CAN....S and D?

Search: The first six albums (Monster Movie, Soundtracks, Tago Mago (!), Ege Bamyasi, Future Days, Soon Over Babaluma).

Destroy: Pretty much everything else, although Landed has its moments.

'Monster Movie' is still my fave, tho' - and personally I LOVE the lyrics to 'Yoo Doo Right' (so does Bobby Gillespie - he pretty much lifted them wholesale for 'Movin' On Up'....)

Destroy: the mostly v. poor remix alb.

Can is awesome. I wouldn't put them in the same "must hear" category as somebody like Kraftwerk, though. All the albums I have (thru Future Days) have both dull moments and great tracks. I kind of wish they'd been an instrumental band.

It starts getting good from Soundtracks on. Future Days is simply awesome.

The whole disco period is ok, if you're a big Can fan, but I wouldn't start there (although I love Holger Czukay's "Movies" album).

What I've heard of Ege Bamyasi and Tago Mago sounded appealing, especially the former.

anyway, my favorite is still probably future days although everything they did has moments.

Destroy: _Out of Reach_, which the band hated so much it's never been reissued, and with good reason.

Tons of Can threads so might as well revive this one for this link -- Irwin Schmidt on food, music and democracy:

http://thequietus.com/articles/00813-irmin-schmidt-of-can-on-food-and-cooking-plus-a-recipe-tip

I know it's not meant to be any good, but the completist in me needs to buy a copy of 'Out Of Reach' - are any of the CD versions better or worse than others in terms of sound quality? I've read that, since it's been disowned and not officially reissued, the CD versions often come from poorly done vinyl transfers.
Any tips for which of the grey-area CD versions to try and locate?

Thanks

If there's a Can forum or similar where such a question might also have been answered by knowledgeable geeks then please point me that way too.

I dont know about sound quality, but there are several different versions floating around - at least in Europe. The one released by Audelic contains Out Of Reach and the self titled album and is pretty cheap, there should be also a more recent version from Cleopatra (!) that according our supplier's database should be easily available.

Thanks Marco. I didn't think to check for standardly available copies, assuming that the grey-area aspect would write them off, but I think I see the copy you mention, thought the UK distributor for Cleopatra isn't entirely clear and we definitely don't deal with whoever Synergie are ourselves. I'll try to see if maybe Cargo, F-Minor or PHD have it on their books.

I think that all these versions are basically non-legit.
I saw the Cleopatra version is available through Bertus, a big Dutch supplier: I'm pretty sure all good UK distributors work with them.

Cheers, that will probably help to know. If I can get it through the shop that's a bonus as I have a lot of left over holiday pay to write off.

add to search: the peel sessions - "Up the Bakerloo Line w/Annie" sounds like an acid trip. in a good way

I found it on a mp3 blog a few nights ago, Haven't listend to it yet.... not actually sure I want to. nothing worse than a bad album by a favourite band.

Oh, I know it's not meant to be good. I want it purely for completeness reasons.

Is it 'bad'?

Or just 'bad by their standards'?

It is truly and definitely BAD: the eponymous album has more than a couple of good moments, but Out Of Reach is pretty indefensible.
That said, I'm the proud owner of a copy exactly for the same reasons of Krakow. :)
The BBC album, instead, is marvellous and a fascinating glimpse into the band's compositional methods.

The best things on it are the Rosko Gee songs

Anyone else think "Inner Space" is under-rated? I'm not sure it's up there with the canonical records, but it's close IMO.

first time I've heard the recorded version of this track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxFYCE6VIt4&feature=related

delay is ok... "the thief" is a banger

Is Cannibalism worth bothering with? The remix of Yoo Doo Right sounds like warmed-over trip hop to me...

you mean Sacriliege? the Cannabalism albums are just compilations

Cannibalism 2 has a few of my fave Can moments (the crazy/fun Mother Upduff is supposedly a true story; Turtles Have Short Legs one of damo's best vocals; Shikiku Maru Ten also excellent wierdness)
the first Cannibalism is less essential if you already have the early Can records but there's a few different mixes iirc.
and yeah, Sacrilege had a couple pieces i liked but i only recall the Sonic youth one right now....

cannibalism ii's just such a great listen - it's edited together so well, the first clutch of songs p much sync up & match jaki's drums up iirc.

