Autobahn

FirstMate Oct 07 20242.50 stars A fairly simple album, with a first track that towers over the rest of the album via its length and stature, but admittedly flies by, especially compared to the remaining four tracks. I, personally, find the highlight to be Kometenmelodie 2, as it is filled with so much unexpected energy and drive that it instantly caught my attention as the music of the future. I can hear all of electronic music in that one song, and I can say that more than any other one piece I've heard by Kraftwerk, it's truly magnificent. The rest of the album suffers from this, in all honesty, as the album feels lesser from then on, and I've little in the way of positive words for the final two tracks, It's certainly revolutionary, Kraftwerk deserves that title, but it just doesn't scratch itches as a whole album that other electronic acts don't achieve later on in the pantheon of music.

Not their best buy palatable

This was a surprise for me. I went in expecting to very much dislike this record but maybe I’ve entered a different phase of my appreciation of early German electronic music. Yes, the compositions are quite long but I found I didn’t bore of them as expected.

My second Kraftwerk album with this project. I liked this more than The Man-Machine, which I rated 3. This one will also get a 3, but it's really 3.5. The first 22 minute track was my favorite. It's such a fun listen with headphones; I love the sensory experience of the zooming from one ear to the other, mimicking the cars on the highway. Parts of it sounded a lot like Oblivion by Grimes. It's nice to recognize a modern example of their influence. I would not dispute anyone's 5 star rating - this sounds phenomenal for an album that came out in 1974. It's just not something I would regularly listen to (but I did listen 3 times already so maybe that's yet to be seen).

It seems that this week I’ll be spending my time revisiting old friends. Kraftwerk is notable to me because they are one of the very few electronic artists that I’ve had good things to say about. Unfortunately though, much like with Beck, I enjoyed the album I heard in the past far more than the one I heard today. I really admire how ingrained German culture is into their music. This album’s title is Autobahn. Which means highway in German. It’s only notable because the Autobahn system generally doesn’t have speed limits. And the main lyrical motif of the song is just the band saying, “We are driving on the Autobahn” over and over. It’s very lighthearted. The subject matter of the song, and the album as a whole, might lead you to believe this is fast-paced, action packed electronic album. But it is actually far from it. It’s way more an ambient and progressive electronic record. The titular opening song is a beast that breaks past the 20 minute mark, and takes up about half of the runtime. And it is a pretty great song. Easily the most complete feeling piece of music for sure. But it causes this record to suffer from the same issue that 2112 by Rush does. Most people probably don’t remember this for anything else, because it’s sort of hard to ignore the massive opening track. I mean, it’s even the only song that has lyrics. Everything else after just sort of clumps together and becomes very forgettable. I think context is important for this group. You can make the argument that this sounds dated and a product of its time. But imagine being 20-something years old in 1974, and hearing this for the first time. It would probably blow your fucking mind. This sounded like the future. It’s like The Jetsons equivalent of music. There is a good chance they assumed all music would eventually sound like this. Even if 60% of this is mostly lackluster, this guys are still easily the most forward thinking and influential electronic act ever. And they would go on to have far more notable and entertaining albums in the future. Rating: 5/10

Kraftwerk had been on my list for a long time so I was very happy to know that today would be the day to try one of their albums. I know they must have sounded very innovative at the time with that sound, but I don't think this record has aged so well. My main criticism of this album is that it doesn't grab you. You can test things, bring innovative sounds, recording techniques never seen before, but it's no use if you can't connect with those who listen. I didn't research it but I believe this is a work from the very beginning of Kraftwerk's career and although I criticize it, I give full credit to the band for these innovative experimentalisms and I hope to see more of this on the next albums but of course, I hope it is more attractive. I'll leave 3 stars.

i feel fond of kraftwerk and i don’t know why because i don’t actually like the music and they’re harbingers of the transhuman apocalypse, but there we are

I respect it for what it is and what Kraftwerk did, but I don't love listening to this album, not to say that it doesn't have it's moments.

Weird but not unpleasant.

This is uber German. And yeah, I liked it. Pretty peaceful except for that last track. It’s just too open concept for me to really appreciate.

Good one but just not what i need

irpiacciono i synth (i suoni di sto album sono synth vero? Boh) ma dopo un po' mi distraggo

3.5

Autobahn ist ein Meilenstein und auch heute noch hörenswert. 50 Jahre nach der Entstehung! Zeigt, welchen Weg die Musik in dieser Zeit genommen hat. Der Rest der Platte ist erstaunlich, dass man damals so etwas veröffentlichte, wohl einfach weil Synthesizer etwas neues faszinierendes waren.

As the name suggests, probably decent when listening to it whilst driving

When the first song ended I thought I had been in a trance and that was the entire album. The age of this for this sound is kind of wild. I feel there must be a ton of nuance and skill in how this was made back then. I'm glad I listened, don't know if I'll come back but I enjoyed it and don't regret the time. Only got one listen so it could have more I missed.

I was listening to this suffering from a pretty bad headache, I felt like I was going insane. It was interesting and I might even go back to it someday if I would like to be in a trance, but it would not be a regular listen.

Love me some Kraftwerk. This one isn’t as strong as Man Machine or Trans Europe Express, but it’s still good. The centerpiece is the title track and at 21 minutes it’s half the album. This song is a lot of fun, it helps that I’m a sucker for vocoders. The rest of the album is solid but not amazing.

oh jaaaaa

Yea pretty good

I get that it’s experiencing the Autibahn in an album, like a long road trip complete with highway hypnosis. I just don’t know if that’s fun. Respect the artistry and the minimalist album cover.

it wasn't my favorite Kraftwerk. Kind of felt more like background music than I expected. But still good background music to have on.

