In the Sunshine', the horn powered 'Timerace' and 'Linda' were far more commercial and would have sounded right at home amidst The Lords earlier 'psychedelic' catalog. So all told a nice late-inning addition to The Lords catalog and well worth tracking down. Naturally EMI pulled the most commercial (if not the best) song for a single:



- 1972's 'We Go Out In the Sunshine' b/w 'Country Fever' (EMI Columbia catalog number 1C 006 29.939)

"The New Lords" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) (Theme from) Twilight (Rainer Pietsch) - 3:17
2.) We Go Out In the Sunshine (Rainer Pietsch) - 2:56
3.) Power (Reinhart Bopp - Ulli Gunther) - 4:36
4.) Rooster (Rainer Pietsch) - 4:16
5.) Fly Little Jeannie (Rainer Pietsch) - 4:53

(side 2)
1.) Country Fever (Joe Walsh - Fox - Peters) - 2:41
2.) World of Emotions (Rainer Pietsch) - 3:46
3.) Timerace (Rainer Pietsch) - 2:41
4.) Linda (Wagner) - 2:43
5.) Goodbye Groupie Girl (Rainer Pietsch) - 4:19

The New Lords proved a short-lived venture with the Bopp brothers and  Harbrecht reappearing in Hardcake Special (Brain catalog number 1060). I've never heard the album, but it's supposedly pretty bad. Seems like it deserves to be checked out !

Gunther remained active in music, participating in various Lords reunions including a couple of hideous late 1970s events. Be sure to check out their disco-fied remake of 'Poor Boy' (nice outfits there guys):