CAN?

[no.nine]

I will probably pick up Future Days or Tago Mago (still haven't decided yet) later on this week).

TAGO MAGO!!

TAGO MAGO!!

It's one of my favorite Krautrock albums by ANY group. The first half focuses on wonderful trance inducing groove-based material and then it shifts into overdrive, going completely off the freak-meter charts! The insane Damo gibberish and spastic out-of-control drum machine collage of "Peking O" is a delight, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. It's also one of the most out-there things I've ever heard - even by Can. Despite the seeming chaos, I always somehow seem to sense a strange underlying logic. Maybe that's just me, though. And does anyone know if Damo's chanting "Never gonna eat" on this track?! I could swear that's what I hear, and I hope I'm not wrong!

I really think even with such a strong catalog, Can managed to outdo themselves with Tago Mago. And Ege Bamyasi is almost like a condensed version of it; not quite as brilliant, but pretty close.

[notallwhowander]

"Halleluhwah" is an epic track that just floors me.

[zombywoof]

Another vote for Tago Mago. Never equaled or bettered by the band. Stunning.

[GuitarGeek]

I'm going to go into a completely different direction and vote for two records:

Soundtracks: No, not because of Mother Sky, which is indeed an awesome track, but not why I'm bringing up the album. Rather, for me the stand out track here is She Brings The Rain. It's a very straight, jazz/blues track that demonstrates for all their avant garde proclivities, these guys could totally do straight jazz music, and do it in a fashion that wouldn't have sounded out of place in a NYC club circa 1955 or whatever. It's almost a torch song kind of thing.

Saw Delight: Yeah, the first song recycles one of the tracks from Future Days, but I happen to like this version better than the earlier one. And I like the sort of Afro-pop vibe some of the record has.

Really, I like nearly all the Can records. The only ones I've never heard are the last two from the band's original existence. I don't think I've ever seen a reissue of Out Of Reach, and the self titled final album...well, I heard the Offenbach cover (which I believe they had the nerve to count as one of the Ethnological Forgery Series pieces), and that made more than not want to hear the rest of it. And I've never heard Rite Time, the reunion album they did in the late 80's, which I heard wasn't very good. Oh yeah, and I don't have the Lost Tapes thing yet, because it came out while I was financially deprived and therefore was unable to acquire it, but it's on the short list.

[Mister Triscuits]

And does anyone know if Damo's chanting "Never gonna eat" on this track?! I could swear that's what I hear, and I hope I'm not wrong!

And then on the next album they do a whole concept side about soup.

[JAMOOL]

I always assumed it was something in Japanese. I don't know if I've deciphered any of Damo's lyrics. "Halleluwah" starts "did anyone see the snowman...*gibberish for 18 minutes*"

[olivetti]

And I've never heard Rite Time, the reunion album they did in the late 80's, which I heard wasn't very good.

Rite Time is great, if you are in the mood for it,
and don't get hung up on the classic ones!
Lovely vibe on that album!

[MissKittysMom]

That sums things up perfectly - it took years for bands like Henry Cow and Univers Zero to "click" for me. I would give them some listens, then put it away for awhile, revisit later, etc. I find it to be very rewarding once I have that "aha" moment - possibly moreso than bands that I can get into right away.

Hmmm.

I "got" UZ and Thinking Plague immediately, these are easy "buy" decisions for me. Tago Mago put me off Can for a long time, but I've been listening to Future Days while working / reading this thread, and that too was an immediate like. So maybe it's time to revisit Tago Mago.

Henry Cow still hasn't clicked, and I have surely tried.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

There'll always be a certain portion of the self-declared "prog mass" who won't ever grow to see how trained musicality (as with krautrockers like Can, Popol Vuh or Kraftwerk) could ever result in anything other than some farty classical/rock crossover.

well, let me just tell you Mr. 'I think I'm enlightened because I like all forms of Prog'
The fact of the matter is that if it A) Doesnt sound like Yes, or B) Doesnt sound like it is from England... then it aint real Prog!



Prog is defined by an expert/genius as "eccentric British genius" and anything else is junk imitation and definitely NOT PROG.

