Faust's debut LP is literally my favorite album of Rock history. Like, there is not a split second of it that I do not completely adore. I love Faust IV, too, but I'm just saying.
Cluster's masterpiece is "Zuckerzeit" a beautiful electronic fun album, very accesable for a first listener of the genre. Then the best record of the era in my opinion by Harmonia a Krautrock supergroup formed by Cluster and Michael Rother from Neu..."Musik Von Harmonia" a record so ahead of its time it still sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday by Aphex Twin.
Your description of CAN's groove and rhythm grabbing hold of you was actually perfect. CAN are probably my all time favourites and for ages I never knew why I kept listening to them, but what Iggy Pop said really hit home and I completely understood. Thank you and thank god for jaki liebezeit
I honestly can’t till what’s more amazing. The depth of information and research in your video or the fact that despite not playing any of the music your still able to convey the vibe of the music and leave at least myself wanting to immediately go and listen to these bands after watching your videos. Very well done.
In the vein of these '5 albums' videos, you could do a list to get people interested in modern avant-garde classical, a-la Steve Riech and Philip Glass. I myself would be very interested as I have only scraped the surface of the genre.
Yeah I'll definitely get around to diving into the more avante garde Adrian, I studied it all in a lot of detail a few years ago so should have lots of interesting material!
It's surprising how fresh much of the music sounds isn't it? Despite being the age it is, a lot of it feels timeless, especially artists like Neu! and Cluster
Absolutely fantastic in-depth video once again. You do a fantastic job with these. Just a side note, the light in the background is a very smart and interesting way to add depth to the shot. Makes everything a lot more interesting to look at overall.
+Records And Reels thanks a lot for taking to time to watch! I'm glad you like the lighting - a few people around here like making jokes about the lack of lampshade...bastards!
That's what I think too. Already my favourite music related channel. Pretty soon I'll be able to brag about the fact, that I've been among the first 200 subscribers. :-D
Interesting, by the way, that none of these albums have made it into Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best albums of all time. The only German album on the list is Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express", and it is one of only four albums from non-English speaking countries.
Seriously Rolling Stone doesn't know shite about music other than what got popular in the US and UK, even then there acknowledgement of the UK stops after punk showed up pretty much.
My guess is that Rolling Stone is too Anglo/American--centric. 'Trans-Europe Express' is now way the most interesting of this genre, not even for Kraftwerk. The above choices are a great point to start. His commentary is very well-informed - and he's right about the Tangerine Dream album, Zeit.
Rolling Stone is out of touch and irrelevant. It's a bit like a printed version of the "rock and roll" hall of shame. You know, the one that has Whitney Houston in it but not Judas Priest. Hysterical. Remember, most music hacks are failed musicians, so before they start they'll have a chip on their shoulder.
I like Monster Movie better as a whole, but Spoon is my favourite Can song (along with Oh Yeah, Halleluwah, Mother Sky and Animal Waves). Vitamin C is also great.
Hey Oliver! I just recently discovered your channel and I'm really, really enjoying your videos. It's really refreshing to see someone who connects with music on an intellectual and emotional scale talk about it so passionately. I especially enjoyed your videos on Nick Cave, Aphex Twin and your Trip Hop, Ambient and Experimental Hip Hop videos since those are all musical venues that I personally really enjoy and vibe with. But it's also really cool to be introduced to such great genres like Shoegaze and this video here: Krautrock. I had never heard of this genre (I knew about the band Can but I had no idea they a part of such an amazing movement) and my eyes have just been opened up to such an incredible garden of musicians and albums that I just wanted to say thank you! Please keep making videos and posting playlists. They are such a treat to look forward to and I love the music loving community that you are building around your channel. Excellent stuff!
I agree with you. For me the album Phalus Dei, is what synthesizes everything that is best in progressive music. It's the best and greatest album of all time.
My favorite from the movement is Ashra's New Age of Earth, 1976. It's just beautiful and so psychedelic. Sounds like Shine On You Crazy Diamond without vocals and drenched in even more synths.
@@peterlawson777 as they are still going and releasing strong music to this day I'm being pleasantly surprised when I hear more new work and sometimes get to see them live, the choice gets more difficult all the time, for example Nada Moonshine was a brilliant return to form after quite a hiatus and seeing them on the tour was a great introduction to the new record. I do have a soft spot for Dance of the Lemmings though.
Can-Tago Mago..definitely one of the best albums ever..I saw them in London in 1977 unfortunately after Damo Suzuki had left but even then they were an amazing experience.Their other albums like Ege Bamyasi,Future Days,Landed,etc just keep on evolving.The best German band ever.
Props on this one, man. Krautrock's been a big part of my life for the last 7 years :) I'd also recommend "Ege Bamyasi" by Can, "So Far" by Faust, "Neu' 75" by Neu.
The earlier Faust albums are better. Listen to their record 'why don't you eat carrots' that's maybe their best track imo. Saw Faust play live a few months ago which was ridiculously good and seeing them play again on November 24th in Lewes. Can's Tago Mago is the best album ever, get into that. Saw the 'Can Project' play at the Barbican a few months back as well , Fucking good gig that one. unfortunately Jaki Leibezeit died a few weeks before the gig where he would have drummed. They replaced Jaki with 2 other drummers at once ,one of them was Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth and the other Was female drummer Valentina Magaletti, they were amazing together. Thurston Moore was the replacement for Michael Karoli cuz he dead too. No Damo Suzuki there though, only the previous vocalist Malcolm Mooney who is weak in comparison ,so could have been better. Irmin Schmidt and his daughter walked past me in the street after the gig though and I patted him on the back and called him 'the man' which was pretty cool :)
Personally I'd go "Sowiesoso" or "Zuckerzeit" for Cluster, once Roedelius grabbed hold of his fantastic melodic sensibility. Plus you gotta add Harmonia "Deluxe". Cluster + Rother from Neu, greatest kosmische album of all time. Journey into outer space.
