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Krautrock Documentary
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Message 1.Â
Posted by Psychedelic Goth (U14137191) on Monday, 19th October 2009
For those of you who don't get the ´óÏó´«Ã½4 Newsletter, there is an interesting sounding show coming up Fri 23 oct.
^_^ -
Message 2
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Monday, 19th October 2009
1. Fri 23 Oct 2009 21:00 ´óÏó´«Ã½ Four
2. Sat 24 Oct 2009 01:25 ´óÏó´«Ã½ Four
3. Sat 24 Oct 2009 23:30 ´óÏó´«Ã½ Four
4. Sun 25 Oct 2009 01:30 ´óÏó´«Ã½ Four
Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Harmonia, Faust, Amon Duul and Kraftwerk -
Message 3
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Wednesday, 21st October 2009
Just watched the doc...yeah not bad as an overview of the whole German Rock scene or at least covering most of the major artists.
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Message 4
Posted by jasonaparkes (U3653332) on Wednesday, 21st October 2009
Bit of a shite tracklisting and that one-hour overview...better than nothing, though ironically more Can/Neu! in 'Baader Meinhof: In Love with Terror...'
Along with 'One Day in September', one of the great documentaries detailing that era,,, -
Message 5
Posted by Trinoc (U2154507) on Thursday, 22nd October 2009
Do you folks have access to ´óÏó´«Ã½ previews, or did I miss something in Radio Times?
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Message 6
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Thursday, 22nd October 2009
I helped (in a very very small way) with the documentary, so I got any a DVD copy yesterday (I've watched it 4 times so far). 58+ minutes isn't enough but the ´óÏó´«Ã½ wouldn't give the company who produced anymore money. I hear the team wanted it to be 90 mins long, the same length as Synth Britannia (and had more than enough material...with interviews with Edgar Froese and Wolfgang Siedel in Berlin, as well as Faust, Can, Amon Duul, Klaus Schulze, Iggy Pop, Roedelius and Moebius, Michael Rother and of course Wolfgang Flur in Dusseldorf outside the Kling Klang Studio). I think the doc has some great bits in it, I especially liked the opening shot of a bombed out Berlin with Popol Vuh's music over it. If you're a big fan of any of the groups covered then I don't think you'll learn anything new, but as Timeout London describes it today it's "an excellent primer, which will gladden the faithful and gain a few new converts"
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Message 7
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Thursday, 22nd October 2009
Btw I will add that it was interesting to see a bit on Amon Duul and their connection with the Baader Meinhof Gang (Renate Knaup's comments about this and a post war Germany where the past was never mentioned are worth catching), all of this was new to me, but then again I'm not really a fan of Amon Duul.
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Message 8
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Thursday, 22nd October 2009
@ jasonparkes
Which tracks do you think they should have used in the programme Jason? Most are VERY brief snippets, with far more given over to Cluster (playing live), Jaki Leibezeit drumming and Faust err...being Faust with a concrete mixer, what looks like farm machinery and a broom
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Message 9
Posted by jasonaparkes (U3653332) on Sunday, 25th October 2009
I did respond to this the other day, but sadly it didn't like a word and I couldn't work out what the offensive word was...
I think the programme had an issue of duration and could have explored the different bands - not all fitted the generic tag of "Krautrock." I thought Yeti by Amon Duul II had more in common with Ummagumma-Floyd and In Search of Space-Hawkwind when I first heard it.
There wasn't nearly enough Neu! and the whole Conny Plank-link could have been explored further. Especially when Devo, Eno and UK acts were recording there the same time as Czukay etc.
& my Can DVD notes that 'Spoon' was a #1 hit in West Germany, while 'I Want More' was a hit single too - which counteracts the "not popular back home" thang. Can were covered appallingly - the impression was given that Damo S was their first singer and that they had been influenced by no-one - which was nonsense as there was a Velvets-vibe to their early stuff.
The bands influenced by them would have been interesting to note - after all, this is a "genre" that wasn't hip at all with anyone but a few bands, producers, and sound engineers and was probably just viewed as a version of prog until Julian Cope's Krautrocksampler (...I'm guessing JC didn't want to talk about Krautrock).
But the last decade or so has found loads of current acts - Death in Vegas, Black Cab, Oasis, Kasabian, Prml Scrm, Seeland, Autechre, Ladytron, Negativland, Secret Machines, Stereolab, Sonic Youth, Stone Roses, Spacemen 3, Happy Mondays, PIL, Julian Cope, John Foxx, Broadcast, etc etc - instead it was just David Bowie...
A good, but not great programme... -
Message 10
Posted by Psychedelic Goth (U14137191) on Sunday, 25th October 2009
The trouble is the program wasn't aimed at you lot. You probably already know a lot of the history and music. To those like myself who know very little about this movement, it was a good program. As was the Synth one. That one was hilarious.
^_^ -
Message 11
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Sunday, 25th October 2009
@PG...have either documentaries made you want to checkout any of the music yet? If either have then I agree they were very successful. Both were well put together and 'by and large' their research and production values were good
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Message 12
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Sunday, 25th October 2009
Btw for further reading on all things Krautrock I recommend people pick up a copy of the Freeman brothers excellent tome 'The Crack in the Cosmic Egg' Now available as a CD-ROM
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Message 13
Posted by Psychedelic Goth (U14137191) on Sunday, 25th October 2009
Yes and no. I get seized by the urge to go out and get everything on the basis of one track, so I'm doing my best not to look them up!
