Brain was a Hamburg-based record label prominent in the 1970s releasing several important Krautrock records by bands such as Neu!, Cluster and Guru Guru. Many of its more prominent records are currently being reissued on CD by Repertoire Records.

In the middle of 1971, Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser's management style at Ohr caused two of his A&R men, Bruno Wendel and Günter Körber, to leave Ohr and set up their own record company, which they called Brain. Wendel & Korber brought Guru Guru with them from Ohr, and immediately signed Cluster, who had recorded one LP for Philips; they soon recorded and released Cluster II.

Brain was rapidly a success throughout West Germany and much of western Europe, although had little presence in the US. Signings throughout the seventies and into the eighties included Neu!, Cluster, Harmonia, Klaus Schulze, Edgar Froese, Guru Guru, Grobschnitt, Novalis, Jane, Birth Control, Embryo, Popol Vuh, Curly Curve, Scorpions, Electric Sun, Accept and many more.

A later reissue series called Rock On Brain saw many early Brain recordings reissued, although mostly with entirely different sleeves and even album titles. Brain also reissued a number of recordings licensed to their parent company Metronome, such as Amon Düül's first album Psychedelic Underground. Many came out on the M2001 label which is closely linked to Brain.

Brain licensed and issued a number of British releases for the West German market, in this case mainly featuring the original sleeves. These included Greenslade, Caravan, If, Spirogyra, Atomic Rooster, Alexis Korner, Gryphon and Steamhammer. There were of course exceptions - the Brain issue of Atomic Rooster's Nice n Greasy features an entirely different sleeve to the UK issue, and If's Double Diamond didn't receive a UK release at all.

Some Brain releases later proved highly influential. Brain 1004 was Neu!'s eponymous debut Neu!; Brain 1062 was Neu! 75, which undoubtedly contributed to the sound of punk rock.

Körber left in 1976 to start Sky Records, which released much Cluster-related music plus Michael Rother's early solo work, and bands like Streetmark. When he left the labels of Brain LPs changed from green to orange.

