Customer Reviews

Autobahn

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4 star:		(8)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are here, it is probably because you have some interest/newfound interest in Kraftwerk. Your open mindedness and good taste should be enough right? Well this album, (among the many they have) seems to be one of the better Kraftwerk albums.

Considered as their last step before going completely electronic on Trans Europe Express, Autobahn still maintains the idea of what a Kraftwerk album should sound like, but it is more organic, (as there seems to be guitar, flute, and other organic noises in the recordings). The beautiful track opener is a 22 minute ride that one must take completely. If your commute to school or work is that length or longer, I highly reccomend just putting Authobahn in and letting the cd take you were it needs to.

The rest of the album is complete genius as well. They begin songs with these organic underwater sounding interludes, almost having a creepy vibe to them,,,but then they would blast into an uplifting electronic melody and rhythms.

The last track is best described as if you walked into some mystical garden in the Shire and mostly everything organic around you grew an electronic voice. Birds, water, everything transforms and Kraftwerk is in the background accompanying/creating these electronic vibes. To me this song is just soothing and great to relax to.

To close, if you have an open mind and are interested to listen to a transitional ( and the foundation for electronic music to come) Kraftwerk record, then purchase this album. It is beautiful, and while the melodies can be understood by pretty much anyone on this earth (Kraftwerk's universal appeal makes them on in a million I believe), their structures and genius can astonish even the profound music lover. This is one of those cd's where you have to listen front to back...the concept album Kraftwerk put forth is not a collection of songs, it is a musical journey that perfectly describes these young classicaly trained musicians getting tired of their acoustic roots and progressing into an electronic world that they set the foundation for.

I can talk forever about Kraftwerk. Kudos to those who read this review and take something out of it.

-Andrew

One thing that I haven't seen any other reviewers talk about is that one of the things that makes this album (and all the early Kraftwerk albums) so remarkable is that it was all composed entirely without the modern recording technology that artists have taken for granted since the early 80's. The main technology Kraftwerk did not have in their early albums was MIDI.

For those of you who are not musicians, you may not know what MIDI is. MIDI allows synthesizers to be played into a MIDI recorder (a.k.a. a sequencer). The sequencer then plays back all the parts electronically. Think of a sequencer as the paper used in an old player piano. When you click play on the sequencer it plays back all the sequenced parts in perfect tempo. All the great electronica, from pioneers New Order to all of todays electronic and techno artists use MIDI. In the early days of MIDI, New Order used midi mainly to play back repetitive notes such as basslines and drums.

MIDI did not exist until the early 80's, a decade after Kraftwerk started recording music. Kraftwerk had to play every single instrument live and in 1 take. That makes listening to their music that more impressive when you hear a 22 minute "live" masterpiece such as "Autobahn."

Anyone can mimic this music with today's modern technology, but these guys were doing it 30+ years ago with nothing more than some analogue synthesizers and a multitrack tape recorder. Impressive

One of the things that strikes me about this 1974 release is that at times, it sounds a little bit like early eighties music even though it was released in the mid-1970's. To my ears, this has a lot to do with the synthetic rhythmic element along with the (rarely occurring) mechanical and monochromatic vocal parts (in German). There is also the selection of tone colors too - Kraftwerk seems to favor the colder synth textures instead of the warmer tones of (for example) the mellotron as used by Berlin School electronic composers such as Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze.

The compositions on this album include the massive 22'42" Autobahn, along with the 12+ minute Kometenmelodie, and two shorter pieces in the 3-4 minute range. The title track really is pretty good although there is very little of an "outer space" feel to the piece - a property that got me into electronic music in the first place.

There are however a few moments on the album where the spaciness of Berlin School electronica turns up (as on Kometenmelodie 1). The effect of this moment is diminished pretty rapidly however, with the bouncy rhythms and bright, cheery melodies of Kometenmelodie 2. Hands down, my favorite track on the album is the short and gloomy Mitternacht. I especially appreciate the experimental approach of this track and it is certainly the most interesting too.

