Free Orbit x Udo Lindenberg – Free Jazz Goes Underground

“When we hit the studio in 1969 to record Free Orbit, the hippie movement was at its peak. A massive, global awakening. It felt like someone had thrown open the world’s windows and let in the wind of radical change.” – Udo Lindenberg

The reissue of Free Jazz Goes Underground brings back the raw energy and untamed idealism of the 1960s. Originally released in 1970, the debut studio album by Free Orbit—the band led by singer and drummer Udo Lindenberg, who was still performing in English at the time—is returning in an exclusive special edition. Over 55 years after its original release, Free Jazz Goes Underground will be reissued on May 30, 2025 via MPS, bringing a true piece of history back to life.

The reissue will be available as a Digipak CD as well as a limited, numbered special edition, featuring the album on ink-spot vinyl along with a magenta-transparent 10″ vinyl containing three bonus tracks from Lindenberg’s first solo album. For the first time ever, the release also includes German translations of the lyrics by Udo Lindenberg and Beatrice Reszat.

In his newly written liner notes, Lindenberg reflects on a time of upheaval and transformation: “I didn’t just want to sing and be famous—I wanted to make a difference.”

Bands like Chicago or Blood, Sweat & Tears may have served as a source of inspiration back then, but Free Orbit’s sound stands on its own. Contrary to what the title might suggest, the band delivers a fusion of jazz and rock with occasional pop and soul influences, also characterized by the sometimes melodic and soulfully arranged, sometimes driving and energetic sound of the brass section led by trombonist Peter Herbolzheimer.

Available from May 30, 2025, this limited special edition of Free Jazz Goes Underground is an absolute must-have for jazz-rock lovers, Udo Lindenberg fans, and anyone who still believes in the ideals of freedom, peace, and social change. Bring this piece of musical history back into your collection—and let yourself be inspired once again by the vision of a better world.

You can pre-order the album here: https://MPS.lnk.to/FreeJazzGoesUndergroundWE
Physical product available in GSA only.

Tracklist

1. Never Felt So Free

2. Amsterdam

3. You Got It

4. What Colour Has The Soul

5. Keep On Dreaming

6. All My Love Girl

7. World Of Illusion

8. Big Family

9. I’ll Make You Love Me

10. Flying Windmill

+ 3 Bonus Tracks (vinyl only)

1. It Is Alright Again

2. Paradise Now

3. We Could Be Friends