This was exactly what I needed today. I listened to everything on this list as well as all of Neu!'s other albums, Kraftwerk's Autobahn and Trans Europe Express. This genre has stretched my mind and challenged me so much as a musician. Great video. Thank you so much for your help.
Thanks for including Faust IV. That is a work of monster brilliance. I actually purchased it from a margin bin for a dollar back in 1975-on eight-track tape, no less. It instantly and irrevocably changed my perception of musical possibilities.
in hindsight, finding this video back in 2019 and listening to all of these really changed me as a music listener and i would not be the same person that i am today had that not happened. so thanks, oliver!
Expecting the three Neu! albums from the 70s in this list. Seriously though, thank you for this. I am very much enjoying Faust IV. They and Neu! still sound so fresh today. I reckon Death in Vegas listened to quite a bit of Krautrock. Also, Hallo Gallo is a masterpiece and would fit easily into a PostRock playlist.
Great video there. Nice contextual background and exploration of the music created by these phenomenally talented people. It really was a cracking time in the German cultural movement, in music, cinema and literature. All albums mentioned are terrific examples of the genre. Nice to see Faust get a good word in (their notable absence was a sore spot that made me cross when I first saw the otherwise solid documentary Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution). Here's my starter pack (in no specific order, not outright favourites) 1. Can - Tago Mago 2. NEU! - NEU! 3. Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht 4. Kraftwerk - Autobahn 5. Popul Vuh - Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte 6. Amon Duul II - Phallus Dei 7. Tangerine Dream - Zeit 8. Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel 9. Faust - Faust IV 10. Cluster - Sowiesoso Honourable mention must go out to the late Conny Plank, who not only produced many of these great albums, but was a key figure in both promoting and influencing the work of the German artists of the time.
Nice intro to Krautrock. I'd probably pick different albums, but I can't really argue with your choices. Overall, excellent. The genre remains futuristic.
Very good glimpse into a much underated group of musicians . Who deserved a much higher place in music history . Once you enter this world of German music from the late 60's till the present day those who are still with us perform still to this day . Hans Jochiem Roedelius , is a very humble and open person in real life, as are many of the musicians of this music . We only just came back from his Festival held in Austria every August in the small village of Lunz am See in the foot hills of the Alps . Now 85 years old he performs with invited guests , like American composer Tim Story , Swedish artists and minimalist composer Carl Micheal Von Hausswolf , and also Christopher Chaplin . Also he opens the stage up for other artist to play at this three day event . Held on a floating stage on the lake . I first got into this type of music via Kraftwerk and then digging into their history via documentrys. Then a whole group of new names came up. Since then I moved to Hamburg from the UK not because of the music but just by chance . It just also happens to be were I have since learned most of the record lables where this early groups like Kraftwerks first few Recording were made here . All those Cluster albums , Harmonia , Neu too . The two lables Sky and Brain , both from Hamburg. And because we became friends with Roedelius via Facebook and then by going to his festival . We also got to visit Faust the former commune were both Cluster , and Neu lived were Eno visited in the mid 70's before heading to Berlin to work with Bowie . Also were the Harmonia Albums were recorded Michel Rother still lives there. A few years back Rodelius wrote his bio in German . And my Girl friend translated it into English for him , though it is still not in book form it can be purchasedin as a limited edition USB stick form has an E- Book , finding a publisher has proven differcult to find . But having spent almost ten years around these people and we have saddly seen a few pass away over the last decade to All of them are wonderfully inspiring people mostly very modest about their place in music history this still is one of those hidden treasure chests of music history . Many big named artist refrance Neu , Cluster , Harmonia , and Can has influences , Bowie once discribed Harmonia has the greatest unknown super group in the world . Wonderful music by people who just made music for the joy of making music and not for the money .
thanks for this - I really enjoyed this as I do love Krautrock and have been recently digging deeper into the genre. I got into krautrock by way of The Scorpions ... believe it or not!! Scorpions in 1972 were nothing like the cock rock they were to become. Their first album (Lonesome Crow) was before UIi Roth joined and featured a 16 year old Michael Schenker on lead guitar. This is a desert island LP for me and I've been listening closely for 30+ years. Recently I wondered what it was that drew me to it and the answer was the production. So I thought "who was the producer?". The answer = Conny Plank. I then was overjoyed to discover what a Krautrock icon Conny Plank is - he is all over the genesis of Krautrock in the late 60's and early 70's. He produced the first 4 Kraftwerk LP's and more relevant to this video - he produced 2 of the 5 albums in this Krautrock critique! (Cluster, Neu). If you want to really deep dive into Krautrock then take a look at Conny's work!
A wonderful guide full of rich descriptions and attention to the most minute of details. I started my journey with "Tago Mago" two years ago and have only looked forward since... hearing Halleluwah for the first time literally changed my life and challenged everything I previously thought was possible to achieve musically. I'm diving into Amon Duul II next, then Neu and Faust. Thank you for putting this together.
Fantastic work. Would love to see one on electronica or synthpop. Really any electronic influenced rock-esque music that utilizes synthesizers or electronics. Love that sound, although I have a hard time finding bands and albums that exactly fit that bill. I'm sure there are loads out there I would just love to hear your opinions and or recommendations. I'm excited to watch this channel grow.
Never fear Thess, I'll be delving into so much more music over the course of this channel, you'll have TOO much to listen to! ;) obviously ecletronic and synthpop re huge categories and there's lots of cross-pollination between/around them, but I'll definitely be covering loads of it.
Impressive review of these amazing, wonderful albums. You clearly have enjoyed them thoroughly, as have I. So happy to see the love these artists so deserve.
Great primer on krautrock..... Can't fault your selection! However, summing up krautrock in 5 albums is impossible! Lol! Other bands worth investigating are: Amon Düül (not to be confused with Amon Düül 2), agitation free, ash ra tempel, guru guru, tangerine dream..... Damn, there's so many, I need to go to my record collection! Lol
This is a brilliant way to learn about a genre of music. I am listening to the Spotify play lists at the appropriate points and enjoying it immensely. Thank you.