Discography

1001 – Scorpions – Lonesome Crow 1002 – Jane – Together 1003 – Gomorrha – I turned to See Whose Voice It Was 1004 – Neu! – Neu! 1005 – Spirogyra – St. Radigunds – licensed release (UK: B & C, 1042) 1006 – Cluster – Cluster II 1007 – Guru Guru – Känguru 1008 – Grobschnitt – Grobschnitt 1009 – Steamhammer – Speech – licensed release (non German band) 1010 – Caravan – Waterloo Lily – licensed release (UK: Deram, SDL 8) 1011 – Atomic Rooster – Made in England – licensed release (UK: Dawn, DNLS 3038) 1012 – Spirogyra – Old Boot Wine – licensed release (UK: Pegasus, 13) 1013 – Light – Story of Moses 1014 – Gash – A Young Man's Gash 1015 – Os Mundi – 43 Minuten 1016 – Wolfgang Dauner Group – Rischka's Soul 1017 – Creative Rock – Gorilla 1018 – Electric Sandwich – Electric Sandwich 1019 – Khan – Space Shanty – licensed release (UK: Deram, SLDR 11) 1020 – Sameti – Sameti 1021 – Thirsty Moon – Thirsty Moon 1022 – Alexis Korner – Korner & Snape – licensed release (US: WB, BS 2647) 1023 – Embryo – Steig Aus 1024 – Spirogyra – Bells, Boots and Shambles – licensed release (UK: Polydor, 2310 246) 1025 – Guru Guru – Guru Guru 1026 – Spermüll – Spermüll 1027 – Greenslade – Greenslade – licensed release (UK: WB, K 46207) 1028 – Neu! – Neu! 2 1029 – Novalis – Banished Bridge 1030 – Cornucopia – Full Horn 1031 – Lava – Tears are going home 1032 – Jane – Here we are 1033 – Atomic Rooster – Nice 'n' Greasy – licensed release (non German band) 1034 – Kollektiv – Kollektiv 1035 – if – Double Diamond – licensed release (Canada: GRT, 9230-1032) 1036 – Embryo – Rocksession 1037 – Emergency – Get Out of the Country 1038 – Caravan – For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night – licensed release (UK: Deram, SKLR 12) 1039 – Alexis Korner & Snape – Live on Tour in Germany (2LP) – licensed release (non German band)? 1040 – Curly Curve – Curly Curve 1041 – Thirsty Moon – You'll never Come Back 1042 – Greenslade – Bedside Manners are Extra – licensed release (UK: WB, K46259) 1043 – Steamhammer – This is... (2LP) 1044 – Harmonia – Musik von Harmonia 1045 – Yatha Sidra – A Meditation Mass 1046 – Various – Krautrock (3LP) 1047 – Zabba Lindner & Carsten Bohn – Vollbedienung Of Percussion 1048 – Jane – Jane III 1049 – Satin Whale – Desert Places 1050 – Grobschnitt – Ballermann (2LP) 1051 – Klaus Schulze – Black Dance 1052 – Emergency – No Compromise 1053 – Edgar Froese – Aqua 1054 – Caravan – Caravan and the New Symphonia – licensed release (UK: Deram, SKLR 1110) 1055 – If – Not just another Bunch of Pretty Faces – licensed release (UK: Gull, 1004) 1056 – Release Music Orchestra – Life 1057 – Guru Guru – Der Electrolurch (2LP) – Reissue of Känguru (1007) and Guru Guru (1025) 1058 – Tasavallan Presidentti – Milky Way Moses – licensed release (Finland/UK: Sonet, SNTF 658) 1059 – Jukka Tolonen – Tolonen! – licensed release (Finland: Love, LRLP 47) 1060 – Hardcake Special – Hardcake Special 1061 – Creative Rock – Lady Pig 1062 – Neu! – Neu 75 1063 – Tasavallan Presidentti – Lambert Land – licensed release (Finland/UK: Sonet, SNTF 636) 1064 – If – Tea Break Over Back – licensed release (UK: Gull, 1007) 1065 – Cluster – Zuckerzeit 1066 – Jane – Lady Jane 1067 – Klaus Schulze – Picture Music 1068 – Achim Reichel – Erholung 1069 – Eroc – Eroc 1070 – Novalis – Novalis 1071 – Gryphon – Red Queen to Gryphon Three – licensed release (UK: Transatlantic, TRA 287) 1072 – Release Music Orchestra – Garuda 1073 – Harmonia – De Luxe 1074 – Edgar Froese – Epsilon in Malaysian Pale 1075 – Klaus Schulze – Time Wind 1076 – Grobschnitt – Jumbo (version en Ingles) 1077 – Klaus Schulze – Irrlicht 1078 – Klaus Schulze – Cyborg (2LP) – reissue (Kosmische Musik, KM2/58.005) 1079 – Thirsty Moon – Blitz 1080 – Günter Schickert – Samtvogel – reissue (Sch 33003) 1081 – Grobschnitt – Jumbo (version en Aleman) 1082 – Tangerine Dream – Alpha Centauri/Atem (2LP) – reissue (Ohr, OMM12 & OMM31) 1083 – Release Music Orchestra – Get the Ball 1084 – Jane – Fire, Water, Earth & Air 1085 – Locomotiv GT – Mindig Magasabra – licensed release (non German band) 1086 – Tangerine Dream – Zeit (2LP) – reissue (Ohr, OMM21) 1087 – Novalis – Sommerabend 1088 – Klaus Schulze – Moondawn 1089 – Guru Guru – Tango Fango 1091 – Various – Brain history of German Rock (2LP)

