Kraftwerk : Classic or Dud

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Proto-electro genius or annoying teutonic plinkers? I know where I stand : utterly classic from Autobahn onwards!! You know what to do.

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Beyond Klassik naturlich, Herr Doktor C! All albums between Autobahn and Computer World, essential as say...ABBA. 'Expo 2000' is wicked too. Life would suck without them. Clever, funny, somehow funky and able to touch the heart in new beautiful ways. Reynolds recent comments on 'Neon Lights' as almost religious music are spot-on.

― Omar, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No doubt they are classic. The most classic band there has ever been a classic or dud question asked about. Peerless.

― james e l, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I finally got Expo 2000 the other week, and it is indeed magnificent. Am I the only person in the world who likes "Electric Cafe"?

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bravo, Dr.C....we meet again on common ground. Kraftwerk are Kompletely KlassiK, and to assert otherwise is Krazy. ACHTUNG!

I'm the operator with my pocket calculator.....

― alex in nyc, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Somebody must hate them!

― Dr. C, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Not me! They're the best. I honestly don't even think them overrated. I do think Trans Europe Express is a bit too highly praised, though. I find that one their least interesting album up through Computer World. That said, I do like "Franz Schubert" a lot. Kraftwerk were the best band at ending albums, always with a perfectly pitched emotional twist. See "Ohm Sweet Ohm."

Tanya should be by soon enough...

― Mark, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Can't help you there Dr. C, but I would say that if your starting point is 'Autobahn' then you're missing out on the 'Ralf and Florian' alb, my favourite, and much less 'prog' (whatever) than 'Autobahn'. You used to be able to get this on a bootleg cd that came out around the same time as the other 'unofficial' re-releases of their early albs (which I also love, but recognise that they could be much more of an 'acquired taste'.)

― Andrew, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hmm, Kraftwerk. That Ladytron/Depeche ripoff band, right? Lame.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yer a poophead, Ned. Kraftwerk are utterly amazing all the way up to Electric Cafe, and even the Mix had a couple of interesting moments. I am one of those weirdos that even loves the material before Autobahn, almost moreso, because while the electronic phase of their career was certainly classic beyond classic, the early material was groundbreaking in a number of ways, and it's a shame that it's so hard to get ahold of. I'd put "Ruckzuck" up against anything from their later years.

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ja, Kraftwerk sind sehr gut, aber 'Expo 2000' ist sehr schlecht.

― The Dirty Vicar, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hello, Sean, I am *kidding*. Which I presume you knew all along. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ned, i don't think he was commenting on your "joke." it struck me as a very general sort of thing. "ned, yer a poophead." it works well in any thread, mostly because it's true.

― fred solinger, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Actually, it was a bit of both!

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You are both *mean* to me and I'm going to cry bitter tears. *does so* There.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Awww, quit being a crybaby and tell us how you really feel about Kraftwerk.

― Sean Carruthers, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, they're wonderful, no question. Got all the early out of print albums even, and some of that stuff is quite grand. Fave album -- _Trans Europe Express_.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thanks, and thank you, folks. Make sure you join us for our next performance sometime next week in the Styx: Classic or Dud? thread. Don't forget to polish off your laser-etched copies of Paradise Theater!

― Sean Carruthers, Thursday, 3 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wait!!! Don't finish yet!!!! I've not stuck my oar in!!!!!!

Anyways... Classic!!! Well, apart from "Kraftwerk 2". Amazing to think that perhaps the most influential electronic group ever, the guys who did "Computer World" and influenced Detroit techno, NY electro and so on, did some really embarrasing stuff. But a major part of the "Kraftwerk 2" LP is really pissawful. "Klingklang" and "Strom"- both relly nice tracks- and that's about it as far as the good stuff goes. "Atem" sounds like someone taking Aphex Twin's idea of lucid dreaming a bit far, and recording himself snoring. Now, while "Spule 4" appears to be an influence on PritStik's "Dum de dum We Don't the Words", and so is of course, brilliant, the following track "Wellange" sounds like Joy Division circa 1979 tuning up. For nearly ten minutes! (One could imagine some Wane Carr/Chris Moyles type playing this one for about 2 minutes, fade off saying something like "Yeah, well, we'll leave them to it for a bit", then as a running joke, keep coming back to it every so often. "Oh that reminds me, are those Kraftwerk folks still banging on back there...? [Fade on bit of track] ... Yep, thought so!") And the ending track "Harmonika" sounds like something PritStik would record if they were really boring and feeling really depressed. Strangely enough, "Kraftwerk 2" didn't sell as much as their previous album...

Old Fart!!!!

― Old Fart!!, Thursday, 3 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I bottled my opportunity to talk to them at Tribal Gathering. Walking towards each other in a field, I got eye contact about twenty metres away, then in the next five seconds I suffered a complete loss of faith. He looked so friendly, yet Korrect. Instead I pathetically waved, nodded and walked on, I've been cursing myself ever since.

― K-reg, Friday, 4 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pure classic in th early years (Kraftwerk 1 and 2, Ralf anf Florian, Autobahn) still) but I'm still undecided about their later stuff, maybe need to listen to it more but it sort of sounds really dated, more so than the early albums, which is strange. Anyway 'Ruckzuck' is one of the greatest flute-based tracks ever recorded and Ananas Symphonie is just absolutely insane...which is nice.

― achilles_last_stand, Saturday, 12 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

well, just for a bit of variety, i'll say that i found _radio- activity_ fairly lame and boring. i actually really liked _the mix_. what i've heard from _t-e e_ was good, esp "metal on metal."

― sundar subramanian, Sunday, 13 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

Don't really like the early stuff (first album through to Autobahn), hate side two of Electric cafe (sounds like New Order)...love everything else (esp Radioactivity). I even love Expo 2000. They're great live too, oddly enough.

― David, Friday, 10 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

six months pass...

fucking classic!!!

though i could not stop laughing after reading what tanya headon had to say about kraftwerk a while back.

― geeta, Sunday, 17 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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