Faust IV is my 5th favorite Faust album. Their discography is so interesting with how they do music to where I’d say, except for Can, they are probably the best Krautrock band ever. I’d say Can is the Beatles to Krautrock while Faust is The Rolling Stones to Krautrock.
Great vid, although I personally was blown away by The Faust Tapes more than 'IV' from first incredible impression, I fully understand why it's your choice. It's impossible to do more here than offer up 5 great tasters to get one on the welcome mat. Well-written and executed, as always... Perhaps in the spirit of bands from The Black Angels to White Hills, Goat, Moon Duo, even the insufferable Brian Jonestown Massacre do an intro to Modern Psychedelic (guitar) Music. A history of The Residents...
Ege Bamyasi from CAN, it's a great album too. Sometimes i go back and listen the album.again, and again, and again :) Thanks for the lesson on KRAUTROCK, always good to learn something new.
Excellent video and lots of interesting comments but unless I missed it no one has mentioned Ash Ra Tempel's debut album (1971) with Klaus Schulze on drums.
That was fantastic! Thank you Deep Cuts for the in-depth context for these wonderful albums I will now explore! I was surprised to find this was four years old. I hope you are well in 2021, as well as one can be. I think a great "Five Albums" idea would be for post-rock, as first used to describe Bark Psychosis's Hex (I believe), but referring to the music subgenre most notably remembered perhaps through the latter-day Talk Talk albums. Laughing Stock was an absolute epiphany for me. I bought the used cassette as I knew them for "It's My Life," a fantastic pop gem, but I was not prepared for what I heard, or maybe slightly only by virtue of the fact that I was starting to study jazz piano. After Laughing Stock ended, I was enraptured and confused, and listened to the album straight through several more times. As classic as Spirit of Eden, but somehow the perfect next (and last) piece of the Talk Talk evolution.
You certainly know your stuff Oliver. Agree Tago Mago is an absolute masterpiece - this record blew my mind when I first heard it, sounding like nothing I'd ever heard before. I've recently been getting into the Kluster/Cluster/Neu!/Eno offshoots including Harmonia - their Deluxe album may make my Top 5. I believe Eno called them the greatest (or was it the most important?) band in the world (they only made 2.5 albums).
Well done Oliver, good choice and commentary - with well informed insights. Agree with Amon Duul 2 although would have gone for Wolf City, Can Tago Mago for sure, Faust IV yeah, but one always overlooked is Kraan - with Kraan Live being one of the best live albums out there - appreciate there's is more a jazz groove and hence not pure Krautrock.
Very well done. Holger Czukay was a dear friend of mine. I don't know if he ever saw this video when he was alive, but he would probably agree with a lot of what you had to say. He told me once about CAN that as far as the music lasting, he knew they (Can) were onto something because it was so monotonous sounding. LOL He said years later he spent an evening with Stockhausen and the two of them had a listen to Aumgn from Tago Mago. At the end Stockhausen said, "I don't like it." HA!! Holger thought it was quite funny.
What if you did a 5 albums video on "nonmusic", like noise, field recordings and the like. I know any sound can be considered music but not everyone thinks that. I would include Weather Report by Chris Watson and Hybrid Noisebloom by Merzbow.
That could be really cool actually, I'll definitely be talking a lot more about avante-garde/experimental music in the future, including 1-bit experiments, sound installations etc.
Really enjoying your guides. Discovered you through your deft handling of Autechre's catalogue (no small feat). I'm a long-time Krautrock-head (last year we got two kittens, brothers who I named Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius), and I think your top five is solid indeed. I'd like to add a few if I may for continued listening: Agitation Free's 2nd has a beautiful, open sound, with occasional bursts of garbled electronics that keep it playful and hopeful. Kalacakra's Crawling to Lhasa is one of my all-time favorites. The opening track Nearby Shiras manages to be hypnotic and harrowing. Popol Vuh's In den Gärten Pharaos is gorgeous, and does things with gongs and cymbals that I've never heard before or since.
done with life: Never mind five, I'll give you twenty albums by twenty different "Post Punk" groups off the top of my head: Metal Box" (Public Image Ltd). "Secondhand Daylight" (Magazine). "Heaven Up Here" (Echo And The Bunnymen). "Revelations" (Killing Joke). "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever (Orange Juice). "Strange Boutique" (The Monochrome Set). "Prayers On Fire" (The Birthday Party). "Kilimanjaro" (The Teardrop Explodes). "Talk, Talk, Talk" (The Psychedelic Furs). "The Gospel According To The MenInBlack" (The Stranglers). "Faith" (The Cure). "In The Flat Field" (Bauhaus). "Juju" (Siouxsie And The Banshees). "Cut" (The Slits). "Y" (The Pop Group). "Unknown Pleasures" (Joy Division). "Entertainment" (Gang Of Four). "Heresie" (The Virgin Prunes). "Tin Drum" (Japan). "Treasure" (The Cocteau Twins). Most of these groups did, at least, one other album that was nearly, if not AS good as the ones I've listed here.
I like your list and would like to add, Nectar - Sounds like This! But really psych/kraut rock is really underappreiciated and shouldn't be... All the very best from Yorkshire UK.
Hi Oliver, I really enjoy watching your well-researched videos. In your next videos I would like you to talk about artists like Beck and Albums to get into Art/Experimental rock.
I have Amon Duul 2 WOLF CITY which is wonderful. First heard it at a friend's house around 50 year's ago and still enjoy listening to it now and again. Possably easier to "get in to" than what this guy's recomending.
Pyramid and Dzyan, are superb among others i don't agree with your list of your 5 Krautrock albums....But you did a good job getting Kroutrock out to the new in his genre.
