There will undoubtedly be a whole bunch of people out there with a clearer insight into all things 'Kosmische' than your host today - especially those visiting from Julian Cope's Head Heritage site. In fact, the great man himself wrote a superb guide entitled 'Krautrocksampler' which should be treated as a set text. At least it would be if it was still in print. I have a copy as a PDF (and would happily fork out if it was available) and can affirm that its lofty reputation is justified. His Top 50 album selections are nicely summarised here by, if i'm not mistaken, a HH regular (unfortunately most of the links within that page seem to be down).
My love of (grits teeth) Krautrock has always been at odds with some of my other musical obsessions. On one hand, i can't get enough of 'Pet Sounds'-type ornate arrangements - my OCD has always given me something of a perfectionist streak when it comes to my own recording (often leaving it sounding woefully short on feel and looseness as a consequence). If only i could channel some of the liberated, explorative feel that characterises most of the finest 70's German fare!
One of my main qualms about the wider interpretation of Krautrock is the way in which the 'motorik' beat is identified as its defining characteristic. Sure, there's a fair bit of 'dom-dom-tish-dom-dom-dom-tish-dom' goin' on(?!), but it's a mere chapter in a pretty convoluted story. The truth is that it was virtually whatever it wanted to be, from the frequently-freeform acid psych of Amon Duul II to the towering, expansive electronic sounds of Tangerine Dream.
There has been a tendency in recent years for middling indie artists to adopt said 'motorik' beat for a couple of songs and then go on in the press about their new, 'experimental' direction (i'm thinking lairy lad-rockers Kasabian for starters). This stuff can be channelled to genuinely interesting effect (Deerhunter for example), but i've grown to be pretty weary of artists flaunting their new Neu! albums a bit too openly. In fact, i've actively avoided such influences in my own recording in recent years as a consequence.
The sheer impact of the bands huddled together under this unfortunate umbrella term is mind-boggling, the depth and breadth of material out there more than a bit daunting. As a consequence, i've just picked out a handful of personal favourites, trying to limit myself to one-album-per-artist and one-track-per-artist. I imagine most readers will be pretty well clued-up on the best known of all the German superheroes, electronic revolutionaries Kraftwerk, so i've specifically avoided any selections from them (although their early work is less well-known and may surprise those expecting another 'Computer World').
On a side-note, there was a BBC4 documentary recently which provided an insight into the scene. It's only an introduction, but it helps to put things into a bit more of an historical perspective. Here's part one from YouTube (part six has lost its audio due to some petty copyright complaints on account of a Bowie clip).
TOP 5 ALBUMS
1. Neu! - Neu! '75 (1975)
A stone-cold classic and one of my favourite albums full stop, this, along with maybe Can's 'Ege Bamyasi', is a great place to begin for a Krautrock neophyte. You get the gentle majesty of 'Isi', the bucolic, expansive wonders of 'Seeland' and 'Leb Wohl', the prescient, heroic pre-punk of, um, 'Hero' and 'After Eight' and the trance-inducing 'E-Musik'. And that's it. There's yer album. Glorious.
'Hero' from Neu! '75. Friends of mine will be all too aware of the extent to which i ripped this off for a Sinbad's Unbelievable Revolution song. Or, if they weren't, they are now!
2. Can - Tago Mago (1971)
Although they started out as a Velvets-influenced snarling rock oddity and even laid down the groundwork for the 'endlose'/'motorik' beat with 'Mother Sky' and 'Father Cannot Yell', Can have become synonymous with the funkier, more groove-based end of the scene. Don't go expecting anything traditionally soulful, though - this is much weirder than that. When i first heard the album, bits of it were borderline terrifying (Damo's yelping, the spooky collage 'Aumgn'). Now, though, i can fully appreciate it for the innovative work it is.
3. Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra (1972)
Here's one to test those Kraut pre-conceptions - nothing much in the way of beats at all, just fluid, organic, heartbreaking beauty. Popol Vuh himself was Florian Fricke, a keyboard player better known for more synth-orientated music. To be honest, i don't know a great deal else about them! To quote Julian in 'Krautrocksampler', "utterly ascending, devotional and heavenly... like nothing else i've heard".