I never tried Cannibalism 1 since I have all the albums, plus I hate how "Yoo Doo Right" is the only full length piece there. Cannibalism 2 seems good but if you have Radio Waves and Unlimited Edition then it's kinda superfluous. Cannibalism 3 is a collection of solo material and it's actually pretty entertaining (though disappointing if you're expecting a lot of great instrumental stuff). As for the remix collection, I really thought it was a big wasted opportunity, you'll probably wind up liking 1-2 of the remixes and find the others a waste of time

Ah yes, sorry, I do mean Sacrilege. It's the 3p mix of Yoo Doo Right that didn't sound too great to me, some of the other remixers might do a better job though.

re: Mooney's delivery, "Waiting For The Streetcar" is one of the only songs I've played on FM radio in the last 20 years that got a genuinely angry response

― sleeve, Sunday, 9 March 2025 23:51 (two days ago) link

it's funny - one of the few times anyone ever called in when i was hosting my radio show years back was a gentleman that taught bass and wanted to know the name of the song i'd just played because he wanted to teach it to his novice students. can's "she brings the rain"!

FP'd for Diamanda disrespect xp

yeah wtf. Diamanda rules

all of those goofy try-hard superhero and transformers references and that’s what we’re complaining about

that's just standard pretentious AP nonsense, the casual dismissal of our generation's greatest singer will not stand

one of the few times anyone ever called in when i was hosting my radio show years back was a gentleman that taught bass and wanted to know the name of the song i'd just played because he wanted to teach it to his novice students. can's "she brings the rain"!

btw this rules, and reminds me of Naomi Yang talking in an interview about how for her first bass lessons she brought in Joy Division's "Atmosphere" and the teacher was dismissive of hos simple it was, but to her it was like a huge lightbulb - "I can be this awesome and it's that easy?!?!"

hos how

ugly things podcast has a recent episode with rock writer duncan fallowell, liner notes writer of tago mago and otherwise key friend of the band, worth checking out

btw this rules, and reminds me of Naomi Yang talking in an interview about how for her first bass lessons she brought in Joy Division's "Atmosphere" and the teacher was dismissive of hos simple it was, but to her it was like a huge lightbulb - "I can be this awesome and it's that easy?!?!"

damn didn't know this story, this explains her approach to bass playing so succinctly

that's just standard pretentious AP nonsense, the casual dismissal of our generation's greatest singer will not stand

Yeah, it's no way to talk about Malcolm Mooney.

I like mentioning this every few weeks but I had dinner with Mooney once probably 15 years ago and he was absolutely charming.

nice — i interviewed him a few years ago and he was the coolest guy. i honestly feel like someone should make a movie about him, it's just a great story.

I like mentioning this every few weeks but I had dinner with Mooney once probably 15 years ago and he was absolutely charming.

A cannection?

OK here is something I've seen before: a brief clip of Can playing in the studio - an unreleased track unless my ears deceive me - followed by an even briefer interview (in German) which frustratingly I'm sure there was more of. By Michael's haircut I would date this to 1974/1975?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4B-KOrafyw

... it looks like it doesn't play on ILX but follow the link to watch it on YouTube.

... actually it must be later than '74 because they appear to have a multitrack mixing desk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgt2ZGZn9mg

dudes rock

that clip unfortunately cuts off Leo talking about his character's love for Steely Dan's "Dirty Work"... he listened to it over and over again.

vmic for Anderson’s self-mockery via that character (not that the song is bad, whereas liking it in self-pity is risible, cf Tony Soprano)

warming to Del Toro since he reps the late period Can.

the connoisseurs choice.

All gates open for the sensei

Speaking of late period Can, struck again this weekend by how great Inner Space/CAN is. Yes, it peters out at the end, but that first half is fantastic.

I think the way it ends is funny

Was my first Can album and I still think All Gates Open is a top Can song.

im curious for dan or any other can man DJs out there...is the Can singles collection on vinyl a worthy purchase...for the purposes of DJing with vinyl...or better to just get the albums ? I have the CDs of these albums already & try to only buy vinyl I would DJ with, not for 'home listening' but I'm curious about the functional use of the singles collection on say a big system.

oh I dunno, I rarely DJ on big enough systems for anything to matter and regularly mix crappy files with better files and vinyl. I like playing off vinyl because it's easier for me to flip through my records and reorganize them on the fly and people find it really cool looking. The first edit I ever made was Vitamin C to extend the intro to make it easier to mix with, but I probably still just play off a copy of Ege Bamyasi I "borrowed" from a friend 20 years ago. He can have it back if he ever asks.