The two early 70's double LP's by Amon Duul 2 ( "Yeti "and "Dance of the Lemmings" ) are essentials for any Kraut Rock collection . They are stunning and original and no band sounded like them . ln fact all their albums up to "Wolf City" are well worth checking out . Another fine band were Embryo a heady mix of Rock , Ethnic , Jazz and improvised music . All their early to mid 70's outpoint is recommended .
I have watched all of your videos and I made all of my Spotify playlists from you here to add to my own. Someone hacked into my Facebook and destroyed everything. I’m now using Apple Music and wondered if you have any playlists there. I’m writing a book about music and your videos have been most helpful.
A very nice video. As a nerd when it comes to the 70's art rock scene (and I believe these albums fit very well into the category of art rock), I enjoyed it a lot. I especially love Faust IV and the Neu! album. When it comes to Can, I find it very fascinating too, but I am a bit unsure of what to think of the vocals.
A mate of mine lent me Tago Mago 1975. Had never heard anything like it at that time. I was transfixed and listened to it 6 times straight. 😁 Managed to get to see CAN in London a few years later after becoming hooked on their stuff. Glad I kept all the vinyl I bought from that period! 😛
Thanks for this very informative and helpful. It has expanded my knowledge of German rock (Kraut or otherwise) and given me some new CD's to listen to..
Wow, great video as usual! I think I've found more music I enjoy through your channel in months than I have in years of just browsing the internet. Good stuff. I think it's been suggested already, but I'm really looking forward to a guide to Frank Zappa at some point. And since you asked for suggestions, a 5 albums video on modern jazz would also be top. :) Keep it up!
That's so great to hear man! As I've said from the beginning, I made this channel because of my own frsutrations of not being able to find somewhere that would do this kind of content, so I'm really glad I can give that to people like yourself! A Zappa guide would be great, definitely on the cards, as is a contemporary jazz video :)
Fucking sensational knowledge, great video, I particularly love Neu and Tago Mago, would love to see a Public Image Ltd video because no video maker bothers to give them the time or day.
When talking about the first Krautrock album, don't forget "Electrip" by Xhol Caravan, also released in 1969, alongside Can's Monster Movie, off course
Krautrock is what you get when you make Rock n roll without having had Blues first.
That's a pretty good summation.
rather not...the music of this period generally does not invoke anglo-american music.
I've heard the same description for prog rock
I guess there it was if you REMOVE blues instead of not having it
This is true for most rock subgenres
Steamhammer !!!
Tago Mago is an untouchable masterpiece. It’s an unbelievable record that the American and British bands of the time couldn’t get near
Gong
Gong indeed!! But where would you start? For me, it has to be 'Magick Brother, Mystic Sister'!
HOW IS THIS CHANNEL NOT HUGE!!!!
It's a music channel that goes into detail instead of devolving into memes
So you guys don't want a second meme channel then?...
deep cuts lol
It will be. Keep it up deep cuts!
Watch Dereck Higgins.
Faust's debut LP is literally my favorite album of Rock history.
Like, there is not a split second of it that I do not completely adore.
I love Faust IV, too, but I'm just saying.
ZeeDDD65 there debut is awesome agreed
Great to see loads of love for Faust on here
Faust Tapes fucking slaps too
Yeh and So Far so good
Faust lV is terrific, but everyone should have The Faust Tapes in their top 5 all-time greatest LP - of any genre.
deep_cuts hair tutorial when
hahaha
deep cuts yes, make that.
he would be
hair_cuts then
Cluster's masterpiece is "Zuckerzeit" a beautiful electronic fun album, very accesable for a first listener of the genre. Then the best record of the era in my opinion by Harmonia a Krautrock supergroup formed by Cluster and Michael Rother from Neu..."Musik Von Harmonia" a record so ahead of its time it still sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday by Aphex Twin.
Your description of CAN's groove and rhythm grabbing hold of you was actually perfect. CAN are probably my all time favourites and for ages I never knew why I kept listening to them, but what Iggy Pop said really hit home and I completely understood. Thank you and thank god for jaki liebezeit
I honestly can’t till what’s more amazing. The depth of information and research in your video or the fact that despite not playing any of the music your still able to convey the vibe of the music and leave at least myself wanting to immediately go and listen to these bands after watching your videos. Very well done.
A guide to Frank Zappa next please.
soon my friend, soon...
can't blame you at all for taking a while on it, Zappa's discography is probably the most daunting i know of
Spencer Bellarosa Zappa and Sun Ra
was gonna say sun ra, lol
deep cuts, it’s been two years, and you still haven’t done it.
In the vein of these '5 albums' videos, you could do a list to get people interested in modern avant-garde classical, a-la Steve Riech and Philip Glass. I myself would be very interested as I have only scraped the surface of the genre.
Yeah I'll definitely get around to diving into the more avante garde Adrian, I studied it all in a lot of detail a few years ago so should have lots of interesting material!
Listened to faust iv the other day, what an album. Been going through krautrock recently and it feels so fresh. Great to see this vid.
It's surprising how fresh much of the music sounds isn't it? Despite being the age it is, a lot of it feels timeless, especially artists like Neu! and Cluster
Absolutely fantastic in-depth video once again. You do a fantastic job with these.
Just a side note, the light in the background is a very smart and interesting way to add depth to the shot. Makes everything a lot more interesting to look at overall.
+Records And Reels thanks a lot for taking to time to watch! I'm glad you like the lighting - a few people around here like making jokes about the lack of lampshade...bastards!
Records And Reels I stay NEUded!
You deserve more subscribers!
This channel is such quality that I'm sure it will blow up eventually
That's what I think too. Already my favourite music related channel. Pretty soon I'll be able to brag about the fact, that I've been among the first 200 subscribers. :-D
You guys are so supportive!
14:27 I like that lighting, I don't know what's bad about it.
Speaking of Kraftwerk, do a guide 2 them!
Interesting, by the way, that none of these albums have made it into Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best albums of all time. The only German album on the list is Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express", and it is one of only four albums from non-English speaking countries.