[rael74]

"Halleluhwah" is an epic track that just floors me.

Yep, the Happy Mondays thought that also and based there entire career around it!
It's also interesting to note how much of the Stone Roses lift the sound of CAN.

I don't ever recall people talking about this whilst queuing up to get into Spike Island!
I was also similarly 'duped' by Stereolab...

[Scrotum Scissor]

well, let me just tell you Mr. 'I think I'm enlightened because I like all forms of Prog'

Hm. I only like those good forms. They keep me somewhat enlightened, or at least exhilarated. And entoxicated.

[notallwhowander]

Yep, the Happy Mondays thought that also and based there entire career around it!
It's also interesting to note how much of the Stone Roses lift the sound of CAN.

I don't ever recall people talking about this whilst queuing up to get into Spike Island!
I was also similarly 'duped' by Stereolab...

That's what gets me with Tago Mago there are so many little riffs and things swirling around, it seems that later bands would pluck one thing out and build something out of it. It has an astounding richness of ideas.

[jeffo621]

Well, I got Tago Mago yesterday. Initial thoughts are "kinda like a funky version of Magma," which is a very good thing. I'm actually listening to Aumgn right now, which is a very weird piece, and quite frankly, probably gets better with chemical enhancement . The first four songs (the first LP, I guess) is top notch stuff. I haven't given a listen to the bonus live tracks yet, but I'm looking forward to them

Definitely a band that is worthy of the praise they've gotten. At this point, I think I like the live stuff better, but I will certainly be getting additional studio stuff down the road.

[Jay.Dee]

At this point, I think I like the live stuff better.

Next steps are obvious then:

1. "The Peel Sessions" (1973-75)




2. "Radio Waves" (1970-72)



More live Can is needed!

[polmico]

More live Can ...

I've got some ROIOs and everything official, and, gosh, I just like studio Can so much more. And that's just about the only band I can say that of, especially a band that improvised so much.

That studio sheen really helped Can.

They really got into the primal groove stuff live, and it's good, but I guess I just like primal groove with studio layers.

[jeffo621]

It's definitely early for me, but I would think that Can live and in the studio are two completely different beasts - each to be appreciated separately. In the live setting, they let it all hang out and go off on tangents (some of the ROIOs that I have grabbed have tracks well in excess of 40 minutes), whereas the studio they would take these improvised tangents and refine and edit them into something drastically different.

[progman1975]

Can - Radio Waves...Looks like Tesla - The Great Radio Controversy....

[Progbear]

I always assumed it was something in Japanese. I don't know if I've deciphered any of Damo's lyrics. "Halleluwah" starts "did anyone see the snowman...*gibberish for 18 minutes*"

Can have to be the only band I’ve ever heard where I heard a lyric so outrageous, I thought, “that can’t possibly be right,” and yet, it was. (“I’m gonna press your ears in the light” from “Pinch” is the lyric in question.)

[jeffo621]

Hehe - I've been wondering about some of the stuff I've heard Damo jabbering on about myself. It kinda reminds me of (the very heavily Can influenced) Mars Volta lyrics: Sometimes I'm making up my own funny sounding lyrics, and occasionally - for example, "my hands secrete a monument" - what Cedric is singing <i>is</i> actually what I'm hearing

[Scrotum Scissor]

Can have to be the only band I’ve ever heard where I heard a lyric so outrageous, I thought, “that can’t possibly be right,” and yet, it was. (“I’m gonna press your ears in the light” from “Pinch” is the lyric in question.)

Damo was never much of an English speaker, and I remember one of the documentaries mentioning how he used to pick up random lines from scrolling through magazines and watching television and movies. Somewhat ironic, really, as most TV/flickers in Germany at the time were thoroughly dubbed into their own tongue.

Much of what he's singing is basically pure gibberish, and not of the would-be substantial sort ala Jon Bon Anderson.

[Blah_Blah_Woof_Woof]

I just bought this vinyl bootleg at my local used record store last night:

Horrortrip in the Paperhouse

It's live in Cologne in '72. I haven't listened yet but it is said to be scary good.