I can't stop listening to "The Sad Skinhead". On repeat mode. I love the guitar tone too. Best song ever? Probably, along with "Dirty Boy", "Mumps", and "Greggary Peccary".
I can't stop listening to "The Sad Skinhead". On repeat mode. I love the guitar tone too. Best song ever? Probably, along with "Dirty Boy", "Mumps", and "Greggary Peccary".
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
So how do you guys feel about the second side of NEU! 2? I guess some feel its a rip-off since its a rehash of some songs played at different speeds, yeah? I actually like those tunes though, and they sound sort of crazed and warped at the higher RPM. The last punk track "Super" is, well, super imo. The lead track "Fur immer" is just a nice, breezy 'go-with-it' type jam for 11+ minutes.
The sub-3 rating at PA seems a bit harsh to my ears.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
I can't see how it is even possible to rate anything by Neu! from the 1970s lower than 3. The second side of the second album is an exciting conceptual joke – fair enough if one doesn't want to play this stuff very often, but I fail to see how one can not revel in the audacity, free spirit and anything-goes attitude that these guys demonstrated there.
Side 2 of Neu2 is mostly unlistenable. A joke? I wasn't laughing. Side one is pretty good though. Neu first album is great and Neu 75 is a stone cold classic. I remember hearing Hero on John Peel back in the day and thinking WTF is this? Peel played E-Musik the next night and that was it - I was smitten. There's still nothing like it.
No fans of Harmonia in this thread?
Harmonia may just about be the pinnacle for me. The first 5 or so tracks on the first lp are astonishing. The 1974 live record is also extraordinary - what these guys could accomplish live, in the moment - unbelievable!Originally Posted by flytomars
Side 2 is brilliant - proto-punk/post-punk thrill-ride gone craze. Magic!
I bought Dzyan-Electric Silence a week ago on vinyl. A hard to believe record that not only belongs in the obscurities list but on the upper part of the top-25 one. The blendind of fusion, ethnic, psych and avant music is just unique and results in an original, automatically discernible voice. The balance between improvisation and strategically designed composing is so perfect that it is impossible to understand what comes from where.
On the other hand I am not so fond of Gila's debut and consider it overrated. Sure, fine music and well executed, especially the bass parts. But nothing groundbreaking and truly exceptional to ensure it a place so high in this list (and in other lists as well). That's my opinion of course.
P.S. It seems that the eternal dilemma Malesh vs Second is still far away of being solved...
A vote for "second" from me.
Back on the Kraut train - spinning both the NEU! albums. Krautrock always amazes me in that the fine details of the music are always sounding fresh and new, regardless of how many times I've heard some of these albums. I say this with a large percentage of these albums, but in fairness Krautrock was a relatively late discovery for me so I am still finding my way around. But man do I love the journey when I'm on it. Udi's psych binge has sort of pushed me back in it seems, and there are definitely some parallels with both "genres" of music (a silly as that may seem).
So what Neu! albums do you guys prefer? I've been really getting into '72 a bunch.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Not quite an answer to you chalkpie, but a story that says hello.
I was up meeting with my kids in Edinburgh a month ago - my middle child is studying there. The main events were seeing Hearts at Tynecastle & Scotland at Murrayfield (two wins out of two!), to spend some time in The Jazz Bar listening to a fantastic Scots-French "auld alliance" sextet put together by my good friend, the trumpeter Colin Steele, & to drink some beer in a few of Edinburgh's fantastic pubs.
Walking to my flat on the Thursday evening, after a couple of post-arrival pints in the Café Royal, I saw a poster...advertising Michael Rother...who turned out to be playing a set in a dingy Old Town club...the following evening...& I managed to get a ticket...
And, oh man, was he unbelievably good. 90 minutes of motorific magic, playing tracks from Neu!, Harmonia & his solo albums. His band is great, particularly stalwart drummer Hans Lampe (from the old days of La Düsseldorf). The power, & the hypnotic effect, of this music live, driven by Lampe's thundering, cascading, yet totally precise, drumming, was just stunning.
A truly magical gig, made all the more special for being a serendipitous happening within the context of a joyful weekend!
Not silly at all. Krautrock is where Psych went in the 70s, in that part of the world. I think much (most?) Krautrock has more in common with Psych than it does with Prog-Rock. Same with Spacerock.
Can't wait for the upcoming Krautrock documentary from Adele and Jose.
Live Kraut - JayDee's picks
Agitation Free - "At the Cliffs of River Rhine" (1974)
Birth Control - "Live" (1974)
Brainstorm - "Bremen" (1973)
Can - "Box Music: Live" (1971-77) [there's too little to choose from the official releases - a genuine live box is long overdue!]
