About Night Sun

(There are two bands named Night Sun. The heavy prog/metal band from Hamburg, Germany, and also a folk group from Canada). The German band consisted of Bruno Schaab (vocals, bass), Walter Kirchgassner (guitar), Knut Rossler (organ, piano, trumpet, bassoon) and Ulrich Staudt (drums). Night Sun's origins lay in the late 60's jazz band Take Five who were popular in the Rhine Neckar Area of Germany. Various members from this band went on to be part of Night Sun Mournin' and Kin Ping Meh, of which the latter had a reasonably successful career throughout the seventies with 5 studio and 2 live LPs. Formed in 1970, Night Sun Mournin' soon shortened their name to just Night Sun, during which time they went through various line-up changes until their 1972 recording of the Mournin' LP. Their only album, Mournin', was released in 1972 on Polydor's Zebra label. Schaab's vocals recalled the screams of Ian Gillan from Deep Purple. The group played a loud, Deep Purple/Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin style rock, with a characteristic "heavy progressive" instrumentation of twin guitars, organ, bass and drums. The album was produced by Konrad Plank (whose production credits include Kraftwerk's early output and Ash Ra Tempel) at the Windrose Studio in Hamburg. With their sudden shifts of rhythm structures, guitar-with-organ riffing style and some studio effects, particularly phasing, Night Sun fortunately never went too close to the ordinary boogie and rock'n'roll trap. After the demise of the group in 1973, Bruno Schaab briefly joined Guru Guru, where his contribution was notable on the track, "The Story Of Life".