PumpestationVest Rolling Stone are hacks.
Seriously Rolling Stone doesn't know shite about music other than what got popular in the US and UK, even then there acknowledgement of the UK stops after punk showed up pretty much.
My guess is that Rolling Stone is too Anglo/American--centric. 'Trans-Europe Express' is now way the most interesting of this genre, not even for Kraftwerk. The above choices are a great point to start. His commentary is very well-informed - and he's right about the Tangerine Dream album, Zeit.
Rolling Stone is out of touch and irrelevant. It's a bit like a printed version of the "rock and roll" hall of shame. You know, the one that has Whitney Houston in it but not Judas Priest. Hysterical. Remember, most music hacks are failed musicians, so before they start they'll have a chip on their shoulder.
Ege Bamyasi is my favorite Can album.
mine too
They have several great albums I can’t pick a favorite
I like Monster Movie better as a whole, but Spoon is my favourite Can song (along with Oh Yeah, Halleluwah, Mother Sky and Animal Waves). Vitamin C is also great.
Two words: Future Days
future days is my fav damo era can album, but the following one released as a four piece band - soon over babaluma - is a mind-blowing masterpiece
Werner Herzog is my favorite krautrock.
Angela Merkel is my favorite krautrock album
her best album is (N)EU!
Though really, 'Krautrock' band Popol Vuh did some really great ethereal music for Werner Herzog's films, like Aguirre
"the intesity of stupidity"
@@adriansteele5679 thank you......i like your sense of humor, you got it......
I got into krautrock through my love of The Fall - I am Damo Suzuki!
The Fall's discog is such a trip
It’s genius
Hey Oliver! I just recently discovered your channel and I'm really, really enjoying your videos. It's really refreshing to see someone who connects with music on an intellectual and emotional scale talk about it so passionately. I especially enjoyed your videos on Nick Cave, Aphex Twin and your Trip Hop, Ambient and Experimental Hip Hop videos since those are all musical venues that I personally really enjoy and vibe with. But it's also really cool to be introduced to such great genres like Shoegaze and this video here: Krautrock. I had never heard of this genre (I knew about the band Can but I had no idea they a part of such an amazing movement) and my eyes have just been opened up to such an incredible garden of musicians and albums that I just wanted to say thank you! Please keep making videos and posting playlists. They are such a treat to look forward to and I love the music loving community that you are building around your channel. Excellent stuff!
Thank you so much for the kind words, thank you for being involved in our little growing community! Any suggestions for future content let me know :)
I think videos on Outsider music, IDM (braindance) and post punk would be really cool.
I agree with you. For me the album Phalus Dei, is what synthesizes everything that is best in progressive music. It's the best and greatest album of all time.
You always do a GREAT job. This channel krautrocks.
Haha thanks Antonio, top pun!
My favorite from the movement is Ashra's New Age of Earth, 1976. It's just beautiful and so psychedelic. Sounds like Shine On You Crazy Diamond without vocals and drenched in even more synths.
Good selection, but for Amon Düül II, I would rather select Yeti than Phallus Dei :) Yeti stands out as one of greatest Krautrock albums in history!
Øystein Håvard Færder Wolf City for me....
@@peterlawson777 as they are still going and releasing strong music to this day I'm being pleasantly surprised when I hear more new work and sometimes get to see them live, the choice gets more difficult all the time, for example Nada Moonshine was a brilliant return to form after quite a hiatus and seeing them on the tour was a great introduction to the new record. I do have a soft spot for Dance of the Lemmings though.
Yeti is a masterpiece
@@paulspanbauer4125 as are Phallus Dei/Lemmings!
Can-Tago Mago..definitely one of the best albums ever..I saw them in London in 1977 unfortunately after Damo Suzuki had left but even then they were an amazing experience.Their other albums like Ege Bamyasi,Future Days,Landed,etc just keep on evolving.The best German band ever.
Props on this one, man. Krautrock's been a big part of my life for the last 7 years :) I'd also recommend "Ege Bamyasi" by Can, "So Far" by Faust, "Neu' 75" by Neu.
Saw Faust live 10 years ago. With cement mixer, sheet metal and all. Amazing
I had never heard of this genre before but I really dig what I'm hearing so far, especially the Faust songs. Very interesting. 😎
Oh Faust are just brilliant mate, don't sit back on Neu! either
The earlier Faust albums are better. Listen to their record 'why don't you eat carrots' that's maybe their best track imo. Saw Faust play live a few months ago which was ridiculously good and seeing them play again on November 24th in Lewes. Can's Tago Mago is the best album ever, get into that. Saw the 'Can Project' play at the Barbican a few months back as well , Fucking good gig that one. unfortunately Jaki Leibezeit died a few weeks before the gig where he would have drummed. They replaced Jaki with 2 other drummers at once ,one of them was Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth and the other Was female drummer Valentina Magaletti, they were amazing together. Thurston Moore was the replacement for Michael Karoli cuz he dead too. No Damo Suzuki there though, only the previous vocalist Malcolm Mooney who is weak in comparison ,so could have been better. Irmin Schmidt and his daughter walked past me in the street after the gig though and I patted him on the back and called him 'the man' which was pretty cool :)
Personally I'd go "Sowiesoso" or "Zuckerzeit" for Cluster, once Roedelius grabbed hold of his fantastic melodic sensibility. Plus you gotta add Harmonia "Deluxe". Cluster + Rother from Neu, greatest kosmische album of all time. Journey into outer space.
Harmonia is fantastic, people please go and listen to that record!
Yeti is my favorite AD2 record, and in my all-time top 5.
This was exactly what I needed today. I listened to everything on this list as well as all of Neu!'s other albums, Kraftwerk's Autobahn and Trans Europe Express. This genre has stretched my mind and challenged me so much as a musician. Great video. Thank you so much for your help.
You're welcome Connor, it's a brilliant period of music isn't it!
