Can: Proto-HORDE or Genius?

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There are some moments where Can really sends me into fits of ecstatic rush, but there are others when I can't help but think of hackysack footing crusties trapped in a drum circle, with numerous hand percussionists aiming their blank sights skyward. Anyone else think this way, or is it just me? Catch me on a bad day and I might mistake the early part of Chain Reaction for Rusted Root. Blasphemy, I know. But I surely can't be alone in this...

― Andy, Wednesday, 13 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

thorny issue! calculated to provoke shaven-headed chinstrokers everywhere.

The odd thing about can, and the trait that sets them apart from most kraut rockers i've heard is their propensity to alternate between wild bouts of preposteruos self -indulgence & incredibly minimailst economical, icy-cool beautiful pop. mostly these two tendencies co- exist famously, the most extreme case being (i reckon) future days: i mean moonhake & bel air represent total polar opposites of the songwriting spectrum. Essentially, i think whenever the tunes take a back seat to abstract drum solos the spell is broken and the prog behemoth is unleashed.

― cw, Wednesday, 13 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm with Julian Cope on this one(about the only time I'm with Julian Cope, but bear with me.) The first 4 albums are superb, my favorites being 'Monster Movie' and 'Ege Bamyashi', the next two are okay in places, 'Can Delay 68' is brilliantly raw - but calculated - and the rest are complete garbage. I'm more of a Harmonia man myself though...

― Chewshabadoo@talk21.com, Wednesday, 13 December 2000 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three weeks pass...

About 8 years I bought "Tago Mago" because it was supposed to be the best far-out shit since "On the Corner". First half was decent psychedelic funk, the second half was self-indulgent crap (bit like the set-up of Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma" really). That put me off Can for some good years. Which is a shame because later I found out that "Future Days" and "Soon..." are perfect records, without the farting noises and Zen-chants. So Andy I guess you're not alone.

― Omar Munoz, Wednesday, 3 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three weeks pass...

can rule. they are a perfect band. fuck all the playa hatas.

― swastika mcfuckface, Thursday, 25 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

All the modern hippy bands (I know they're not really "bands" but I don't know any more up-to-date word for modern-type pop-group-brand-name-entities yet) that sound sorta like they're influenced by Can are slick and dull, so if you go for a while without listening to any actual Can stuff it's easy to start thinking "oh yeah, Can, boring". Actually very little of even their most half-formed experiments are "boring"...how 'bout that dumm remix album & how they called it "Sacrilege" - fuckin' wishful thinking if ever there was such - it wasn't 'sacreligious', merely pointless & boring.

― D.Zarakov, Thursday, 25 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

So what's the word on that Can Live double cd? I've seen it lying around and I'm tempted to check it out. Are there some good...ahem...jams on it? Or do they fart about?

― Omar, Tuesday, 27 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've heard about 30 minutes of it, Omar, and it was very good. Jamming, yes. Farting about? Of course! But GOOD farting about, if you ask me. I don't actually know what tracks I heard, nothing I recognized anyway.

I realize these comments are not very helpful. Sorry.

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 27 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Actually they help esp. coming from the a trustworthy fellow like yourself. Ahem...one track is 45 minutes long and there are not too many recognizable songs on it, bless AMG. I'm just hoping for some full-out psychedelic funk instead of say 30 minutes a la 2nd disc of 'Tago Mago' (almost a definition of farting about ;)

― Omar, Tuesday, 27 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh it had a beat alright. Jaki was rolling round the kit in the usual way. By the way, got Daft Punk yesterday. Early days, but probable classic I think. BIG classic. How long has Eddie Van Halen been in Daft Punk? ;)

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 27 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The live Can double CD covers 1971-1977. An easy comparison is Miles Davis's live double CDs of the 1970s, in that there is a just a wall of sound (nothing too describable, just "sound"). Depending on the time frame that the song is taken from, it does become more subtle and ambient (the Rosko Gee era is pretty quiet) or becomes heavy on the guitar God wankery (the 1975 recorded stuff).

― Vic Funk, Tuesday, 27 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...and with that I'm sold :) Although not today, today I'm going to become father, so a trip down to the cd-shop is out of the question. Mmm, maybe the little one will be a Can-head?

― Omar, Wednesday, 28 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You realise of course that a "What should Omar call his child?" thread is compulsory....

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thank God I can't find one. ;) It's Hannah btw. A such a beautiful child. Dub and Stereolab seem to calm her. No time for Can at the moment, and just some quick dismissals on some new threads. In a while i'll be first in line again. ;)

― Omar, Tuesday, 3 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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