How We Reached Climax With Kraftwerks Seminal Trilogy
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- čas přidán 18. 03. 2023
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Sometimes I hold an original in my hands and go "wow, this was actually made before I was born"! I go into "awe" so quickly! 😊
They combined heart and mind, machine and soul, hot and cool. Their influence was massive. Computer world was so prescient and is still mind-blowing. The most important electronic band in history.
I've said it before....Kraftwork "Computer World"....nobody at school ever heard of the album or band yet my college fraternity roommate had it in college when it came out in May of 1981. I first heard it and loved it. I then played it at my college radio station WMEB FM and everybody loved the album and the band, as it had not been exposed to those in Northern New England. Having taken computer Fortran & Cobol language, the music related to the times and was so much ahead of its time! You have to remember arena rock bands, fading disco, country crossovers and some folk rock was the music being played at the time. We were cutting edge at our FIJI UMO parties, playing new wave and british bands at our parties vs the others still playing fading disco, arena rock and roll and bland top 40 hits. Hell, we broke Devo, B-52's and A Flock of Seagulls music at all UMO parties!
Not enough 45 RPM Audiophile Kraftwerk videos IMO , thanks for this one
Pioneers of the electronic sound.
Nice video - enjoyed the part where you spoke of the cultural impact in Germany and the hit single. There was a copy of 'Autobahn' in my household when I was a child - assume it was my older brothers... a *late* night drive home from some college-aged mis-adventure when 'Tour de France' played on the car radio... my German copy of 'Computerwelt' shortly there afterafter... last week I was at one of two local shops I frequent and as I was about to leave I flipped through a plastic storage bin of LPs the shop owner had purchased and there it was:Ralf and Forian 'Kraftwerk' 1975 repress, US, on Phonogram! Made my friend price it on the spot and walked out the shop with my new prize. It's VG with a tick on the end of Side 1 and a brief pop on Side 2, plays and sounds closer to VG+ otherwise so I''m well pleased.
Just re-watched this episode again. Unlike our N. American cousins, there's no hyperbole, a rambling minute or two at the beginning.
Straight forward this is my opinion, my knowledge, my passion.
Also your passion for Kraftwerk has made them a firm favourite of mine under the genre of F@&king Good Music.
Bish
I discovered them in 82 because of Das Model being a hit..I was only 15yrs old and very much into the UK Synth Pop/New Romantic scene but Kraftwerk were so ahead of the game ..I saw them live in Edinburgh on the 82 tour and it remains one of the highlights of my life..
I don't think you have done enough Kraftwerk videos yet! How about a review of the 3D vinyl. I have been listening to this today and it is a stunning record. The production probably beats the originals in some respects. I have Trans Europa Express, Man Machine and Computer World first pressings and I would say the 3D vinyl does sound amazing even more dynamic especially in the bass.
For me Computer World was their ultimate album. I bought this as soon as it was released in 1981 and was in awe at the soundscape and complexity they produced especially on" Home computer "and "Its more fun to compute." This was there high point in pushing electronic music into the future . They were avant garde and challenging tracks that they never exceeded afterwards. Of course Computer Love, Numbers and Pocket calculator were beautiful compositions but the last 2 tracks on Computer World defy analysis almost. I remember seeing them live back in the 1980's and before they came on stage they let their computers play music in an abstract free fall fashion that was as much art as it was music/sound.
Incredible band the like of whom we will certainly not see again and I would say their electronic music and recording perfection is still some of the best in all recorded music.
I still have my 7" of "The Model". I remember listening to it through headphones and being blown away :-) In fact, I'm going to re-live that experience right now!
Very informative video.
Living in the States, I was not really familiar with Kraftwerk until I moved to Dubai in the mid-80s and became a regular visitor to the GM factory/offices in Rüsselsheim. I'd stay in Wiesbaden and walking around the town and visiting the clubs, I heard their music. Your videos have given me the interest to re-explore their catalogue, so thanks for that.
The four guys still dominate the teeth around Düsseldorf.
❤Heike
Good thing I'm a good girl. 😇
Kraftwerk never released a crap album !!! Cheers Michael !
Your passion shows. Them Dusseldorf boys are the leaders of avant-garde electro pop. Sometimes you need to stand still to regroup. Chapeau Michael, chapeau.
Fascinating storytelling from point of view of hometown fans. So cool. I got chills. It never even occurred to me that Kraftwerk could be a local band in the sense of everyone rallying for them, the pride instilled. I could listen to hours more of this!
Enjoy your talks. Thanks. Saw Kraftwerk live in May 1981, Liverpool. Didn't know their music at the time. Was accompanying a friend who loved the group. Still - incontestably - the most thrilling concert I've ever seen. Listened to Neonlicht the other night through headphones. Still one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard.
