Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Under-appreciated, April 10, 2002
When the name "Kraftwerk" is mentioned, I think what usually comes to most people's minds are "Tour de France" or "Computer World." I don't think I've ever heard anyone even mention this one. I grew up with a few Kraftwerk records, but I never heard Radio-Activity until relatively recently. This is a shame. I tend to think of their music as generally angular, sharp, cold, etc. Therefore I was surprised to hear so much warmth in this album (though the overall sound isn't THAT different... it's still unmistakably Kraftwerk.) It's probably their most "human" sounding album, for lack of a less ironic term. It's actually soulful. You can hear the genuine affection and romantic notions they clearly had for radio in all of its aspects. This is definitely my favorite Kraftwerk album and I insist that anyone who is even remotely interested in them gives it a try.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The First Album of the 80's, August 3, 2003
For whatever reason, when critics list the important albums in rock history, this relatively obscure little album by Kraftwerk is rarely (if ever) mentioned. Even in the context of the band's own canon, this album is often overlooked, most likely because it is overshadowed by the album the preceded it ("Autobahn" which was an unexpected worldwide hit) and the one that followed ("Trans-Europe Express" which was championed quite vocally by David Bowie and the music press in general.) It is this album though that was the real breakthrough. Originally released in 1975, here was the sound that would come to define pop music of the 1980's arriving fully formed and beautifully complete 5 years before the fact.
For this album, Kraftwerk has found the perfect balance of hardcore electro minimalism (the album's opening track "Geiger Counter" is 60 seconds of electronic pops and clicks - hence the title) and fully realized songs complete with gorgeous melodies and arrangements sounding like nothing that had come before or since (some of these songs are the most beautiful this band would ever record.)
The music contained on this CD is timeless. Unlike the worst of 80's synth music (i.e. the majority of it) this album sounds still sounds remarkably vibrant. The structure of brief vignettes coupled with more developed proto-techno workouts calls to mind the recent work of Scotland's Boards of Canada. This is the closest Kraftwerk ever came to perfection on record. If you have somehow managed to never hear this amazing album do yourself a favor and give it a play.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great album of progressive electronica, April 3, 2007
Kraftwerk's 1975 album Radio-Activity (this is the English language version), is apparently a concept album exploring the theme of radio communication. Interestingly, there is a staccato Morse code sound on the album that reminded me somewhat of the introduction to Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd, 1967). Given the huge influence of 1960's Pink Floyd on the German electronic scene, this really does not come as a surprise. In general, this is a great Kraftwerk album and is a bit gloomier sounding than their famous Autobahn album (1974).
The lineup on Radio Activity included Ralf Hütter (vocals, electronic sound, drums, synthesizers, voice); Florian Schneider (vocals, electronic sound, drums, synthesizers, voice); Karl Bartos (electronic percussion); and Wolfgang Flür (electronic percussion). Although the liner notes do not say anything about instrumentation I was able to dig up the following "internet factoids" regarding equipment use on the album: (1) Ralf Hütter sings through a Roland RE-201 Space Echo on the song Antenna; (2) a military speech synthesizer, based on creating phonemes, was used on Radioland; and (3) In addition to the usual keyboard instruments (e.g. minimoog; ARP Odyssey; EMS Synthi A; and Farfisa electronic piano on "Transistor"), the Vako Orchestron (not a mellotron) was used to provide the warm choir sounds. For those of you that are curious (like me), the Orchestron was an analogue sampling instrument that used optical disks (rather than tapes) to store the sounds of real voices and orchestral instruments (e.g. choir, string and organ sounds). Initially Kraftwerk owned a single-manual Orchestron, but later, they used one with two keyboards which was used until the first half of the 1981 tour at which time it was replaced by the Polymoog (polyphonic) synthesizer. Other pieces of equipment used on Radio Activity included a vocoder, Farfisa Rhythm Unit 10, and even an oscilloscope. In contrast with Autobahn, the group did not use acoustic instruments (flute, violin or guitars) on this album.
The 12 tracks on the album are arranged in a suite of sorts that lasts for approximately 37'55", with the individual tracks ranging in length from 0'15" to 6'44. The music on Radio Activity is a bit more hypnotic, brooding and sullen than Autobahn, and yet is also more "mechanical" sounding than albums released by their peers including electronica giant Tangerine Dream at the time. Although the Orchestron contributes a very soft and spacey feel to the pieces with a luxurious cushion of "mellotron-like" choir sections, the thumping electronic percussion and "computerized" vocals lend a somewhat rigid feel to the music - yet not distractingly so. It actually makes for a nice contrast. Although I have described this music as brooding and sullen, there are a few cheery melodies and unaltered vocals that brighten the grey soundscape somewhat.
All in all, this is a great Kraftwerk album that is very enjoyable. Highly recommended to all electronica fans along with Autobahn (1974).
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