Krautrock

[Serge]

I don't think I've heard a single good thing about that book. What are the main contentious points?

The fact that he's a fucking nutcase, basically.

I don't really remember specifically why I didn't enjoy it, though a lurid anecdote about having a wank on his parents sofa has seared itself into my mind. I think there was too much whining about not getting enough credit, which Karl Bartos, who clearly had a more creative role in the classic Kraftwerk line-up and could make similar claims, hasn't, and comes away with more dignity. It's just one of those annoying books full of little things you can nitpick over. I got rid of my copy, so I can't look stuff up.

Pascal Bussy's book on Kraftwerk is pretty good, but by far the best book on the band is Tim Barr's 'From Dusseldorf To The Future (With Love)', which is sadly out of print.

There are a couple of books on Can, one by Pascal Bussy (again!) and another one that tied in with the box set, but no-one has written a proper stright forward biography, as far as I can tell. There's a fairly annoying one on Faust by a guy who dismisses practically every other band on the planet on the grounds that they're not Faust. As I mentioned before, Black Dog are publishing a book on krautrock later ths year, which I'm looking forward to, and of course, the great grandaddy, 'Krautrocksampler' remains out of print.

<sub>Yes, I know I keep going on about it, even though I own it.

Edited for new page!</sub>

[mobias]

Speaking of Kraftwerk, this is probably the best interview ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXe_ji9NWyc

[Serge]

Fantastic! A man after my own heart. "What songs are you going to play?" "All."

Had the Ipod on shuffle on the way home from work tonight, and the Faust/Tony Conrad track 'From The Side Of Man And Womankind' came on. Made the journey more interesting, I can tell you.

[Absorb the anus burn]

Just read the whole thread and some great albums discussed. I've been collecting Krautrock for years and the quality and variety of music that came out of Germany then is mind boggling.

Here's a shout for a few neglected albums:

Pell Mell: (1973 'From The New World' - like a good version of ELP)

Novalis: (loads of great LPs, but their s/t 1975 album is amazing)

Manuel Göttsching: 'E2 E4' (chess themed lock grooves that gave birth to house music 1984 (recorded 1981) totally amazing)

Amon Düül II: 'Tanz Der Lemming' is often ignored, but is a real grower and almost rivals 'Yeti'... 'Made In Germany' from 1975 can be found it two issues. The double vinyl edition with the band in period costume is the better LP and contains some of their most melodic, accessible music... 'Only Human' from 78 or 79 is often rubbished, but is a neglected disco / funk / Latin classic, often sampled by hip-hop artists... Beware, the CD reissue has been remixed and ruined. The original album is what you need to hear.

German Oak: 'Bunker' (or s/t) sold 4 copies on release, due to the dodgy WW2 cover and themes, but is some of Kraut's best underground hard rock... Actually recorded in an abandoned bunker and contains samples of Uncle Adolf. Much hated at the time, the band were actually hippies, not Nazis - well worth hearing.

Agitation Free:: 'Malesch'. Invited to Egypt on a cultural exchange, the underground Berlin band sampled Arabic markets, snorting camels and friendly pilots, then mixed them into their ethnomusicology grooves. Classic late night chill out music. The cheapest vinyl copy I've ever seen was £650 pounds... But there is a nice CD reissue.

There's probably 50 more albums I could gush over, but that's enough ramblings for now... However, fans of Can should try to hear at least one solo album from each of the four core members. Holger's 'Movies' can change your life... Try 'Nowhere' by drumming octopus Jaki and the Phantomband.... The late Michael Karoli made a fine album called 'Deluge' with Polly Eltes (who sang on Eno's Tiger Mountain album)... Finally Irmin's 'Toy Planet' is a solid, catchy spacey synth LP.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Amon Düül II: 'Tanz Der Lemming' is often ignored, but is a real grower and almost rivals 'Yeti'... 'Made In Germany' from 1975 can be found it two issues. The double vinyl edition with the band in period costume is the better LP and contains some of their most melodic, accessible music... 'Only Human' from 78 or 79 is often rubbished, but is a neglected disco / funk / Latin classic, often sampled by hip-hop artists... Beware, the CD reissue has been remixed and ruined. The original album is what you need to hear.

Glad you've mentioned some of Amon Düül II's lesser known albums. I'd also throw Vive La Trance into the mix there too. A severely underrated album in my opinion, although my two favourites remain Yeti and Wolf City. Pyragony X has its moments too. I particularly like the opening track Flower of the Orient.

[Serge]

Manuel Göttsching: 'E2 E4' (chess themed lock grooves that gave birth to house music 1984 (recorded 1981) totally amazing)

Agitation Free:: 'Malesch'. Invited to Egypt on a cultural exchange, the underground Berlin band sampled Arabic markets, snorting camels and friendly pilots, then mixed them into their ethnomusicology grooves. Classic late night chill out music. The cheapest vinyl copy I've ever seen was £650 pounds... But there is a nice CD reissue.

