Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Great band. One of the great German electronic bands of the 70's. Well worth a listen
Can is just so fucking sick. Very glad this project has brought them to my attention. And I got their two albums on the list back to back! What are the odds. I will say, I don't ever need to hear Aumgn again though. Not sure which album I enjoyed more (possibly Future Days - more listens required), but one of them deserves a 5 so I'll give it here.
I enjoy Can in general, but tend to prefer the motorik beat side of Krautrock, and because of this lean into the songs where they hit a groove rather than a freak-out. Also, whenever I listen to the song Mushroom, I'm reminded that the main guitar lick sounds like the Monkees' Not Your Steppin' Stone.
Albsolute brainflood music. I'm sure it's very technically accomplished but it is a tad experimental for me.
the beginning was enjoyable but you lost me on aumgn, what the hell is this. peking O is just insanely bad Would I listen again: No Deserves to be on this list: NO 2.8
Experimental. Droning psychedelia. Jammy. My kind of stuff. I was really glad to have been introduced to this and surprised it’s taken this long. I dig it, tremendously. It just oozes “cool”.
Eight minutes into Aumgn I thought this is getting a 4, its too weird and experimental - even if it is an interesting listen. But then, in the gloomy gray morning light, I went for my morning walk and saw Halloween decorations and ghosts blowing in the wind. I looked to the sky with its fast moving, low, dark clouds and shining through a bright half moon in its center; then to the trees and birds moving at fast forward speed motion and realized I was just in the wrong setting before. 5/5
3.5 - Good
106/1001 CAN - Tago Mago Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ Bar the middle part of Peking O, the proggy psychedelia really worked for me. Yes it's strange and weird, but on the whole, I really enjoyed this.
I don't think i've ever said this for any album: This all sounds a bit too much for me. And it's not the music, because it's good. It's the godforsaken length of it. Paperhouse is an amazing psychy tune, and the transition and switch to a more krautrock, and even industrial oriented, Mushroom always makes me stand and think: "Not bad." Halleluwah is a behemothic, funky motor carriage of a song, and Oh Yeah is what every krautrock song should strive to be. And then we get to side C and D, two sides I can go without. Aumgn and Peking O. are some dissonant long tracks with heaps of experimentation across all boards, with most missing the mark, sadly. Bring Me Coffee or Tea is alright. Overall thoughts are this: listen to the first four tracks, the rest is meh.
Love the creativity on this very unique and doesn’t get old.
I think that we should sort of stop equating longer with better. This album is pretty boring to say the least. If you wanna make a good album with a length runtime, make it as cohesive as possible. Also the songs were pretty annoying and almost pretentious. Like, what the hell is Aumgn? An 18-minute non-song of a guy messing around with a soundboard in a cave? In that case, than that's what it is. It is way to experimental that it doesn't even sound like music, it sounds like a unearthed demo soundtrack for A Clockwork Orange or a Kubrick film that was made before he became a famed filmmaker. Sorry for the long complaining but I just do not like albums like this. It gets to a point where experimental turns stupid and this crossed that barrier. Favorite Tracks: Paperhouse, Oh Yeah Rating: 1/5
I was kinda into it until the 16 minutes of haunted house noises. Didn’t get better from there.
Alors, aujourd'hui on attaque une nouvelle étape de notre chemin de croix musical, et mon dieu quelle étape. On ne va pas se mentir, il y a des albums dans cette foutue liste qui se présentent comme des montagnes, des monolithes intimidants, auréolés d'une réputation si écrasante qu'on hésite à appuyer sur "play". On a peur de ne pas "comprendre", de passer à côté, d'être le seul con qui n'entend pas le génie. "Tago Mago" de Can fait partie de cette catégorie, c'est un peu l'Everest du Krautrock, le boss de fin de niveau du rock expérimental. On me l'a vendu comme un monstre, une créature sonore aux multiples facettes, et pour une fois, la publicité n'était pas mensongère. Je vais être franc : la première écoute de "Tago Mago" est une épreuve physique. C'est un peu comme se prendre un bus en pleine face, mais un bus conduit par un shaman sous acide qui aurait remplacé le klaxon par un solo de batterie de dix-huit minutes. On en ressort sonné, perplexe, le cerveau en bouillie, avec une seule question qui tourne en boucle : "Mais qu'est-ce que je viens d'écouter, bordel ?". Ce n'est pas un disque, c'est un putain de rite de passage, une cérémonie d'initiation qui sépare les amateurs de pop bien peignée des explorateurs de l'extrême. "Tago Mago" c'est une soupe primordiale, un magma sonore en fusion où les genres copulent dans une orgie chaotique et fascinante. Ce disque a été enregistré dans un château près de Cologne, et quand tu écoutes la folie furieuse de "Peking O" ou le délire free-jazz tribal de "Aumgn", tu imagines sans peine les fantômes des barons allemands en train de se taper la tête contre les murs en pierre. Le pilier de ce chaos organisé, ce qui empêche l'édifice de s'effondrer sur lui-même, c'est sans conteste la section rythmique la plus monstrueuse de l'histoire du rock. Holger Czukay à la basse et Jaki Liebezeit à la batterie ne jouent pas de la musique, ils la sculptent et ils martèlent, hypnotisent, répètent des motifs jusqu'à la transe. Liebezeit, ce type était une machine, un métronome humain avec une âme de sorcier vaudou. Il pouvait tenir un rythme pendant vingt minutes sans jamais flancher, te faisant perdre toute notion du temps et de l'espace. C'est la base, le socle sur lequel le reste du groupe peut partir en vrille totale. Et Dieu sait qu'ils ne s'en privent pas. Et puis, il y a la voix ou plutôt, le cri, le grognement, le murmure. Damo Suzuki, ce Japonais errant qu'ils ont littéralement trouvé dans la rue. Le mec ne chante pas, il canalise des esprits. Il utilise sa voix comme un instrument percussif, un saxophone dément, un râle sorti des entrailles de la terre. Et sur un morceau comme l'interminable et génial "Halleluwah", il y a des moments où l'on jurerait entendre Shaun Ryder des Happy Mondays. Cette même diction pâteuse et chamanique, ce phrasé qui se fout des conventions, cette façon de transformer les mots en un mantra rythmique. C'est troublant et on se demande si le jeune Ryder n'a pas usé la galette de Can jusqu'à la corde dans sa chambre de Manchester, bien des années plus tard. Mais c'est là qu'on touche au cœur du réacteur "Tago Mago" : son influence. Putain, son influence... C'est simple, une bonne partie de ce que j'ai adoré depuis mon adolescence est contenue en germe dans ce double album. Le post-punk ? Écoutez la basse de Czukay, répétitive, angoissante. Le post-rock ? Ces longues montées en puissance, ces explosions soniques, cette façon de construire des paysages sonores plutôt que des chansons... Le rock indé ? Ce mélange de mélodie et de bruitisme total, cette liberté formelle... tout est déjà là. Ce disque est un dictionnaire, une encyclopédie des possibles. Chaque groupe qui a voulu, à un moment ou à un autre, sortir des sentiers battus du couplet-refrain a, consciemment ou non, une dette envers "Tago Mago". Il a ouvert des portes que personne ne soupçonnait même l'existence. Il a montré qu'on pouvait être à la fois primal et intellectuel, dansant et terrifiant, structuré et complètement défoncé. À mon époque de disquaire indé, on aurait classé ça dans le bac "inclassable", ou "musique de drogués", ou probablement "import allemand à la pochette bizarre". Et on aurait eu raison sur les trois points. C'est un disque qui demande un effort car il ne se donne pas facilement... Il faut le mériter, l'apprivoiser. Mais une fois que tu es dedans, une fois que tu as accepté de te laisser porter par son courant démentiel, l'expérience est unique. Alors oui, 5 sur 5 sans l'ombre d'une hésitation. C'est plus qu'un album, c'est une clé, une clé qui ouvre l'esprit à une autre conception de la musique. Un monolithe noir planté au beau milieu de l'histoire du rock, qui continue, cinquante ans plus tard, de fasciner et d'influencer tous ceux qui osent s'en approcher. Si vous ne devez écouter qu'un seul album de Krautrock, ce serait mentir que de ne pas dire celui-ci. Mais attention, le voyage risque de vous changer à jamais.