Given my complaining about the mechanical textures, the album closes on a surprisingly pastoral note with the track Morgenspaziergang. This track does feature bubbling synth textures but disproportionately more in the way of acoustic textures including piano and woodwinds.

All in all, this is a pretty good album of electronic music and is worth adding to the electronic collection.

Krautrock...what is it? Krautrock's best definition can be found in the unrelenting, unchanging, inhuman pulse of the title track of "Autobahn". Ralf and Florian set up a propulsive yet sedate groove and work around it for some 22 minutes, in the process adding the sounds of a slamming door, passing cars (which actually move from one side to the other when heard on headphones) and even a radio program. In effect, "Autobahn" is the greatest "driving song" of all time - where country acts and rockers attempted to sing the praises of cars, driving and Route 66, only Kraftwerk were able to transport the listener so effectively to the German Autobahn.

While the remaining tracks of this album - which constituted the second side of the original LP - are considerably less than the composition preceding them, it should be noted that they demonstrate the same level of creativity. "Morgenspaziergang" is exactly that, a walk in the morning. Where "Autobahn" is full of the sounds of cars and driving, "Morgenspaziergang" has birds chirping and other sounds instantly recognisable as the world waking up to a new day.

In today's music business, the synthesizer is often derided as a crutch for cheesy eurodance or commercial Top 40 pop. One listen to this album dispels that notion completely, not only did these two men have the vision to create these mini-opuses, they also had the ability to do so and do so very well. Music critics often rate Kraftwerk as one of the greatest exponents of piano/synthesizer playing in the entire history of rock music, and it is clearly not for no reason.

Beyond the actual contents of the album, the influence which it has had must also be considered. Essentially, any musician in the modern business will be influenced to some degree by Kraftwerk - and more than likely by this album. In this respect, it becomes a sort of "6 Degrees Of Separation" effect. Electronic-based ambient music takes its slowly-developing melodies from this recording, while techno takes the robotic effects and the conscious distancing of the performer from the audience. The early hip-hop artists were influenced by electro funk - which took its cue from the repetitive grooves of both this album and "Trans-Europe Express" (indeed, Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" samples "Express"), and even dance-pop's use of the synthesizer derives from this and the other Kraftwerk albums.

The importance of this album cannot be overstated, and neither can the importance of buying it for the amazing music contained within.

To say that these guys were influential is to say the absolute least. It is only 1974 and these guys and using synths like it is an everyday thing. Without this album where would new wave and synth pop be? Nowhere because this is where it started i tell you. No one at the time had heard anything like this at all. I love the track Autobahn when you can hear the car door slamming, starting up, and driving off. The synths on here are amazing. Truly a magnificent experience. Perfect atmosphere for a cool crisp day in the fall when the leaves are falling, the wind blows your hair, and the sun is blocked by the clouds. And then there is Mitternacht which is downright creepy. Seriously this could be used in a horror movie or something I mean how did they come up with this in 1974?!?

I'll leave you to hear the rest and enjoy it for yourself. Oh and the lyrics are in German but trust me it doesn't hurt the album it only adds to its mystery.

"Autobahn" is the definite electronica album, it is to dance music what "Sgt Pepper" is to Rock or what "Kind of Blue" is to Jazz or what " What's Going On" is to Soul. Simply put "Kraftwerk" translated into english "Power Station" was pioneers for all kinds of dance music (Electronica, Techno, House etc) but also Hip Hop and 80's Synth Pop) If there hadn't been any Kraftwerk it's very likely that alot of other great bands hadn't been either. Formed in 1970 by Florian Schneider (Flute, Keyboards) and Ralf Hütter (Keyboards) and with "Autobhn" Electric Percussionists Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos also joined and formed the legendary quartet. They weren't the first Electro act, but they were among the first and certainly the most significient for the evolution of electro music.

