Neu! 50th Anniversary box

[Tony L]

For those who do not have, you may have (Amazon). The first three are absolutely essential. Three of the most influential albums in rock history IMHO. They changed music.

PS Michael, like me, is really finding original pressings are very seldom bettered by reissues. Sadly I don’t have any original Neu! though I do have the first three Grönland reissues (same as in the box) from when they first came out 15 years or so ago, so I’ll not be grabbing this myself. I’m not bothered about the remixes etc of the extra albums.

 

[guey]

The remix/reworks/covers album is actually pretty good (well, about 3/4 of it is), and well worth a listen imho.
Really looking forward the 50th anniversary gig at the Clapham Grand.

 

[sideshowbob]

I'll stick with my Groenland CDs I think, that's a bit too spendy for Neu. You could make a really exceptional double album out of the highlights of the first three albums, but beyond that my attention wanders a bit.

 

[Tony L]

Yes, they were an odd band. They totally redefined music with track one side one of their first album, ‘Hallogallo’. Not many bands do that. I’d argue what they did in that 10 minutes was exponentially more important and influential than say the entire Rolling Stones 60 year back catalogue. It defined so much of what came later and can be heard all over the map in modern music.

That they did the same thing even better on the second album ‘Für Immer’, and again with more electronics on their third ‘Isi’ is kind of amusing, but the weight of what they left can not be underestimated. Obviously there are some other very good and influential tracks too, but for me it is these three variations of the same E major jam with that classic Neu! motoric beat that changed everything. I came to it long after the fact so had been enjoying stuff obviously influenced by it and could barely believe just how fresh and absolutely current something recorded in 1972 sounded.

 

[sideshowbob]

Completely agreed about Hallogallo and Fur Immer. I think they were basically a single idea band. It was a really great idea, and first hearing Hallogallo was a massive deal for me, but I rarely listen to the albums all the way through.

 

[Seanm]

They're good but I tend to play a lot more Harmonia. I love those guys.

 

[Aethelist]

Cluster were better. I do like 75 though.

 

[Seeker_UK]

I do like 75 though.

If you haven't heard any, you'll like La Dusseldorf, then.

 

[Seeker_UK]

They're good but I tend to play a lot more Harmonia. I love those guys.

It always tickled me that Harmonia had Mani Neumeier on drums and Rother had Jaki Liebezeit, both extremely capable drummers, brought in to emulate Dinger's tub thumping.

 

[Tony L]

If you haven't heard any, you'll like La Dusseldorf, then.

I remember as an early teenager hearing Alan Freeman play a track off the first La Düsseldorf album and loving it. I even went and asked for it at the local record shop only to get a WTF look and to be told there was no such thing. It wasn’t until many, many years ago that I found a copy, a nice UK Decca I’ve still got and must dig out for a spin soon. I was really lucky with Viva too, I found a copy of that mint in a quid bin, I guess the dealer just didn’t know what it was!

 

[Seeker_UK]

I remember as an early teenager hearing Alan Freeman play a track off the first La Düsseldorf album and loving it. I even went and asked for it at the local record shop only to get a WTF look and to be told there was no such thing. It wasn’t until many, many years ago that I found a copy, a nice UK Decca I’ve still got and must dig out for a spin soon. I was really lucky with Viva too, I found a copy of that mint in a quid bin, I guess the dealer just didn’t know what it was!

My copy of the first album is on Radar. I think I picked that up for a couple of quid. My copy of Neu! 2 was junk shop find too.

Did you ever get a copy of "Individuellos", the third La Dusseldorf album?

[Edit]

Link - My Neu! Collection

 

[Tony L]

My copy of the first album is on Radar. I think I picked that up for a couple of quid. My copy of Neu! 2 was junk shop find too.

Did you ever get a copy of "Individuellos", the third La Dusseldorf album?

I didn’t realise there was a Radar issue of the first album, mine is the UK Decca. I’ve still only got the first three Neu! albums, Grönland reissues, first two are white vinyl. Not got anymore La Düsseldorf either. Here’s my Kraftwerk/Neu! related pile from a few years back:

Not a huge amount has changed since then. From memory just the RSD Neu! 12”, replacing a long lost luminous Neon Lights 12” on vinyl, and the red Kraftwerk CD remix box, plus the ‘laptop’ CD/DVD box of Minimum Maximum in addition to the vinyl.

 

[hockman]

How are the Gronland vinyl reissues that you have? Are they decent or am I better off just getting the CDs?

 

[Tony L]

They are decent, though I have never had an original to compare them against. They were a big step up from the pirates that were flooding the market previously.

 

[Graham H]

How are the Gronland vinyl reissues that you have? Are they decent or am I better off just getting the CDs?

They are decent, though I have never had an original to compare them against. They were a big step up from the pirates that were flooding the market previously.

I think Michael45 is a bit too kind giving the white vinyl reissues 8/10 - maybe the box set is a better pressing than previous reissues. My Gronland reissues from about 10 years ago have far too many clicks and pops in the quiet passages for full recommendation. Nice artwork and sleeve production, but not a fan of white vinyl.

 

[theadmans]

Got this Neu "Black Forest Gateau" LP from the Leicester Goldsmith's Record Library (circa 1983):-

https://www.discogs.com/release/735657-Neu-Black-Forest-Gateau

Not too long after I got my first CD player (a Philips CD104). My first CDs were the Kraftwerk albums on German import from Ainleys (Leicester). But still no bloody Neu CDs!

I spent the next few years or so fruitlessly going into record shop's CD section and looking in the "N" section for Neu.

Eventually at a record fair (in the early 90s) I found decent CD bootleg versions of the 3 Neu albums.

In 2001 I traded these bootlegs in at Ultima Thule (Leicester) for the official Gronland CDs.

Good things come to those that wait!

Come on now Ralf - when are we going to get the Kraftwerk (swept under the carpet) years on CD?

....I've still got my Kraftwerk 1, 2 and "Ralf & Florian" CDs (bought at an 80s record fair) on the dodgy Germanofon label!!!!

 

[Aethelist]

Neon lights. Luminous 12 inch 45 RPM? That brings back some memories. Bought it on release. One of my favourite records of all time.

 

[Tony L]

Neon lights. Luminous 12 inch 45 RPM? That brings back some memories. Bought it on release. One of my favourite records of all time.

Still works too! Likewise I bought it in release, though it got lost somewhere over the years. I remember my original copy being quite warped. This one, bought at considerable expense (£35 IIRC) about a year ago, is somewhere between VG+ and EX, not as good as if I’d kept my original, but pretty decent and flat and it sounds good albeit will a little noise.

 

[Aethelist]

Difficult to capture I can appreciate but that looks a bit green to how I remember it TBH. Mine was more of a radioactive yellow, isotope colour. Maybe your white balance is a bit off? Dunno. Fantastic sounding piece of vinyl though. I can hear it in my head right now. Nice one.

 

[Seeker_UK]

Got this Neu "Black Forest Gateau" LP from the Leicester Goldsmith's Record Library (circa 1983):-

https://www.discogs.com/release/735657-Neu-Black-Forest-Gateau

https://www.discogs.com/release/735657-Neu-Black-Forest-Gateau

I have a copy of that and the sound quality is pretty duff - it sounds more like the source rather than the pressing.

Not too long after I got my first CD player (a Philips CD104). My first CDs were the Kraftwerk albums on German import from Ainleys (Leicester). But still no bloody Neu CDs!

You should have traveeled a few miles South. When I worked in Andys we always stocked the Neu! Germanfon albums - at the time their status as official / unofficial was, err, murky. I regularly pestered the Rough Trade rep asking when Daniel Miller was going to release them on Mute / Grey Zone (they were always listed as a 'maybe' release on Grey Zone promo material). Mute never did, it seems that Rother / Dinger (mainly Dinger) never agreed to CD releases and it took 7 more years and a Herbert Grönemeyer to sort it.

Come on now Ralf - when are we going to get the Kraftwerk (swept under the carpet) years on CD?

Ralf has been promising them pretty much since "Der Katalog" was released. I wonder what state the tapes are in and if that's what's delaying release or whether he just doesn't want to release them having effectively erased them from the bands history in the early 80s.

....I've still got my Kraftwerk 1, 2 and "Ralf & Florian" CDs (bought at an 80s record fair) on the dodgy Germanofon label!!!!

As far as needle drops go, they're not bad. You could have been unlucky to buy the Italian Crown releases which were much worse.