Ascend into orbit with 'Kyrie' from Hosianna Mantra.
4. Faust - IV (1973)
Ostensibly the jokers in the pack, Faust, created by producer and Beach Boys fan Uwe Nettelbeck, were also capable of some pretty mind-demolishing stuff (see 'The Faust Tapes' in particular). This effort might be seen as their 'pop' album, and was dismissed by many as such upon its release. It's really stood the test of time though, featuring classics like the opening colossus 'Krautrock', the agitated skank of 'The Sad Skinhead' and the otherworldly psych of 'Jennifer'.
The unassuming artwork for Faust IV.
5. Harmonia - Musik Von Harmonia (1974)
Much loved by contrary genius Brian Ego, sorry Eno, these guys are from the more electronic, mechanical end of things. For those missing our old friend the 'motorik' beat, he makes a return here, albeit in a mutated, dreamlike form on tracks like 'Dino' and the extraordinary 'Watussi'. Features head Neu! genius Michael Rother for those who still need convincing.
The merciless 'Watussi' from Musik Von Harmonia.
TOP 5 TRACKS
1. Neu! - Hallogallo (From 'Neu!', 1972)
An honest-to-god life-changer, this one. I'd been introduced to the Neu! groove on Primal Scream's 2000 album 'Exterminator' and was inspired to follow it to its source. What a lot of the rip-off merchants (including myself!) tend to forget is that all this 'open road'/'mechanical' talk doesn't quite capture the true essence of the 'Hallogallo' experience. The missing ingredient is the pastoral beauty underneath the gliding rhythm. Sure, there's a road, but turn your head and there's also a fast-flowing river on one side, not to mention breathtaking stretches of arable land on the other. If you catch my drift. When i first heard it, i was in the process of starting up a Stone Roses/La's/Ocean Colour Scene(!!!) inspired Britpop bore of a band. You can only imagine how confusing this thing was! One of the finest pieces of music i've ever heard.
'Hallogallo' - a life-changer?!? Let's see... (don't mean to be pedantic, but that's the wrong sleeve).
2. Can - Halleluhwah (From 'Tago Mago', 1971)
The other timeless Krautrock beat. Basically what we get here is The Happy Mondays nigh on twenty years early with twice the imagination and without the homophobic thuggery. Julian once again describes it best as "like the Meters playing avant garde music". It may be pieced together from several seperate jams, but the feel is so engrossing that you barely notice.
An astounding live take on 'Halleluhwah'.
3. Ash Ra Tempel - Suche & Liebe (From 'Schwingungen', 1972)
These guys originate from the farthest, most explorative reaches of the improv galaxy, probably the loosest of all the Krautrock bands (except maybe for The Cosmic Jokers, although they weren't actually aware that they were a band at the time!). Upon first hearing this, you may be a bit baffled as to why i've included it, as the first 14 mintues consist primarily of atmospheric noise - but then comes THAT chord sequence and the whole thing goes sky-high on graceful drums and ghostly cooing.
The second half of 'Suche & Liebe'. Wait for it...
4. Faust - Läuft...Heißt Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft (From 'Faust IV', 1973)
Another classic from 'Faust IV'. About as delicate and ornate as Krautrock gets, this finger pickin' beauty still confounds with its labyrinthine 13/4 arrangement of acoustic guitar, handclapping, flute and fidgety violin (i think).
See above for title. Also known as 'Psalter' for the sake of brevity.
5. Walter Wegmuller - Die Welt (From 'Tarot', 1973)
Backed by an army of cosmic German heroes such as Klaus Schulze, Wegmuller unleashed the wildly varied double album 'Tarot'. I was going to choose the touching 'Der Weise', but i thought we should go out on a suitably unhinged note. I always thought that this sounded like Funkadelic performing at the end of the world. Just me? Unfortunately, there's no sample on YouTube, but here's a link with a bit more info on the guy.
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