I liked the first half of this album a good amount, then it lost me in the back half. "Oh Yeah" was my favorite on here
Was a pretty cool pschadelic sounding album until the overpowering random screeching and annoying noises.
Experimental avant-garde music sucks. This sucks.
I understand why this is "influential" and there are moments that they are clearly looking into the future like on Peking O. However, that doesn't mean I have to like it this was about as tough a listen as we've had on this list.
This feels like a long-form, Grateful Dead version of psychedelic/garage rock with boring musicians. I don't think this band wanted anyone to hear their vocalist, which is a choice. I kind of dig the spacey, ominous sound, and I can see how it was influential in good ways and bad. Some of it is a rough listen outside of haunted houses and frat hazings. Ultimately, I don't think I'll come back and listen to this unless I want some really trippy experience when I'm stoned out of my god damned gourd
not for me
Can are just in a league of their own. They can lock into a groove and keep it going for eternity and I never get bored of it. Damo Suzuki is the band’s secret weapon though; his voice and singing style really elevate this music over any other krautrock band. Ege Bamyasi is my favourite Can album so it’s a shame to not see it on the list, but I enjoyed revisiting this one.
That was pretty unpleasant.
There's so much cool stuff going on here that it's pretty easy to ignore how long it is. I feel like because of its length that it does meander a fair bit, but it still has countless moments that are super unique and really interesting and quirky, that I can easily forgive it draggin on a bit in some other moments.
The first song is so good, the rest are not.
i don’t know how to feel. i’m unsettled and confused. probably gonna go three
I was absolutely loving this until the experimental sections. I can appreciate the experimentation, but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy listening to it. I'm glad they figured out how to make these sounds so that future bands could figure out how to actually make them sound good.
Yuck. It started off like something at least listenable but in the 2nd half its just spacey noise. Pretty shit not gonna lie. The first long ass song was OK for the first 3 minutes then I was done for the next 15. Terrible. Im sure I just dont get it or care to get it but if u wanna make it for me and my selfish ass make this shit 3 min long max. Too long and it makes my brain go numb. I was gonna give it a 2 for the first few but even then those aren't great. Not for me dawg
Started quite promisingly but a few tracks in I just couldn't listen any more - weird
Very cool and experimental… I prefer other Can albums personally so I can’t give a huge rating
First three tracks were great, I was fully on board. Then Halleluhwah was long as fuck, and Aumgn was indulgently weird instead of interestingly experimental. And then we just never recovered
Boring repetitive goes on forever
i'm an intellectual!
Great songs, just way too long
Pretty good, experimental vibes. Not something I'll go back for.
Interesting but you can't just hear it. You got to listen to it.
I feel it*~
I really we we could do half points as my true score would be 2.5. A straight two would not be fair as I found the album to be just okay.
some extremely long songs... overall it is a vibe, some fun songs some strange, would not necessarily listen to it again though
Ikke min kopp te, men dette er hele grunnen til fortsatt å følge denne lista. Hadde sikkert likt dette på en halvti-konsert.
Started off alright then got weird at the end 6/10
one of the best albums ever made
Fascinerande, väldigt experimentellt. Jag orkar inte dock. Riktig krautrock.
What was the intent of this album in this list? This was a makeup after I already rated 100+ albums, and I have basically no reaction to this entry other than WHY? Listened before?N Saved any tracks? N Favorite tracks? None of them ⭐️ Did not hate. Did not understand it.
“Experimental” goes too far. It gets just stupid.
Not for me.
4.0
Tiene algo interesante pero más de la mitad del disco es un embole, música de fondo. Rock psicodélico alemán.
Interessant, og startede fedt ud men den blev noget lang.
Le début est excellent mais les deux tounes de la fin sont wack
L'album a rapidement go downhill, mais c'était très bien parti.
Yurp its a banger
I promised myself I'd try to make it all the way through every album. I had to stop #17 (Bug) a few seconds into the last song, but otherwise I've been OK. I stopped this one halfway through. I guess avant-punk Krautrock is so far outside my comfort space as to be unlistenable.
Solid album from Can’s best period.
The reviewer would like to thank Google Translation for helping them write in German. Danke, Google. ich liebe dich. oh Scheiße. Jetzt kommt es. Ich weiß nicht, wie lange ich darauf gewartet habe und was ich davon halte. Aber ich versuche, es zu schätzen, weil es so einflussreich ist. Ich habe ein paar Freunde, die Krautrock mögen … und ich persönlich bin wirklich begeistert davon. und ich kann nicht beschreiben, wie großartig es klingt ... was für ein experimentelles Album. Das Album ist sehr rhythmuslastig, Schlagzeug und Bass halten immer weiter den Groove aufrecht, als würden die Räder eines Zuges klirrende Geräusche machen, während Gitarre, Gesang, Keyboard und so weiter lange Zeit improvisieren. Die Texte sind oft in einem wirklich klassischen Unsinn im Stil von „Alice im Wunderland“ geschrieben, mit vielen klassischen experimentellen Klanglandschaften, wie Tonbandschleifen, die hier und da eingestreut sind. Es hat diese besondere Schwingung, die manche Leute anspricht, aber aufgrund der experimentellen Natur von Krautrock vielleicht nicht für die breite Öffentlichkeit attraktiv ist. Ich will nicht anmaßend sein, aber ich mag das wirklich. Abgesehen von „Aumgn“. war dieses beschissene Lied die längsten 17 Minuten und 32 Sekunden meines Lebens. fünf auf meiner fünfstufigen Album-Bewertungsskala (original text: oh shit. here it comes. im not sure how long i have waited for this and what i think of this. but im trying to appriciate this because how influencial this is. i have some friends who like krautrock... and personally im really excited about this. and i can't describe how awesome it sounds... what an experimental album. the album is really rhythm heavy with the drum and the bass going on and on maintaining the groove like the train's wheel making clanking noises while the guitar and the vocal and the keyboard and stuff improvises on it for a lengthy time period with the lyrics often written in really classic, "Alice in Wonderland" style nonsense, with a lot of classical experimental soundscapes, like tape loops, thrown in here and there. it has this type of special vibration that has some appeal to certain people but might not be appealing to the general public, due to the experimental nature of krautrock. im not being pretentious but i really like this. apart from aumgn. that shit is the longest 17 minutes and 32 seconds of my life. five stars out of five on my album rating scale) 5/5
OK, better than the other Krautrock bands I've had to endure on this list. But...it's still awful. 2/5
Hadde sine øyeblikk. Hvis jeg vil ha låter som er lenger enn et kvarter, så hører jeg heller på Dream Theater.