Two great records there, and thanks for the other pointers, I'll check them out at some point. 'E2-E4' is a big influence on the 'Nu-Balearica' scene, certainly on people like Lindstrom and Prins Thomas. And James Murphy did his own version with the mighty '45:33', which he admitted was an attempt to do something like 'E2-E4'. I recently got a friend of mine into 'Malesch', amongst other krautrock greats seeing as it was her who got me into such things as Sunn O))) and Earth; a bit of a cultural exchange going on there.

Here's one of the greats:

'Der Hohepriester' came on my Ipod today - what a great track! Though Walter himself now looks like an elderly Jason King:

[Absorb the anus burn]

Yes, Neville Chamberlain - Pyragony X is a fine ADII album that nobody ever mentions... And I'm with you on Wolf City. Surrounded By The Stars is the most amazing opening track - I love the bursts of twisting synth and freak folk that follow the gothic, pagan, stoner frenzy... Vive La Trance is really special too - Mozambique probably their finest single... Hi-Jack took a while to grab me - but I love it now - especially Archie The Robot, featured on the album sleeve, kidnapping the devil

Thanks Serge That picture is very Jason King - though I doubt if Walter Wegmuller has been caught at Gloucester bus station with his mouth round a glory hole...... I didn't hear Tarot until last year, but it's another great Krautrock album, no question.

Although I've owned Rubycon and Phaedra for years, I finally got a copy of Tangerine Dream's 'Atem' last month and it's surprisingly aggressive for a band you associate with modulating synths. Horrible cover (with an ugly baby) but a really good album.

Klaus Schulze's 'X' has just been re-released on vinyl I notice - which is probably his most accessibly LP - long, but spacey and groovy. I once picked up a damaged copy of Klaus's 'Mirage' album and thought it was a Bucks Fizz solo project as he looks so like Mike Nolan or Bobby Gee.

Can have been heavily discussed here. Glad to see there are many champions of 'Soon Over Babaluma', but only a few mentions of 'Landed'... Here is a great performance of Vernal Equinox from TOGWT where the band managed to make the studio clocks mysteriously stop and various pieces of equipment start to malfunction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p_NPbAeKkM

Check out Holger's white gloves!

[Serge]

'Atem' is one I keep meaning to get around to buying but never have - I think the scary baby put me off. 'Zeit' is definitely my favourite Tangerine Dream album, epic and spacey in the same way as Klaus Schilze's 'Irrlicht'.

That clip of Can is great, I have it on the DVD, that I think I mentioned before. Never mind Holger's gloves, what about Irmin's chainmail waistcoat? I'm still convinced that Irmin Schmidt is the coolest man in the history of music, if not the World.

As for the Jason King/gloryhole thing...a bit more information than I needed, I think that's the phrase....!!

[Roy*Mallard]

I love Atem and Alpha Centurai, both superb albums. My fave has to be Phaedra tho - it's a perfect album, if not quite Krautrock. I'm sure Phaedra's title track inspired late period Coil, as some of the rhythms used on Coil tracks such as Amethyst Deceiver are near identical.

[Roy*Mallard]

As for the Jason King/gloryhole thing...a bit more information than I needed, I think that's the phrase....!!

Years ago, i went onto a Peter Wyngarde fan-site and asked, quite innocently, but with a naughty glint in my eye, why there was no acknowledgment of his arrest for said misdemeanor on the site. The amount of abuse i received and the amount of people who squared up to me saying that Peter was the most swarthy of all heterosexuals, who would never dare drop his trousers or open his mouth for a passing prick, was incredible. It was really amusing and i took great pleasure directing them to other sites where police/press reports of the incident could be found. Excuses and more abuse flowed, which was a shame, as i do genuinely like the guy and his shows very much. I just didn't realise that he had such ardent, ignorant-of-the-truth fans. Funny, tho. 

[NoSleep]

I love Atem and Alpha Centurai, both superb albums. My fave has to be Phaedra tho - it's a perfect album, if not quite Krautrock. I'm sure Phaedra's title track inspired late period Coil, as some of the rhythms used on Coil tracks such as Amethyst Deceiver are near identical.

Phaedra was their first release on the Virgin label; when Virgin were still in their first phase of signing all unsignable acts. Thus it was promoted rather well in the UK and could be found in many more people's record collections. it's more Electronica than Krautrock and probably did inspire many future acts due to its relatively high profile.

It never really clicked with me (preferring the mix of this kind of electronics with more conventional instruments, like Gong or Hawkwind), but Atem, when I finally heard it years later, is a mighty album. I must look out Alpha Centauri.