I've never heard a synthesizer used in so many different ways. Just in the title track alone, the synthesizer is clearly mimicking the sounds you'd hear on the highway (or "der Autobahn") such as vehicles cruising by, the tuning of the radio in your car, and even other industrial sounds. The remaining tracks range from unnerving to happy and serene. It's hard to believe that this was released in 1974. This was my first exposure to Kraftwerk, and it's pretty evident that they were pioneers of electronic music. I'm sure their reach extends even beyond that though, as you hear Kraftwerk's influence in much of 80s synth-pop and even early hip-hop samples. The influence is recognizable, but the title track carries this album and I don't see myself coming back to this.

Every Kraftwerk song I've heard has been splendid but I'm a bum and keep forgetting to listen to more that just The Man Machine. While I didn't enjoy this one as much as TMM, I think it was still a good time. It just had higher expectations.

Fahren fahren fahren bliep bliep Ouwe meuk zeg, maar wel cool voor die tijd

Very forgettable but not bad

The 22+ minute title track about the joys of riding the Autobahn is a little silly but it ended up being the highlight for me. There are some beautiful instrumental stretches on that track. The other songs are ambient-leaning electronica for the most part. Each piece has a different mood. I like listening to Kraftwerk albums from this list because they’re clearly an influential band and they’re also just an interesting, unique band in their own right. They’ve been hit or miss for me though, with this album falling somewhere in the middle. Interesting and enjoyable but probably not something I’ll put on again.

"fun fun fun in te autobahn" "fun fun fun in te autobahn" This was a fun listen. I know of Kraftwerk from a distance and I know that they are the true pioneers of electronic music. On this list there's a good amount of bands from this time period that have used electronic sounds in their music as it was a new thing at the time. I know this because I've written about early electronic music exploration about a hundred times so far and my fingers just seem to go to the same letters, words, and phrases whenever I put on a new record from this list and hear the first few synthetic sounds. Kraftwerk have a cool sound though. It's at times droney, at times light, at times chill, at times upbeat. There's something more to them beyond being a band that has their sound and then bolted on synths to be trendy. These songs do suffer from the phenomenon that I think tends to occur often when bands get experimental with new sounds and timbres and paradigms- the basic musical building blocks of harmony and melody get kind of left behind and they end up pretty basic or rudimentary. It's almost like there's a code between musicians or a shared understanding of a see-saw effect that has to happen when getting experimental: if one facet gets wild and out there, the other facet has to get simple. I would love if this album gave me both experimental electronic sounds and also some interesting harmony+melody. It doesn't even have to be "weird" experimental; it could even be super pop catchy melodies. Or jazz harmonies and chord progressions. They do however prove me wrong on "Kometenmelodie 2", which sounds like it could be a Beach Boys track, but that's it. Give me more of that! Amazing album cover. I love the simplicity in everything. It is pretty funny though to have a very German band have an album about the Autobahn. Kind of feels like a US based band singing about the bald eagle- which usually makes me cringe.

Nerds! Peels out at 200 km/h in 3 seconds on the Autobahn honking an analog synth-horn at everybody in the passing lane. Take that you Musikante stuck in the 70's.

Another album that I appreciate more than I like. They are the godfadders of techno and electronica but when it comes down to it, most of the album is just a collection of sci-fi noises played repeatedly for far too long. 6/10

The pseudonymous track is good, like it quite a bit. The other tracks are interesting and pretty good. Overall not my style but enjoyed the tunes.

Just not my thing. Enjoyable but I'd never have a time I'd listen.

elektronic, 1974 -> 3

Important pioneer of modern electronic music.

50 years is a long time. Seems like it would have been pretty revolutionary back in the day. I like stuff on the more experimental side, such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and such, but that experimental side has to have some kind of melody and such to resonate with my own tastes. Not saying this album is bad - it isn't - it's just not for me. But i can understand how huge this would have been back in the day. Nice to see that it's still polarizing.

One of the first albums I got on this list was The Man Machine, and I gave it a 3, but it was very meh. I actually liked this album a lot more, probably about a 3.5, but not enough to round up to a 4. If I could go back and re-rate The Man Machine, I’d probably give it a 2. But alas, this is also getting a 3. But it was much better.

A bit too high-frequency with the beeps and boops. I say that as a chiptune fan.

I'm mean look not everyone is going to like this, but no one can deny the impact Kraftwerk had on music. 3

Chill and melodic. Would be even more chill without the German, but whatever. The weirder, the better. What's also weird is how some white dudes from Germany who created their instruments and sounds spawned some classic hip-hop by young black men who were doing the same thing over in Americ, and used Kraftwerk samples to create a new sound that has become the dominant force in global music.

The title track was great but fell off from there

"Britain has some of the safest roads in Europe. But this isn't Britain... This is der Autobahn!" Cutting edge electronica. Unlike anything ever in 1974 and it still stands up half a century later. The earliest of the Kraftwerk records on the list. Autobahn (1974), to Trans Europe Express (1977), to The Man Machine (1978) show an evolution from the pure ambient and meandering atmosphere on show here to the more poppy Man Machine, with TEE being the half way point. The 22 minute opening track captures a sense of motion. Crash, bang, wallop - what an innovative artist. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Autobahn Date listened: 10/04/24

Mi piacciono i synth (i suoni di sto album sono synth vero? Boh) ma dopo un po’ mi distraggo

Curious and experimental, if a little 'all-fart-no-poo"

Time and place. Need to listen later not the time or place.

Let me take my cute pixelated car for a jaunt at a reasonable speed STRAIGHT INTO DRACULA’S DUNGEON.

Deutsch und monoton wie eine Fahrt auf der Autobahn. Passt.

Respek

Not yet werk, but still werk

Honestly, more fun than I expected (though I don't know what I expected exactly). For some reason it's wild to me it's from 1974. I would add this to the collection as a piece of history more than something I would listen to regularly -- but I would listen to it.

War zu seiner Zeit ein Meilenstein. Aber ist nicht meine Musik.

Pues quitando la absurdez de canción de Autobahn, el resto me ha gustado. Electronic popelectroacoustickosmische.

I liked the first song the most but the rest was decent

Kraftwerk seemed like a vaguely recognisable name which all I knew about them was that they were a group from somewhere in Germany and that was about it. So I went into this album with an open mind ready to embrace whatever technical sounds I might face. First thing, I somehow got the impression already this would be a largely instrumental album which I didn’t have a problem with as long as it was interesting. The first track, also being the title track, “Autobahn” helped with this being a 23 minute electronic fusion piece, starting with some synth filled, space like texture with some guitar and wind instruments mixed in. It gave a pleasant feeling to the song where I could only imagine driving at sunrise which sort of suited the pace of that portion of the song. The rest of the song being a bit more space-like synth based, leaning into a more focused electronic sound. “Kometenmelodie 1” seemed to carry on from “Autobahn” into a very focused synth piece which I found a bit dull to be honest, especially at 6 minutes long you’d hope for a bit more than just a couple of synths. “Kometenmelodie 2” on the other hand was a lot more exciting bring back some vibrancy to the album. I found “Mitternacht” equally as dull as the track 2 songs prior as it seemed very atmosphere based but not much going on. Finally, we finish with “Morgenspaziergang” which is a really nice wind instrument and piano fill which suitably closes the album. I found this album really interesting, I’m guessing each song is stages of driving on the Autobahn or perhaps the focus of the album is the first song about driving on the Autobahn and the rest is an additional story if you can call it that. Either way, an intriguing listen, probably something I won’t return to, maybe the last song perhaps, but not something I disliked.

Unique.

One of those albums that sounds simple now, but probably inspired lots of music that we now consider common/normal.

In the early Eighties, there were synth gurus like Keith Emerson, Tony Banks and maybe Jean-Michelle Jarre. And there were synth gods. Kraftwerk showed the world that another world was possible. It took ten years to make it into the mainstream when full electronic bands like Depeche Mode or Heaven 17 broke through. But it all started here, on the German fuxxing Autobahn.

3.25

I was into the first 22 minute track - was a listening experience. Rest of the record wasn’t as enjoyable.

it was groundbreaking and inspired a lot of electronic music, but not hugely listenable.

Bring back Nigel Spackman

This album is decent but not my favorite type of music. I don't see myself coming back to it much but I didn't dislike it either, just not something I gravitate towards. Standout Tracks: Autobahn, Kometenmelodie 2, Morgenspaziergang

Repetitive. Influential and somewhat groundbreaking but crikey, some of these songs did drone on a bit. I get the quirky thing from 1974, but my word, was a bit tough at the end. Nice sounds, not my bag really.

I actually really liked it. It's enjoyable and good working/background music. But it's not that special.

Beep beep beep beep de de de. One song sounds like droplets of water? I don't think I get this, but I end up getting into a groove listening to the first (23-minute) song. The rest is not for me.

Kraftwerk.

Pues quitando la absurdez de canción de Autobahn, el resto me ha gustado. Electronic popelectroacoustickosmische.

Probably not the best jumping on point for newbie Kraftwerk listeners. I’d start with ‘Trans-Europe Express’ which is the beginning of their golden age and go in chronological order from there. Having said that, I have a soft spot for ‘Autobahn’, especially the title track, which lays the template for what was to come thematically and musically and takes up all of Side A. Side B I don’t like as much. The four ambient pieces are kind of interesting but kind of boring at the same time. Overall result is an album that while still generally good, is not as cohesive or satisfying as Kraftwerk’s very best.

Early 70’s electronica. It’s ok background music, but not my thing I look for in music when I want to listen. 3/5 for its significance in the evolution of electronica.

Nice background music, but not something I would feel compelled to revisit often. Kooky synth-mad Germans.

Video game music, background atmospheric soundtrack of some large, sparse area.

Soundtrack to the movie where a kid blows out his birthday candles and wishes for his database to come to life

This album would have been better if I was stoned, but since I listened to it straight it was ok.

I just cant take this album seriously. I mean, doesnt it seem like its some kind of doctor demento joke? Its not terrible, but its just silly. 3/5

Really didn't like this. Then I kinda did.

I preferred the previous Kraftwerk album.

I get its impact. Just needs more work

I was thinking, while listening to this, if one of our Canadian bands pulled the same move, and just started writing music about the TransCanada Highway or the 401. But I guess like the Barenaked Ladies and likely the Tragically Hip have already

This was okay. I can see why it was a seminal work, but it has aged very poorly.

Kraftwerk were really innovators of not only electronic music, but music technology as a whole. They do a good job of mixing ambience and rhythmic features in their songs. Far out!

Experience with Kraftwerk has been mixed so far, with one of their other albums garnering 4 stars from my side and another a measly 1. This one is somewhere in the middle at 2.5. I'll round it up, because it's not hard to see the strong influences Kraftwerk had on some of the 80's and early 90's synth-pop that I do enjoy. But by itself, I don't really see this album as worth listening, even though it doesn't sound bad as such.

3.5

The first track is quite epic. Not my favourite genre so I'll be very generous and give it a three. Back to the urban streets for me

I've spent many a road-trip relaxed while listening to this twenty-minute repetitive proto-robo-music classic. What a wonderful work! It's a damn shame the rest of the album sucks so much.

Really cool sounding album that seems to be ahead of its time, but it is very empty. Just great noise, but no substance

not for today

Some good some bad.

Fun but a little repetitive. Would be easy to play with them I think :)

Another that's like 3.8/3.9 for me but not quite a 4. Really like it though

Before today, I'd heard of Kraftwerk, but never listened to any of their stuff before. I despise electronica music, so I never had a reason to listen before today. We will see how this goes. These guys were pioneers of electronica as well as industrial (you can hear their influence when you listen to bands like Rammstein). This is weird, but impressive given what they did with the lack of technology in 1974. Electronica today is just some talentless moron standing behind a Macbook pushing buttons. These guys fooled around with synthesizers and other electronics to get the noises they wanted, then cut and spliced tape to make it flow so fluidly. That's a fuck ton of work. Props to them for that. Overall, I still hate electronica, but can recognize the talent on this record. I will probably never listen again, but it is interesting to hear the beginnings of a new genre. Favourite songs: Autobahn (even though it was 22 minutes long, it was a song. The rest of the record was just noise) Least favourite song: Kometenmelodie 1 3/5

Autobahn is pretty good. The rest is just background music.

Still wild to my ears to hear Kraftwerk's music nearly 50 years after it was recorded and released and take in how it kind of sounds futuristic yet also from an earlier time. I don't know much about Steampunk, just have a vague awareness of the ethos, but maybe Kraftwerk's music fits into that category? Either way, it's enjoyable to listen to and I appreciate how different they were from popular music of the time.

Repetitive but with some meaning. There's a time and place for this, for sure.

It's good, but not my favorite from Kraftwerk

So again context matters. I don't know the history of electronica (or really care, to be honest) but this was a big deal. Kraftwerk came into their own here and so did that sound overall. But outside the opening track odyssey, I found it a bit meh. Even it went on a bit long. So yeah, cool side one, yawn side two. The album's significance gives it a bump from a middling 2 to a midrange 3.

Now is zee time on Sprockets ven ve dance! Why, oh, why did I need to hear 3 Kraftwerk albums before I die? I would have been fine with just The Man Machine, my favorite of the three. I just don't need more Kraftwerk in my life. On this one, the title track was ok, but went for too long. Then a few noodling tracks. I know this album is groundbreaking, but it's just too much.

3.5

Wir fahr'n, fahr'n, fahr'n, auf der Autobahn Autobahn and Kometenmelodie 2 are the only real songs. The other two are mainly just random noises. 7/10

I didn't need to listen to this, and it didn't need to be made. I didn't enjoy or hate it.

A very solid 3 though.

So different from the other Kraftwerk albums I’ve had. A lot more ambient and experimental on here, which I don’t think suits my taste quite as well as something like The Man Machine. 6/10

Probably will not listen to again in my free time but I did kind of enjoy the experience, I really don’t understand the fascination with the autobahn tho

Very pleasant. Wish there was more to it.

Not taking anything away from their legacy and influence but just not necessarily a genre for me and having 20 minutes tracks don't make it more approachable either

Groundbreaking. Like the next couple albums better.

Is it Fun Fun Fun On Ze Autobahn for 20+ minutes? I don't think so, but its so ground breaking its hard to believe.

Motorway your way

Will not be surprised to see some low numbers in the reviews here. However, the amount of artists that list Kraftwerk as an influence is quite remarkable. I do enjoy this album, but by the end you can’t help but think “well that’s enough robot music for today”. I wonder if an extended version of the song Autobahn will come out someday.

I rewrote this entire review after my morning listen. Some of this was kind of uncomfortable on first listen. I revisited in the evening and it is charming. I feel like the first track is the meat and potatoes of the album and the rest is just bonus DLC. As you know, it is cheesy. This is travel music! It's experimental and so the structure is off-putting. A lot of bleeps, bloops, warbles, and voice mods. Mitternacht goes to a dark dark place (it's a drag and probably kills the inertia) before the final track that is more uplifting. Put this on during a long drive or when gaming and say it's not lit! Wouldn't it be great to sing Autobahn in a 23 minute session of earnest karaoke? I adjusted this from a 2 to a 3!!!

I can see the roots of electronic music in here, but it comes off almost cheesy in a way and feels heavily dated. I respect the creation but this isn’t for me either.

The blueprint for electronic music for years to come. Sitting and listening can be a bit of a slog. But background for work or my own cyberpunk life soundtrack, top notch

Pretty ok, the first song is a bit long but other than that i quite enjoyed having it on while doing something something else

That's three Kraftwerk albums now, but I'm still mildly charmed by their gentle soundscapes. How strange it all must've sounded back then, eh?! Is this road-based record better than their rail-based record? I'm not sure. But they both get you where you need to be.

Music for airports at the end of the universe.

Famously influential. Interesting enough. But it still sounds a bit dated to my ear

3/5. First half of the album is really great and the true highlight of the album. The other songs are good but feel more like experiments of sound instead of songs. I get ambience but not quite the same here.

Definitely has a consistent and interesting vibe. Though i understand it is seminal record in its field, and was very unique for its time, i'm not sure it does a lot behind being innovative for its time. Easy to listen to, but there's nothing that just stands out as worthy or repeat listens.

yes, it´s iconic, but also boring

Fahren fahren fahren auf der Autobahn .. usw .. usw

mmm?

my notes didnt save but it was so funny turning on this album and hearing the #autobahn song decent atmospheric album 3.5

already listened to it; I feel this is one of Kraftwerk's projects that was a letdown for me. no cohesiveness, no catchiness, and just an inane jumble of sounds that don't mesh together at all.

Hyvää kuunneltavaa moottoritielle 👍 (Ei ehkä muualle)

I enjoyed it. It was weird. Not something I'd have picked out for myself. Reminds me of a movie scene where the main character is driving in the middle of the night with a purple sky and they're having a psychotic break.

Kraftwerk is a true pioneer of electronica/ambient and Autobahn was my introduction to them. I prefer their later work (Man Machine, Trans-Europe Express, Electric Cafe), in which they developed more energy and sonic exploration and has more of a dance/club vibe...but this first album should be heard, if for no other reason, for the classic track Autobahn. My favorite part of this album, though, was revealed after repeated listens and is Kometenmelodie 2....the more subdued track that precedes it (Kometenmelodie 1) creates a need for an emotional, musical release, which is delivered in part 2....particularly at the end....so stay with the track for that. Nice payoff. 3.8/5.0

Musical equivalent of motorways and architecture books.

Megaklassiker! Likevel: mest kult som en låt her og der, for musikkhistorisk relevans, enn kult å høre på i timevis. Elektronisk musikk har heldigvis beveget seg masse.

Annoying

La pochette est malade. L’année est importante. Y’a des trucs intéressants.

Even I can see how influential this is. The album grew on me as I went along with it. The chances I'll put this album on again one day are very slim though.

‘twas okay

I totally understand why this album is on the list, but it doesn't completely resonate with me. I'm sure the production was revolutionary for the time, but the world has caught up. Overall, not bad, probably revolutionary, but not something I would actively listen to again. Best Songs: Autobahn, Kometenmelodie 2, Morgenspaziergang Worst Songs: Kometenmelodie 1

Might have been groundbreaking at the time, but not all that amazing now

Er jo et sjukt album, på sin måte

Cool album, would give it a 3.5ish I think. I am sure it was groundbreaking in 1974

I do like Kraftwerk, but this is not my favorite. Still pleasant to listen to.

I’d go like 2.7 here. Autobahn was bangin but the others a bit too experimental for me. Definitely makes me want to listen to more kraftwerk though

A little on the fence on this one, which Like other Kraftwerk openings I heard a fair bit in my teens. I like the title track a lot, think it really does what it sets out to do, but the flip side never makes quite the impression.

This was very interesting. I might listen to it again.

Aware of but haven't owned this.

I prefer the other Kraftwerk stuff. Still very interesting.

A spacey electronic trip along Germany's famous highway and other locales.

Canciones demasiado largas

I'm sure it was extremely innovative in 1974.... Not so much now. Don't mind it though

Kraftwerk pain and simple

Auto ban från the server om du postar crubge

Fun fun fun on the Autobahn for 22 minutes.

Nice to get chance to go beyond the model. Wasn't what I was expecting. Kometenmelodie 2 was my fave

Had me dreaming of electric sheep

Not gonna lie I wasn’t expecting the first song to be 20 minutes.

This was interesting as a historical listen, but there were some really rudimentary electronic experimentation moments that maybe don’t hold up as well. Also much less exciting than Can

Listened Before? N This was a fun early electronic album! Even though it was released in the 70's, it has a distinct 80's sound to it. I liked it quite a bit. I broke down and added the title track to my playlist even though its 23 minutes long. Oh well. Added to library? N Songs added to playlist: Autobahn

Me gustaría entender más kraftwerk

Yeah, progressing right along the autobahns of the world of Tron, where all the cars run on solar energy and drive themselves. But I’m actually more interested in what’s going on off the road, beyond the ditches and in the vast, dark forests of metal leaves that cut like razors.

Je pense que beaucoup d'entre vous savent que je parle un allemand impeccable.

das futur auf musik

This is not nearly as good as the other Kraftwerk albums I’ve heard. That being said, it isn’t bad, just not great. Autobahn (song) is a classic…. 3/5

Satisfyingly steady. Not the experience it once was, much like driving along a motorway.

This record reminds me of the time I put the 12" single of Tour de France on and played it on the wrong speed. I was a good few minutes in before I noticed the error. Autobahn is influential. You can hear so much of what would come to fruition in the 80s with bands like Depeche Mode. As a cultural artifact, it's a 5, as an album that I'm listening to in 2022, a solid 3.

I am glad I listened to it, I think I kinda get it. I can hear how influential this is but this will not be in my regular rotation, but I did enjoy a large chunk of Autobahn but 22:47 ...you would think we should all like some slice of it.

Very underwhelming album. Love Kraftwerk but this album was very long and drawn out for what I was looking for.

Первый трек хорош, хоть и затянут. Остальное очень скучное...

It's a good album, has its place and was influential. Kraftwerk were pioneers of electronic music but when listening to them years later, it's hard to ignore that by 1974 the prog rock bands were also kicking the synths pretty hard and the proggies's music also had relevant lyrics. So I have to keep this in perspective. I plan to be in Germany in a couple of weeks and if I'm driving a Merc on the highways, I will definitely be playing this.

Pues quitando la absurdez de canción de Autobahn, el resto me ha gustado. Electronic popelectroacoustickosmische.

I liked all songs except the 20 minuter

not mine but fundamental

Not bad. Shoulda had more albums like this

Tolerable as background music

Mid

Pleasant, calm, hypnotic. Something I appreciate more than I truly "enjoy": it's fine, it just doesn't really do much for me. Favorite tracks: "Mitternacht", "Autobahn"

Not my favorite Kraftwerk album.

Альбом красивый. Запомнился в начале, не запомнился в конце. В итоге не сильно зацепил, но его оценил.

asså det är skumt

Love this especially Morgenspaziergang not keen on Kometenmelodie which does make up a lot of the album but Autobahn is SO FUN love that tune and I love Kraftwerk so I'm going middle for this album.

Struggling to rate this. It was mad and long and it was long and it was mad. But then again it was very inventive and I know how influential Kraftwerk were at the time and how much they pushed boundaries and explored new tech so I can see how it's a good album in that respect.

A little different than the other Kraftwerk albums on here. Glad I listened but it didn't really speak to me. Clearly too many Kraftwerk albums on this list.

Very rich and futuristic sounding electronic music that still sounds fresh today. However the songs are very minimalistic and the first song stretches over a whole 22 minutes, without much alteration as if to induce a trance like state. That turned me off a bit.

Not quite what I was expecting from my first Kraftwerk experience. This is way more atmospheric than I imagined it'd be. Nice

I swear this was an album previously b/c I've heard it before I think... or maybe it was a different Kraftwerk?

-a a a a autobahn

WTF

Pretty cool, and hard to believe this came out in 1974. You can hear echoes and influence from this in a lot of 80s music and house music. It's rather abstract, but a fun, chill listen.

Background music, for some sort of dull sci-fi movie. Influential on lots of artists I do like, but I didn't massively enjoy this. I'm torn between giving it 2 or 3, so will be generous!

Good, atmospheric, I liked this

Kinda repetitive but respect because this was in 1974.

It is certainly influential and inventive, trying out interesting concepts, as the Doppler effect passing sounds in Autobahn, as if cars on a highway, but 20 minutes of that grew stale really quick to me.

First listen out of the gate, it was fine. Though "automahban" kinda fizzled after awhile. Would listen to this again while I'm vacuuming my rugs or de-bearding my face. Would also consider listening while eating Carls Jr. After another go, it sounds like the raw to the Knight Rider theme song before Americans got to it. Which leads me to ponder any obvious links between Kraftwork, Knight Rider and Germany...? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhNv4fc0knw

Autobahn started out well. The singing is bad, but thankfully minimal. The middle five minutes (8-13-ish minute mark) were bad too, but Autobahn does come back around. Overall I am impressed with the sound being that this album is from the Stone Age of electronic music. The end of Autbahn sounds a lot like Pink Floyd’s On The Run from Dark Side Of The Moon. At first I was pumped because I thought DSOTM came out in 1975. But alas DSOTM debuted in 1973, making it seem like a ripoff. I like all the other tracks, so this album gets to live solidly in pergatory. The Pink Floyd ripoff is offset by the trail blazing nature of the sound.

Los papás de Depeche Mode. Me imaginé a Martin Gore escuchando esto en loop obsesivamente. Muy flashero todo para el 74, pero por momentos necesitaba que terminara de una vez.

It’s like Bach programming a first-gen Atari set. Programmatic music with synths mimicking speeding cars … meh. The keys are kitschy as often as they’re catchy. Some weirdly wondrous moments (“Kometenmelodie 2” and closing track), plus obvious bonus points for originality, sure, but hasn’t aged that well. Has KW transcended previous under-ratedness and obscurity to become overhyped/overrated and, thus, underwhelming? Or is its reputation perfectly balanced with its aesthetic quality? 3.2 for 3.

I really hope we get the extended version of Autobahn. The spatial engineering on this was very interesting, even in my car sound was traveling from one side to the other, up close and far away. It would've probably been great in headphones. They were definitely trying to contact some extra terrestrials on their HAM radio. Favorite song - Mitternacht

I can respect the creativity and originality of this piece. This sounds like what people in the 80’s used in instructional videos to describe what the future will look like. Very impressive that this came out in the mid 70’s. And then after autobahn, the crew was just like “hey check out this crazy sound I learned how to make” and then put those crazy sounds on the album

The synth slaps but I'm just not really in the mood for Kraftwerk rn

The title track, and main suite of the album is great. Kometenmelodie 1 is super hard to listen to. Just grating. Kometenmelodie 2 is nice. Mitternacht and Morgenspaziergang are ambient and experimental. Not something I really feel like listening to. Overall, Side A is great. Side B is not at all my thing, but I can respect it.

aight

Not as great as some of Kraftwerk's pivotal work from later in the 70s, but this is them really on the cusp of nailing it. A v fun album

Elektronisk, konceptuelt, revolutionerende, tysk

Have only ever really heard Autobahn before, and even then only snippets really. I can imagine really liking this if I had heard this in my formative years.

Not hard to see why this is such a legendary album - to create such hypnotic electronic beats this long ago must have been mind blowing at the time, and I particularly like how long and progressive the title track is. simplistic yet layered synth work that slowly builds and falls. I can't say the rest of the album really stuck with me though, and even the title track felt somewhat sparse at points. I appreciate the influence a bit more than the music here.

Au-to-bahn! Das Titelstück ist ein Klassiker, ein großes Stück seiner Zeit. Kometenmelodie 2 ebenfalls. Rest geht so.

Synth and guitar chill

Maybe I just don't appreciate it, but I found it hard to pay much attention to a whole album of the same thing. I enjoyed the sound a little bit, but didn't see all that much to see in it.

Doesn't possess the same dystopian quality I liked about The Man-Machine and is instead a lot more experimental so doesn't quite hit the same heights.

You can see the influence of Can or even Tortoise here, but eventually you'll grow tired of 20 minute songs.

It's good

Music from other times. Cant understand when to listen it. Think about ambient music but not sure.

Yeah. I know it's classic, formative, etc, but 22min track to start? It just slipped into background mode, and I barely even noticed the change into the following tracks.

First "Electronic" album that I didn't hate. Not to say that I would ever listen to this again, but it wasn't bad. Good background music if your into such as you could basically just have the album loop over and over and never realize it. 3

Het mogen pioniers zijn in het genre, toch was dit album niet mijn smaak

Enjoyed this record. Very interesting use of synths. I generally like Kosmische Musik (and Bowie's Kosmische Musik influenced stuff from this period) though I don't listen to it that often and I don't gravitate to this style. This record is the progenitor of that sound. Definitely should be on this list.

A great album for its time, but it’s time was long ago?

This brings back fond memories of HBO's "Video Jukebox." A groundbreaking electronic album that still holds up pretty well nearly 50 years later.

Although as a certified NUMTOT, I am not "Fond of tha Autobahn" - which is what I assume the "lyrics" to this song are. I did like this song more than I thought. Even that only manages to get it a 3.5

No haiku today. Good German techno beat music. Listworthy = 👍

FAHN FAHN FAHN ON DA AUTOBAHN -neat early electronic track. everything after was fine.

This was strictly background for me, but it never intruded. I was kind of surprised at how pleasant it was? I have an impression of Kraftwerk being sort of industrial, but maybe I just didn't know what the hell I was talking about. This sounds like the background of Epcot Center and I don't mean that as an insult.

Man, if this album had just stopped after the first track then I’d be here saying it’s a 22 minute masterpiece. Instead, I’m sitting here thinking of car crash puns. Dang.

Enjoyed autobahn a lot the rest less so

I know it's monotonous on purpose, and it did conjure up being in the back of a car on a long trip, but that's just not that enjoyable. Impressive and inoffensive, but not that interesting.

Zeer vooruitstrevend voor de tijd, maar anno 2021 een wat moeilijke ‘luister’ voor me.

I think I get it ya know? This album is almost 50 years old, and for what that is worth it's extremely impressive. And while it's not really my taste at all, I can see how important it is for music. For my personal taste it isn't super high on that list, but I think it rates well over all.

I heard a record that was part-ambient, part-something-else, though of course Autobahn predates that classification system. Kraftwerk doesn't reach the heights of electronic-flesh synthesis they do on Man-Machine, but there are glimpses of human joy through the beats. This time through, I caught those more on the B-side than anywhere else. The title track remains important, just a bit sterile.

nice, repetative and edgy but nice

Genre defining album. Although it's aged a bit, it's still reasonably exciting listening. Unsure as to whether it's interesting enough to listen to again in the future.

cool, fun, quirky album. bet it was pretty. But still, wouldn't want to listen to it again any time soon.

Weird as all hell

3.8

Autobahn was an interesting listen, at first I was a little skeptical when I saw the length of the title track was over 22 minutes! Upon listening I would never have thought that the album was released in 1974, the sound is well ahead of it's time. It was quite a relaxing listen and really took you through a sonic journey. Best: Autobahn Worst: N/A

-Chill electronic music -I want it to pick up in intensity, but it isn't -I actually liked everything but the title track cuz it could go on my study playlist

I wasnt sure what was happening but I kinda liked it?

Based on the first track, I was going to give this album a 4. It seemed batshit but in a good way. I enjoyed the fact that track 1 was like an electronic version of a symphony in a way, with a similar structure. Sadly I didn't like the rest of the album as much, it seemed a little flat, but would be excited to hear more Kraftwerk records.

In conclusione: lo conoscevo chiaramente di nome ma non l'avevo mai ascoltato credo. E' un album che faccio fatica a giudicare secondo i criteri che ho usato fino ad ora. E' un album che risente del peso degli anni probabilmente più degli altri contemporanei per ovvi motivi, ma allo stesso tempo mi ha sorpreso il fatto che suona comunque molto sperimentale ancora oggi. Nonostante sia un album così storico ha un'identità molto forte che non mi sembra sia stata copiata tanto quanto altre cose di fama comparabile. Il fatto di aver usato degli strumenti elettronici quando erano praticamente una novità sembra avergli dato molta libertà espressiva e l'album suona a tratti forse un po' troppo sperimentazione fine a sé stessa, ma è difficile dare molto peso a questa cosa considerando le circostanze. Non so se me lo risentirei però sicuramente è stato un ascolto interessante e immagino che sentirlo nel 74 doveva essere abbastanza sconvolgente. La copertina pure mi sembra un minimalismo avanti coi tempi e potrebbe essere tranquillamente una copertina di oggi, l'ho trovata sicuramente rappresentativa dello spirito del gruppo. Per me è 3 abbondante.

Not something I'd normally choose to listen to, but an alright first track and I can see how it was revolutionary. 7.1/10

pretty interesting- a little sound heavy. felt less narrative and more noisey, but lighter songs like morgenspaziergang and kometenmelodie 2 stand out to me. they’re more classic song structure and build up/ variation

fav : kometenmelodie 2

Wow! Brought back memories of youth!