Was great apart from Aumgn
This fucks
Great album, best album by Can, needs to be played loud in a darkened room😂
Well that was interesting. It was pretty good at times, and at other times I wouldn't play it at Halloween for fear of scaring trick-or-treaters at the door.
3.75
hell no. i know myself to like rlly niche and avant-garde stuff, but this rlly is on a whole other level the album started rather prog-rock, with stuff you’d expect from king crimson. then it got a bit weirder, into kid-a and mogwai territory, and by time i got to the last 3 tracks, i literally had to skip them all. never ever has a song made me feel so uncomfortable and so strange!!! peking-o and bmcot were kinda strange in a boring way, but i literally could not bear to listen to amugn for more than 10 minutes. horrifying, really uhmmmmmmmm only song i remotely like is paperhouse, bc of its rock nature that now im coming to appreciate due to how fucking freaky everything else is
Funk psychedelic to the core.
boring
Come on, man
Interesting for the time of release; not much else.
No thanks
2.5 stars. Feels like two different albums. First half is pretty cool German psychedelic rock that is just enough avant garde. But then the second half is real weird/experimental noise rock starting with "Aumgn". Probably groundbreaking in it's time (1971) but the second half is too out there for me to enjoy.
KINO!!
I don't know. some parts are great, but some are just noises
This was a wild ride, and one that i enjoyed so much I was wavering on give a 5-star rating. The utterly bizarre Aumgn and Peking O soundscapes lost me a little, but elsewhere there was some absolutely banging drums and cool guitar solos
I was getting into it and then Aumgn came on. 17 min of a Halloween atmospheric track. Peking O was only a little better. I could get into everything else but those two songs pissed me right off.
It’s a tough listen because the vocals have rough accents. The first song was good, and I can definitely hear the influence on other rock music, but it’s probably not something I’d want to hear again. 7 songs at an hour and fifteen minutes long is just too dense. Ok no - this got so much worse for the last 3 songs. The first of the three was fine, sounded like it’d fit in a videogame but was 17 minutes long. The second was absolute shit, random piano and literal gibberish screaming. I can’t give this a passing grade after that.
2/5
Delightfully nonsensical
Luister, ik ben progrock gaan waarderen. Echt waar! Steely dan met Aja is absoluut een fantastisch album. Maar dit? Nee sorry, dit is echt dus 3 keer niets. Het heeft ontzettend lange nummers(18 minuten voor 1 nummer? Doe ff normaal...) En ik ben best down voor progrock die ingewikkeld is, maar dat is hier niet perse het geval. Er zijn langgerekte stukken waarin eigenlijk niet echt iets gebeurd, buiten een soort didgeridoo stuk? Is dat vet? Ik ben er eigenlijk niet zo weg van. Misschien begrijp ik hierin niet het achterliggende thema, omtrent jungle of mystiek, maar het ontgaat me volledig waarom dit nu zo vet zou moeten zijn. Het is wel een oud album, 1971 om precies te zijn, dus misschien is het het eerste album dat dit soort geluiden in een wat meer mainstream rock jasje verpakt? Ze krijgen geen 1 ster, omdat wat het doel is van dit album, experimentele lange rocknummers, precies is wat het album is. Het klinkt als iets van een andere planeet en ik kan me voorstellen dat met genoeg LSD dit fucking vet is. Helaas heb ik 1001 albums uitstaan in het weekend en ben ik niet zeker dat mn werkgever het zou waarderen als ik een zegeltje neem bij de koffieautomaat. Jezus christus, Peking O is dan weer echt complete onzin. 11 minuten waarin eigenlijk gewoon niets gebeurd. Nee sorry, dan verdien je 1 ster. Je neemt je muziek niet serieus, ik voel me ook totaal niet serieus genomen en weiger nog een seconde langer te luisteren naar deze onzin. Stik er in. Dit is oprecht het eerste album dat ik niet heb afgeluisterd, het is de veralbumificatie van 'dit had een e-mail kunnen zijn' en ik irriteer me daar ontzettend aan. Misschien zit er een goed album in van 3 kwartier ofzo, maar op dit moment voelt het echt als verspilling van mn tijd. FAVO:
Went from lit to not lit very quickly
Can it get more interesting? No. Riff on riff. Compositional improvisational. Calling it Krautrock seems to miss the point of its elaborate strangeness. Almost as if they forcibly intend you to listen to every note to try to figure out what's going on.
This was very strange but not unpleasant. At first I could’ve been listening to the White stripes or The Stone Roses but 20 years too early. In fact, I think The Stone Roses might have stolen a riff then it went into really long experimental, crazy, genre-defying tracks that actually got better on a second lesson. This was surprising but in a positive way. I’ve never heard of this lot before, but I’m glad to have had the experience.
Listened to this in fits and bits and it was alright. Never elevated me to anywhere special, but there were interesting things going on. Not a big fan of this Kraut-experminetal production aesthetic, so that didn't help any.
Disc one: five stars. Funky, groovy, trippy fun. The drums get me every time. Disc two: two stars. I dig avant-garde music, but boy, that disc tests my patience. The last song is cool, though. This gets a 4 because I dig disc one so much.
Whenever I see "German Krautrock," my first thought is...that's redundant. And then my second thought is "ach, nein!" But the last Krautrock album we had I enjoyed so I thought. Gut, let's take it for a spin. I deeply appreciate the experimental effort and disregard for what is considered "music" in the traditional sense, but I don't have to like hearing it.
I don’t know man. Fun psych and proto-noise? I can hang. Got a bit long in the tooth towards the end. But still a good listen.
Maybe my favourite album by Can, hallelujah is pretty much the perfect kraut rock song
This was terrible. Track 5 was horrendous. And then the follow up was even worse. So many reviews on here saying this is the best album they’ve ever heard… your desire to be pretentious and obscure is deafening. Coming from somebody who tends to appreciate a lot of experimental art pieces.
2.1 // Exactly what you'd expect from an experimental, mostly psychedelic, early 70s album. Wasn't completely unlistenable, but some songs were really bad
Mixed view on this. On the one hand, very cool, ahead of its time, on the other, calm down guys.
Half of this album was really interesting, I'd probably need to listen to it multiple times. The second half was noise. 3.5
Couldn't get through any song without fast forwarding.
A very important album and a great influence on much later music. Some great funky grooves on this as well experimentation, all underpinned by the motoromic drumming of Jaki Leibzeit
Dudes took too much LSD recording this album
Groovy and oddly interesting
Good opening two tracks then went too weird
Mental.
Not for me
Cet album m’a surpris à chaque détour. C’est jazzé mais brutal, obscur et anarchique, peu soucieux de son horizon d’écoute. J’ai vraiment aimé quand même, l’inattendu, l’exploration
I almost liked it.
This is the first Can album I had heard. I enjoy their following few releases more, but this is a great starting point. A few tracks might filter out some listeners though. *Heard before
3.5/10
Strap in for the ride Sonic Voyagers! This is some seriously fine Kosmische Musik. I was very happy when it came up today. About 3 or 4 years ago I discovered that I really enjoy motorik beats, so I did a deep dive into the Krautrock genre, of course Can was part of that. There's a really informative video on YT from Sea of Tranquility on their favorite Krautrock albums, easily searchable if you want a more in depth look at where to start in this genre. This is the musical version of 'nothing exceeds like excess' with a couple 17 and 18 minute tracks, those are highlights for me. Peking O is a bit of a skip track, but everything else is genre defining excellence. 5 stars all day.
another one of those albums i’m just not cool enough to like
Absolutely worth listening to but the 5th and 6th songs on this album are just 29 minutes of absolute nonsense.
