Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Haven’t heard of these guys before. Supposedly this is krautrock, kind of psychedelic avant- garde, some interesting bits but there’s a couple of 17 minute + pieces that noisily drone on in the middle of the record, that’s where they lost me
Early Animal esq
What Thomas Pynchon had to be listening to when he wrote "Inherent Vice."
Sometimes trying too hard
Great first 4 tracks, then tails off into madness
Cool
The first half is more than acceptable but with Aumgn and Peking O I'm losing it.
Tago Mago is an absolute wild album, there is a lot going on. It’s 2 albums in 1. Side A is clangy, raw psychedelic jam rock and Side B is the atmospheric music that influenced Radiohead. It’s too long, but need to listen to it more 6.8/10
I was enjoying it but it really lost its way by the end
Not sure how to rate this. When they could find the groove, this was a great record. When they couldn't, it was a rough listen.
Trippy psychedelic album, but sometimes I think the songs drag for too long.
Different and interesting
A weird album with some cool vibe to it at times. The first 4 tracks are like a mix of classic/experimental rock and a Jam band. I really liked the different layered rhythms and unique sounds. Then you get to the really experimental stuff which loses me. 4 for first half, 1 for second half.
Very experimental with the middle 3 tracks being over 10 minutes long. Not for me but I can see how this band is influential to so many artists
Either very strange or a bit interesting in equal parts
This is a jam album. So much so that I feel like I’ve been listening to the same song for 3 songs now. This as well, has a place. If I may be picky, the vocals are a bit flat and drowned out. There could also but a deeper sounding bass added to take away the high frequency sound. The drums are solid though. As I said, it’s jammy. If you like that, enjoy! Choice cut: Halleluhwah
Nothing completely wrong with this album. An experimental and avant adventure into early 70's psychadelia. Very good, engaging, and melodic dispite the large selection of uncommon instruments. Percussive elements shine on tracks like Mushroom and Peking O.
Never thought I would enjoy Can or their albums but I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to more Can on the list I hope. Mushroom & Halleluhwah were particular highlights.
I'd listen to it again minus the two noise tracks.
Expected to dislike this, but didn’t. Some awful tracks (next to last) and some quite nice (final track. Enjoyed both of the 20 minute tracks as well. A Prog rock group I’ve always been aware of but had never listened to.
I listened enough to be intrigued and I liked it. I think I still need to give it a deeper listen. Maybe the 2-hour anniversary edition. For now, a 3
3.5? Kind of different which is fun, but nothing spectaular
One of the most interesting albums of all time, but also, I think that it didn’t need to have a 18 minute long song that is practically just a compilation of horror movie sounds and the occasional tribal drum.
Quite like the start of this, then it descended into (enjoyable???) chaos. Peking 0 is hilarious, must've been a hoot to record such nonsense. Kinda jealous
interesting, funky
Very trippy. I like it in certain states of mind
Didnt eally like it, too loud, but can imagine under the right circumstances it could be ok
Was a bit trepidatious about this one. But yeah, it's OK. A bit simplistic for me but not bad. If any of these tracks came on when I've got it set to random in the car I wouldn't skip it, but it's not 100% my sort of thing. Has to be a bit more there to keep me interested. Worth a strong 3.
This is so demented. Normally would be a bit frustrated/annoyed with the prolonged noise parts, but I found myself a bit drawn in. Listened to it all, came out the other side like “Well that was an album I never would have listened to but am glad I did.” That’s somethin!
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would, so another win for the album generator :) Groovy - some very cool guitar - a trippy, funky vibe. Oh Yeah and Halleluhwah stood out for me. Aumgn made me feel lost in space on an abandoned spaceship - like I had woken up after a long journey across many galaxies and found myself in some futuristic spacecraft, full of long, echoing corridors. Alone. Or was I?...👽
Experimental and influential but are they any good? I tried half listening during the day and it was awful. Gave it another go late evening through headphones and it was better. I like Paperhouse and Oh Yeah. Unusual rhythms and interesting guitars. Halleluhwar has a groove but 17 minutes, really? The next two tracks are equally long but more experimental, more sounds and effects than music. Something stronger than my glass of stout is required to get into this!! Some tunes tomorrow please :)
Way better than I would’ve thought
What the hell was going on here. Didn’t hate it.
I love CAN. But with this I realised that I don't always listen to all of their albums all of the way through. I know it's - ahem - Sacrilege to say this, but not everything they do is amazing. The second side of this is a bit self-indulgent and I drifted off. Parts of it were very Sun Ra, which surprised me. But the first side of this rocks. CAN on their day can be the funkiest rock and roll band around, but I did find the end of this a bit hard going. Interesting, maybe, but definitely hard going.
Man, I was ready to go with four stars for the first 38 minutes. Then "Augmn" happened. Can I have those twenty minutes back?
There are parts of this album that are amazing. Unfortunately, most of the album sounds like a sound check or that they kept recording between song takes. 3/5 Probably won’t listen again
Jag gillar faktiskt det här. De första fyra låtarna. Det svänger på ett tilltalande sätt. Sen blir det inte bra och långa låtar blir inte bättre av att de är långa. Ger en trea.
I can see how CAN influenced some of my favs like Mogwai and LCD Soundsystem. I willing to take a dive into the other two of trilogy but its half good half off the rails.
Doesn’t stand up well
Ahead of their time with eclectic sounds and experimental methods!
Fine for half an hour then immediately excruciating despite no demonstrable change in texture. You can absolutely have enough of this, the reward is not worth the labour.
The bluesy psychedelic jams on this album are amazing, as are the experiments at the end of the record. The problem is that I don't want to listen to the experiments more than once, and they take up a huge portion of the runtime. Three stars.