60.000 – series 60.007 – Eroc – Zwei 60.008 – Edgar Froese – Macula Transfer 60.009 – Thirsty Moon – A Real Good Time 60.010 – Schicke, Führs & Fröhling (SFF) – Symphonic Pictures 60.019 – Birth Control – Backdoor Possibilities 60.031 – Ruphus – Let Your Light Shine 60.000 – serie (en Brain naranja) 60.039 – Guru Guru – Globetrotter 60.040 – Klaus Schulze – Mirage 60.041 – Grobschnitt – Rockpommel's Land 60.042 – Gate – Live 60.047 – Klaus Schulze – Body Love 60.053 – To Be – To Be 60.055 – Jane – Between Heaven and Hell 60.065 – Novalis – Konzerte 60.066 – Birth Control – Increase 60.068 – Schicke, Führs & Fröhling (SFF) – Sunburst 60.078 – Message – Using the Head 60.079 – Popol Vuh – Herz aus Glas 60.093 – Gate – Red Light Sister 60.094 – Novalis – Brandung 60.097 – Klaus Schulze – Body Love Vol.2 60.104 – Blonker – Die Zeit Steht Still 60.105 – Führs & Fröhling – Ammerland 60.115 – Release Music Orchestra – Beyond the Limit 60.117 – Liliental – Liliental 60.120 – Zeus B. Held – Zeus' Amusement 60.124 – Jane – Age of Madness 60.139 – Grobschnitt – Solar Music Live 60.149 – Birth Control – Titanic 60.164 – Novalis – Vielleicht Bist Du Ein Clown? 60.165 – Message – Astral Journeys 60.167 – Popol Vuh – Brüder des Schattens – Söhne des Lichts 60.173 – Schicke, Führs & Fröhling (SFF) – Ticket to Everywhere 60.185 – Epitaph – Return to Reality 60.186 – Anyone's Daughter – Adonis 60.187 – Guru Guru Sunband – Hey Du! 60.188 – Accept – Accept 60.194 – Release Music Orchestra – News 60.196 – Electric Sun – Earthquake 60.197 – Eroc – Eroc3 60.218 – Jane – Sign No. 9 60.219 – Novalis – Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hort (compilation) 60.223 – Führs & Fröhling – Strings 60.224 – Grobschnitt – Merry Go Round 60.225 – Klaus Schulze – Dune 60.240 – Birth Control – Live '79 60.242 – Popol Vuh – Die Nacht der Seele 60.274 – Epitaph – See You In Alaska 60.291 – Grobschnitt – Volle Molle 60.000 – serie (en Brain negro) 60.353 – Klaus Schulze – Dig It 60.354 – Jane – Jane 60.365 – Grobschnitt – Ilegal 60.385 – Epitaph – Live 60.397 – Scorpions – Lonesome Crow (reissue) 60.510 – Grobschnitt – Razzia 60.513 – Accept – Restless and Wild 60.519 – Jane – Germania

80.000 – series 80.001 – Jane – Live at home 80.013 – Various (Jane, Novalis, etc.) – Brain Festival Essen 80.014 – Neu! – 2 Originals – Reissue Neu! (1004) and Neu!2 (1028) 80.017 – Various (Novalis, SFF, etc.) – Brain Festival Essen 2 80.018 – Guru Guru – Live 80.023 – Klaus Schulze – X 80.048 – Klaus Schulze – Live

200.100 – series 200.145 – Guru Guru – This Is Guru Guru 200.146 – Amon Düül – This Is Amon Duul 200.148 – Julie Driscoll – This Is Julie Driscoll 200.149 – Brian Auger – This Is Brian Auger 200.150 – Wolfgang Dauner – This Is Wolfgang Dauner 200.151 – Atomic Rooster – This Is Atomic Rooster 200.164 – Caravan – This Is Caravan

Albums Sampler 201.035 – Various (neu, guru guru, release music orchestra, emergence, cluster, grobschnitt, jane, hardcake special) – German Super Rock 888 – Various (Neu, Kollektiv, etc.) – German Rock Scene – 1973

See also List of record labels List of electronic music record labels

References

External links

https://web.archive.org/web/20080616022139/http://www.furious.com/perfect/brainrecords.html