Cannabis India - "SWF Session" (1973)
Cluster - "Konzerte" (1972/77)
Coupla Prog - "Death is a Great Gambler: SWF Sessions" (1970-72)
Dzyan - "Mandala: SWF Session" (1972)
Eiliff - "Close Encounter with Their Third One" (1972)
Embryo - "Bremen" (1971) & "Wiesbaden" (1972)
Emma Myldenberger - "Emmaz Live!" (1980-81) [does folk-rock count?]
Erna Schmidt - "Live" (1969-71)
Et Cetera - "Live" (1973) [will it be ever issued on CD??]
Faust - "BBC Sessions+" (1972-73)
Harmonia - "Live" (1974)
Kollektiv - "Live" (1973)
Missus Beastly - "Bremen" (1974)
Sweet Smoke - "Live" (1973) [actually a US band based in Germany - do they count?]
Thirsty Moon - "I'll Be Back: Live" (1975)
Last edited by Jay.Dee; 05-26-2018 at 06:55 PM.
My top (25) Krautrock releases are NOT going to be confined to one release per Artist:
(In no real order):
1. CAN: Future Days
2. AMON DUUL II Tanz Der Lemminge
3. CAN Ege Bamyasi
4. NEU: First (Come on, it has Hallo Gallo, the greatest Neu song ever!)
5. AMON DUUL II: Wolf City
6. ASH RA TEMPEL: Inventions for an Electric Guitar (this is the definition of Krautrock)
7. MYTHOS: Mythos
8. MYTHOS: Dreamlab
9. TANGERINE DREAM: Phadrea
10. ELOY: Floating
11. ELOY: Inside
12. YATHA SIDHRA: A Meditation Mass
13. KRAFTWERK: Autobahn
14. NEKTAR: Tab in the Ocean (I know they were British, but they were formed in Germany and heavily associated with Krautrock)
15. AGITATION FREE: Malesch
16. SCORPIONS: Lonesome Crow
17. BIRTH CONTROL: Hoodoo Man
18. PASSPORT: Looking Thru
19. FAUST: Four
20. GROBSCNITT: Ballermann
21. GURU GURU: Dance of the Flames
22. LUCIFER'S FRIEND: First (The best Deep Purple album ever...)
23. POPOL VUH: In the Garden of the Pharaos
24. THIRSTY MOON: You'll Never Come Back
25. NEU: 75
Neu! '75
Neu!
Neu! 2
I dont count or rate Neu! '86 (Authorised re-release of Neu! 4)
I think this is obvious - I will love to hear opposite argumentation. It is Psych, dropping perhaps the more melodic, folky elements and leaning more towards the freak-out, experimental, mysticism thing. Of course bands like Can eventually surpassed even this sort-of-formula in albums like Future Days, but these were the roots. Add also the electronic factor which came up later, and was massively incorporated by the Germans.
I have the feeling that outside prog territories, almost no-one considers kraut as prog-rock. Anyway, the whole distinction between psych and prog looks rather blurred and silly to me. Why isn't Forever Changes considered prog? If somebody asked me, I wouldn't be able to answer.
But if someone asks me,I consider the key element of Krautrock to be mysticism. It is the invisible binding thread that unites all kind of German bands and creates something of a cohere artistic movement.
You've made me spin all 3 this morning. No doubt for me that the first is the best. One of the very few albums that truly deserve to be called "ahead of its time". Really now, 1972? Really? Negativland is possibly my fave Kraut-anthem.
Neu'75 is excellent too. And huge respect for Neu2, its wild, experimental spirit, but...my stomach rejects it. I don't get much pleasure from it.
Last edited by Zappathustra; 04-03-2018 at 09:35 AM.
I'm honestly torn - I think I love both equally. Such great albums!
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
I need to check out a bunch of these on the modern list. I know some but many of these are new to me. Electric Orange is fantastic.
Oh yeah man - stellar! Starts off with a 'BANG' too - puts you right in the Kraut mood in about 1.3 seconds. A must for Can fans imo.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
I told you not to listen to this music! You wouldn't have these horrible dilemmas! If you listened to Rihanna you would never ponder over which of her albums is the best!
I'm totally immersed in my current psychedelic binge but came for a short visit
Not enough Berlin School entries in this thread...
Ashra New Age On Earth
Peter Baumann Romance 76
Edgar Froese Epsilon
Klaus Schulze x
I know very little/nothing about Krautrock ( I have some Eloy albums ( do they not count?) and one Ash Ra album but that's it. I've long been a fan of Steven Wilson's Rainy Taxi (early PT) which he says was a nod to Krautrock and would love to hear something along those lines. If anyone has any recommendations I'd love to know, otherwise I'll start going through this list.
By the way I used to know a German who always used to carry a load of meat around in the back of his car. I asked him why and he said it was his spare veel. Ok, I'll sign off now...
I am not an expert, but for me good starters would be:
Agitation Free - Second
Neu - First
Can - Ege Bamyasi
And Eloy does count. Especially Floating and Inside.
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