While I didn't thoroughly enjoy every track here, it was a fascinating listen when you read this came out in 1971. For the time period, this felt very cutting-edge because you feel the beginnings of what could be some Grunge and even experimental alt-rock ideas way early on.
Not the worst experimental album I've heard. 2.9.
3.5 the longer songs were surprisingly more enjoyable to listen to then the shorter ones
Fyrri hlutinn mjög sterkur. Sá síðari síðri. Fær aðra yfirferð
Had high expectations for this. Can often get cited as huge influence from James Murphy / LCD soundsystem, so I was looking forward to this. I was expecting sort of proto electro/kraut, and it was sort of that in places. Definitely got that whole pysch thing going on. There’s a lot of fluff though, the bits I liked where great, but there was definitely a bit of filler. I preferred the Can songs that came on after from other records, so I’ll definitely be back to Can and probably back to this record, but Im not sure when
I'm glad the first track picked up because I was starting to zone out a few minutes in and getting a little bored. Cool second half / ending of the song though. Very cool transition from track 1 to 2. There's some interesting stuff going on here. I can tell this is an influential band to some more modern bands- like Spoon (I'm learning they named themselves after one of Can's songs of the same title), Radiohead, and some others that are hard for me to think of in the moment. It's an enjoyable record that I was hesitant about at first. Only took a minute or two for me to get it though and change my tune. 3/5!
Weird
This sounds like what would have happened if the Doors spent too much time with Yoko Ono. There were moments that were enjoyable to listen to, but not really a fan of the rest.
I like a the first few songs and I don't mind longer eperimental songs in general, but a lot of this album devolves to just noise. Not something I really care to listen to.
“I was there. At the first CAN show, in Cologne.” 3 stars. Maybe 2 if it wasn’t due to LCD Soundsystem
Fun album. I always like Can, but the high pitched guitar can get annoying.
This was a rough ride - as if they had turned going to the dentist into musical form. Some parts of it though were great. They have thrown a whole lot of paint on this canvas, some looks great and some is painfully bad. Kudos for the innovation, but I'm not playing this at my next dinner party.
First half (tracks 1-4) is good experimental rock jamming in line with the late 60s and early 70s era - noteworthy are Oh Yeah and Halleluwah; then It's all poor unfocused prog psychedelic noodling. Very much a double album where the second disk can be left untouched in it's sleeve. Only redeeming thing I can add is that I heard Matt Johnson’s the The “Giant” drums in the last three minutes of “Aumgn”. Happy Mondays were clearly influenced by Halleluwah!
Levels were weird. Couldn’t hear the singer?
Damn this is one of the hardest ones to rate so far. I'm into progressive, cosmic and ambient styles - so Can are pioneers of lots of stuff I enjoy. I've listened to this record a number of times over the years. It goes through the looking glass of rock music, and the other side is freaky. The best moments are mind-bending and funky. But I've never enjoyed to jibbering vocals. The whole b-side of the album gets into stretched-out soundscapes. Are they visionary blueprints for ambient, drone and industrial music to come? Yes... but they are also unlistenable garbage in parts. Overall, this is an album I largely respect, but with large chunks I don't enjoy. 3*
First half was good secind half is goofy af
Upon starting Tago Mago my first thought was that this sounds like it could veer into some musical territory that is dangerously close to Pink Floyd. Thankfully it never does. My second thought was that this record isn’t especially interesting in a world with bands like Tame Impala, Kraftwerk, Deerhoof, Aphex Twin and Public Image Ltd. Obviously those bands would not sound like they do if Can hadn’t made this record so for that I give them credit.
I don’t have much to say except that yes, this is an album you should listen to and experience.
High
I will accept that this album would have been influential. For example, I can see how a song like Aumgn would have influenced songs like The waiting Room from the Lamb and On the Run from DSOTM. While I really like those two albums, those two songs are not the reasons I like them.
I like the first song and the last one. Most of the others are too drawn out for me plus the musicianship or song structures don’t warrant 15min + pieces. I know that they’re doing some ground-breaking things, with noise, tape-loops etc., as were other bands from that era like Soft Machine and of course the prog bands, and I know many punk groups claimed them as influences, so I'll round up.
Can was at the forefront of the Krautrock express and this is a pretty wild ride. There are some good ideas here but they drag them out a bit too long, no doubt listeners who were high on hallucinogens really dug this music. This is a 2.5 for me but it gets rounded up for its innovativeness.
Great until last couple of songs
Thought before listening: Krautrock. Classic album and one that I've heard before. I'm usually surprised by how organic Can sounds cause I think of Krautrock as mechanical and like a precursor to electronic music. This is my 2nd Can album on this list, and I did not like the first one...I believe I have enjoyed this on previous listens though. Review: I definitely like this better than the first one I listened to. This is pretty good although the long songs are way too repetitive including some that in my opinion are too avant garde for their own good (Augmn and Peking O). I do love the guitar work on this album though, especially on the song Halleluwah which stays interesting throughout its 17 minutes thanks to the guitar. My favorite tracks are that one and the opener Paperhouse.
Was not expecting to enjoy this. Def gets a bit too experimental at times but never too unpleasant (maybe a bit on peking o) and overall its pretty cool. Would listen again
Yes, Aumgn and Peking O are about as weird as you expect. Everything else is pretty okay background music, depending on what kind of social gathering you're at.
Worth a revisit
Pretty interesting experimental record. Sometimes it lost me a little bit but i enjoyed the listen overall
I’m not sure what the right environment and state of mind would be for this album but sober and running errands was not it. Still interesting tho
Krautrock/prog rock. Good, but songs should be longer
I didn’t know at all what to expect of this, but I liked it. My rating bounced around through the album, but unfortunately, it started to lose me at the end…it was longer than it needed to be overall. Best track: Oh Yeah
I have never heard of this band, album, or genre before. Let's go. It's almost like Prog-Funk or Prog-Blues. Nice to listen to. Sound mixing is cool, almost as if it's more modern than 1971. Aumg is a weird one. Peking O as well.