„Neonlicht“ - the point, when they finally got me ❤
Can you make a episode of all the German albums and excellent pressings that most of us are not aware of? Frank Farian and his team created some fine music with their Boney M back in the late 70's and 80's and I did buy the complete album of 8 LP's. It is one of my favourite LP's to play for old times sake and has excellent audio quality.
The funny thing is that "The Model" peaked in the UK charts only in early 1982 and after the release of the Computer World album and not in 1978. I suppose this is because it perfectly fitted into the English musical zeitgeist of the early eighties with all of these new synth pop and new wave bands around at this time (we all know their names).
Michael,
sooo nice to be there.
❤Heike
LOVE your glasses. I miss Europe so much, fashion, food, lifestyle and ofc Kraftwerk! I'm fortunate to have lived in Europe for 20 years and to have interviewed these geniuses.
I've been saying that Kraftwerk is my favorite band since Radio-Activity was first released. And the response has usually been..."Kraftwerk's not music!" (The North American consensus) Yeah, well the majority of today's music sounds a lot more like Kraftwerk than The Beatles. I don't listen to Kraftwerk often, they're for special occasions. But when I do drop some Kraftwerk I again realize that they truly are my favorite band, nobody else puts a smile on my face like they do. Kraftwerk's not just a band, it's a philosophy.
Hello Michael-I was trying to place your German accent and always suspected NRW, now I know! I lived off Stockumerkirchstrasse in the 90s when I worked for Kindersender Nickelodeon which was based at Zollhof 11 (by the Rheinturm) My one regret is not stalking their Kraftwerk studio when I lived there! I used to go running by the Messe listening to ComputerWorld. Thanks for the wonderful tribute/analysis.
Really enjoying Kraftwerk and the albums you reviewed. They were well ahead of the time and opened the door for many new artist. Nice to know about the LL for the OG.
Wieder ein tolles Video Michael. Danke
Immer wieder gerne!
I don't know ow why I enjoy watching this guy. But always looking forward to the next video. I think it's because it's so calming. 🤔🤔🤔
Our Michael is a Kraftwerk fan with heart and soul. I'm right there with him.
I'm also still a big fan of La Düsseldorf. Düsseldorfers don't know how to brew beer 😉😂, but they do know music.
So passionate about your hometown band and you should be Kraftwefk are just brilliant.Love your channel keep it up cheers.
Those are my favorite Kraftwerk albums. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd choose "The Man-Machine". I love "The Robots", "The Model" and "Neon Lights".
Thank you for this wonderful video. I've been a fan of Kraftwerk since the 80s when an indie radio stations in San Francisco played The Model, Telephone Call and Tour de France. I only realise know how they were so ahead of their time. They were such amazing artists.
Yes! I love when you make videos on Kraftwerk and any Duesseldorf artists! Maybe I'm in the minority here in the US, but I was not aware of Kraftwerk at all until the recent, middle years of my life. I believe that it was 9ne of your earlier videos that actually made me research Kraftwerk. I'm haven't decided which album I favorite, but my favorite song is Die Roboter on Die Mensch Maschine. So, now I own 6 Kraftwerk albums with all of them being vintage German pressings except Autobahn which I own in a vintage US pressing.
Glad you spoke about the English pressings as well, as I had always heard they were inferior to the German pressings. I heard that in addition to lyrics and mastering, that the English mixes were also different? When I say I heard, I mean someone told me. I have not listened to the English pressings myself.
Great video Michael!! I will be perfectly happy with more Kraftwerk videos!!!
subscribed immediately after you said ANOTHER kraftwerk video. :D
Liked and subscribed! I have the full set of Kraftwerk albums and I love them!
This is very interesting too !.😊
I saw your other video on Kraftwerk, really great. I remember the hit song here in the UK, it was so different from anything else at the time here. I just listened to Autoban and Radio activity with headphones due to the time and they sound so modern. 👍
My OG Kraftwerk LPs all sound amazing. Well worth seeking our, especially these 3
Such an amazing history of this Iconic German band from Düsseldorf.
No 1 in the Uk was a big prize in them days.
