Customer Reviews

Out of Reach

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The problem with both "Out of Reach" and "Inner Space" isn't that they aren't good records it's just that they aren't really Can records. Both releases feature ex-Traffic members on bass/vocals and percussion so the tunes are a lot more more funky than typical Can and a lot less improvisational / experimental. With that said however, had these two records been released under a different band name rather than constantly getting panned they'd be both praised and highly sought after. My recommendation is to ignore the elitists who trash them and add them to your collection because they're excellent.

Why do the band generally consider this to be a bad album? While it contains a couple of weak tracks (November (better heard though worse-titled as Mighty Girl on the Peel Sessions CD), Seven Days Awake) and the ghastly Like INOBE GOD, which sounds like bad Caribbean karaoke of something funereal, the other four are quite ace blends of mostly funk, groove and psychedelia, with good things from the whole band. The two tracks written by Rosko Gee (Pauper's Daughter & I - which recalls Sunshine Day and Night from Saw Delight, especially in Karoli's fluid off-kilter guitar licks - and the catchy and rather lovely Give Me No "Roses") are probably the strongest songs and his vocals are a pleasant surprise. Pity the remaster is poor.

Exit Holger Czukay, and drag Rosko Gee to the fore, and what do you get? Well, in this case, you get an unfocussed dog of a record that only has personnel to link it to the Can releases that go before. If I could give this zero stars, I would. This is the absolute nadir of a creative slide that began around the time of "Landed", with the band's adoption of multi-track methods of production, and sees Can tossing out well-held ideas like their creative improvisatory process to work on actual set 'songs' by Rosko Gee in places, and at other points working out in directionless, meandering jams. It bears noting that this, of all of Can's official releases, is the sole one not reissued on their Spoon label.

I disagree with others here; Serpentine is aptly titled with Karoli's classic sinuous lines, and terrific funky bass from Gee. The whole thing is mellow like nothing since Future Days. WARNING: This CD edition is mastered off an LP played on a poor quality turntable. Crackles are clearly audible, there is little dynamic range, and very poor definition. Therefore: music 4 stars; release NO stars. Avoid. Come on Can, put it out on Spoon

Out of Reach is quite the unusual Can album. In fact the experiments are quite diverse and extraordinary one moment, and sometimes completely horrible the next.

"November" is a brilliant imitation of a Carlos Santana guitar jam with moody piano in the background giving it a dramatic effect, and it works. The guitar soloing is creative enough to justify its 8 minute timespan. Another noticeable highlight is "Paupers Daughter and I". It's obviously influenced by the disco scene (just listen to the rhythm in the background- yeah you've heard THAT rhythm several times I bet) but you gotta admit- that vocal melody is *awesome*. It's significantly better than most disco vocal melodies I've encountered, in fact. It's quite enjoyable.

"Seven Days Awake" sounds like an influence for the Police because it resembles a few of the short instrumental tracks from their third album such as "Behind My Camel". Loud, chaotic electric guitar with elements of melodic noise- that's about the best way to describe it. The rhythm chugs along at an irresistible pace, however. I think this is a really cool song. "Serpentine" is pretty much the same thing but with more futuristic-sounding elements. I love both of these songs quite a bit.

Then you have a failed attempt at a party song with "Like Inobe God". I hate this song with a passion. The vocals are disgusting and annoying and it's probably the worst Can song in their otherwise astonishing discography. Picture a cocktail party scene and a bunch of drunks getting up on stage trying to sing and play piano. It's like that, seriously. "Give Me No Roses" is a good Loggins & Messina imitation I suppose. A horrendously dated 70's song, or to put it more politely, a song completely lacking experimentation from perhaps the number one German rock band of the 70's. Disappointingly generic.

Besides "Like Inobe God" I fail to see why this album has been ridiculed so much. It doesn't really deserve it. No, it's no Future Days or Landed, but the songwriting is above normal and better than the many negative reviews led me to believe.

I have to agree with the other "positive" reviewers, this album gets savaged because it isn't another "Future Days" or "Tago Mago", etc. I have to disagree with the gentleman who said that it's a good album, just not a "CAN" album. CAN always defied expectations with each album release, while still staying true to the overall CAN paradigm. So we have another CAN release, with, as someone else so astutely discerned, another "vocalist" no better or worse than Malcolm or Damo, Michael or Irwin (in my opinion Rosko is the best they ever had!), extending and modifying their sound from the one previous, as they did with all the others. Taken on it's own terms, I find it to be damn entertaining, well produced and recorded, with nothing resembling "filler" to me, in fact it's one of their few albums on which I enjoy EVERY cut! Maybe 3 stars compared to their past oeuvre, but a strong four on it's own!