Krautrock is a perfect example of a kind of music that not many people know about but has influenced almost all of the music they listen to.
Thanks for including Faust IV. That is a work of monster brilliance. I actually purchased it from a margin bin for a dollar back in 1975-on eight-track tape, no less. It instantly and irrevocably changed my perception of musical possibilities.
in hindsight, finding this video back in 2019 and listening to all of these really changed me as a music listener and i would not be the same person that i am today had that not happened. so thanks, oliver!
Expecting the three Neu! albums from the 70s in this list. Seriously though, thank you for this. I am very much enjoying Faust IV. They and Neu! still sound so fresh today. I reckon Death in Vegas listened to quite a bit of Krautrock. Also, Hallo Gallo is a masterpiece and would fit easily into a PostRock playlist.
'Im Glück' actually translates to 'In Bliss', or 'Happy'.
in that case Google translate has fucked me
Googling "Google translate r34" wasn't that bad, I'm relieved.
Great video there. Nice contextual background and exploration of the music created by these phenomenally talented people. It really was a cracking time in the German cultural movement, in music, cinema and literature. All albums mentioned are terrific examples of the genre. Nice to see Faust get a good word in (their notable absence was a sore spot that made me cross when I first saw the otherwise solid documentary Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution).
Here's my starter pack (in no specific order, not outright favourites)
1. Can - Tago Mago
2. NEU! - NEU!
3. Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht
4. Kraftwerk - Autobahn
5. Popul Vuh - Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte
6. Amon Duul II - Phallus Dei
7. Tangerine Dream - Zeit
8. Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel
9. Faust - Faust IV
10. Cluster - Sowiesoso
Honourable mention must go out to the late Conny Plank, who not only produced many of these great albums, but was a key figure in both promoting and influencing the work of the German artists of the time.
Nice intro to Krautrock. I'd probably pick different albums, but I can't really argue with your choices. Overall, excellent. The genre remains futuristic.
what would you pick?
why you never respond? poser
noob
poser
poser
Very good glimpse into a much underated group of musicians .
Who deserved a much higher place in music history .
Once you enter this world of German music from the late 60's till the present day those who are still with us perform still to this day .
Hans Jochiem Roedelius , is a very humble and open person in real life, as are many of the musicians of this music .
We only just came back from his Festival held in Austria every August in the small village of Lunz am See in the foot hills of the Alps .
Now 85 years old he performs with invited guests , like American composer Tim Story , Swedish artists and minimalist composer Carl Micheal Von Hausswolf , and also Christopher Chaplin . Also he opens the stage up for other artist to play at this three day event . Held on a floating stage on the lake .
I first got into this type of music via Kraftwerk and then digging into their history via documentrys.
Then a whole group of new names came up.
Since then I moved to Hamburg from the UK not because of the music but just by chance .
It just also happens to be were I have since learned most of the record lables where this early groups like Kraftwerks first few Recording were made here . All those Cluster albums , Harmonia , Neu too .
The two lables Sky and Brain , both from Hamburg.
And because we became friends with Roedelius via Facebook and then by going to his festival .
We also got to visit Faust the former commune were both Cluster , and Neu lived were Eno visited in the mid 70's before heading to Berlin to work with Bowie . Also were the Harmonia Albums were recorded
Michel Rother still lives there.
A few years back Rodelius wrote his bio in German .
And my Girl friend translated it into English for him , though it is still not in book form it can be purchasedin as a limited edition USB stick form has an E- Book ,
finding a publisher has proven differcult to find .
But having spent almost ten years around these people and we have saddly seen a few pass away over the last decade to
All of them are wonderfully inspiring people mostly very modest about their place in music history this still is one of those hidden treasure chests of music history .
Many big named artist refrance Neu , Cluster , Harmonia , and Can has influences , Bowie once discribed Harmonia has the greatest unknown super group in the world .
Wonderful music by people who just made music for the joy of making music and not for the money .
As a lifelong ( im 62) lover of krautrock i say good job on this video. I hope it enhances many peoples lives.
thanks for this - I really enjoyed this as I do love Krautrock and have been recently digging deeper into the genre. I got into krautrock by way of The Scorpions ... believe it or not!! Scorpions in 1972 were nothing like the cock rock they were to become. Their first album (Lonesome Crow) was before UIi Roth joined and featured a 16 year old Michael Schenker on lead guitar. This is a desert island LP for me and I've been listening closely for 30+ years. Recently I wondered what it was that drew me to it and the answer was the production. So I thought "who was the producer?". The answer = Conny Plank. I then was overjoyed to discover what a Krautrock icon Conny Plank is - he is all over the genesis of Krautrock in the late 60's and early 70's. He produced the first 4 Kraftwerk LP's and more relevant to this video - he produced 2 of the 5 albums in this Krautrock critique! (Cluster, Neu). If you want to really deep dive into Krautrock then take a look at Conny's work!
A wonderful guide full of rich descriptions and attention to the most minute of details. I started my journey with "Tago Mago" two years ago and have only looked forward since... hearing Halleluwah for the first time literally changed my life and challenged everything I previously thought was possible to achieve musically. I'm diving into Amon Duul II next, then Neu and Faust. Thank you for putting this together.
Great to see you back with an awesome video!!
Thanks for being here!
Review of Peter Hammill and VDGG? Love this review from the great krautrock, very good and incredible classic bands!!
Now you're talking!
Yes my feelings exactly. Peter Hammill and co.
There’s a House with No Room...
Fantastic work. Would love to see one on electronica or synthpop. Really any electronic influenced rock-esque music that utilizes synthesizers or electronics. Love that sound, although I have a hard time finding bands and albums that exactly fit that bill. I'm sure there are loads out there I would just love to hear your opinions and or recommendations. I'm excited to watch this channel grow.
Never fear Thess, I'll be delving into so much more music over the course of this channel, you'll have TOO much to listen to! ;) obviously ecletronic and synthpop re huge categories and there's lots of cross-pollination between/around them, but I'll definitely be covering loads of it.