Great information Michael regarding the originals,extremely helpful.I was gonna go for the reissues but
I will be on the search for originals of those 3 albums ,
Always loved The Model & We are the Robots,
Thanks for sharing,an insight into such a cool band,
Until the next video Michael ✊
Man machine and Autobahn are my two favorites thanks for the video my friend enjoyed it
Michael - I think you're spot on about Mensch Machine: Not expanding the territory of electronic rock music - but more likely (partly) driven to get commercial succes. And in that sense they were successful... Definitely not their most interesting album - but still a good one though.
bowie and joy division were HEAVILY influenced by kraftwerk in the mid to late 70s
LOVE THIS!!!! I wonder if your OG MENSCH MASCHINE could have been my copy?....just my fantasy I guess....but then again.......I bought the album in Dusseldorf and gifted it to a boy who was the child of my girlfriends friend...we were heading off to Greece by train (of course) and I hated the thought of carrying it around and not being able to listen to it.........SUMMER 1978
Amazing band. Great video Michael
Sehr cooles Video. Es wird dich umhauen…habe 3 (!!!) Kraftwerk Alben…Autobahn, Menschmaschine und Computerwelt…😂
I absolutely adore Kraftwerk. _Always_ in heavy rotation. Back when I was away at school in 1974, a friend wrote me a letter about this band he'd heard on the local FM station late at night, and said it was like nothing he'd ever heard. Of course, we all had Autobahn as soon as we could. I quickly grabbed Ralph & Florian - I wish I had the money at the time for the import with its circuit board/engine embossed cover. I do have an 80's German pressing of their first 2 in a Vertigo special double album. Sadly, all I have are first US pressings since German (even UK) imports of Kraftwerk were practically non-existent even in San Francisco in the 70's. I agree about Mensch Maschine, I think they knew Karl's pop tendencies and wanted at least 1 radio hit. Computerwelt perfectly straddled pop with experimental, probably my favorite. Radioaktivitat's minimalism was hard to digest after Autobahn, but now I embrace its genius, which of course led to Trans Europe Express. Absolutely brilliant string of records from Ralph & Florian to Computer World. It's a shame that Art of Noise shook them up so badly, they never really recovered.
Great vid Michael - loved the first person storytelling approach! I have always shied away from Kraftwerk as a fan of electronica...ty for the encouragement & going to put them in rotation this week!
Great stuff. You need to get the japanese single “Dentaku” Pocket Calc. That version is so crisp and sharp you will be astonished. Guten Abend und danke sehr.
You briefly touch on a very interesting topic; the cultural aspect of Kraftwerk in Germany. I have several German friends that have helped me understand the deeper impact. In my opinion, It’s a phenomenon lost on most American fans. In fact, the cultural aspects of Krautrock in general are vital to any real understand of the music. Perhaps one day take a deep dive into this are of the genre. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective on the music.
Great video, I didn't know about the Model/Modell thing. Good copies of this album are hard to find in my experience but essential to have the US and the German. BTW you might want to run the titles for your videos past a native speaker. 'Reach climax' and 'seminal' that close together..........
Spiegelsaal!
The title to this video...SEHR RIskant!!!
Thanks Michael - great video as always. It’s interesting what you say about ‘Die Mensch Maschine’ … it never occurred to me that they took a slight step back after enlisting Karl Bartos as a strategy in order to finally claim that coveted U.K. Number 1 but it has a ring of truth about it - especially as they stormed back in 81 with ‘Computerwelt’ laying down the blueprint for dance music that still resonates to this day. Excellent stuff 👍 btw if you are in Den Bosch next month you may see a R&F on a rear display - I saw one in November, near mint 1100 Euros 🙏😳
OK, so for Mensch Maschine it's easy to tell which is the first version because of the Modell/Model typos. But what about Trans Europa Express? Discogs only lists one official pressing of the German version until the reissue in 2009. They can't come all from the same lacquer, the album didn't sell that badly.
For Ralf & Florian I've got an US pressing from 1975 for 19€ and it sounds great. I also gave up on finding a good copy of 1 & 2 for a reasonable price and just got the UK double album with these two albums.
And if you plan to compare Autobahn OG vs. reissue definately get the Compilation "Doppelalbum" with the typical blue Autobahn sign. It has the best sounding version of Autobahn (the song, not the album) in my opinion. There is also a big part of 1 & 2 on it and you can get it for pretty cheap.
I'm an Autobahn man myself. 🙂
Yes! Radioactivity and T.E.E. next 🖤
Not sure if you're right about the OG of Mensch-Maschine. The version you showed has a paper inner sleeve, indicating a later pressing.
Never a click or a pop on Michael's records!! Never! Bahhh
Great memories hearing 'Autobahn' broadcast on FM radio in its entirety at 2 am in the morning in the 1970s, before the other releases came into being. Doesn't happen anymore, another cultural artifact from the past (no money in it, sadly that's what its come to these days). I've seen several live bootleg albums being sold in San Francisco, not sure if they are authorized (EU pressings). Performances from the era. Not lucky enough to have the original German albums, but the re-presses
Ralf & Florian was their peak in my opinion. The best of their old krautrock meets the future. Never surpassed that one.
