"...Ich Mein Berliner...Em Sorry...Dusseldorfer..."
Back in the M&S Cream
Cakes calorie haze blizzard of 2010 (a pre heart attack fat-git in-joke for the
boys at Reckless) - I was duly blown away by a VARIOUS ARTISTS compilation
called "Deutsche Elektronische Musik: Experimental German Rock and
Electronic Musik 1972-1983" put out by the mighty Soul Jazz Records of
Soho's Broadwick Street (links Berwick Street and Wardour Street in the West
End of London).
Soul Jazz had done probably
hundreds of 2LP compilations covering a multitude of genres – Reggae (Studio 1
specialists), Soul, Latin, Salsa, Dance, New Age, Avant Garde and even the
Funky side of Country Rock. But they were impressively the first to nail a
decent representative 2CD and 2 x Vinyl Doubles for that most sought-after of
genres 'KRAUT ROCK'.
Having worked in Reckless
Records (round the corner from them on Berwick Street) for near on 20 years -
in the last ten of those two decades we'd become inundated on a weekly basis
with Dance and Funk 'young uns' interested in a decent 'Kraut Rock' compilation
- with most being amazed that prior to 2010 there really wasn't anything we
could point a finger at. And with German and British Spoon, Brain and United
Artists label LPs increasingly impossible to find in any condition -
"Deutsche Elektronische Musik: Experimental German Rock and Electronic
Musik 1972-1983" turned up just in the nick of time (they even did a
second volume of it to just as much acclaim). In my endearing and yet magnificent
benevolence – I promptly awarded this genius and beautifully presented
compilation with a ‘Reissue Of The Year’ 2010 award (the Queen called me
shortly afterwards to congratulate me on my kindness and Irish good taste).
Pride of place on Disc 1 of
that iconic Volume 1 was "Hallogallo" by NEU in all its droning
ten-minute glory – a band formed after MICHAEL ROTHER and KLAUS DINGER left
Florian Schneider and KRAFTWERK to their own devices in 1971. And that's where
this frightfully cool 2001 CD reissue comes in. Once more my musical travellers
unto the 'sonderangebot' (if you know what I'm saying)...
UK released May 2001 -
"Neu!" by NEU! on Gronland CDGRON 1 (Barcode 5024545344929) is a
straightforward CD Remaster of the 1972 album and plays out as follows (45:44
minutes):
1. Hallogallo (10:07
minutes)
2. Sonderangebot (4:50
minutes)
3. Weissensee (6:42 minutes)
Side 2 is called
"Jahresuberblick"
4. Im Gluck (6:52 minutes)
5. Negativland (9:46
minutes)
6. Lieber Honig (7:15
minutes)
Tracks 1 to 6 are their
debut LP "Neu!" - released summer of 1972 in Germany on
Brain/Metronome Records BRAIN 1004 and October 1972 in the UK on United Artists
UAS 29396. All songs written by and all instruments played by MICHAEL ROTHER
and KLAUS DINGER.
The 16-square foldout inlay
is a dreadfully disappointing affair - reproducing the hand-written inner
gatefold of the original LP and the pink 'Neu!" logo - and nothing else.
In fact you can't even read the hand-written details because they're done in a
semi-faded fashion. We're told the CD is Remastered in London in 2001 - but not
by whom or where. The audio is very good overall but on tracks like
"Lieber Honig" – it has to be pointed out that the hiss levels are
unfortunately very prevalent. I suppose in keeping with the ‘mystery’
surrounding this most influential of German bands – we get no details - but I
can't help feel that this is a lazy reissue when it would have been so much
better to have Rother and Dinger cough up some juicy Dusseldorf freudenberger
facts about themselves and their musical processes thereby enlightening us all
after ‘our’ four decades of subliminal hero worship...
"Neu!" opens its
Kraut Rock account with a winner in "Hallogallo" (apparently no one
seems to know what it means). You get ten minutes of droning brilliance that
builds and builds into a sort of trance-like groove – the kind of hooky
foot-tapping chug that sends Trance and Dance Kids into ecstasy. The band
acknowledged the importance of the track when they reformed in 2010 to do gigs
under the name 'Hallogallo 2010'. The go-to Remaster Wizard and Ace Audio
Engineer for all things Prog (Yes, ELP, King Crimson, Tull) – Porcupine Tree's
Steve Wilson recorded a short but sweet cover version of "Hallogallo"
during PT's 1996 sessions for their "Signify" LP which eventually saw
the light of day the following year on the B-sides/Demos compilation
"Insignificance". But after the prolonged high point of the opener -
the near five-minute sound effects noodle that is "Sonderangebot"
comes as a disappointing piece of filler - swirling drum symbols and warbling
synth notes that emulate winds in the Sahara - but just not as refreshing.
Things are immediately
brought back into superstar focus with the drums and guitar treatment
brilliance of "Weissensee" - seven minutes of what feels like German
Blues with a Kraftwerk tinge. "Weissensee" is the album's other
masterpiece - a sort of slow head-nodding drone that's incredibly musical -
guitars floating in and out in - distorted but controlled fuzz tones - the kind
of thing that would turn up on a mix tape and have punters asking after it.
Like Side 1 - Side 2 offers
us a mixture of the great and the dated. "Im Gluck" (which I think
means 'I'm happy') opens with sloshing water like some Tangerine Dream album on
Virgin Records. Voices then mumble and giggle as if on some punt on the river
when the droning guitar starts to creep in and take over. It's hissy for sure
throughout - but once those guitar notes that to become musical as the song
moves forward - it feels weirdly magical. "Negativland" is probably
the most challenging track on the LP - mad guitar sounds wailing and panning
across your speakers - it's also the best-sounding track on the CD (Californian
band Negativland took their name from this track). "Lieber Honig" is
hiss-laden and features rather silly and forced vocals that sound like the man
needs a good cry and be done with it.
So there you have - half
genius - half waffle - but man the good stuff is so damn cool. And you can feel
the album's seminal influence on everyone from U2 to Radiohead a full 44-years
after the event - which is truly impressive. They went on to release only two
other albums in the UK (both in gatefolds) - "Neu! 2" in September
1973 on United Artists UAG 29500 and "Neu '75" in May 1975 on United
Artists UAG 29782 - but like The Stooges first two LPs (1969's
"Stooges" and 1970's "Fun House" on original Elektra 'EKS'
labels) - I've seen British-pressed copies of these records maybe two or three
times in 45 years of collecting. Hell - United Artists UK even tried
"Super" b/w "Neuschnee" from "Neu 2" as a UK
7" single in a 'Picture Sleeve' - but I've 'never' seen a copy of it and
its £25+ Record Collector Price Guide rating is well underrated in my book...
In 2016 - Germany's NEU! retain their allure and mystery and engender ever-growing amounts of 'Godlike'
analogies.
I don't know if the good
Lord herself would agree with all of those assessments - but this overlooked
and at times utterly brilliant album should be the place where you start your
journey to the 'gluck' side of the force...
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