Great vid, Jonathan! (Live in der fabrik from Cluster IIis "Live" in the club called "Der Fabrik").👋😎
do noise rock
fuck please
Yes yes this
yes
Impressive review of these amazing, wonderful albums. You clearly have enjoyed them thoroughly, as have I. So happy to see the love these artists so deserve.
Great primer on krautrock..... Can't fault your selection! However, summing up krautrock in 5 albums is impossible! Lol!
Other bands worth investigating are: Amon Düül (not to be confused with Amon Düül 2), agitation free, ash ra tempel, guru guru, tangerine dream..... Damn, there's so many, I need to go to my record collection! Lol
This is a brilliant way to learn about a genre of music. I am listening to the Spotify play lists at the appropriate points and enjoying it immensely. Thank you.
Heard PHALLUS DEI once , it's opening track was MIND-BLOWING...... Such a old track/band and it hit different
"Can you go away sun, you're ruining my light" sounds like a pretty good Krautrock track title.
You familiar with Ash Ra Tempel's "Schwingungen"?
The quality of content and presentation on this channel is fantastic!
Great review, some of my favourites here. For me though Neu!75, Agitation Free Malesch and finally Harmonia's Delux would be in my top five.
Faust IV is my 5th favorite Faust album. Their discography is so interesting with how they do music to where I’d say, except for Can, they are probably the best Krautrock band ever. I’d say Can is the Beatles to Krautrock while Faust is The Rolling Stones to Krautrock.
thanks for making this. im pretty sure me and some others requested it.
Indeed you did, I made good on my promise!
Great video man! I was lucky enough to see Michael Rother and Hans Lampe perform tracks from Neu! last month. Incredible stuff. Keep up the good work.
Great vid, although I personally was blown away by The Faust Tapes more than 'IV' from first incredible impression, I fully understand why it's your choice. It's impossible to do more here than offer up 5 great tasters to get one on the welcome mat. Well-written and executed, as always...
Perhaps in the spirit of bands from The Black Angels to White Hills, Goat, Moon Duo, even the insufferable Brian Jonestown Massacre do an intro to Modern Psychedelic (guitar) Music. A history of The Residents...
Great video. All favorites of mine for decades. Excellent research and analysis. Your channel is fantastic. Thanks
Ege Bamyasi from CAN, it's a great album too. Sometimes i go back and listen the album.again, and again, and again :)
Thanks for the lesson on KRAUTROCK, always good to learn something new.
Yeah it's great, really love that artwork too. Thanks for watching!
Please make more videos. You're doing a great job! Subscribed.
Halfway through the first track of Phallus dei and holy shit this incredible thank you
Excellent video and lots of interesting comments but unless I missed it no one has mentioned Ash Ra Tempel's debut album (1971) with Klaus Schulze on drums.
Very eloquent and well-thought out description of Krautrock with a keen awareness of history. Impressed.
I just watched this video and one other about ambient. This really is expanding my musical horizons.
Just stumbled across your channel. This is exactly the thing I didn't know I was looking for, but am glad I've found!
Cheers Joe, welcome to our little community!
great review of krautrock
Thanks Zachary!
That was fantastic! Thank you Deep Cuts for the in-depth context for these wonderful albums I will now explore! I was surprised to find this was four years old. I hope you are well in 2021, as well as one can be. I think a great "Five Albums" idea would be for post-rock, as first used to describe Bark Psychosis's Hex (I believe), but referring to the music subgenre most notably remembered perhaps through the latter-day Talk Talk albums. Laughing Stock was an absolute epiphany for me. I bought the used cassette as I knew them for "It's My Life," a fantastic pop gem, but I was not prepared for what I heard, or maybe slightly only by virtue of the fact that I was starting to study jazz piano. After Laughing Stock ended, I was enraptured and confused, and listened to the album straight through several more times. As classic as Spirit of Eden, but somehow the perfect next (and last) piece of the Talk Talk evolution.
Awesome man!
Glad there was a shout out to Zeit!! Anybody interested ought to give Popul Vuh a shot! Great video!
Handsome, charming and with excellent taste... I think I'm in love! ;)
;)
excuse me Mr Deep Cuts. Hawkwind. Not that they're German - but Universal - and amazing!
You certainly know your stuff Oliver. Agree Tago Mago is an absolute masterpiece - this record blew my mind when I first heard it, sounding like nothing I'd ever heard before. I've recently been getting into the Kluster/Cluster/Neu!/Eno offshoots including Harmonia - their Deluxe album may make my Top 5. I believe Eno called them the greatest (or was it the most important?) band in the world (they only made 2.5 albums).
I'd love to see a 5 essential industrial albums! (mostly just so you'll talk about einsturzende neubauten)
So I can mispronounce you mean...
Well done Oliver, good choice and commentary - with well informed insights. Agree with Amon Duul 2 although would have gone for Wolf City, Can Tago Mago for sure, Faust IV yeah, but one always overlooked is Kraan - with Kraan Live being one of the best live albums out there - appreciate there's is more a jazz groove and hence not pure Krautrock.
Very well done. Holger Czukay was a dear friend of mine. I don't know if he ever saw this video when he was alive, but he would probably agree with a lot of what you had to say. He told me once about CAN that as far as the music lasting, he knew they (Can) were onto something because it was so monotonous sounding. LOL He said years later he spent an evening with Stockhausen and the two of them had a listen to Aumgn from Tago Mago. At the end Stockhausen said, "I don't like it." HA!! Holger thought it was quite funny.
Drew K I love Augmn. Best song on the album, IMO.
What if you did a 5 albums video on "nonmusic", like noise, field recordings and the like. I know any sound can be considered music but not everyone thinks that. I would include Weather Report by Chris Watson and Hybrid Noisebloom by Merzbow.