[Serge]

Years ago, i went onto a Peter Wyngarde fan-site and asked, quite innocently, but with a naughty glint in my eye, why there was no acknowledgment of his arrest for said misdemeanor on the site. The amount of abuse i received and the amount of people who squared up to me saying that Peter was the most swarthy of all heterosexuals, who would never dare drop his trousers or open his mouth for a passing prick, was incredible. It was really amusing and i took great pleasure directing them to other sites where police/press reports of the incident could be found. Excuses and more abuse flowed, which was a shame, as i do genuinely like the guy and his shows very much. I just didn't realise that he had such ardent, ignorant-of-the-truth fans. Funny, tho.

That's interesting, as I was talking about it with a friend....er, not in lurid detail or anything, just about the fact that Wyngarde had been arrested for lewd behaviour (or whatever they called it) and the fact that it pretty much ended his career, whereas if it had happened today, he'd no doubt have done a couple of TV interviews being apologetic and self depreciating about it and carried on as normal. Which I guess is progress, though if we can get to the point where people accept that their heroes are gay without having a fit, then that definitely would be.

_{Right, back to the krautrock!}

[Absorb the anus burn]

It's probably my fault we've had the Peter Wyngarde digression - which was meant in good humour as I've always liked the guy. If you've never seen it, check out 'Night Of The Eagle' one of the all time great British horror films in the MR James tradition...

But yes, back to Krautrock. Here's some more gems.

Between: And Then The Waters Opened (great ethno-Kraut with a middle eastern vibe)

Eroc: S/T album is a blast, filled with drifting electronica - for Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze fans who like a late night joint.

Triumverate: slightly cheesy symphonic Kraut band, sometimes compared to The Nice and ELO, but they were amazing instrumentalists and the 'mouse album', Illusions On A Double Dimple has some fantastic Kraut mania, despite containing the lyrically banal 'Mr. 10 %" suite on the flip side.

If you want obscure, but brilliant Krautrock, explore the artists who were released by the sadly defunct Sky Records... Perhaps one of the greatest labels ever - they most famously took a chance on Cluster and Günter Schickert, but some of their signings were hugely influential on 80s electronic artists, such as the Sheffield synth scene bands... Sky Records discs are hard to find, but at record fairs you sometimes see nice £25-£35 LPs by Wolfgang Riechmann (murdered in his 20s) Nik Tyndall and Adelbert von Deyen.

Finally, here's a really oddity... 'Debon' recored by Brast Burn in 1975 is  often considered a Krautrock album, yet was recorded in Japan by an anonymous collection of artists. It is pretty easy to find a copy on blog sites, so see what you think. Sounding more German than the Germans - think Faust after a particularly intense mushroom meadow meal.

[Serge]

The Reichmann album has just been reissued on CD and vinyl and is mighty fine indeed. Although it's interesting that one track has a melody that's very close to 'Metropolis' by Kraftwerk, which was released the same year - I wonder if either was aware of the other (if that makes sense)? Roedelius' first solo album was also on Sky and has literally been reissued today. It doesn't sound much like Cluster to me, or like 'Jardin Au Fou', his second solo album which was reissued earlier this year, but, as with most things he was involved with in that period, well worth listening to.

I'm pretty sure I've heard the Between album, it definitely rings a bell. It might be on one of the many discs full of MP3s that I've downloaded somewhere.

I've heard the Brast Burn album, and to be honest, it didn't really do much for me. Copey loves it, though: it made his Top 50 in 'Japrocksampler'.

One last diversion into Wyngarde (maybe he should have his own thread): He, of course, made an album himself, which featured a song called 'Rape'. As 'Smash Hits' would have said: Bleeeeeee!

[Roy*Mallard]

Anyone heard Oktober's 'Die Pariser Commune'? I've seen it on some blog and the guy says it's well worth hearing, despite the narration being in German and him not understanding its meaning. Looks interesting either way.

[Absorb the anus burn]

Funny you should mention Oktober as I just grabbed that from the brilliant 'Egg City Radio' blog (formerly Bret's Post Punk Junk). I was thinking of playing it tonight so will let you know...

While I remember, can anybody help me with this ADII album cover?



This is the double LP (and super flop) version of 'Made In Germany' which I really love. I've owned it for years, and with a plethora of baroque Euro-pop, it deserve the nickname of 'Abba on acid'... However, I've only been able to identify some of the figures.

Front row - (r to l) that must be a rural Nazi (eagle on hat) then Kaiser Bill and the soppy fop, King Ludwig (who features on two of the album tracks) however who is the figure with the lute and winged hat? Is he from some heroic / operatic tradition?