Halleluhwah es una obra maestra
Strangely enjoyable prog/psych rock from Germany
Was digging for a bit, but at a point it devolved into alotta FX (Black Sabbath IV [1972]) for the sake of FX. Tend to not usually be a fan of said phenomenon
Really great example of krautrock, which is a genre I really dig. I can hear their influence all over the place. Love the guitar here especially, it's so angular and funky.
La primera canción que escuché de este grupo fue "Vitamin C", que es bastante conocida y me pareció muy buena, sobre todo la batería. La primera mitad de este album te rasca el cerebro igual que esa canción. Canciones largas y repetitivas que podría escuchar durante horas. La segunda mitad ya me parece demasiado rara y experimental, pero solo por las 4 primeras canciones el álbum merece la pena.
First 4 tracks had me thinking, hmm, Krautrock is not that bad after all. But then the last 3 kicked in... As we say in German: mit dem Arsch eingerissen, was mit den Händen aufgebaut wurde.
Another sampling day. Liked the instrumental elements. Will listen to again on a good sound system
Got some Ummagumma vibes going on.
Hyvä meno
Interesting, I'd listen to more of their stuff, maybe not twice though
Interesting album, was great as background noise but didn't love it beyond that
At first, I thought, oh, god dimery. Then I read about it a bit and thought, oh, ok. Then I listened. Kraftwerk? Yes. Einsterzende neubaten? Yes? This? Not a must listen. It’s ok, but has not survived its critical darling status.
I only know of Can by reputation. I had never heard this album before. I enjoyed it. Even the backwards track (Oh Yeah). And it’s true what they say about the drummer - Jaki Liebezeit - his drumming is mesmerising. I only listened to it once, but I imagine I’d learn to love it with a few more listens. It’s very much of its time. And the standard of the musicianship is very high.
So, krautrock, that's a new term for me. Not sure that's an appropriate term anymore, although the first half of it was a term used very much in my hometown (large German heritage, but North Americanized) and applied to the line my great uncle played on in the NHL. Anyway, like the k-word which had its time and isn't really cool anymore, this album is the same for me. It sounds dated and flat; maybe it's the psychedelic undertones. Side two, which was just the song Halleluhwah, was kind of funky and interesting. But then it got real weird on side three and four. I'm definitely not craving more of this band or this genre. I'd probably give the first two sides a 3 and the last two sides a 2, but I'll round up because of the pioneering nature of the album.
I've definitely heard some Can songs over the years that I really liked, so I was kinda excited for this one. And they first half of the album or so is decent, but the half hour of random noise in the middle REALLY brings down my enjoyment of the project. I may revisit some of the better tracks, but I don't think I'll ever need to hear the full LP again. 2.5/5
Enjoyed a lot of it but tracks 5 and 6 were a bit too experimental for me
It was an interesting album. Not sure if I would listen to it often.
I really enjoyed the start of this album, but the last few songs were just too weird for me, painfully long that I won’t be rushing back to this, can see it’s influenced a lot of people hence deserves to be on the list.
It's an interesting one. Definitely enjoyed listening to it, but probably not something I'd listen to often. Great suggestion though.
This is a game of two halves - half is essential motorik, especially the monumental Hallelujah that a certain Happy Mondays may just have ripped off wholesale without even bothering to change the title for Hallelujah. However there are lengthy drum solos and periods of what appears to be studio chatter and just messing about on the second side. So three stars.
Weird combo of psych rock and a jam band. 2.5
Another unknown!
uma viagem o som, meio progressivo misteriosao, legal até
Some cool jams in the start of this record followed by some truly trippy and longform tracks. Another album that tries tries to emulate some kind of psychedelic experience. Reminded me of Dr. John's Gris Gris that we listened to a couple of months back.
I was into this album at first. Thought I'd give it a higher rating but it just kind of fell apart for me.
Halleluhwah should not be listened to when anxious.
Enjoyed
Messy, but interesting.
3.5
Good but drags on a bit in places for me.
I like it.
This is a surprisingly modern sounding record considering when it was released. The first half was a lot easier to listen to than the second but I will continue to try this out as it is intriguing.
Very experimental at the end, the few songs with proper singing were decent
Very interesting Sounds. Long album, but good most of the time. Favorite track: Mushroom 3.5
Really interesting. The instrumentals were really cool and certain parts tickled my brain in a way. Fave track(s): Halleluhwah
psycodelical chaoticall
Interesting record, background music in the best way. Great example of experimental krautrock and seems to have influenced many bands across many genres. A little frustrating in places because of the length of some passages
Weird and wonderful
Weird, but slightly good
This album is certainly something. The kind of album you put on in the background and then have moments of “is it still on the same track?”. Interesting project but wouldn’t listen again.
On track for a 4, then that horrific 17 min long track aumgn single handedly dragged it down.
Really good and interesting - I could see this being a band that your favourite band are influenced by, without you knowing. But it's not hugely memorable on its own terms
Cool album but too long. Probably my least favorite of the "classic" Can albums. 6/10
Typical Can experience for me. For some reason I feel like I'm "supposed" to like Can, and somewhere in the first 10 minutes I'm like "wait, do I actually like Can after all?" Because there are many brilliant moments. But then, I sort of realize I've been gritting my teeth through the nth minute of a violin's staccato, almost tuneless sawing away and then I'm like, "oh right, this is why I don't particularly like Can". Maybe I'm too dumb, the kind of breathless no-reservations accolades mystify me.
