OFF: Can and Neu - which albums?

[John McIntyre]

K Henderson wrote:

>
> The first two Kraftwerk's (Kraftwerk 1 and 2) with the green and red road
> cones are also part of this same experimental/motorik movement, though they
> are even moreso absent from the marketplace.  "Ruckzuck" and "Klingklang"
> are classics of the genre.  Rother and Dinger both appear on '2' I think,
> just as they were splintering off to form Neu!, so the cross-pollination is
> evident.

Dinger is on the first Kraftwerk album.  Rother is not on any Kraftwerk albums.
The only recording I know of that has Rother on it is "Truckstop Gondolier"
from the German Beat Club TV show which is the trio version of Kraftwerk
as Ralf is missing.  There are at least two bootleg versions of the early
Kraftwerk
albums.  One version has bonus cuts from the Cologne radio broadcast, the other
does not.  But the version without the bonus cuts was made from a better
vinyl source.  The version with bonus cuts has some pretty bad surface noise,
especially on the second album.

>  (Tone Float by Organisation, the pre-Kraftwerk Ralf &
> Florian band, is also out there in the legitimate marketplace, usu.
> attributed to Kraftwerk.  Not critical to own IMHO.)

I haven't seen a legitimate CD, but the bootleg I have does have the Beat Club
track as a bonus.

>   And Cluster's Sowiesoso...absolutely
> marvelous.  Nothing else from Cluster really moves me so much...this one is
> essential.

The earlier incarnation of Cluster as Kluster (with Conrad Schnitzler) is pretty

rough.  Not much in the way of melody and German spoken word on top.
But Cluster II is wonderful dark electronic music, comparable to Tangerine
Dream's
_Sorcerer_ or Djam Karet's _Suspension and Displacement_.

John McIntyre
Physics - Astronomy Domine Dept
Michigan State University
mcintyre at pa.msu.edu