This album consists basically of long-form tracks that only loosely qualify as songs and instead serve as jumping-off points for a lot of barely-structured jamming. The improvisation here never rises to the level of compelling listening. Gets increasingly ridiculous as it progresses, which is remarkable considering its haphazard start. Sound quality is equally cruddy, with brittle-sounding guitars and poorly-miked drums.
Oh this is another one that's Art with that capital A. Again, it's not like I didn't like it, exactly, but also it was soooooo looooong and a lot of it was not what I would traditionally call "music". Still better than the Velvet Underground though.
Throw the second disc into the fucking sun and this album is still just meh.
Die ersten Songs sind ganz gut. Aber es wird immer abgefahrener und verrückter. Psychedelic, experimental Rock....
I feel like as strange as this album is at times there are times/moments when it's brilliant. Experimental Krautrock is certainly not commercial but there's something enjoyable and trippy about this record. Having said that I won't be in a hurry to come back to it.
Ugh, I realty wanted to like this and there were some parts in the beginning that I was really grooving with. Then it descended into just unlistenable psychedelic experimentation noises and that was it.
3.5
Probably not many people's preference, but I really like it. It's the same type of work that Frank Zappa was doing with Yellow Snow in the latter part of his career, another album not to be missed.
I heard so much Radiohead in this and I’m not mad about it
Thanks to No Dogs in Space for familiarizing me with CAN, but they are not for me.
Gut 10/10
This was not what I was expecting. When I saw how long the songs were, I expected this to be jazz, but it was definitely not jazz. I don’t even know what to call this except weird. It was very experimental and got weirder and weirder as it went on. I was going to give it 2 stars until I got to the second to last song where it went off the rails.
You know, I've come to dread albums with a long running time (this one is 74 minutes), especially if they're 'prog rock classics' like this one is supposed to be. I must have made a mistake when signing up to the list - can I change my mind? This list is very much like the Oscars - never mind the entertainment factor, have a look at the technical artistry on display, see how they make the greatest use of their craft. Look, it's fine, but please don't make me sit through this again...
Pretty fun but quite unmemorable
psychedelic experimental rock, which is cool, but it often goes down the road of being redundant and mostly noise.
This was ok until those long ass bullshit songs towards the end.
Had to skip Paperhouse and Mushroom. I can't stand the whispering. Fun with misophonia! This was...weird. There were a few spots where I bopped my head along with the music. There were more spots where I was just confused. Am I being pranked? Overall, it was deeply unsettling. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): I guess Oh Yeah wasn't horrible
Part of this I really liked. The early tracks are what I look for in experimental music. But by the end, it got annoying. So, 4 and 2.
the three 10+ minute songs in a row are how i know the drugs were shit and they didn't have enough movies or video games back then.
There were so many unpleasant noises in here, including but not limited to screechy violin. "Aumgn" was kind of spooky (positive). 1.5
This album sounds like the Ross Geller Experience meets Pink Floyd, and it sucks. This is the worst album that I've rec'd so far, and I've already had Throbbing Gristle. 1 lousy star and I'd give it way less if I could.
This is so close to a 4, but the penultimate track seemed to annoy me so much ill probably have to take it down to a 3. I like a lot about it. Its interesting, experimental, I like a lot of the effects and soundscapes. Good
I was excited for the direction the album was headed after the first 2 songs. However, ultimately I ended up flabbergasted as to what I had just listened to and just generally confused. I feel like the band had many interesting ideas that they could’ve capitalised off of, but the end product is just a mess. Sound production is surprisingly well crafted. The 60s country rock esq guitar sound and repetitive, uninspiring melodies become old and contribute to an unthrilling experience.
An odd album for sure. Not as bad as some people seem to think on here but definitely not something I would return to.
Not every album needs multiple songs that are over 10 minutes long, and that's perfectly fine.
"Tago Mago" is the second studio album, and a double album at that, by German krautrock band Can. Krautrock, psychedelic rock, experimental rock and avant funk are the Wiki-listed genres. Lots of big words there that all fit. An apt music description is "long experimental tracks blending rock and jazz improvisation, funky rhymes and musique concrète tape editing." This was the first full studio album to feature vocalist Damo Suzuki after the departure of Malcolm Mooney. Other bandmembers included Holger Czukay (bass, engineering, editing), Michael Karoli (guitars, violin), Jamie Liebezeit (drums, double bass, piano) and Irmin Schmidt (organ, electric piano, electronics, vocals). The album had wide-spread critical acclaim. "Paperhouse" opens the album. Drums, guitar and Suzuki's vocals buried beneath the music. Pretty standard rock music which changes as the pace quickens. Multiple percussion and layered guitars. It becomes hypnotic and very jam band-ish. But, of course, there's Damo Suzuki whispering, yelling and screaming making this anything that's remotely standard. Drums and percussion begin "Mushroom." Suzuki repeating "Well, I saw mushroom head." The ringing guitar tone is eerie. A more mechanical drum beat makes it way in the second half. We are going down a strange path and, yet, we've haven't nearly made it to what would be classified as weird on this album. All of side two is the song "Halleluhwah." A drumbeat and buried vocals. The guitar and bass really bring the funk. They get a nice groove going. Lots of talk of blood flow by Suzuki makes me think this is about drugs. The music is hypnotic. Several pace changes but the funk is still there. On side three, we finally come to the full-on weird with "Aumgn." How could we not with a song inspired by and named after Aleister Crowley's interpretation of the Hindu mantra syllable Om. Swirling noises, a repeating piano note, electric noises and violin scratches in the first half of the song. Scary stuff indeed. But it doesn't stop there. We then get sinister voices, rattles, various percussion noises and a dog barking. The album closes with "Bring Me Coffee or Tea." The band goes jazzy with the bass, drums and guitar. Its a break-up song which ends with dramatic music. Psychedelic, hypnotic, strange, eerie and scary are some descriptors of this album and music. One thing it is not is boring. The album is really two parts. The first part is rock, lots of jamming, psychedelic and funky. The second part is experimental, lots of random noises, electronic and jazzy. Overall, the music is percussion heavy with eerie, piercing guitars, organs and pianos. Damo Suzuki's vocals are basically another instrument. I'm not sure that most of what he sings about is nonsense. Well, I find this music fascinating and like it a lot. No, it's not for everyone but if you want a rewarding challenge, no need to look further.
Had to skip Paperhouse and Mushroom. I can't stand the whispering. Fun with misophonia! This was...weird. There were a few spots where I bopped my head along with the music. There were more spots where I was just confused. Am I being pranked? Overall, it was deeply unsettling. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): I guess Oh Yeah wasn't horrible
Noisy crap
Psychedelic rock album, old school rock, cool
So far from what i can enjoy
How did I miss this.
Certainly not boring. I only knew Vitamin C before playing, and this was chirpier and more melodic, but with some songs stretched out to infinity. It didn't full grab my attention, but I always appreciate a failed attempt at something different than more of the same. A 3, but enough for me to look out for more Can in future.
This is one of the worst albums I've heard on here, I at one point was laughing at one of the songs because it sounded so stupid! I just couldn't get into it and I will never listen to it again!