Pretty surprising that it came out in the early 70s. It kinda sounds like some alt-prog from the 2010s
Psychedelische funk. Het is 1 grote jamsessie, maar de basis van bas en drums staat als een huis wat mij betreft, waar de rest lekker omheen kan improviseren en experimenteren. Vanaf minuut 37 raken ze alleen het spoor bijster. De drugs kickt in en wordt het veel te experimenteel naar mijn smaak, daar mist alle ritme in. Daar past meer de term kosmisch bij. Op een gegeven moment doet die zanger minutenlang een soort walvis in de oceaan na. Lachwekkend. Het 2e gedeelte is een absolute 1, niemand kan met droge ogen beweren dat dat geniale muziek is. Maar het 1e gedeelte doet helemaal niemand kwaad. Eric heeft deel 2 al gerate, doe ik het 1e deel wel. Toch 3 sterretjes. TL:DR: zet de plaat af na 37 minuten, tenzij je aan de LSD zit.
This album was a journey. 7 songs and over an hour. It started off pretty good with good rhythm and catchy beats, but got sort of weird psychedelic by the end. The 17 min song really took me out of it.
was quite enjoying this until it totally lost its shit and went in to some guttural ohming for what seemed like an eternity. that must have been when the drugs really kicked in. they must have been have a great time on whatever interdimensional plain they were on.
Buen disco
Interesting
This one starts out really strong and promising, goes a bit morbidy-weird in the middle, then goes just too stupid towards the end.
Interesting prog rock. Not my thing, but enjoyed its vibe
Good musicians + poor song writing
Des passes très avant-gardistes, mais à certains moments ça devenait trop experimental pour mon goût.
Different, weird. Still enjoyable. Appreciate that their wiki entry referred to the genre as Krautrock.
Never heard this one before. I'll definitely have to listen to it when I have time to LISTEN. So far it's very much up my alley -- I am a huge fan of psychedelia.
I was listening to the first half of this thinking wow, how have I never heard this? Then I listened to the second half and I was thinking wow, what in the fuck was that. So good and so bad. 3.5
I wasn't really looking forward to this, as I'm not big into experimental music. But overall I enjoyed this. Reminded me a bit of early Pink Floyd, but a bit more polished. Still not something I would listen to often, but I'm glad I did at least once. 3 stars.
such a weird album, cant even classify it, but I did enjoy it, quite a bit
70s at its top. Good but not LZ
Torn between 2 and 3... OK passages from time to time, but one would have to be in a very special frame of mind to really enjoy the album.
Interesting album, but in my opinion each song was way too long.
Really like the beginning of this album. The last couple of songs (the noise set) was really pretty terrible and brings down the overall score significantly. 2.5/5
A dope World album
Not as weird as I'd hoped
Pretty weird but not terrible
Interesting music. One of those albums that I am glad that I listened to, but I don't really think I'll be listening to it a bunch in the future. Reminds me of Silver Apples or very early Floyd.
There is so much music from the 70s I've never explored. This was pretty far out in parts
Nice and relaxing and poggers
So, yes, the last couple of tracks are a pretty tough listen. Overall I didn't hate this as much as I thought I might and I can hear how it influenced some of the electronic artists I enjoy.
I personally don’t think you can truly understand psychedelic rock unless you are in the 60s tripped out on shrooms and this is playing on the record player. Listening to this while getting ready for my 9-5 job, completely sober, doesn’t really do it justice. The rhythms were sick though. My favorites: Paperhouse, Halleluhwah
good album! but it dragged on way too long for my liking.
Started fine. Ended witchy.
This album was a trip. I thought I was getting into a standard rock album, then found myself in hell by the time Aumgn came on. The back half of the album felt like watching a David Lynch film. Very uncomfortable experience.
This gave me a headache which Im sure was half the point. Its the better of the art house albums but it goes on forever
Really really really like the first half of the album. Would have been a 4 for awesome space rock. Awesome psychedelic proto-metal that forshadowed stoner rock & metal. But 30 min of the album (Aumgn and Peking O) is way to experimental for me. I think what they were trying to do was cool, but I couldn't listen to 15 minute songs of that. So this is a 3, half a 4 and half a 2.
Disco un tanto psicodélico, con instrumentación variada y que con un estilo no muy definido. Distinto de escuchar
One thought that immediately struck me about this album and lasted throughout the entire thing: despite this being from 1971, it still, today, in 2022, sounds very contemporary and modern. At first, I found this album to be pretty interesting, but by the time it got to track 5, it seemed to take even more of an avant garde turn and I wasn't really feeling it anymore.
The play counts on spotify tell the story clearly enough. The album is like a wild trip, equal parts euphoric and terrifying, and definitely not for everyone. The first four tracks of this album are a collection of meandering jam sessions, that bring together rock instrumentation with a touch of funk and an overall psychedelic air. It's a great set of tracks to have playing in the background or bopping in your headphones while you're focusing. I especially enjoy how the track 'Halleluhwah' ebbs and flows through it's permutations, the rhythm section holding to a core while the rest of the band dances all around it. And then you come to tracks 5 and 6, and the wheels just fall off... for 29 minutes! I can't really understand why anyone would bother to commit these sorts of noise jams to a recording, and in the case of this album it really spoils what was a fantastic start. The album sort of crawls back to where it started, with 'Bring Me Coffee or Tea', but I suspect that most listeners don't know that because they threw in the towel somewhere in the middle of 'Peking O'.
Tago Mago is way too self-indulgent to actually like; I can appreciate some of the stuff and there are certainly parts I like when you get through 73 minutes of it, including two 17+ minute songs. It's just not accessible at all, so it's a 2/5 even though there are easily 3/5 parts.
Mad. Absolutely mad. There is so much going on that is absolutely bonkers. I think this'll need another couple of listens at least to properly appreciate, but I think it might be a bit too out there for me. Starts really well, but the descent into madness of the two 17 minute songs is a bit much. I think someone mentioned they have some slightly more accessible stuff? Well up for that, 3/5 for this though, just about. Definitely want to try some slightly less intimidating krautrock though.
