# Where it all began: Krautrock!



## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

While Anglo Rock, ie., from English-speaking countries, was based on blues and rock and roll influences, Krautrock was divorced from these influences and sought to establish a new kind of popular rock music. The experiment was a huge success, as it not only revitalized the globally dominant and stagnant Anglo rock, but it gave birth to electronic, ambient, post-punk, Neue Deutsche Welle/New Wave, post-rock, industrial, synthpop, New Age, etc., by blending it with diverse influences, such as jazz, contemporary classical music, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, etc.

I was a huge fan in my teens and twens (German slang, English, too? derived from English twenty, means a person aged 20-29). I was keenly into Can, Amon Düül II, Klaus Schulze, Cluster, Kraftwerk, Popol Vuh, Ash Ra Tempel, and loads more. While my interest in the regular rock scene has pretty much fizzled to a lingering nostalgia for the old faves, I still like Krautrock bands and have actually replaced many of the more representative albums on CD and even listen to them sometimes 

Were any of you Krautrock fans? What were your favourite groups? Do you still listen or follow the bands and their successors?


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2014)

The only Krautrock band I can think of that I have had any experience with was Kraftwerk, and only fleetingly. I had their Trans-Europe Express album. It rather bored me. I only got it because I had read that one of my favorite bands at the time, Joy Division, had been heavily influenced by Kraftwerk and started adding in synthesizers where they were originally more of a straightforward guitar/bass/drums punk band. Kraftwerk didn't leave a lasting impression on me, although I can still hum the tune to "Trans-Europe Express," which isn't that hard as it is pretty long and repetitive.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

This is the only record I have. It's a jam, but a good one!


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

True, DrMike. I think, and the music intelligentsia (Allmusic, professional critics, etc.) seems to agree, that Trans Europa Express is Kraftwerk's finest album. Unfortunately, I think they got too much into noodling, so they managed to take three or four great songs--Europa Endlos, Spiegelsaal, Schaufensterpuppen, Trans Europa Express--and turn them into a whole album. While developing themes is what makes classical music great, this music is simply not complex enough to support the thesis. The sometimes inexact repetition in the songs brings to mind Morton Feldman, though.

Kraftwerk are also great businessmen, as they do not sell compilation albums with only their best songs, so you have to buy a whole, and rather costly, album for the three songs you like and have to take all of that pointless electro-wizardry along with it.

I never got much into Joy Division, but I like a few of their songs. As far as I am concerned, they also managed to put out albums with three or four great songs and fill the rest with a lot of stuff that sounds similar, but is rather vapid, although they did it in a different way than Kraftwerk did


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

starthrower said:


> This is the only record I have. It's a jam, but a good one!


I never got much into them. They seemed more rock and jamming oriented, rather than experimental. Ich bin mit diesem Album ausgestiegen (I disembarked with this album)


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm no expert but I always liked Kraftwerk's peak period (Autobahn though to Man Machine) and, to a lesser extent, Can. I preferred both the dry precision and the detached irony of these bands rather than the fluffy soundscapes of Tangerine Dream or the loose avant garde-ism of Amon Duul II (although I can listen to both of them). Faust was one band that piqued my interest purely because of their knotty anti-commercialism but I never got around to investigating them.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I suppose I came to much of the non British, European rock scene too late. I just don't have the time to listen to all of these bands. Right now I'm into the Polish band SBB. But I doubt they would appeal to the avant/experimental listeners. Probably more to the mainstream prog or fusion fans.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Neither do I. While only 65% of my discs are classical, I spend nearly all of my free time for music on classical. The rest of it--rock, jazz, mostly--is just sort of there because I used to listen to those albums and like them for old times sake.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> I'm no expert but I always liked Kraftwerk's peak period (Autobahn though to Man Machine) and, to a lesser extent, Can. I preferred both the dry precision and the detached irony of these bands rather than the fluffy soundscapes of Tangerine Dream or the loose avant garde-ism of Amon Duul II (although I can listen to both of them). Faust was one band that piqued my interest purely because of their knotty anti-commercialism but I never got around to investigating them.


The other Kraftwerk album I like, and I might even suggest that it is my real favourite, is Radio-Activity. Here, they were still doing albums with songs and not, as on the subsequent albums, extended soundscapes.

As far as I am concerned, Amon Düül were really mainly a psychedelic rock band. I was very heavily into them as a teen. In their beginnings, they were pretty wild, but later, they settled into a more standard rock format, with their own sound, of course.

I think Tangerine Dream is likely the band that transitioned me to classical music. They left me wanting more and I found it, but not where I would ever have expected.

Can is likely the band, of this set, that I still like the most. Some of it is embarrassingly dated, like Suzuki's lysergic lyrics, but they really did do some pretty groundbreaking stuff that has weathered well.

Curiously, I never got into Faust. They are often cited as being so influential. I bought two of their albums about two years ago, and I wish I hadn't  Knotty is right. They did some okay stuff, I guess, but much of it is pretty raw.

Cluster were really very interesting. So much so, that Brian Eno did a number of albums with them and got his start through them. I don't think it would be dishonest to suggest that he appropriated their sound and got famous on it.


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2014)

I think I enjoyed, more, the bands influenced by Krautrock - especially a lot of the new wave, electronic bands of the 80's and early 90's.


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## DamoX (Sep 14, 2014)

If you love Krautrock and brilliant flute, let me recommend RUFUS ZUPHALL.

