Before there was Trio (remember Da-Da-Da?) and Nena and Falco, there was Kraftwerk. This German group invented electronic music. They were the pioneers. They made synthesizers do stuff unheard of in previous bands and weren't afraid to use them as the primary instruments. The stuff isn't everybody's cup of tea, I'll grant you that right up front.Autobahn was the first 'hit' that anyone knew this band for. It was a cult favourite amongst the electronica crowd of the 70s and 80s. Ruckzuck is another composition that more mature aged folks may recognize as theme music from various TV shows from the 1970s. KlingKlang starts out with a zen-like calmness, but then rolls along with a repetitive wave that progressively gets faster. Kristallo dispenses with the zen altogether and drops the needle at medium speed and never looks back as it furtively speeds up into insanity. Neon Lights has a nice laid back feel to it. Am I the only one who hears a hint of OMD or Human League in the melody? As you can imagine, a lot of electronic-based groups were influenced even in subtle ways by Kraftwerk. Pocket Calculator is a fun upbeat piece that is the most ridiculous bit of music with the most infectious beat.
2 comments:
I grew up in a small town in PA where it was most unlikely to ever find a Kraftwerk album. I believe I read about them in Circus, a rock magazine I subscribed to.
Our senior class trip was to Germany (yeah, I went to a REALLY good high school!). When I got to Munich, I went into the first music shop I saw and purchased Kling Klang with my newly exchanged German marks. After I returned to the states, I met exactly one other student in our school who also liked Kraftwerk. I taped "Autobahn" from his tape.
I moved to the big city for college, where Kraftwerk albums were more plentiful. Kraftwerk played in that city but unfortunately I had to move that weekend so was unable to attend. I have a German pressing of "Autobahn" which is still one of the highest-quality vinyls I own.
I thought "Tour de France" sucked but it got more airplay than any of their other work. Kraftwerk were the best thing since "Switched-on Bach".
I <3 Kraftwerk. Good post. Thanks for the memories.
'I have a German pressing of "Autobahn" which is still one of the highest-quality vinyls I own."
I stand corrected - it's "Trans Euro Express", not "Autoban" which I have the German pressing vinyl record. I consider T.E.E. the pinnacle of their achievement. Other than "Trans Euro Express", my favorite song from that album is "Schauvinsterpuppen" (or whatever the correct spelling is).
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