Really interesting stuff.
5 stars based on the first half but second half lets it down
Blandat too much och sjukt groovy. Halleluhwah var hur bra som helst, Peking O var för mycket.
Apparently this is the seminal CAN album and definitely enjoyed a good section of it but the experimental stuff got a bit jarring after a while. Totally didn't dislike it though and would listen again
Not bad at all but not particularly memorable, had some vibes.
Mielenkiintoista, tosin loppua kohden vähän liian häröilevää settiä. Alkupäässä kyl toimivaa psykedeelistä rockia.
enfin j'ai réussit à passer au travers de cet album. La deuxième partie est assez intense, j'ai bien aimé la fin mais l'écoute n'est pas facile par moment. c'Est très éclaté et un peu de lecture ma fait aimé l'album plus que si je le prennais hors context. En bout de ligne, c'est un album que j'ai été surpris à aimer, car je m'Attendais au pire après les 5 premières minutes. 3.75
3/23/2022 Today's Album: "Tago Mago" by CAN - This album started off blowing my socks off. The opener Paperhouse gives me everything I want in a musical work. There's lush production, great instrument performances, a fantastic groove, and psychedelic elements. It is 7 and a half minutes of head bobbing goodness and I highly recommend giving it a listen. The second song Mushroom is a little more experimental and trippy and I am not a huge fan of the vocals, but the bass is absolutely beautiful sounding since they bring it so forward in the mix. The third song Oh Yeah kind of sucks, with 2 minutes of reversed vocals and the rest of the song having relatively whiny vocals throughout. However, the instrumentation of the track sounds pretty groovy still with a lot of awesome solos and it is over before it overstays it's welcome. The track Halleluhwah is an 18 minute track filled with a variety of different, but fantastic grooves that showcase some fantastic soloing as well as just some great background playing from the bass and drums. It really shines in the middle section and it kept my attention very well despite the length. Aumgn is a 17 minute long noise rock piece, and although I usually like that sort of thing, it's just not worth sitting through strange drone sounds for that long. The next track Perking O does the same thing for 11 and a half minutes. I am not upset with artists being experimental and trying to recreate Revolution 9 by the Beatles, but when it is so apparently weird just for weirdness sake with no inherit meaning, it just doesn't merit wasting so much time on what could have been such a great record. The closer Bring Me Coffee or Tea is a fast paced and decently performed track that brings the album to a really exciting close, but it just doesn't sit right after what was pretty abrasive noise rock. Overall, when they shut the fuck up and play their instruments, it sounds absolutely magical and really pleasing to my tastes, but whenever the vocals are prominent or they try these lengthy experimental tracks, I just feel very underwhelmed and unimpressed. Score: 7/10 Great potential squandered with abrasive filler. Highlights: Paperhouse, Halleluhwah, Bring Me Coffee or Tea
Un album appréciable même si j'ai eu énormément de mal à profiter de cette écoute étant donnée la très mauvaise qualité des pelouses, et donc du spectacle.
Hint of Nirvana in Mushroom
Influential experimental "Krautrock" album!
This album is much more interesting than I thought when I got it on this list. Maybe too much longer or too much stranger to being a real good album, but it's for this kind of thing that this list exists, right? I'll probably listen to it again someday in the future...maybe with more preparation, I'll be able to understand its strangeness and enjoy it.
The first half was a little lackluster and basic experimental rock, but the second half shined a little brighter and got into much weirder stuff.
Áhugavert. Nýtt genre fyrir mér. Mjög tilraunakennt.
This album is what I think of when I hear the word groovy. I love the sounds, unsure what the words are, but that's cool
Got Radiohead vibes from the first few songs! The end was not as good lol a lot of random screaming which was off putting.
Best wel leip album, niet verwacht dat ik het zo goed zou vinden
verrassend goed eigenlijk maar wel niet speciaal en laaaaange nummers
oh speciaal met hele lange nummers. Goed voor op de achtergrond
Choose your own (aural) adventure…
Quite different, especially considering this album is 50 years old. Much as it's not something I will come back to again, it definitely captured my attention at times, and I would imagine when it was first released how unusual and intriguing it must have been.
Those last songs were a bit mental
3.5/5 this might be a good one, i'll have to relisten
Un disc de pura creativitat i experimentació ben entesa. És clar que requereix vàries escoltes i no és una obra mestra, però situant-lo en contexte dins l'època i dins un génere del qual van sobresortir tant, guanya en pes i significació
Really like the funkiness of much of this album. Seems to meet into Halloween music later on. The story of this band and album is more interesting than the actual listening experience for me.
Interesting. But not available fully in my area for some reason.
New band, new music. "Halleluhwah" might be my favorite track because of the funk groove from the bass and drums early in the song. "Halleluhwah" as a stand out favorite is interesting because the track takes up one whole side of this double album. "Peking O" is an example of a track that I'm not sure what to do with. The track starts out with hints of a latin swing that turns into a bit of jibberish, on off into some other experiment before it's over. There were some elements of the album that I did not like, but most of it was okay.
I enjoyed the sort of psychedelic-funk vibe it had. Didn’t like it enough to add to my library, but I did enjoy it.
C'est peut-être trop expérimental à mon goût mais ya pas à chier ça s'écoute bien, c'est plutôt agréable il y a le piano de Lost Somebody (de ATCQ) !! C'est entre 3 et 4
With the band in full artistic flower and Damo Suzuki's sometimes moody, sometimes frenetic speak/sing/shrieking in full effect, Can released not merely one of the best Krautrock albums of all time, but one of the best albums ever, period.
Good tripping music but sober would be really disconcerting.