Back row - I guess the figure in the centre is Lutherian - from the religious reformation - but who is the sashed monocle wearing figure on the left? A young Bismark, maybe...? And Renate, holding the sword, represents who or what? A figure from mythology?

This has annoyed me for years and despite all kinds of tangental googling, I've never managed to find out who they are or what they stand for... If you can help, thanks. :-)

[Roy*Mallard]

Funny you should mention Oktober as I just grabbed that from the brilliant 'Egg City Radio' blog (formerly Bret's Post Punk Junk). I was thinking of playing it tonight so will let you know...

Ha! That's where i saw it. Egg City Radio is a stunning blog - love it to bits. Everyone who likes kraut and interesting music should go there immediately.

[An tSaoi]

This is a fantastic thread. Lots of (I can only assume) great suggestions.

[Absorb the anus burn]

Yes! 'Egg City Radio' is a consistently great blog. I traded some discs with Bret years ago, but he always manages to amaze me with his discoveries. He's in quite a good band too - dominated by dirty synth playing - they give great live performances.

Can obsessives should try to track down some of their live concerts. There's a ton of them out there on torrent and blog sites... Sound quality can be poor, but they did seem to have a 'psychic connection' when playing live - no soloing, always reinterpreting and building their album pieces, sometimes playing 4-5 hours, with perhaps two hours of unique material.

Colchester 72 and 75 are both good... Holger must have been the original Essex white glove van man! Their 1973 BBC set is one of Damo's last gigs with the band - it should have been an official release, but an engineer fucked up the guitar mike channel. There's a couple of goodies from 1976-77 as well, especially the German / French gigs as Holger leaves the bass and turns to the radio dial. Roscoe and Reehop certainly fitted in well - jamming with the best of them!

Can are my Beatles, simply Germany's greatest export.

[NoSleep]

Have you heard the Canobits 4CD compilation of Can outtakes? Some interesting stuff, like Tim Hardin singing with the band on one track.

It, too, turns up in places like Dimeadozen alongside the Colchester gigs you mentioned (must dig them out again and give them a spin).

[Roy*Mallard]

Canobits is a fine release. You can get it from Mutant Sounds blog with about 8-10 other Can boots (most worthwhile, a couple not so good).

[Absorb the anus burn]

Yes, I know Canobits well. I totally wiped out my Dimeadoz ratio by downloading all the stuff... Again, a ton of fascinating material. Hard to digest on the first listen, but no doubting the quality and breadth of the recordings.



Canobits is a little like the above 'pick n mix' album. Challenging to say the least, but soon you detect the sheer intelligence and originality of the recordings.

Another classic Can cover - it took me ages to find it on vinyl, but I just love looking at it.

[Serge]

...though Irmin's red coat on that sleeve puts a dent in my theory about him being the coolest man on Earth.

Hang on! I know where I've seen that red coat before!

[Absorb the anus burn]

Oh my! Irmin wearing Ringo's cast offs! A bigger scandal than Fergie dressing in Di's old frocks... Despite nasty red leather flasher macs, Irmin is still the coolest keyboard player in rock. Just watch him perform karate on his instrument in that performance of Vernal Equinox. Even drumming metronome Jaki is watching him at work.

[Serge]

And Ringo is wearing his wife's coat there, so the plot thickens.

[Roy*Mallard]

Didn't Julian Cope say that he went off Can because of that Vernal Equinox performance? I don't think he was fond of the karate moves and the white gloves (yet, he still has big girls hair at 50 years old and a penchant for crap 70's metal albums! i love the guy, really!).

[Serge]

Yeah, he does slag it off in 'Krautrocksampler'. I love Copey, but I don't always agree with him. In 'Repossessed' he reveals how he went off Scott Walker, which I could never see happening to me.

[Neville Chamberlain]

I'm surprised this absolute gem hasn't been mentioned (at least, I don't think it's been mentioned):



This is one seriously messed up record and, in my opinion, Ash Ra Tempel's finest hour.

[Serge]

Ash Ra Tempel are one of the big holes in my krautrock collection, which is bizarre, as I've got solo albums by Klaus Schulze and Manuel Göttsching, not to mention the Cosmic Jokers albums, which they were a big part of. (And I believe they were essentially the backing band on 'Tarot', which I mentioned above.) I downloaded some MP3s of their stuff, but they were very poor quality. When I have the cash, I must get hold of some of their albums.

Cosmic Jokers are amazing, especially the first, self titled album and 'Galactic Supermarket'. I know they were born out of jam sessions that were initially released without the musicians knowledge (I'll have to look up the details in 'Krautrocksampler'), but what jam sessions! Fantastic stuff.

[Don_Preston]

I loved what I heard from their debut, Ash Ra Tempel, but my problem with them is their prices. It's currently selling for £25 on Amazon, which is ludicrous.