Interesting you say this, I once asked some folks at the local deaf club which one they regarded as the zenith, R and F was their pick. I recall R and F thinking R and F was rubbish, eventually
You're entitled to your opinion, of course - but I think you're in a minority of one here.
@@miketomlin6040? I think you’re missing the nuance. That record actually is very prescient and has the first instances of what would later become the “Kraftwerk” sound-except done more ambient and avante garde on Ralf & Florian. It’s a beautiful, dreamy bewildering record. I’m sorry you folks don’t get it. That doesn’t take away from anything they did later. Nor did I say that. I love all Kraftwerk. I’m just saying the third album is a masterpiece that hits different.
@@bigsweetc6 I was impressed by TanzMusik back in the day, an early example of an attempt to merge minimalism with a more synth pop aesthetic. Calming, hypnotic...but quite amateur when compared to their later efforts or the finest moments of the A grade Minimalists. I'm not surprised R and F dismiss the LP as youngsters arsing around seeking to find their teleology so to speak. That being said in the Krautrock/pop canon a better effort than most.
I remember Kraftwerk for using the Casiotone VL-80. Going to collect this from Rhino label who make some of the finest pressings.
Just ordered the three LP remix set. Going to collect all their albums.
Not sure if you have covered the topic of an English first pressing to a German first pressing? Another great video, thanks!
Interesting in that I'm a fan of the period that ends with Trans Europe Express. I found these "middle" albums a bit too "pop" for my taste.
It's all brought together with great power on the live "Minimum Maximum" album, which I end up listening to most of all.
Not sure that I would use the words "climax" and "seminal" in the same title sequence/sentence 😂
Karl Bartos was to Kraftwerk what Alan Wilder was to Depeche Mode, Jan Hammer to Miami Vice and Vangelis to Blade Runner.
Michael, you're a few years older than me. Of course we grew up in the same era, I didn't hear Kraftwerk until '86. Didn't love them at all back then. Were they really that big in Germany????
i would say so Fester
Computer World really is their pinnacle IMHO.
I go for Trans Europe Express
@@KS-yy2fu Purely subjective and to personal taste, for sure. 😉
@@pdox23 Agreed. Fun Fact: First time Kraftwerk on vinyl for me was listening to Afrika Bambata's Planet Rock.
@@KS-yy2fu First time I heard Kraftwerk was when Autobahn got into the UK charts, as a kid. I school friend of mine was a fan and used to play me his purchases. I started listening properly when I first heard Radioactivity.
Oh absolutely, what a masterpiece
💙
You sound like your in Kraftwerk 😂
JA JA JA
hatte die Mensch Machine first press nicht eine bedruckte Innenhülle auf Karton ?
die ist ja auch dabei :-) im short siehst du sie
It's funny, I saw Kraftwerk live at the Greek Theater around 20 years ago. They didn't play a live performance. They stood there and played recorded music with videos. I was disappointed. The followup band Roxy Music did perform live though.
No, they do not play recorded music. Actually their performances are today more "live" then they were in the eighties. It is just that they have all their sounds and sequences stored in their computer systems, but they can change and modify them as they wish at any moment with real-time access. This is not what is usually understood by "playing back recorded music". There are actually some videos on CZcams filmed from an angle where you can look at their desks and see exactly what they are doing.
@@markusberzborn6346 It was mid 90's when I saw them. It wasn't just me that was disappointed. The people I was with were saying: what is this, there just standing there.
Of course they are standing there. What else are they supposed to do? They play only electronic instruments, no guitars, no drums, no brass etc.
@@markusberzborn6346 The problem is they weren't playing anything including anything electronic.
This was in the mid 90's. I have most of their lp's.
One of my favourite bands, but I thought Computer World was weak. Only listen to their seminal quadruplicity of vinyls prior to this disappointment.
I disagree that Die Mensch-Maschine was the only time they were behind. By 1986 they were no longer even close to being on the leading edge, they were just another electronic pop band. House music was in full swing and had been for a year or so, electro had already come and gone to be replaced by freestyle, hi-nrg & italo were in full swing, hip-hop had been using electronic beats for 2+ years, and Detroit techno was starting to form. Even on the electronic pop side you had Depeche Mode, Art of Noise, Thomson Twins, Human League, and countless other bands. Compare Electric Cafe to the music of 84-86 and it's just another electronic album. Probably why this is my least favorite of their releases.
This is true. When Electric Café was released synthesizers, sequencers and computers were already a common thing in music. Kraftwerk even expressly mentions this in the "Techno pop" lyrics: "Synthetic electronic sounds, Industrial rhythms all around". Still Kraftwerk's music as such was (and is) very different from the bands mentioned.
Ok, but the Beatles are better. Mazzy told me so, so it must be true.