Need to listen to this when i can focus
4 stars for songs 1,2,3, 7 1 star for the rest
I really wanted to like this. I have wanted to like this before. I am aware and understand its influence. But, it's just not for me. Too much unintelligible mumbling. Too much experimental improvisation. 3 stars because I see how for 1971, it's ahead of its time.
I like the weirdness. Maybe I have a preference for acid/weed music vs cocaine music?
found myself slowly getting into this after dreading it. indulgent, but, given it was '71 who wasn't. 2.5
This is my first time listening to this band. A few of the songs have to much noodleling for my taste but I love those big jams!
niceish music but slightly weird and all a bit of the same. songs were too long as well - they managed to turn a 7 song album into a 1 hour album somehow
enjoyed the first handful of tracks much more than i thought i would. You can definitely see the influence of this sound in post OK Computer Radiohead. The latter songs however were just noise.
some bits are interesting but overall a mess
German band. Apparently German rock is called "krautrock" lol. This album is really weird and experimental. It influenced a lot of people and has a super unique sound. It was recorded in a castle. In a couple trakcs you can hear things like children yelling or dogs barking. These were accidents during recording and they just kept them in
Too much of a good thing? Not enough great? 75 mins of prog noodling with flashes of brilliance makes this a 3.5.
quite a ride
Some good tunes, but some bonkers warbling later on.
i wish i liked this more
false
Cool, funky rock sounds. Good work music.
Starts off cool. Really likes the drums throughout. Wasn't a big fan of the more out there stuff later on in the album. First half is really cool 2nd half is so so
I love their long groovy jams!
Pretty tripped out
I'm not sure what the hell I listened to, but it sure was an album.
Could be the soundtrack to an old-school gangster film. Not sure what's going on in Peking O.
I don't really know a good reason to listen to this
I don't love the second half. It gets a little too weird for too long.
Can; make interesting, experimental jazz infused esoteric noodles. Can’t; make easy listening dinner party music!
Again, what are we doing here
2.5
Favorite Track: Halleluhwah Least Favorite Track: Every single one after that
Genuinely wtf were those last couple tracks
This was exhausting.
Disc one is a funky and pretty fun Krautrock album. Disc 2 is an ordeal.
Maybe too experimental for me.
I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure this guy is not doing well. Come take a look at this scan. OH MY GOD *Loud retching* Why is he completely orange? I think his brain is entirely tumour and he seems to be puking up chunks of said tumours? How is that possible? Yeah let's break the news. You've got about an hour to live. Would you like to listen to something to pass the time? You want to listen to Can?? Ugh. How about we leave the lazy garage rock and listen to the only interesting song, Aumgn? No? You're the pumpkin tumour man. Tago Mago day-glow uhhh winnebago 2 HIGHLIGHTS: I don't know, CAN you?
Can Some cool drum beats. I know people love them and it’s influential but not really a great album to listen to. Plenty of cool moments but the whole thing felt like they were just messing around in the studio (which can be cool sometimes but it was too soon after Piper at the gates of Dawn for me to get into). Guitars felt really random and were probably the hardest thing about listening to them.
Come the Hell on! 2 days ago I had a blowhard Hawkwind album. Today I get this? 73 minutes? 7 songs? I was looking forward to what my 666th album was going to be. Think of how fun that could have been. But no, I go and get THIS! I bet I'll get some shit like Creed or Jars of Clay, or even worse - Houses of the Holy for my 777th album though, won't I? I like noise rock and some of the stuff here is quite interesting and I could be on board, but the turn around and ruin it every damn time.
Enjoyed scattered parts, really liked the end of Oh Yeah. I can see why this might hit, but just wasnt it for me. 2/5
too long. It wasnt great.
Started out with good beats but got into weird chanty warbly sounds, then screams - did not like
“Mushroom” was really cool, and that was kind of it honestly
Loooong soooongs
Ambitious but what a fucking slog, especially those 16 minute songs made up of ambient noise and little else.
The songs are all like 8 minutes which is my first red flag. Giving it the benefit of the doubt for now… mushroom was a shorter song and was a bit more palatable but then there was a 16 minute monstrosity
it was cool but not really for me
1.5
It started off so well and then got weird for weirdness’ sake.
I was surprisingly on board with this album, then Aumgn came on. Then Peking O. Ended up being quite a slog to get through.
Schon schön psychodelisch und könnte teilweise auch Inspiration für radiohead sein, aber ist bisschen zu wenig catchy und verliert mich dadurch dann
Just so-so
Pretty bad
2/5
The music was surprisingly good. But whatever you call the second half of this was awful.
I was really looking forward to this, because I like every Can song I've heard in the past. But this sounded like one album-length song. It's a good song, but still...
woof the end of this album gets so rough. I’ll give it a bit of leeway for the first two tracks, but it kinda goes downhill from there.
Not my style.
5/10 - Its impressive how the album devolves into madness over its hour runtime. Seriously, every song gets further and further from sanity until it brings you back with "Bing Me Coffee Or Tea". That being said, it is a little too mad for my taste. A+ for effort and I actually really enjoyed the first half of the album. However, always tapped out during Aumgn Although I didn't like it, I have mad respect for it Fav Tracks: Halleluhwah Heard before? ---–- ❌ Saved a Song? ----- ❌ Saved Album? --–-- ❌ Will Listen Again? -- ❌ Album Cover -------Pretty solid
Weak and kinda strange vocal performance. Instrumentals were okay but felt empty half the time.
It's a little much for me but I will give Can credit for really going out there. This is a true case of avant garde, and there are some tracks I did enjoy on their own. I (most people) would probably have a different, more positive, reaction to this after a few too many tokes of the lettuce.
A real “mixed bag” as the kids say because on one hand I genuinely liked the first half. Very “ahead of its time” kinda-art pop. Catchy, cheeky, silly, fun. The second half, which is VERY long, falls into drone/ambient/noise. And while that’s still probably influential, it’s very much not my thing and goes on forever. Theres a 17 minute track that kinda sounds like Frankenstein getting sloppy toppy.
