...............................................album of the week

Can - (1971) Tago Mago


Review by Thomas Erlewine (AMG)

Always at least three steps ahead of contemporary popular music, Can were the leading avant-garde rock group of the '70s. From their very beginning, their music didn't conform to any commonly held notions about rock & roll -- not even those of the countercultures. Inspired more by 20th century classical music than Chuck Berry, their closest contemporaries were Frank Zappa or possibly the Velvet Underground. Yet their music was more serious and inaccessible than either of those artists. Instead of recording tight pop songs or satire, Can experimented with noise, synthesizers, nontraditional music, cut-and-paste techniques, and, most importantly, electronic music; each album marked a significant step forward from the previous album, investigating new territories that other rock bands weren't interested in exploring.

Throughout their career, Can's lineup was fluid, featuring several different vocalists over the years; the core bandmembers remained keyboardist Irmin Schmidt, drummer Jaki Leibezeit, guitarist Michael Karoli, and bassist Holger Czukay. During the '70s, they were extremely prolific, recording as many as three albums a year at the height of their career. Apart from a surprise U.K. Top 30 hit in 1978 -- "I Want More" -- they were never much more than a cult band; even critics had a hard time appreciating their music.

· Track List:

01. Paperhouse
02. Mushroom
03. Oh Yeah
04. Halleluhwah 05. Aumgn
06. Peking O
07. Bring Me Coffee or Tea


· Personnel:

Holger Czukay – bass guitar, sound engineer, electronics (1968–1977)
Michael Karoli – guitar, vocals, violin (1968–1979)
Jaki Liebezeit – drums, percussion (1968–1979)
Irmin Schmidt – keyboards, vocals (1968–1979)
Damo Suzuki – vocals (1970–1973)


· About...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_%28band%29


·Video: