Can
- Thread starter RickyC6
- Start date
sideshowbob
Champagne fascia aficionado
Monster Movie and Ege Bamyasi. IMO you then have the three best Can records and can concentrate on buying everything ever released by Faust instead.
-- Ian
-- Ian
Tony L
Administrator
Key works in release order, and all essential:
Monster Movie the first album, it features their first vocalist, Malcolm Moony, who was apparently chosen because he could sing Three blind mice at the top of his voice until he blacked out. Monster movie is a great album.
Soundtracks a collection of film soundtracks made during the transition period between Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki (who once gave me an orange), and features both vocalists. This album has some of Cans best tracks on it, Mother Sky is bloody amazing. These tracks are all so un-film-soundtrack like that I really want to see the films.
Tago Mago you have and have already identified as being very good. It is actually totally bloody amazing, you will realise this by early next week.
Ege Bam Yasi probably, along with Tago Mago, Cans most consistently brilliant album. Very much the same feel and possibly the best next choice.
Future Days far more ambient and chilled, it is a remarkably beautiful album, but slightly different (perhaps more introspective) to that which went before.
Soon over Babaluma Damo has now left leaving the vocal duties to guitarist Michael Karoli. Again this represents a slight change of direction, but is a very good album and unmistakably Can.
Delay 1968 a retrospective issued in the 80s of pre-Monster Movie stuff. This is a brilliant album and sounds remarkably new. Could easily be a lost new wave album from 10 years later.
The rest of their output is IMHO optional there are many other gems, but for me few if any albums that have any degree of consistency. The Can DVD would be very well worth a punt, it contains slightly more than the Can Box (book, VHS tape, 2x early live CD), but as I already have the Box Ive never bothered buying it.
Tony.
kjb
Proof reading not always a strength
I've not got any recent pressings but do have the original UA ones which (of course) sound better than my cd copies. The original of Tago Mago has a much better sleeve showing the they had the smallest drum kit in the world, ever! 'cept Mo Tucker and Bobby Gilespie in JAMC of course... Mind you, I've not got any of last year's remasters. Any views on them?
kevin
Rich, you just beat me to a Can thread
My recent Amazon order comprised of old and new. The new was typically disappointing - Kasabian, a few notable tunes but throughout the album one can't help thinking of Kula Shaker.
The old were Monster Movie and Tago Mago. Two fantastic albums. Monster Movie is incredible. The bass lines keep you captivated whilst everything else is going on around.
I was about to post asking of any of Can's peers so I'll be looking up Faust soon, cheers Ian.
Paul
My recent Amazon order comprised of old and new. The new was typically disappointing - Kasabian, a few notable tunes but throughout the album one can't help thinking of Kula Shaker.
The old were Monster Movie and Tago Mago. Two fantastic albums. Monster Movie is incredible. The bass lines keep you captivated whilst everything else is going on around.
I was about to post asking of any of Can's peers so I'll be looking up Faust soon, cheers Ian.
Paul
Tony L
Administrator
Absolute essentials of the Krautrock genre (other than the Can stuff above) are IMHO:
Amon Düül II Yeti. Just the most amazing rock double album I can think of a large collective playing as a seamless organic whole in the way only truly great jazz bands can. It is more rock than Can, but it is rock in the way rock would be if Mingus played it. Edgy psychedelic guitar, spaced organ, beats and groves to die for and just so bloody powerful. Unfortunately the only CD I have heard sounded totally castrated in comparison to the original Liberty vinyl. The vinyl assaults you in an totally full on and amazing way. Original vinyl can be found for around 20-40 quid on eBay.
Ash Ra Temple 1st LP. Totally spaced tripped out power trio. Two tracks, one each side. Think of the best tripped out hippy film with stoners dancing around in a loud dingy club to an oil-wheel light show, this record would be the ideal soundtrack. CDs are vinyl transfers, but still good enough for me to realise it is a truly stunning album. An mint original will sadly set you back about 150 quid.
Faust 1st/clear, Faust IV. The first Faust album is just totally bloody mad, it is also totally brilliant. Faust were the John Cage of the Krautrock scene; they cut and shut all manner of found and played weirdness together and produce some real magic. Faust IV is the nearest they ever got to making a commercial album, and tends to be the one recommended to newcomers. Id go straight for the 1st. Best option is to track down the RER box The Wumme Years which contains the first 3 LPs and a collection of other goodies / BBC sessions etc. Original vinyl is too bloody expensive. Arse. (Ive only got the box and a original copy of Faust Tapes).
Kraftwerk 1&2. This is not bleepy robotic Kraftwerk (not that there is anything wrong in that), this is the band before two people split off to form Neu! This is weird stuff, shifting beats, ever changing structures, fluid then stuttering. Very, very good. Not sure about the availability of this stuff, but remastering by R&F is apparently in the pipeline.
Neu! 1, 2 and 75. All these three albums are essential. They are as different as they are the same. Neu! invented what is now referred to as post-rock no Neu!, no modern rock music. They were that important. CD and vinyl reissues are great.
Tangerine Dream Alpha Centauri. This is the second TD album, and IMHO the best of the first 6 superb albums from the band. Tripped out modular Moog ambience with effected flute and bass. Do not confuse this masterpiece with the later 80s output of the band which is IMHO often bad enough to be by JM Jarre. These early TD albums are very different animals. The CD remasters and the Castle 180g vinyl are all very good.
Tony.
Herr Mustermann
pfm Member
"By the way - what's the score re their black discs? i.e. best pressings, labels, value etc."
The vinyl re-issues on Can's own Spoon label aren't that bad. Very good even when one considers the poor quality of vinyl today.
In my opinion the Can albums to get are the first 4, Monster, Soundtracks, Tago, Ege and Future (Oop's that five) and after that it's better to forget about them. I still don't understand how a band that were so good and "cool" could become so shit. I can only guess that for all their brillance the band needed the input from their "seasonal workers" (Mooney and Suzuki) to really hit their groove.
The vinyl re-issues on Can's own Spoon label aren't that bad. Very good even when one considers the poor quality of vinyl today.
In my opinion the Can albums to get are the first 4, Monster, Soundtracks, Tago, Ege and Future (Oop's that five) and after that it's better to forget about them. I still don't understand how a band that were so good and "cool" could become so shit. I can only guess that for all their brillance the band needed the input from their "seasonal workers" (Mooney and Suzuki) to really hit their groove.