This was always going to be an interesting listen. I absolutely love the album cover of Tago Mago, but going in I had no real idea what to expect from Can. There is a huge amount going on throughout this album. It pulls from rock, jazz, improvisation, and early-70s electronic music, with even hints of industrial noise throughout. The frustrating thing for me is that buried within all the experimentation are some genuinely brilliant moments. When the band lock into a groove, the music is hypnotic, inventive and really engaging. But for my taste, there is simply too much industrial-style noise and abstract experimentation, and a lot of it feels unnecessary. At times it sounds less like music and more like being stuck in the middle of a builder’s yard. Tracks like “Aumgn” really tested my patience, and the album’s length doesn’t help either. At over 70 minutes, it becomes exhausting and starts to drag badly. Favourite tracks: “Oh Yeah” and “Mushroom” were both great fun and showed the album at its best Least favourite tracks: “Aumgn” was a real struggle Album artwork: Brilliant album cover — I love the colours and the imagery
That was wierd. Not as bad as I was expecting... Parts, anyway. There were some very cool parts, and some very strange noisy parts.
Je sais pas j’ai écouté d’une oreille et je m'ennuyais donc on verra si ils ont droit à une réécoute un jour. Playlist pick : Bring me coffee or tea (le titre est cool)
Absolutely not my kind of thing, but I did enjoy it in parts. Favourite track: Mushroom
What started as an interesting but different album, turned completely apeshit by the time Aumgn was starting to establish itself, just to became even worse on Peking 0. Those 20+ minutes were just about unbearable. Didn’t hate the other 50 minutes
I'll concede that this band is ahead of its time. I found this unsettling a bit monotonous. I'm hard to please, today, I think.
The first half was pretty good, the second half was virtually unlistenable.
The front and back were both fun but I got lost in the middle.
So it’s started off as some neat prog rock but the spice just kept cranking up until we hit full spice. Never go full spice.
The mumbling over loud instrumental, and extremely long songs was not very good. However, several riffs were great
Nahhh
The first time I heard the term "krautrock" it was in reference to the Wilco song "Spiders." Every time I've since heard something described as such I've expected something like that song and have been severely disappointed. This album is...well, I felt like someone in a museum looking at one of those bullshit paintings with like two lines and saying "my kid could do that!" ""Halleluhwah" saves this from being a 1 star album, and just barely.
Sounds like an album I would have made had I been left alone with a tape recorder and Casio keyboard when I was 12. I’m sure it has more artistic merit than that. But it just wasn’t fun to listen to.
Very boring. Random noise condensed into a single album.
Doesn't start so bad with Paperhouse etc. Halleluwah is also quite interesting although very long. But Aumgn and Peking seems to be songs made to fill the album. As a whole not really an album worth listsening to.
Not a fan of this album at all...
Didn’t get this one. Didn’t find it interesting and didn’t get the concept of there was one.
some nice background music, but Peking O is unlistenable, fck that
Танго манго с сатаной
What on earth… I think I liked the first and last songs I don’t know. Two Virgins about to pop off in this list at some point if this is the standard.
wow. the middle was scary.
Not quite jam band, but felt like a bunch of guys just kind of experimenting with stuff, including vocals. Wasn't really in the mood for this type of music and halfway through it just felt like it was going to take forever to be over
The first few tracks were not really bad, but the rest were too experimental for me. Besides, I don't like the singer's voice.
Another artist I've never listened to, but also never heard of these guys. "Paperhouse" didn't fill me with much confidence for the rest of the album, as the vocals were weak against the psychedelics rock beats; Suzuki kind of mumbles against the scratchy guitar chords, before limply shouting and ultimately drowned out by the drums. "Mushroom" did a better job, but not by much, with Suzuki continuing to be the pain point for me. "Oh Yeah" improves still on Mushroom, with Suzuki shining when singing in Japanese. "Halleluhwah", with it's deeply repetitive drums, was getting tiresome by the 3rd minute, so to see that it was potentially going to drone on for another 15 minutes was an absolute killer. I was disappointed, but not wrong. Even when Suzuki begins to sing, arguably better than he did even on the previous tracks, the drums continue to roll on in the same fashion with anything added barely registering. This is even more frustrating than Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Spiritualized... where I found myself waiting for this to be over rather than still searching for something in the music that I can grasp onto with joy. "Aumgn" was better to my ears than some of the rest of it, but I blame this on listening to similar audio in video games. In fact, for that 'foreboding ancient temple level' in your action RPG, this track was pretty perfect. "Peking O" felt like it served no purpose at all; it was just a cacophony of random noise and shouting. There is *something* to like in this album, it's just small and scattered haphazardly across all of it's tracks, like a hummingbird that dived head first into a woodchipper. Big shame, I hope other works from CAN are more satisfying. ******************************************************************************* Not wanting to simply dismiss the likes of "Aumgyn" or "Peking O" as just noise for the sake of noise, I did a little digging on Reddit and found a small discussion through the Krautrock subreddit. A user on there described these tracks and most of the work on another one of their albums "Ege Bamyasi" as 'Sonic Explorations'. Whilst I am always in appreciation of this type of experimentation with much any art form, to release it as a commercial album seems an odd choice. Despite this, I can well imagine that a fan of their work would happily pay for experiments, much like I have in the past with video games by buying into the 'Amnesia Fortnight' created by Double Fine Studio.
I'm assuming this is one of those weirdo albums that people pretend to like in order to act more intelligent than other people (think: Throbbing Gristle, Kollaps, etc.). But honestly? This was weird in the best way. Aumgn can fuck right off though, I did not need 17 minutes of filler. Makes no sense why the Germans love to include shit like that. Nevermind, this album is shit. The first three songs lulled me into a false sense of security, this is just more industrial slop that was disguised as cool German rock at the start.