Fun and experimental. Wouldn’t listen to it again tho
Mild start but a long sounding album. 1hr 7 minutes over seven tracks. Are you mad! One was 16 minutes long with intense moaning/ screaming. Generally thought didn’t hate the music, definitely a background listen rather than vibes
I liked the sound a lot, first half was cool, Oh Yeah is a standout. Aumgn was scary and I kinda liked that.
Worst experience ever
If you're going to get freaky - get freaky. And some of these tracks were FREAKS (I loved it).
Weird
When even the book describes this as a "musical endurance test," it's not a good sign. Nor was the anecdote any their first gig with the lead singer causing people to flee the venue en masse. The longer I listened, the lower my rating got.
True freakzone wigout shiz. High marks for artistic endeavour, less so for accessibility, at least towards the end 😅
This is the musical equivalent of those endless loop videos of spirals at the modern art museum.
I bet this would have gone crazy high asf in the 1970's!! In 2025 while working, it was ok.
This album had its enjoyable moments at the beginning, but man I really wanted "Halleluhwah" to end, and then I really wanted "Aumgn" to end, and then I wanted "Peking O" to end. This album went off the rails and just descended into noise. I don't ever need to hear this again. 3/10
I loved this, even the crazy weird moaning and Halloween like screaming of it. I had never heard of CAN before but I will be listening to this again here shortly. I loved the grooves of this, especially Halleluhwah and Paperhouse. 5 stars for me.
I've tried multiple times to get into Can and I just haven't been able to do it. I'm a huge fan of classic 70s prog, so they should be right up my alley. This album is probably the closest I've come to enjoying them, but the singer ruins it for me. He sounds to me like a low-energy Mick Jagger and Mick Jagger's energy is probably the one thing that doesn't bother me about his vocals. Outside of the vocals, there's some really interesting stuff going on. More psychedelic than the bigger names in prog of the day, some seriously great rock grooves and the more avant garde soundscapes are quite interesting as well. 4 stars, knocked down 1 star because of the singer, so 3 stars overall.
It was ok until it hit the second half of album with multiple 18 minute songs of nothing. This is garbage.
Too long and just painful
Wow what a ride. Thought it was weird but quite interesting at first and then it all went downhill, specifically on tracks 4, 5, and 6. Honestly if they hadn’t had a vocalist they probably would get a higher rating but he was just spasming out on those tracks and they were waaaaaaay too long.
"arguably one of the most influential rock albums". by who????? was a reasonable amateur garage band until that ridiculous 17 minute track.
This would have been a 3, then a 2 now it’s a 1 sorry wtf is this
it has some good samole opportunitues on it, but that 17 min tune killed it off
It took me many listens but I eventually really got into this album. Could I take another 18 minutes of Halleluwah? Absolutely! It reminded me of a video art piece at the National Gallery that was one of the bright points of my pandemic experience. That said, much of this album is too experimental and improvisational for my tastes.
A quirky classic
progressive bad aged, imho
what can't can do
The music that is there is good. I wouldn't listen to the back half again.
“arguably one of the most influential rock albums ever recorded”
Meh
Started out promising then divulged into random notes being smashed on every instrument and the singer turning into Donnie from the Wild Thronberrys which did you fucking know that was Flea?! These psychedelic acid experimental rock groups from the 60/70s are always the same. It starts off kind of nice and then the drugs kick in and it all goes to shit while you know they thought they were creating the next gospel. 2/10
Drug music. If I was high while listening it’d get a 5.
Favorite Track: Mushroom
Not for me. First half of the album OK, but the other one...
Quite like the band, not so much this album
One thing this list has taught me, is that I really don’t like psych rock. This album isn’t the worst of the psych rock picks though, but it tries its damndest at one point to do so. Fortunately my phone decided to briefly lock up and restarted all the apps. Since that caused Spotify to stop playing, I accepted it as a sign to move one, and so I did.
yksi one of the yksi osa ehkä yksi tota one of the varmastikkin yksi tota one of the most yksi eniten ehkä yksi jopa one of the ... ööö.. one of th ebadns of all time... tämä viiden album kierros vuodesta 1969 vuoteen 1973 on yksi viiden albumin kierroksista koskaan... tässä aö´lbumissa tykkäsin rummuista kuulostaa raaoilta.. paukuttaa vaan menemään hyvä productio recording tallennus kuulostaa vähän bill ward tyyppimäiseltä järkyttävältä lyönneiltä. iskisipä joku pyllyäni samalla raivolla... HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA HAKKAA halleluhwah
Nup
I don't even know what this was, started out alright an descended into some weird psychedelic screeching which wasn't for me.
1/5
Different
I was really into the first half but the second disc went wildly off the rails. Since that’s intended to be the weird experimental half I guess I can accept it and split the difference. Best song: Halleluhwah
He intentado escuchar Can varias veces y siempre ha salido mal. Hoy no fue la excepción. Las dos canciones más largas de este disco Halleluhwah y Aumgn le restan bastante, al menos para mi gusto. En cambio, algunas de las canciones cortas sí me han gustado bastante. No me parece la obra maestra de la que habla mucha gente. 3/5
Wow. I had no idea what this was going to be after reading the description. I gotta say it melted my mind. I can't believe this came out when it did, it is way way waaay ahead of its time. I don't listen to much music like this, but I'm very glad I listened to this album.
Liked the last one better. 3
2 stars for the 2 songs I liked on this album.
not great
FUCK what is wrong with my brain why did I enjoy this so much. Probably won't surprise you to learn that this is not my first rodeo with the band Can. However this is the first time I have actively enjoyed a Can album. It is weird as fuck. I love the repetitive droney jams that cover the first half of this album. I love the creepy ass sound manipulations that cover the second half. I caught myself genuinely smiling, even at one point laughing at how much I was enjoying this thing. Can hear its influence all over multiple genres of music I love. Damo is a fucking weird ass front man but I love his improv completely fearless singing/yelping/screaming.
I admire its inventiveness and wild experimentation for its time, and I can absolutely see why it’s on this list. But I do not want to listen to it ever again. Paperhouse (6/10) Mushroom (4/10) Oh Yeah (4/10) Halleluhwah (5/10) Aumgn (5/10) Peking O (2/10) Bring Me Coffee or Tea (6/10) 4.5/10
It starts off making you think, wait why do people hate Can? And then it fully becomes Can. Partially like listening to the sounds of House on Haunted Hill and partially just insane jamming. I never really got Can.
Halleluwah was the first song that I heard from them (a different, much shorter version) and i loved that song so much even at 16 years old. Now, 8 years later I still think Can is one of the best bands from the era. The first half of this is straight bangers. The transition from the first song to Mushroom might be one of the best song transitions I've ever heard. Thing is if it wasn't for the change into weirdness from Aumgm, it would be an easy 5. Like this, I think I'll give it a 4. Ege might be better
Can is basically the only prog I don't mind, but it's still not really something I ever seek out. It's mostly nice to have on in the background. Would rate 3.5.
This is music from my wildest dreams. Plebians rating this below four stars do so because they are not aware that this album is the source behind every single artist that they like.
Too long. I dont want to listen to an 18 minute jam session. Keep it to yourselves.
Not nearly as bad as I expected. For some reason, the longer tracks didn't bother me. And a few of the more-or-less normal-length tracks were pretty good.