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1162

I'm a enooooooooooooooormous Kraut freak.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

^ Me, too: sauerkraut, kimchee, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli... :lol:


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Mahavishnu Orchestra


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I've heard some good stuff by Popol Vuh, but unfortunately I have no idea what album it was.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

brotagonist said:


> Curiously, I never got into Faust. They are often cited as being so influential. I bought two of their albums about two years ago, and I wish I hadn't  Knotty is right. They did some okay stuff, I guess, but much of it is pretty raw.


It's part of their appeal, I think. Their music is the equivalent of a collage. 
Anyway I don't know if you have listened it, but Faust IV is much more "song"-oriented and polished, and there are some of their best pieces, like Krautrock or Jennifer.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Considering the electronic part of Krautrock, two albums I like:












(I love the footage used for the video!)

and the album of Conrad Schnitzler called Gelb 




(this one could be a good soundtrack for a post apocalyptic movie)


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

norman bates said:


> It's part of their appeal, I think. Their music is the equivalent of a collage.
> Anyway I don't know if you have listened it, but Faust IV is much more "song"-oriented and polished, and there are some of their best pieces, like Krautrock or Jennifer.


The two I bought are IV (the 2CD expanded version) and So Far. On IV, the song Krautrock is my favourite, too. Also Jennifer, The Lurcher (I think it was this one--I haven't listened for a while). On So Far, the only title I recall is It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl. That was the song that got me to re-investigate the band.

I probably would have liked them a lot better, if I had gotten into them in the mid-'70s. I've sort of outgrown this sort of stuff, although it still has a lurking appeal


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

+norman bates Yes, Conrad Schnitzler has done some great stuff! Thanks for reminding me


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

I like some krautrock albums a lot:

Neu! - Neu! (excellent, timeless)

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht (seems a little dated sometimes, but it's so unique)

Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra (so good, there's absolutely nothing like it)

Can - Tago Mago (overrated in my opinion, but still quite nice)

Faust - Faust (a difficult album, but very interesting indeed)

These are some of the finest rock records I have ever heard, especially the first 3 - who knows when we will see such a revolutionary wave of new music again.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Irrlicht was a favourite back then (1974ish). Schulze's current stuff pales in comparison, just sequenced dancebeat techno stuff, basically  Good for dancing, though... which makes me think of the Is CM Superior thread? Not for dancing


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I am sure it is only because this achievement of the German musical genius is much too high-brow for my humble intellect... but I was never able to enjoy it, even though I tried to. As someone in YouTube comments to one of Klaus Schulze videos remarked, "where the heck are Bach and Wagner in this noise?"


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Amon Duul II?..............Nice! Wolf City was one of the earliest LP's I bought. Its never far from my turntable either!


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2014)

brotagonist said:


> While Anglo Rock, ie., from English-speaking countries, was based on blues and rock and roll influences, Krautrock was divorced from these influences and sought to establish a new kind of popular rock music.


And yet from what I heard of Can, it was fairly well connected to the rock of the period. It doesn't seem to me to be so 'divorced' as you suggest.

I have most of Kraftwerk's werks, my interest generated not by Autobahn at the time ('74?), but like Dr Mike, by their being cited as an influence on the electro-pop bands I liked - Human League, Depeche Mode, OMD. Joy Division were in a wholly different league - I didn't get switched on to them until just after Ian Curtis died, but I did get to see New Order at the Hacienda in 1982 (or was it 83?)


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

MacLeod said:


> And yet from what I heard of Can, it was fairly well connected to the rock of the period. *It doesn't seem to me to be so 'divorced' as you suggest*.


This is my impression as well.

The thread title is also a little confusing "Where it all began". Where _what_ all began, exactly?

Electronic music already existed before krautrock. Pop and rock already existed before krautrock. Some of these bands are certainly influential and interesting to explore, as a style though I just don't think it was quite as groundbreaking as the way its being portrayed in the OP. It seems the majority of the more significant bands that played and/or were influenced by krautrock were also heavily influenced (probably more influenced) by "Anglo Rock".


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Well, there is always Entschenkopf's The portals of discovery:

View attachment 53319


Review:
This is one of the rarest of Krautrock albums, with original LP's easily fetching 500 euro on the second hand market. Entschenkopf only made this one album in 1974 before their break-up, and no more than 1000 pieces were pressed. It did not stop the rumours going throughout the seventies that this was an absolute gem of a record, one of the best in the genre. Well, last year the long lost master tapes were discovered in the archives of the record company, and with this CD release, we can finally judge for ourselves. You know what? It is a masterpiece. The original A-side has three excellent songs, each lasting around 6 minutes, with a more psychedelic sound than most of their Krautrock contemporaries. The B-side contained the 20 minutes title track, an incredible space jam interspersed with beautiful melodic vocal lines. An essential addition to any rock collection.

Link.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Art Rock said:


> Well, there is always Entschenkopf's The portals of discovery:
> Link.


...haha I actually u-tubed that before I read your blog. :scold::clap:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Derivative, but enjoyable.


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Of all the bands mentioned so far that I know I've only liked Joy Division a whole lot, although for a relatively short period. Most of what followed directly after that in the 80's new wave I liked for even a shorter period and quite dislike now, with the exception of Tuxedomoon. 

Although I can walk into Germany within an hour from where I live I never grew fond of any German band. It's difficult to find the right words for that but somehow it's always too one dimensional, maybe too straight or serious. There are only a few exceptions to this: Nina Hagen will forever stay in my heart as completely unique, I love Kristallnach by BAP and some songs by Udo Lindenberg. And some Einstürzende Neubauten. But that's all far removed from Krautrock.


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