This has a 4/5 (8/10) on RYM but it’s nowhere near the score I would give it. 4/10 I didn’t like it.
The first half is kinda decent then it gets all wiggy woggy drug crazy 4/10
Not keen on this. One of the most influential albums of all time? Some stuff was ok, but then some absolute bollocks.
The first 3 tracks were tolerable, but by track 4 you’re getting aggravated, agitated or aggressive- none of which is a good thing. You start skipping to get through the second have of this drug addled noise fest. I guess a plus 1 because the first few tracks weren’t abysmal.
..
Didn't like the start, picked up around tracks 3 and 4, which i thought were good. Gave up at peking. Too much wailing and had turned into an avant-garde mess
Wants to be the rambling ethereal 60s trippy rock but everything is way too long and dull. Not a one star but not something I’ll ever visit again.
I liked this for a while and then i got sick of it, Consistent with how I feel about krautrock
i don't really recall feeling anything which usually means a 2. suppose i could delve deeper but i don't have the time or willpower for that
Umm…seemed promising, some unique jams through its own kind of mash-ups, but ultimately proved just to be mish-mash
Largely uninteresting and just drags on and on.
Too sober for this album. 2.5
This was one of those rare instances where I knew absolutely nothing about an album (or the artist it was made by) upon assignment and didn't bother to check the community reviews, so I had no choice but to go into CAN's Tago Mago with an open mind. Sides A & B weren't too bad – I wasn't super into Damo Suzuki's vocal style and had a hard time making any of the lyrics out (not just the Japanese ones, the English ones too), but I could appreciate the talent behind the solid psychedelic instrumentation on show. Sides C & D were a different story. "Aumgn" is effectively 18 minutes of ambient noise buildup with no payoff and the final two tracks aren't much better (though "Peking O" got a nice chuckle or two out of me, in a similar fashion to something like 100 gecs' "I Need Help Immediately"). Tago Mago's second half isn't without some pockets of worthwhile musicality, but there's nothing worth sitting through its whole 36 minutes to hear. The full album isn't the worst I've been assigned, but I would never consciously recommend it to someone I want to remain friends with. Highlights: Oh Yeah, Halleluhwah
Let’s face it. Experimental music in this case is just a fancier way of saying: jamming in the hopes that something thrown at the wall sticks. While there were some promising moments early on here, it just kept going downhill. I tried. But I just CAN’t.
This sounds like mediocre drugs. 1.75
Actually dug this at the beginning. Then dug it less. And then it kept going. 2.25/5
en mode rattrapage donc passer directement de chants a cappella sud-africains to this ominous experimental bullshit gave me severe whiplash
Tago Mago is borinago
Tried to get into it but couldn't. Too long.
I really feel like I’m missing something here. It’s pretty droning and repetitive. The 4th minute and on of Oh Yeah was pretty good, Halleluhwah was pretty good. Didn’t enjoy the rest much
Was tempted to give it a 3 star - it's not really bad but is just extremely repetitive sounding and just is way too long. I mean "Aumgn" is more than 17 minutes long - I think it would have worked much better at the 1/3 the length. Same with "Halleluhwah" . Someone should have said no to Hildegard Schmidt,
4/10
Not my vibe
Not my fav but nothing unpleasant
I got another Can album exactly a week ago. Funny. This one... Doesn't really work so well for me. It's got moments of promise, but it's got much more of a weird experimental prog rock vibe that isn't really working for me. The weird vocals are much more front and center than I recall from Future Days. I do like when it gets a little bit funky like on "Halleluwah". That's a really long song but it's easily the best one on the album. I think "Peking O" may be actually giving me a headache.
Too long. Some good drums. Couldn't get into the lyrics.
Experimental music is wasted on me.
I liked this experimental/psychedelic rock album fine from Can! I enjoyed the first part of the album but then things got a little weird and strange and carried on a bit too long for me. Overall, I liked this album but it may be a little too out there for me but I can see why that is appealing to some!
Eh…
Ok. It’s ok. Until it’s not.
I vaguely remember listening to a Can album so I searched the history page and I was right! Album #14 nearly a year ago! (For reference this is album #263.) All I really knew about Can before this project was that they are usually lumped in with Neu and Kraftwerk when some of my favorite artists (notably the guys in Wilco) list their biggest influences. Based on that lumping-in, I was surprised when the first track started and it sounded like late '60s rock music and not a bunch of synthesizers. I enjoyed the first half of this album but I did NOT like "Aumgn" or "Peking O." Just noise and gibberish. I came very close to skipping the last part of "Peking O" but persevered, keeping my record of listening to every second of every album in this project so far intact. Definitely hear some Flaming Lips influences here, but not really the side of the Lips I like listening to. This was an uneven album for me. Its historical significance/influence would get 3-4 stars, but actually listening to it gets 2 stars from me.
I have just had my first (and probably last) encounter with the avant-garde world of Can. "Tago Mago" is a definitive time capsule of early 1970s experimental rock. I found it a polarising experience; while the instrumentation is occasionally quirky and genuinely groovy, the minimal vocals leave much to be desired. The tracks frequently swing from inspired brilliance to self-indulgent repetition — often within the same ten-minute stretch. 'Aumgn' is a test of endurance and patience that I only just passed, only to then be greeted with the nadir that is the truly awful 'Peking O'. Ultimately, "Tago Mago" is an album to experience once for the history books, then never again. Two stars. 'Paperhouse' (3/5) 'Mushroom' (2/5) 'Oh Yeah' (2/5) 'Halleluhwah' (2/5) 'Aumgn' (1/5) 'Peking O' (1/5) 'Bring Me Coffee or Tea' (2/5) Total: 13 Average: 1.86 268/1001 144/268 albums reviewed were new to me