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  Eduard Schicke (b. 2/14/47), Gerd Führs (b. 11/27/55, d. 11/3/92), and Heinz Fröhling (b. 5/7/51) met for the first time in 1974. Gerd, who at that time was keyboardist for the jazz-rock band Samspel, saw a concert of the progressive rock group Spektakel of which Ede was the drurnmer and Heinz its guitarist. 

The day after the concert, Gerd went to the Spektakel music store and played a Fender Rhodes. Both Heinz and Ede were fascinated by Gerd's musical ideas and technical abilities. lt seemed that the chemistry between the three was perfect from the very beginning and they decided to work as a trio. At that point Spektakel split and SFF began.

 At that time, Spektakel was one of the most successful bands in Nortern Germany. 

 On reflection, Heinz and Ede agree that SFF never would have been successful were it not for their experiences with Spektakel. The trio built their own studio an an old farm. where they lived together in order to work day and night to cultivate their common musical ideas. Success came very soon- six months in fact! The first SFF gig at the German Rock Festival, Circus Krone, Munich (1975) fascinated not only the 5,000 people in the audience but also Metronome Records A&R Manager, Hartwig Biereichel. 
The record deal was signed that very night. lt was planned that Frank Zappa was to produce the band. Zappa was very enthusiastic about the original sounds of the trio with two Mellotrons (Gerd and Heinz), Moog-synthesizer Paul guitar/Rickenbaker bass combination (Heinz), as weIl as Ede's monster drum and percussion arsenal with gongs and knives and anything else you could imagine. 
SFF had an orchestral sound which was overwhelming and fascinating. Unfortunately, Zappa had to record his own album at the same time as the SFF project so he dropped out. The band found an excellent substitute producer in Dierer Dierks (Scorpions). 
The first album, "Symphonic Pictures," was released in 1976 and sold about 12,000 copies. Their popularity grew primarily from their unforgettable live concerts-"lt was a bit like magic and with an overwhelming intensity, which led the audience and the band together into another world." In this context one should mention the SFF gigs in Scheeßel (1977) and, of course, the Brain Festival (1978), from which two songs appear on this collection. 
In 1977 and 1978 SFF reco

rded and released two more records with Dieter Dierks-"Sunburst" and "Ticket To Everywhere". After the recording of the last album the band developed musical and ideological differences and the trio dissolved. 
Ede joined the Wuppertal progressive band Hölderlin and two years later opened his own club and disco "Ede Wolf" in Oldenburg. Even today the club is one of Narthern Germany's most successful and famous for good live concerts. 
Heinz and Gerd continued working together as a duo and recorded three albums: "Ammerland" (which was released before "Ticket To Everywhere")' "Strings," and "Diary". After their split they worked in various pop, jazz and blues bands in Hamburg and Cologne. 
In 1991, Heinz opened his own music school in Oldenburg, where he lives today with his wife and son. Until his tragic death in November 1992, Gerd lived in Bremen. He worked in Japan, USA, England, and Germany for Yamaha, who regarded Gerd as one of the premier programmer/keyboard consultants in the world. This CD release is dedicated to his memory.

 

 

Schicke Fuhrs Frohling (SFF)/The Collected Works ....double CD 

During the 70's Schicke Führs Fröhling (SFF) released three spectacular instrumental progressive rock albums for Germany's Brain label. "The Collected Works" unites their three albums, "Symphonic Pictures," "Sunburst," "Ticket to Everywhere" and two bonus live tracks into a 2CD set. SFF are a symphonic powerhouse consisting of Eduard Schicke on drums and assorted percussion, Gerd Führs on Mellotron ans synths and Heinz Fröhling on guitar and Mellotron. Their technical abilities were only matched by their incomparable compositional skills. Drifting, soothing Mellotron washes are interrupted by precise laserbeam guitar solos, playing off of a thunderous cacophony of percussion. The band produces sweeping symphonic landscapes. Although there are occassional references to bands like King Crimson and Genesis, SFF created a unique and dynamic sound that was unmatched by any group. Without a doubt, SFF recorded three of the best examples of progressive rock ever!