Effective period / Period of releases: 1973

Members: Mark Letley, Roger Woods, Richard Manktelow, Roger Thorn

Progressive rock band from Rochester, Kent, England, founded by the musical composer Richard Manktelow. It existed from 1969 to 1974. The band was not a full-time professional touring outfit, played only locally (and rarely), and never had a record deal, nor achieved any sort of fame. However, as a result of a limited edition, privately recorded album called Odgipig, which the band recorded at the end of 1972 and released in 1973, and which has subsequently become ultra-collectable, Sindelfingen has posthumously garnered a following out of all proportion to its impact at the time. The album has become so sought-after (at one point having a book value of around £1000) that there have been a number of re-issues. Most of these have been legitimate releases but there are now companies in other countries selling unlicensed copies and downloads.

Sindelfingen were named after a town in Germany near Stuttart and had begun at a jam session at a local youth club. From this inauspicious acorn a typical rock trio grew, consisting of Richard Manktelow, bass-player John Currie and drummer Bill Basden. Bill and Richard were about 18 while John was a year or so younger and still at school. Bill left after about a year. He was briefly replaced by Alan Parry before Roger Thorn was recruited, who is the drummer on the album. Roger was a young but already experienced drummer, a Ginger Baker devotee who possessed a vast twin kick-drum set-up; he also brought with him a glockenspiel which he had liberated from his children.