Customer Reviews

On the Way to the Peak of Normal (Reis)

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

 

 

Holger Czukay invented sampling...there may be others who make this claim, but he's the dude. This album is a classic piece of beautiful music. Relaxing and unnerving at the same time. Scary and comforting. This album is great to drive to, talk to, play at parties...it is all around great music. Although this album is less known than Movies, the release with Persian Love...it is the superior piece. Listen to it...change your way of thinking. Learn to love Holger...the nicest genius in Rock & Roll.

Originally released in 1982, this was Czukay's third solo effort. Just barely too Avant Garde for me, enough for me to still get some enjoyment from this title. Tunes here I thought were decent are the fourteen-minute "Ode To Perfume" (liked the oddness and the twangy-like guitar this cut has to offer), "Witches Multiplication Table" and the rather offbeat "Hiss 'N Listen". Line-up: Holger-synthesizer,keyboards,guitar&vocals, fellow former Can member-Jaki Liebezeit-drums and Jah Wobble-bass. Certainly not a classic by any means, but an okay CD reissue.

Czukay's second post-Can release is notable for the amazing 'Ode to Perfume', a 14+ minute ride that starts off with a chop-suey of 'Suspicion' and leads into this...familiar?...melody. On this, Holger's refined the methods he first explored in Can and improved on on "Movies". The shorter cuts are also rewarding and weird, with the eerie title cut, the mock-scary 'Witches Multiplication Table', and a couple of interesting workouts on 'Two Bass Shuffle' and 'Hiss 'n' Listen'. This, or the equally-skillful "Rome Remains Rome" are good start-points for looking into Holger Czukay's solo work.

Czukay has two really successful records (IMHO), Making Movies, featuring "Persian Love" and this album. The title track of this record (about 18 mins long) is simply very, very enjoyable. Widely inventive, with a great melody and a thrilling mid-section. The rest of the record is kind of "iffy", its not bad, just not super. Sadly, other Czukay records are unlistenable (like Plight & Premenition, Der East is Rot, etc.). So don't get your hopes up.

I have a correction to make in my previous comment, the great tracks are: Ode to Perfume & Fragrance (they make up the first side of the record and sound like one track). The title track and Witches' Multiplication Table are terrible. Two Bass Shuffle is dull and Hiss N Listen is OK.

"On the way to the peak of normal" eptly describe this album. It's the peak of Czukay's mediocore solo adventure. "ode Perfume" is the only memorable melody in this record, other works are full of studio technique, but without true aspiration of former Can. If you are Czukay fans, ignore my review. My review is to those who Know Czukay through his work in Early Can days. Krautrock Lovers Avoid this stuff and his later works.