Besides being reasonably priced, the 2008 PURPLE PYRAMID release sounds great to me. I had to chuckle, even though it's a standard CD, it's packaged in a Super Jewel Box like the CAN SACD remasters......

Is this good? Is this Can?

By the time Out Of Reach came out in the late 1970s, Damo Sazuki, avant-singer god was long gone, and so was the daring experimentation the band had converted rock in early that decade. Can settled into late age doing relatively compelling progressive dance music.

If this did not have the label Can, you might enjoy this as a late 70s art band who put out a nice, mainly dance album with a few twists.

Highly enjoyable, but Out Of Reach certainly does not have the conceptual reach of Tago Mago or the hip shaking invention of Soon Over Babaluma--earlier albums when Can was redefining music, even if too few noticed

Is this good? Sure. Is it Can? I dunno

Out of Reach is one of the forgotten Cans. Maligned as misbegotten, it's actually better than advertised, albeit requiring some effort to penetrate the densely layered rhythmic structure. Out of Reach sometimes sounds complicated rather than complex. It took me many listens to appreciate the quality of this album.

This was the second album (after Saw Delight) since the replacement of original bassist Holger Czukay with the ex-traffic rhythm section of Rosko Gee (bass) and Reebop Kwaku Baah (percussion). While Gee and Baah were immensely talented musicians, their integration into the group was far from painless. It wasn't until the following album (the eponymous Can) that the group fully remeshed.

Out of Reach contains 7 tracks, and like many Can albums they are of very uneven quality, ranging from brilliant (November) to uninspired (Give me no "Roses") to enigmatic (Like Inobe God).

November is outstanding, even by Can standards. It's a 7:36 instrumental, superbly balanced, with beautiful Karoli guitar work and smoking acid-jazz-rock beats from Jaki. "Roses" is a lightweight Gee composition, while Inobe defies characterization. Some have objected to the slightly off-key vocals, but they are just part of the musical joke. Not everyone gets it.

The opening track, Serpentine, distills the promise and problem of Out of Reach. It's a 4:03 instrumental, featuring a brilliant combination of intertwining musical threads which veer from the sublime to the bombastic. Sometimes they seem to be trying too hard. Can at their best was free flowing genius, natural and spontaneous, playing with the boundaries of order and chaos, sound and silence. Serpentine is busy.

1978 was a low point for music in general. In the disco desert of the time, a few lonely islands of quality gamely played on: Peter Tosh was at his peak, and the brilliant new wave led by Talking Heads and Television swam against the tide. This period was rough on Can as well, but you can't keep a good dog down. They would back with a vengeance the next year, with their penultimate Can by Can.

Out of Reach is one of the lesser Can albums (along with Monster Movie, Delay 1968, and Saw Delight) but thirty years on it still rewards the listener with new revelations.

This is probably one of the few albums that I will give less than a five star review simply because I only review albums that I like. This album is a clear testament to what Can would sound like without Holger Czukay. This is the one that the band refused to reissue out of embarrasment , but to be fair, it contains some fine songs. "Give me no roses" is a funky catchy soul filled groovy tune. The recording of "Like Inobe God" however, sounds like the band were feeling no pain when they recorded it at about 3 or 4 in the morning. This track alone is the rock equivelent of Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz album, which is both a masterpiece and a matter of personal taste. "The Pauper's Daughter" may have been halfway decent if not for Roskoe Gee's ineptly misplaced vocal stylings. Where were Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki when they really needed them? "November" is just a nice jam session recording with one missing ingredient: Holger. The other instrumental tracks sound like they could easily be played between programs on public television stations and at least wake people up. Can fans who have come to expect more, however, may find themselves falling asleep. Of course for Can fanatics, it's not a bad way to drift off. So reach for this album before you reach for the cannomile, I mean camomile.

This is not the place to start to hear the exquisite sounds made by CAN. However, for Can completists (and most Can fans are just that, I would think) this is a must have. Despite sounding like it was recorded on a frisbee, this release does have its moments. The focus is gone, as is the droning repetition of earlier releases. What's still there is the funky playing by all,including some fine bass popping by Rosko Gee, who most consider an intruder into Can's most fluid lineup. "Give Me No Roses" is one of Can's catchiest songs ever, while "Serpentine" is a fine, aptly titled jam. Also, the much too short closer, "One More Day" is a reminder of earlier Can. "November" is worthwhile, but do stay away from the hideous "Like Inobe God." If this were cleaned up and re-released on Spoon I would rate it Four Stars. It is evident that Holger had nothing to do with this release.