Very experimental given the technology available at the time. Not really my genre nor my style but interesting in its composition. Very reminiscent of some of the must of the times, eg. Pink Floyd.
What a tremendous waste of time
The first 3 tracks were very mid and forgettable for me. Track 4 was similar, but also 20 minutes long so a bit tiresome. Tracks 5 and 6 were actively obnoxious. This isn't an album I'll every willingly listen to again. 1.5/5
This was a 4/5 before the c-side. The 2nd and 3rd-to-last tracks are ultimately pointless and annoying to me, and don't fit with the flow of the album. Because they are so not good, it gets a lot less good score. 2.75/5
Has times when it gets more experimental than good, but still glad I heard this one
Just noise with no redeeming features. I don't think this was supposed to be listened to by sober people. I don't actively hate it like some of my ⭐ reviews, but I don't see why this is a thing, or why anyone felt it was necessary for me to hear it.
This was better than Morrissey and it made no sense.
Absolutely terrible. I'm only giving 2/5 because the drummer and percussion honestly is fantastic. But, 35-40% of this album isn't even music.
The record starts off as psychedelic rock then morphs into experimental rock while keeping some psychedelic elements. I prefer the first half over the second.
Another album of yelling and random noises
Music for getting high to. Aumgn is great, Peking O is unlistenable.
Get's a little too out there drone-y for far too long to be a 4 banger
I'm all set with this one....
The Good: Yes, we can! The Bad: Wait… not that kind of can… The Ugly: Wondering what canned tago-mago tastes like… This album is what we are on this journey on. When the album cover showed up my initial thoughts were “okay, this is going to be interesting” and I was not disappointed. Today I learned that Kraut-Rock is not Opus’s Life is Life, or Nena’s 99 Luftballons… silly me. What I did learn is that there was a period in time when musicians tried to alter the norm, infuse art and philosophy into their works, and inspire future generations for making new kind of music. Listening to Can, I am amazed at the quality of sound, the “freshness” of it all, especially considering that, should you be unaware of when this album was recorded, you’d easily think this album could come from the ‘90s or later… Then there’s Suzuki’s vocal performance… puts you into a trance. The only reason that this album is not getting 5* is due to the length of most of the “songs”—7 tunes for a double album, boy oh boy… Should people listen to this before they die, absolutely! 4 1/2*
Way too experimental for me. Skipped half the songs halfway to 3/4 if the way through
the fuck
First part of the double-LP is amazing and super enjoyable to listen to. The second part of the double-LP is terrible and will make your ears bleed to listen to.
Cannot
bingo bango
хрень
So many haters dislike this masterpiece? Very influential that not many know about. I like jam music so this is clearly up my alley.
Who? What? Won’t…again.
Some really cool pioneering effects
I really liked this album - minus a couple of song. I loved the layers of sounds, varying tempos and beats. A psychedelic jam session - in a mostly good way
These guys feel like the Radiohead of the early 1970s. The critics seemed to like them, but nobody really listened to them; because, while unique, it's just not very good.
🥫
Nothing notable
liked the first half. absolutely hated tracks 5 and 6. not for me.
Krautrock is an explicit influence on many of my favorite artists, and I can clearly hear that some of that influence comes from Tago Mago. The sonic collage Can weave in each song draws you in and keeps you engaged. The groove of Oh Yeah is clearly an inspiration for KGATLW while the synth/rock interplay and vocals tells me Thom Yorke was a devotee as well. At the same time, the influences on Can are apparent. None more so than the blues guitar playing of someone like B. B. King. The extended groove in Halleluhwah was a delicious start to a bonkers song. And that bass line: tasty. Aumgn sounds like the score to an Italian art house horror film, in the best way. O Peking was a strange, off-putting song with some great moments. Bring Me Coffee or Tea is an excellent parting song, displaying much of the freewheeling sensibilities of the band but hewing more to traditional bluesy rock. I am left satisfied but wanting to return to the weirdness in the meat of the record.
Tago Mago is definitely one interesting album. I heard that it is a krautrock album so it definitely has the quirks of an album like that or at least the ones i know of from listening to Faust IV but i do like this one more because this one still was quirky like that one but still managed to hold itself back when it came to the quirkiness. Well, except for tracks 5 and 6. Those two tracks just felt like Can was throwing everything they had at a wall and was seeing what stuck but not a whole lot of it did. Track 5 was worse in that regard but both of them still could be pretty annoying. But regardless, if i were to recommend one krautrock album of the two i listened to, it would be this one. Best Song: Oh Yeah Worst Song: Aumgn
when I started this project I was expecting to listen to black sabbath deep cuts. not haunted house ambient noises.
Glad they were able to experiment. Also happy that others enjoyed this. I absolutely did not. 1/5
#626. I usually dont really like jam bands, but for some reason today I also dont like jam bands. 2/5: meh
Good, experimental. Can hear the influence on Kid A/Amnesiac.
The album started out pretty good. Some of the tracks sounded much newer than what I'd expect from a 1971 album -- "Mushroom" and "Oh Yeah" sound like mid-stage Radiohead. But then you hit an 18-minute track "Hallelujah" which is so jammy and endless, and then Augmn is even worse. The whole back half of the album is pretty much unlistenable.
Honestly, this is probably a 3. Or, rather five songs that range from low-3 to low-4 (though all overlong), plus one song that sounds like background for a video game level titled "The Necromancers Lair" and one song that almost tanks the whole album. But I did find this more interesting than a lot of similar albums on this list, so it gets a bump.
All the reviews indicate it drops off after the 4th song but it wasn't really doing anything prior to that for me. Too long, too jammy, mediocre to bad singing (though I did get the shades of Radiohead one on song) - and then way too experimental.
Superlative Krautrock. Strange but instantly recognisible vocals by Damo Suzuki, weird rhythm changes, elongated jams and occasional melodies. I can understand why people don't like this album, especially tracks 5 & 6, but again, I dig it and also it *is* important. Post Rock wouldn't exist without this band. Best Tracks: Paperhouse; Oh Yeah; Halleluhwah
oh wow! Didn't expect to be completely submersed in this completely unknown band but here we are!
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Think i was expecting it to be much rougher sounding
Did some of those songs really need to be over 15 minutes? 2.5 stars.
Never should have smoked that shit, now I’m stuck in the never-ending ambient soundscapes of Can’s 1971 masterwork Tago Mago.
pitää kuunnella uudestaan
Ok but nothing special
We have Led Zeppelin at home
Super trippy. This album looks like a little volcano boy getting high and breathing smoke. While the majority of this album is borderline unlistenable, the balance really shines. Oh Yeah, Halleluhwah, Bring me Coffee or Tea are great, but Paperhouse is absolutely incredible. This track alone is evidence enough for me to check out some of their other shit.
Finally done with krautrock. I'm in full agreement with my group members. The first 3 or 4 tracks were tolerable, and reinforced my belief that there is nothing cohesive about the alleged genre. Then things went completely off the rails. Take out "Aumgn" and "Peking O" and it's a tolerable 3-star album.
Was all prepared to retract my harsh judgement of krautrock after the first half of the album, which I actually enjoyed. But man they really tried to tank the album on the back half. The track “Augmn” was unlistenable.
It’s albums like this that reinforce that music critics largely don’t know what the hell they are talking about. Through the first LP, they were hovering in the JBZ, likely a 3. But then LP 2 rolled in with Aumgn and Can promptly took a shite on my ears. What terrible nonsense!