Please excuse spelling here.
I already have loads by Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh, one of Klaus Schulze and I had a Amun Duul LP my dad bought for me nearly 20 years ago that I couldn't get into at the time. It was red and splotchy, that's all I remember.
Listening to the snippets what I liked were whatever was playing behind Mr 'I like water' Neu I think? And I liked the sound of Harmonium... unless it was Cluster... Those I'd follow up if I thought I could restrain myself! I need to listen to all the PV I haven’t got through yet.
It was the history I found more interesting. I don’t need in depth knowledge of bands, but a little bit of background is good.
With the synth, Cabaret Voltaire sounded intriguing. And Throbbing Gristle. Did Mr M talk to them a few weeks back? I probably won't follow them up because I tend to prefer 2nd generation waves, ie the EBM / Industrial stuff that has grown out of it. The early stuff sounds far too stark and cold and taking itself far too seriously - although I love Depeche Mode and Soft Cell and Blue Monday. I already have what I would have gone for.
I was a bit upset by the unspoken slur on Thompson Twins and Howard Jones. I grew up with them and that 'jumping on the bandwagon purist' attitude expressed just seemed petty. Especially when they had complained about getting a bad reaction in the press themselves at the time.
It's funny. Those Synth tracks I have listened to continually over the years don't seem dated, whereas hearing some of the old ones again, well they do sound of their time. It might annoy the Synth artists, but it does. But surely that adds to its charm?
^_^ -
Message 14
Posted by Filbert Foxtrot (U14153663) on Tuesday, 27th October 2009
If you are interested in this period of German history I would recommend the movie Baader Mainhof Complex.
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Message 15
Posted by 24frames (U14105320) on Tuesday, 27th October 2009
I think you should checkout Harmonia's 'Deluxe' album and perhaps some Cluster (note Kluster with a K had Conrad Schnitzler in the ranks therefore is more agressive and proto-industrial).
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Message 16
Posted by Psychedelic Goth (U14137191) on Tuesday, 27th October 2009
Thanks. I'll add that recommendation to the investigation pile.
^_^ -
Message 17
Posted by jasonaparkes (U3653332) on Friday, 30th October 2009
(q)With the synth, Cabaret Voltaire sounded intriguing. And Throbbing Gristle. Did Mr M talk to them a few weeks back? (q)
The Cabs were very intriguing - the 1 disc comp 'The Original Sound of Sheffield' probably has all the best early stuff on, apart from their great cover of the Velvets' 'Here She Comes Now.' & after that primer, it probably makes sense to get 'Voice of America', 'Red Mecca', 'Three Mantras', & '2 x 45' Richard H Kirk's LP on TG's Industrial Records (Disposable Half Truths) is great too.
CV then shed a member (Chris Watson) and attempted to go pop, to varying degrees of success. I still think the albums 'The Crackdown' and 'Microphonies' are great - Flood was involved with those, and Soft Cell's Dave Ball popped up on the former.
I haven't heard the later stuff in some time, though between 'Code' and various CV-remixes there was Sweet Exoricst, one of the most influential acts of the last few decades. You might love CV academically, but a lot stands up...
TG are gods, though the version in Synth Brittania was one that ignored the controversial side and failed to interview half the band. 'The Taste of TG' is a pretty fine primer (despite the fact it would never download onto my computer) and no home should be without '20 Jazz Funk Greats', 'Part Two - The Endless Not', 'Heathen Earth', 'DOA', or 'The 2nd/32nd Annual Report.' Not sure if you'd want to pursue the many live albums or the box-sets...
If you liked TG in SB, then Chris Carter's 'The Space Between' should be tracked down; ditto Robert Rental & Thomas Leer's 'The Bridge' (also on Industrial).
(q)
I was a bit upset by the unspoken slur on Thompson Twins and Howard Jones. I grew up with them and that 'jumping on the bandwagon purist' attitude expressed just seemed petty. Especially when they had complained about getting a bad reaction in the press themselves at the time.(q)
It was a Simon Reynolds' type view - I'd agree with it if the time-line wasn't all over the shop. Plus OMD's post 'Dazzle Ships' pop-crap was the same deal as Thompson Twins (who were once kinda like The Pop Group/Rip, Rig & Panic!!)TT and HJ were pretty terrible, though as SR is the poor man's Paul Morley, it's clear that PM's Top 10 synth list programme comment that TT just repeated the "chorus" again and again was a mantra...
How about a Synth Brittania 3-sum?:
1/ Convincing People by Throbbing Gristle
2/ Day Breaks, Night Heals by Leer & Rental
3/ Silent Command by Cabaret Voltaire -
Message 18
Posted by Psychedelic Goth (U14137191) on Saturday, 31st October 2009
Interesting points jasonparkes, thank you. I'll bear it all in mind next time I go after stuff in this genre.
^_^ -
Message 19
Posted by Andrea Modal (U14198392) on Sunday, 1st November 2009
I enjoyed Iggy Pop's asparagus anecdote.
+A
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