That could be really cool actually, I'll definitely be talking a lot more about avante-garde/experimental music in the future, including 1-bit experiments, sound installations etc.
Excellent choice of music, love the melodious vibes, twists and turns, almost fairy-tale-like quality. I enjoy Sowiesoso by Cluster
Really enjoying your guides. Discovered you through your deft handling of Autechre's catalogue (no small feat). I'm a long-time Krautrock-head (last year we got two kittens, brothers who I named Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius), and I think your top five is solid indeed. I'd like to add a few if I may for continued listening: Agitation Free's 2nd has a beautiful, open sound, with occasional bursts of garbled electronics that keep it playful and hopeful. Kalacakra's Crawling to Lhasa is one of my all-time favorites. The opening track Nearby Shiras manages to be hypnotic and harrowing. Popol Vuh's In den Gärten Pharaos is gorgeous, and does things with gongs and cymbals that I've never heard before or since.
you should do a post punk 5 album video
done with life: Never mind five, I'll give you twenty albums by twenty different "Post Punk" groups off the top of my head: Metal Box" (Public Image Ltd). "Secondhand Daylight" (Magazine). "Heaven Up Here" (Echo And The Bunnymen). "Revelations" (Killing Joke). "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever (Orange Juice). "Strange Boutique" (The Monochrome Set). "Prayers On Fire" (The Birthday Party). "Kilimanjaro" (The Teardrop Explodes). "Talk, Talk, Talk" (The Psychedelic Furs). "The Gospel According To The MenInBlack" (The Stranglers). "Faith" (The Cure). "In The Flat Field" (Bauhaus). "Juju" (Siouxsie And The Banshees). "Cut" (The Slits). "Y" (The Pop Group). "Unknown Pleasures" (Joy Division). "Entertainment" (Gang Of Four). "Heresie" (The Virgin Prunes). "Tin Drum" (Japan). "Treasure" (The Cocteau Twins). Most of these groups did, at least, one other album that was nearly, if not AS good as the ones I've listed here.
@@beefheart1410 Great list but damn Secondhand Daylight over Real Life? Such a good band boo albums are great
Yay
Really nice to See an intelligent young chap who knows this stuff exists
Excellent commentary. Thank you so much for posting. You are right to mention Tangerine Dream's Zeit - now available in an expanded edition double-cd.
I like your list and would like to add, Nectar - Sounds like This! But really psych/kraut rock is really underappreiciated and shouldn't be... All the very best from Yorkshire UK.
Hi Oliver, I really enjoy watching your well-researched videos. In your next videos I would like you to talk about artists like Beck and Albums to get into Art/Experimental rock.
5 albums to get into psych would be great. It's such a huge genre, don't know where to start.
Yeah there's a lot to get stuck into with psych, I'll start working on a guide soon though
I have Amon Duul 2 WOLF CITY which is wonderful. First heard it at a friend's house around 50 year's ago and still enjoy listening to it now and again. Possably easier to "get in to" than what this guy's recomending.
i have all these albums...............i really love this kind of german prog music!
Pyramid and Dzyan, are superb among others i don't agree with your list of your 5 Krautrock albums....But you did a good job getting Kroutrock out to the new in his genre.
Great video!
Thanks!
02:00 why is it offensive, I'm a German person and don't see any problem with it. I mean it tastes awesome.
The two early 70's double LP's by Amon Duul 2 ( "Yeti "and "Dance of the Lemmings" ) are essentials for any Kraut Rock collection . They are stunning and original and no band sounded like them . ln fact all their albums up to "Wolf City" are well worth checking out . Another fine band were Embryo a heady mix of Rock , Ethnic , Jazz and improvised music . All their early to mid 70's outpoint is recommended .
I have watched all of your videos and I made all of my Spotify playlists from you here to add to my own. Someone hacked into my Facebook and destroyed everything. I’m now using Apple Music and wondered if you have any playlists there. I’m writing a book about music and your videos have been most helpful.
I actually love Kraftwerks first 2 Krautrock albums. You’re right, though, they cant quite hold up to the rest you chose.
A very nice video. As a nerd when it comes to the 70's art rock scene (and I believe these albums fit very well into the category of art rock), I enjoyed it a lot. I especially love Faust IV and the Neu! album. When it comes to Can, I find it very fascinating too, but I am a bit unsure of what to think of the vocals.
Just found this and really enjoyed it - you did a great job and picked 5 brilliant LPs. thanks
Just discovered your channel .WOW. I just love discovering music I have previously been missing out on ( all genres) . David h🏴
A mate of mine lent me Tago Mago 1975. Had never heard anything like it at that time. I was transfixed and listened to it 6 times straight. 😁 Managed to get to see CAN in London a few years later after becoming hooked on their stuff. Glad I kept all the vinyl I bought from that period! 😛
Thanks for this very informative and helpful. It has expanded my knowledge of German rock (Kraut or otherwise) and given me some new CD's to listen to..
This is good shit.. You've restored my faith in millennials, good on ya!
We don't care about your opinion. Fuck off!
nonce
Oliver, any chance of you sharing your top albums of 22 so far? I know how busy you are!
Wow, great video as usual! I think I've found more music I enjoy through your channel in months than I have in years of just browsing the internet. Good stuff.
I think it's been suggested already, but I'm really looking forward to a guide to Frank Zappa at some point. And since you asked for suggestions, a 5 albums video on modern jazz would also be top. :)
Keep it up!
That's so great to hear man! As I've said from the beginning, I made this channel because of my own frsutrations of not being able to find somewhere that would do this kind of content, so I'm really glad I can give that to people like yourself! A Zappa guide would be great, definitely on the cards, as is a contemporary jazz video :)
Fucking sensational knowledge, great video, I particularly love Neu and Tago Mago, would love to see a Public Image Ltd video because no video maker bothers to give them the time or day.
When talking about the first Krautrock album, don't forget "Electrip" by Xhol Caravan, also released in 1969, alongside Can's Monster Movie, off course