Started off promisingly, then disappeared up it's own backside 4 tracks in..
I really liked this, but after an hour-plus of Can, I came to the realization that they would be much better without the singer. In other words, can the singer! Liked Songs Added: Mushroom
It's fun.
This album goes from not horrible to worse than awful as it moves from song to song. Simply a bad idea, so 1 star or F.
Very unique. Started out very Velvet Underground meets punk. The got really Avant-garde experimental. Not really bad or good. Odd to be to the point.
Ok for background listening, got a bit weird later in the album
The latter half of this album is fucking insane and I love it. The trio of "Halleluwah", "Aumgn", and "Peking O" are all I really needed to hear to give this one a high score. The preceding tracks are all right, but very much overshadowed by what follows.
honest question: what the actual hell was this? it started good but THEN, those two scary songs came up and i was like "yeah, no way, man". also, the ending was so boring, nothing really made sense and i feel like its an album you literally cannot listen in any occasion! i dont have any favorite songs, for real
I can see music now. It's weirdly fringed and chevroned with visible reverb.
Decent, probably deserves a relisten
I am really losing my patience for all this psychedelic bullshit. I bet this record would have been mind blowing if I was a 14 year old kid smoking weed out of a bong for the first time, but I ain’t that. I really struggled to find any enjoyment at all here. In the words of AJJ: “simply lyrics and boring riffs, every choice is so obvious” I guess some songs had some pretty technically impressive drumming, but that combined with a whole bunch of weird bullshit was hardly enough to overcome just how dreadfully bored I was throughout the entire listening session of this album. 1*
What a very strange album. When I saw 1971 and that Apple Music just categorizes it as "rock" from a band I've never heard of, my hopes for anything enjoyable had fallen quite low. I was pretty surprised to find myself vibing with the first track. Kinda funky, kinda experimental, a little jazzy at times, very interesting in a way that doesn't compromise listenability. I was happy to find this continues through the first three songs. And then we get to "Halleluhwah" and "Aumgn", two tracks almost 20 minutes each that just go totally off the deep end. And I get that that's the point, but they're just... so long. There are enjoyable parts of each, and there are not so enjoyable parts, which is fine, but just... so long... ;_; it's so much to endure. It almost feels like a physical or spiritual feat of strength and endurance. You may come out changed for making it through the ~36 minute middle section of this album. Maybe that's the point. And then there's two closing tracks that are more in line with the opening three, but not quite as enjoyable. You've come down from your mushroom trip and things are back to normal. I'm not entirely sure how to rate this album. Roughly half of it is the two very long middle tracks, which I didn't necessarily... enjoy... but I do feel strangely richer, or a little more fluent in popular music history, for having listened to. The rest of it I liked, but didn't love. It was a wild ride, like a very weird dream. ???/10
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🧠🎨🌞 Production (2004 Remaster): 🎧😘🤌 Music: 👁️🗨️🧩🚀 Rating: 🧠🧠🧠🧠(🧠)/5
Beats good, songs meh.
The benefit of the double LP - which, historically, I am not a fan of - is that it allows the artist to segment their work. You can have one set of ideas on one LP and another set of ideas on the next. Some might even segment further, grouping different sets of ideas for each side of vinyl, so that you have 4 separate artistic ideas spread across your double LP. In the era of streaming, that segmentation is lost. You are given a list of songs, one after another, and that is your album. There’s no line of demarcation. Even if an album like Tago Mago can be taken as a whole, some might find the separation of LP’s to beneficial - you have the first LP (Paperhouse through Halleluwah), a (relatively) straightforward psychedelic rock LP and the second LP (Augmn through Bring Me Coffee or Tea), a wildly experimental and avant-garde slab of blistering psychedelia. You can break Tago Mago up and find situations where one half of the album might suit you better than the other. I don’t really know what my point is here….maybe that you can enjoy part of this record and then come back to the other part later, rather than taking it all in at once. Anyway…Can is awesome. They are one of the greatest bands of all time, maybe the greatest. Tago Mago is a masterpiece…you just need to let it unfold for you.
Rhythmic, psychedelic masterwork. Can's best music completely oozes with effortless, mysterious coolness. If there's any rock band that deserves the title of "Coolest Band of all Time", it's Can.
Very reminiscent of Houmous & Chutneys crowd splitting 46th studio album ‘An Hour of Random Atmospheric Sounds (With One Great Track In The Middle). 1.8
Heavy going. Too weird for me
2,5
I have a hunch that these guys smoked a lot of grass...
please stop no more 30 minute long songs
Coming back to the game after a year+ break...albums like this were why I hit pause in the first place. Next album better be good.
There's so much experimentation here, especially for 1971, that it's a little hard to digest. It's like musical celery. Incredible transition between Paperhouse and Mushroom. The singing in Mushroom is almost deliberately lazy. I like it. The vocalist starts whispering halfway through the track, and I like to think it's because he's out of breath from two minutes of breathy murmurs. The bass is also mixed to be very loud and bounces back-and-forth between the ears. Backward vocals in Oh Yeah are pretty questionable, but I guess back in the day people still weren't quite sure what would catch on. Judging by the original charting positions and modern Spotify listens, it seems that Tago Mago did not (in fact) catch on. It's ballsy to have not one but two tracks that consist of approximately 18 minutes of noodling. The first, Halleluhwah, makes it works. The second, Aumgn, doesn't (consisting primarily of various cavemannish voices grunting the song title at various tempos). Sections of it – most of it, really – were like the bad parts of King Crimson's Moonchild, without the good parts to back it up. Just 18 minutes of relentlessly mindless and goofy noise. Lots of clattering that turns the ear away rather than towards. Peking O is essentially an alternative take of Aumgn with screaming instead of grunting, but the effect is much the same. There are some fun Nintendo-esque electronic noises to keep you company at around the 3-minute mark. And a terrible grating squeak-drone thing at 8 minutes. A full album of the quasi-rock prog stuff on the album's first two sides would've scored much higher for me, but alas. At least the closer, Bring Me Coffee or Tea, is some consolation for the listener's tragic efforts. I get the feeling a lot of reviewers paid attention to the good parts only. There are plenty of good parts here. But if an artist is only good half the time, it gets a middling mark – minus an extra star for the insanity of placing it on a list of the 1,000 most important records of all time. 2/5 Key tracks: Paperhouse, Oh Yeah
if T.S Eliot made music
I saw that this 7 song album was 73 minutes long and groaned. But somehow, I vibe with most of it! This is going to be my strangest five star album, I can feel it. I’ve been wanting to try shrooms and this seems like a good soundtrack.
This record still sound singular all these years later. Not a wasted note is right. Truly almost flawless.
I think quality wise this was as good as Ege Bamyasi, which it had a quite similar vibe to. But the length of it meant the impact was lessened - an edit would've made this a 5 for me. Not bad though, and I enjoyed it stretching into some slightly weirder territory. Aumgn is bizarre but I quite enjoyed it. Edit - I wrote this midway through Aumgn and the bizarreness continues… maybe too much.
Aumgn gir museumsmusikkvibber.
It's like the densest dessert you've ever had. It's really good, but it's almost impossible to consume in one sitting.
The first half smacks. Not a real huge fan of the ambient noise second half.
