Autobahn is not a masterpiece to me. I still return to it periodically for its insanity vibe. The vocals are a bit robotic and catatonic not unlike how Outsider Music makes me feel. The simplicity of the style and redundant chord progressions in Autobahn are sort of fitting and attached to that way of writing.
I always thought that the Autobahn lyrics were purposefully monotonous and sarcastic suggesting that travelling great distances on the Autobahns was a bit boring. Consequently, I'd support the view that the whole thing is a bit of a novelty - but I do enjoy it more than anything else in the Kraftwerk catalogue. Not a masterpiece though!
At work, in our labs, all our toolcarts are Kraftwerk.
I've got three as well, and one of them is Organization's Tone Float... And I've got the two cone albums.
But like most everyone, I've first heard of them via Autobahn, and indeed, nifty pop single, but boring album.... As are all of their following albums. To call them farcical is not necessarily wrong, because of the comedy in their act & music.
TBH, I've always seen the band (before discovering their experimental roots) as a bit of a Eurovision contest candidate, without much credibility as rockers (unlike C/Kluster, Harmonia, Neu!) >> probably Belgium's Telex pushed me in that mind-frame. However, they were hugely influential - though I'm not sure which band came up with that style first (given that Dinger and Rother were also in Kraftwerk).
Krautrock is one of my fave (multifacet) rock genre, but not really fond of that electro-pop facet
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Masterpiece.
Best show I saw in 2022 and I never thought I would get to see them live (in PDA Montreal) but it was worth the wait, the masters of robotic electronic music --NON Stop >>
Masterpiece.
uh, the first one
I remember a record store dude describing the title track as being similar to the long suites that prog bands do. it's a bit more static than that of course, but it certainly does have a lot of cool sections to it
honestly, I kinda love Tour De France Etapes even more. talk about an eternal beat...
Critter Jams "album of the week" blog: http://critterjams.wordpress.com
Exactly what IS a “Farcical Novelty”? Can you give me an example of one that most people agree on?
I’ve spent 3 weeks pondering this question when I visit the Forum and see this thread. I well know what a “Novelty Song” is—it is an acknowledged label; “Monster Mash” is probably a good example. And I well know what a farce is, but I am clueless about the combo of the two terms.
I have read the entire thread and feel that all the contributors have voiced their opinion about the Song/album being discussed. Some love it, others not so much. I am not trying to be difficult, I just am intrigued.
Thanks in advance!
I imagine a lot of "average" music listeners (who weren't into 70's synth music, especially sung monotonously in German) might have thought "What the hell is this?!?" I remember playing it for some friends who asked if it was supposed to be funny.
I think this is what I was trying to impart by the term "farcical novelty", but by no means do I think it is that (and only that). I was 24 years old and just getting into prog and electronic musical forms and I liked Autobahn quite a bit when I picked it up at the local record store. However, now I view it as somewhat of a novelty with the driving force being humor amongst the repetitive electronic soundscapes.
However, I do agree somewhat with those who have come to its defense. It has a certain curious draw even at this stage of my life. I don't own the CD and my vinyl copy was jettisoned many years ago. But, playing it on You Tube while posting this thread initially, I actually enjoyed the revisitation.
The first 2 examples are actualy not that bad, but the cat song really freaks me out. I suppose a lot of work has been put into it, but I can't imagine having to listen to a whole album with 20 songs made this way. Even this piece seemed to last forever. I love cats, but this....
Jingle Cats has made my day - Kraftwerk pale in comparison
'I would advise stilts for the quagmires"
…and is it really Art?
Thank you for pointing out the three examples from earlier in the thread. I agree that the “cats” thang is both cringe inducing and very far from the other tunes mentioned.
Come to think of it, aren’t many songs by Frank Zappa great examples of the farcical side of things. He certainly didn’t take those any less seriously than his other songs. He and the band went to extreme lengths to make the instrumental side of things be gem-like in their complexity.
Weird Al was the guy that came to mind when I first saw the thread.
I focused on that side of the thread because the first part just seemed hard to really consider. Not finding anything worthwhile in the song/album? Naturally, my fondness for Autobahn colors my objectivity on that. I very much remember my brother making me put the record—when it first came out—on my turntable and cranking the volume. We were both big fans of early synth albums like the the first two from ELP. I instantly thought Autobahn was fabulous in a delightfully quirky German way.
I think some of the earlier posts point out the great opportunities for constructive yet critical discussions of many elements of the album. As a synth geek I would love more discussion on just how clever and/or clumsy they were with that old tech. Those patched synths took lots of effort to master. And in the realm of image and press coverage,how on earth did they juggle such an unusual, anti-pop Pop thing with all that pop, rock and funk of the times? How about their “look”?
Anyway, this all is a nice change in some ways from the usual thread.
I am not being farcical!!
Couldn’t resist…
Thanks!
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