"Autobahn" was their 4th album actually, but normally regarded as their bluprint. Their first 3 albums "Kraftwerk 1+2" and "Ralf and Florian" sold moderately and were never released on cd. Florian and Ralf did their best to delete the existing material and simply refuses to acknowledge its existence any more. They may be available on some rare bootleg but they are almost imposible to purchase or find in a cd store. You could say that their 1974 concept album "Autobahn" was where it all started. The 22 minute long title track showes their fascination with technology and over 30 years ago it was almost impossible to ape the sounds of cars in a motorway. It was a groundbreaking archivement. On the title track, that still doesn't sound too dated you'll hear the sounds of fast speeding cars, honk sounds, diesel engines and everything with beautiful melody and a environemt that really feels like on a freeway. All of this was recorded in a studio with syntesizers, percussion instruments and a hell lot of diffrent samples. No wonder Hip Hop artists always had a fetish for sampling Kraftwerk. The title track is obviously the highlight of the whole album, but the other songs are not bad either. "Kommetenmelodie" or "melody of the Comet" is a song cut in 2 parts, over 12 minutes together. This first song is slow and very improvisational, you could call it early ambient. The second is much more meliodic with dominating synthesizers. It sounds like 2 diffrent songs, and they are, sort of. "Mitternacht" or "Midnight" is also a slow improvisational ambient song. It's more about tecnique and structure then melodies. If You like early Pink Floyd, you know what I mean, only that Kraftwerk are more electric then Pink Floyd ever was. "Morgenspaziergang" or "Morning Stroll" is also a electronic soundscape signed Kraftwerk, with many odd sounds. One resembles a bird song you could hear when you wake up early and no one else is outside. Florian plays flute here, piano also feautures and a instrument called Mini Moog, the source of teh birdsong that is. Great song aswell, but feels a little misplaced on this album.

Overall, "Autobahn" is the most important Electronica album ever released and is the blueprint of a whole genre. Kraftwerk proved that you could "create" the sounds of almost evrything only by using diffrent electronic instruments and computers. This album is worth having, just for the title track that is over 20 minutes. (The single was edited to 4-5 minutes but isn't half as good as the original version). Kraftwerk served as a bluprint for all future dance music, synth pop and also Hip Hop and modern R&b & Pop music that heavily rely on samples and computers. Kraftwerk can proudly say "We invented a whole Genre". A Must have.

My father used to play this a hell of a lot and of course I had to buy this (via import at the time) about 15 years ago now. I still have it on vinyl as well :-)
Truly a great album and I still listen to it even nowdays (2004), to be honest I'm not keen on the other tracks so I only play 22 mins of Autobahn - it always reminds me of the times when I went to Germany ... buy this you won't be disappointed.

Sidenote : When I bought my first Home Cinema System to test out the "bass" - I played Autobahn - it shook the windows - magic !

Kraftwerk's 1974 "Autobahn" is still an amazing recording, over 25 years after its original release. These four guys really did pioneer the whole electronic pop genre way back in 1974 - though most are unaware of this.

I purchased the original LP back when it was released, and played it until I practically wore out the grooves. Very hypnotic, trance-like, and inventive - the title track, at over 22 minutes (and taking up the entire first side of the original LP) is a masterpiece of electronic impressionistic music. And unlike so much of today's "techno", it is melodic and emotionally soothing, rather than bone-jarring.

The rest of the CD is also artistically inventive and interesting - but still pleasant to listen to, especially "Kometenmelodie 2". Highly recommended classic recording.

It all started here. All genres from rap to goa trance to alternative rock owe alot to these Godfathers of electronic music and experimentation. Afterall, David Bowie is quoted saying he only listened to this album once on tour, and Coldplay admitted their hit song Talk was really a cover song with words of Kraftwerks Computer Love - another album to check out. This album is a classic and should not be missed, and is a landmark album in the development of music and will be liked by any true music lover.

Autobahn I had an original (8track) back in 1975,'wore it out,just searched for this and could not resist the purchase. SO good to hear it again. Excellent music before the days of computers and MiDI interfaces. My boys loved listening to it while we traveled. Buy it. you'll love it!