I have a reissue of I Want More with Aspectable but never really play that.

I also have an early 80s Cherry Red 12" of Turtles Have Short Legs with Moonshake and One More Night, I probably play that more often but not usually prime dance time.

For DJ’ing purposes, Singles is kind of cumbersome as it’s a triple 12”, so it takes up space that could be used for more records. You would need the singles collection to get “Turtles Have Short Legs” and “Silent Night”, so even if you have the other albums, it’s still worth picking up. However, some of the tracks are indifferently mastered from original singles, so you’re not getting an across the board great sounding album, and a big system may make these flaws more noticeable.

no you just need this ;)

https://www.discogs.com/release/2084676-Can-Radio-Waves

hah I've often wondered about getting the Can singles comp for that same reason. but I've got all the records so whatever. I play 'em quite a bit at DJ gigs too, not only do their grooves mix in well with other stuff they're also very well liked by pretty much every crowd I've ever played, so many random people seem to know the band and those that don't sometimes ask what it is. and then are shocked to find out they're from the 70s!

amusingly I met someone at the record shop the other day who was really into later day Can. says he gets the appeal of the early records but Saw Delight was his favorite. even defended Out of Reach, which I'm listening to now...its definitely not as good as Saw Delight or Inner Space but it's halfway decent. people complain about "Like Inobe God" a lot but I find it kind of hilarious. another thing that maybe would be received differently if it wasn't the almighty Can. what really shocks me about the record is that it came only 5 years after Future Days. bands just moved a lot faster in those days!!

yeah inner space/can is absolutely peak for the first five tracks (which is, like, almost all of the album)

...then the Can Can arrives and its as goofy as socks 'n' Birkenstocks.

I never really got into the late albums but didn’t find any of them a complete waste of time. Rite Time still seems to be the black sheep of the catalog but I like it.

It's OK.

I dont think Rite Time is very good but it is at least really strange. it's so drenched in reverb and all the pretty moments are trampled over by Malcolm, who sings more like Wesley Willis than his prior self. the single version of "Hoolah Hoolah" that incorporates part of "Spoon" is so much fun.

I've always wondered how those last three 70s albums (Saw Delight, Out of Reach, Inner Space) would be received if they'd changed the band name. Because this isn't like Yes rotating out keyboard players, on those records it sounds like Can is the backing band for Reebop and Rosko.

It's great for a DJ set for "Turtles Have Short Legs" alone. I was skeptical of the edits but they work. It's a good time (obviously).

i don't think i'd listened to Can/Inner Space in probably 20 years that i'd completely forgotten how hilarious those last 3 tracks were. it's an absolutely great album and then the band just purposefully farts in your face at the end.

Count me among those who think Saw Delight is top tier Can

Same.
Saw Delight is Remain in Light 3 years early!

always thought "Sunshine Day and Night" in particular felt like something they'd do if Byrne lost his voice or something

I dont consider it a top tier record for two records - first, "Don't Say No" is lame, and second the record sounds kinda stuffy to me, it's got very little punch to it, which is odd considering how crisp their previous records are

but its def very good

Don't Say No would be fine if they hadn't already written Moonshake.

i probably play "animal waves" more than any long Can jam these days

I like Rosko Gee's bass playing, easily one of the best things about Traffic's "When the Eagle Flies". Actually Reebop was always good in Traffic too.

Jaki's playing on Animal Waves is worth the 15 minutes alone. I also love the sampling throughout the record. Surely Holger was one of the first to ever do something like that? This was several years before My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. I guess Silver Apples did something similar in their first record.

people had been experimenting with tape collages for a while, Holger himself made the Canaxis LP in 1968 with Rolf Dammers.
for me the first really successful one is Vladimir Ussachevsky's "Wireless Fantasy", blending electicity sounds with samples from shortwave radio broadcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOD_O5SfZHw

in the "pop" context, I've always though Silver Apples use on "Program" was incredibly ahead of it's time.

(xp) Holger did study with Stockhausen after all.

John Cage made pieces incorporating live radio in 1956: https://simpleharmonicmotion.org/john-cages-radio-music/

I wonder how heavy that wire recorder was that Halim El-Dabh was lugging around Cairo in the 1940s, I've never seen a picture of it