Was introduced to Can just a few months ago in a squat in Berlin. They've been on my list to check out again since so I was happy to see this album here, and at first I thought it was really worth the wait. Very strong start, thought it would be a 4 or even 5 star album. Cool tunes and vocals, and great guitar parts that clearly had a big influence over a lot if indie players since. Became very unfocused in the middle though, some interesting stuff but nothing cohesive. Okay again and the end, quite Dada-ist, but I felt some relief when it was all over.
Trippy German psych rock in the first half, experimental psychedelic freakout and exploration on spirituality in the second half. The whole thing is a ride I'd recommend you go on, just buckle up for that second half. Don't think about whether you should. Just know that you CAN.
Interesting. Weird. Cool. Worth another listen.
Yeah, that last half...
In my preferred multiverse, Can occupies the same space in the firmament that in ours universe was held by Yes. Can you imagine what a wonderful world that must be? I love this kind of shit. Freakout but with a beat. Yes, please!
I'm not really sure what "Krautrock" is, nor whether Can or this album is really Krautrock or not, but I *can* say that this album is quite a sonic experience. I'm not sure I can say that I entirely enjoyed the full experience, but I definitely appreciate the chance to listen to something I doubt I would have ever picked up otherwise. It's probably a bit pointless to identify favorite tracks, mainly because of how long they all are and how meandering they are, but I generally preferred the songs on the first and last sides (1 and 4) to the meanderings of "Halleluhwah" and "Aumgn", although there's something to be said for a jam lasting an entire side of a vinyl disc, and "Halleluhwah" sustains itself remarkably well for a surprising amount of its length. Of the shorter songs, "Mushroom" and "Oh yeah" were the most accessible of the lot, and each has some catchy sections too. Given the remarkably simple (almost austere) recording conditions of having two two-track recorders and three microphones and the entry hall to an old castle, I'm really impressed with how good the recording is. And I am in awe that they had 16-hour sessions for days on end doing this, all without being able to move around while recording for fear of messing up the mix/balance. I also love it that The Flaming Lips' "Take meta Mars" is supposed to be a cover of "Mushroom", but only based on hearing the Can song once and long ago; pretty fun to find out too that The Fall's "I Am Damo Suzuki" is based on this album's "Oh yeah", and Primal Scream's "Kowalski" sampled from "Halleluhwah" (both of which I've listened to not all that long ago from this collection).
Anyone else hear the Doors' LA Woman in "Halleluwah"? I enjoyed listening to this but am not as impressed as I think I'm supposed to be. Perhaps I should have worn headphones. Perhaps I should have taken the acid.
Loved Halleluwah and some others. Some was just weird experimental shit.
Had me in the first half, lost me in the second.
This band was so ahead of its time. Love to listen.
Sometimes I have a real issue with this list. It's bad enough that it has every album ever made by a Beatle as well as at least one album by every mid as fuck English band trying to be the Beatles and a few American ones, but it's got multiple albums by "bands" like Can. Is Weezer on the list? No but we got 3 albums by one hit wonder Dexys Midnight Runners. Any Blink 182? No, but we got multiple albums by an "experimental" band that is virtually unlistenable. Any Sevendust? Drowning Pool? Hell, any Selena? No, but we've got so many Byrds albums you'll want to run head first into a wall. By the way, I'm not against these bands having albums on the list. I think the point of the list should be to show the breadth of music. But I TRULY believe every band should only be allowed ONE album. Metallica is my favorite band of all time, but it should be Master of Puppets, the end. Beatles, it should be the white album and nothing more. Maybe, MAYBE, some bands that truly changed their sound can have more than one like Fleetwood Mac or something. But this is insane.
Gets a 4 just for the first half. I'm less excited by the more amorphous second half.
Can? More like Cannot. As in I cannot listen to that shit.
perfection
An interesting album and nice to listen to something different.
Very solid. I understand why it could be influential.
That felt pointless
Introspective, psychedelic, uber-krauty. My favourite Can album.
Not really my vibe but not the worst thing I've listened to :S
Didn't really concentrate on it today, but what I heard I enjoyed and I'd like to relisten sometime.
Not always gonna be in the mood to let this music wash over me, but very enjoyable when on it's weird fusion groove/experimental sound wavelength.
i like how i can hear the influences of this album all over current music. but it's a bit much at times (cough Aumgn)
really like the first 4 songs. And they're pretty long, so I can give it a 3. Augmn and Peking O are hard to listen to.
Moments of good, moments of shit. Such is the life of an “experimental, trail-blazing album”. All I can really do is break this project up into moments, as its format & songs evolve in such abnormal ways. Good moments: - the first minute or so of “Oh Yeah” with those reversed vocals - the first half of “Aumgn” is incredible. Eerie and atmospheric, love the guttural chamber vocals at the 7+ minute mark. Like something out of Dune! - the beachy, wavy drum machine pattern 3 minutes into “Peking O” The bad: - most of the first half of the album just feels like it’s figuring itself out and going nowhere in doing so - the second half of “Peking O”. Eminem is shaking in his boots! The rambling nonsense took me out of the listening experience a bit. - even for an intense, attentive headphone listener, it’s hard to grab on to many sonic ideas. Kinda like a really strange, hazy dream that you don’t remember Somewhere between 2 to 3 stars
First half was an easy 5, then the second half gets into the classic "70s prog rabbit hole".
Not a chance
no thank you
This is probably as close as I can get to fully enjoying such an out-there experimental rock album. First few songs are awesome, but I think Aumgn and Peking O cause it to lose some steam. Still worth a listen and something I will gladly come back to. 8/10
Aika mielenkiintoista psykedeelistä ja kokeellista rokkia. Pitää hyvää tunnelmaa kokoajan päällä. Tätä pitää varsinkin arvioida kokonaisuutena eikä yksittäisinä kappaleina. Okei, loppulevy meni vähän liikaa siihen kokeellisuuteen xd. Noh, ihan hauska levy kummiskin. Parhaat: Halleluhwah, Paperhouse, Bring Me Coffee or Tea
I'm going to take this as a reward from the universe for tolerating the entirety of the last album I got here, a damn double album from Bob Dylan. Here I am rewarded with a fantastic double album from Can to cleanse the palette! This might be my favorite Can album, or at least probably is the one I've listened to the most. Of course with Can, you get drumming far ahead of its time and the the frequent mantra-like repetition of Damo's vocals, in front of driving and upbeat instrumental parts, all very much welcomed and enjoyed by me. Lots of cool experimentation on this one as well, and I find myself sort of in a trance when getting into albums like this. Maybe it helps that the more experimental portions of the album come after you're able to get cozy with more structured songs, but I don't think even the weirdest parts ever really turned me off. I do understand how someone who doesn't ever listen to experimental or avant garde would be really turned off by a chunk of this album, but thankfully that isn't me! Really I'd probably call this a 4.5 star album, but I think I'm okay with rounding up and calling it a 5 star. There are a couple other Can albums I think are worthy of inclusion on this list, so here is to hoping they pop up sometime later on!
Experimental folk rock, speaks for itself
Weird experimental shit. Terrible
Not my cup of tea.
Ridiculously lengthed songs
What can I say about Can? While I prefer Future Days or Ege Bamyasi as more consistent records, Tago Mago well represents the band’s jammy propensities. Who else can keep my attention without changing chords? Who else puts two challenging nearly twenty-minute tunes back to back on an album? They are a tight band trapped in a can, hermetic preservers of odd harmony, and I’ll always be a fan even though ‘Aumgn’ and ‘Peking O’ were included on the album…