De lo que he escuchando del krautrock, es lo que más me has gustado. De verdad es bien experimental, pero es agradable (aunque a veces monótono). No es una joya, pero no es un mal álbum.

1973 unbelievable

Very odd music for the time. First ambient music?

I liked the album for a change but I’m not sure I’d choose to listen to it again ***

Hypnotic Germanic vibes

1st song was a bit on the short side.

I'm guessing the title track, running at 22:48, took up an entire album side. It gets a bit repetitive, but is actually pretty in places. Driving on the Autobahn must be much more relaxing than US Interstates. One must remember this is a pioneering work in synthpop, so if it doesn't sound as polished as later works, that is why.

Interesting but not something I'd put on all the time

Enjoyable, good background music and there’s nothing wrong with that

Weird sounds, not bad at all

A bit dated. The famous bits from 'Autobahn' are still enjoyable, otherwise a hard listen and difficult to keep focused on it.

No i pojawil sie wreszcie albumik, ktory zawsze mi chodzil gdzies po glowie, bo przeciez ulubiony material z lat 70 bowiego, ktory mial byc inspiracja dla trylogii berlinskiej, jak nazwa plyty wskazuje banda niemiecka, ale szczesliwie plyta praktycznie nie zawiera wokalu, jedynie minuta tytulowego autobahna posiada tekst, wiec nie katuje, wiec po przesluchu juz dokladnie widze ktora strone trylogii zainspirowal kraftwerk u bowiego, chodzi tutaj o ambientowe b sidy, jak na lowie i heroes, album laczy wlasnie ambientowe momenty z szybszym synthem, do ktorych dochodza elementy krautrocka, zwlaszcza na b sidzie, ktorego themem jest nocka, a jak nocka to niebo, a z niebem nocnym do kosmosu juz calkiem blisko, wiec taki kometenmelodien jest refleksja w takich wlasnie klimatach, jak bylo ogladanie nieba, to musi po nim nastac ranek i nim sie wlasnie plyta konczy, wiec jesli strona b to niebo, to strona a ktora zajmuje tytulowy autobahn traktuje o tym co na niemiecich autostradach sie wyprawia, wiec pojawiaja sie synthowe dzwieki ktore maja oddawac co sie dzieje na muzycznej autostradzie, jak na rok 74 to brzmi to strasznie futurystycznie, ale chyba wlasnie taki byl koncept kraaftwerkowcow tutaj, trudno tutaj cokolwiek dodawac na plejke, bo jak dla mnie jest to ambientowa muzyka, wiec calosc lub nic, zwlaszcza pierwsza strona ktora trwa 22 minuty, juz wiem czemu slyszy sie, ze tak bardzo influencyjny na scene popowa byl kraaftwerk

Otro disco de solo 4 temas y 42 minutos. No había miedo al espacio vacío en el vinilo. Me ha parecido tener poco contenido. En su época el uso de la electrónica bastaba para justificar este disco y mirando con esos ojos es muy interesante. Sin embargo, a día de hoy ese tipo de sonido está al alcance de todo el mundo.

Interessant. J’ai prefere trNs world express, l’autre album de la liste. 3.25

Electrónica. Instrumental. A veces un poco machacona, pero bien en general.

Liked Morgenspaziergang the most

Whoa?!? There's a robot in my speakers! Very pleasant background music while working on other things.

I appreciate this album in a conceptual way, but if I'm honest with myself I don't get that much out of the experience w of listening to it. I think it's a pleasant listen, and kind of funny, but the idea of it holds more weight for me than the execution.

se eu for abduzida qd chegar nos ets vai tá tocando isso

Ahead of it's time, very electronic-y. 3.5 stars

Kraftwerk is echt wel een dingetje, goede wegluistermuziek

Way ahead of its time. Didn't know it was possible to do so much electronic music back in the early '70s.

A bit repetitive.

This is a noise album. It really isn't something I enjoyed. I read that their popular song Autobahn is a 22 minute song expressing a trip on the Autobahn. The album was compared to Tubular Bells but I loved that album. Thus just was too mechanical for me. This album was hard to focus on anything else with it's constantly moving melodies that feel a little like something I would have made at home on a 1980s Casio keyboard. I wonder in concert if these songs sound the same each time they play them? Morgenspaziergang is the best of the album. It is quiet and mostly calming. Birds chirping...water flowing. It feels Asian in places.

The song Autobahn has always had a very special place in my music hart. Nice to have heard the complete album. There has been a period in my life I was very much into al kinds of synthesizer music.

Is this Daftpunk?

cool eletronica experimental, repetitiva, mas nao tanto quanto techno dos anos 80-90

The album that got me into Kraftwerk, as much as I prefer their later works, I can see why peeps hold it up as Krautrock's greatest moment. Thing is, it's not Kraftwerk's greatest moment, as this was back when they were trying to be Eno or Neu!, as opposed to showing YMO, Jarre and all those who came later how electronic music ought to be done. If you're into it, that's fine, but there's a reaso why we know them more for Trains, Models, and Microprocessors. Final score: 63/100

Bom pra programar...

It was pleasant, had been wanting to listen to Kraftwerk for a while. Not sure I would buy the album but it wasn't a bad listen.

Nice water sounds made by the synths later on

Not as momentous as the last one but good background music for Hindi

Progzão muito bom

2.5/4

Its allright

I've heard this before but can only remember that it was the very early end of synth-driven (no pun lol) music. It's pretty primitive but has this real rich sound to it, like I remember old video games or movie music sounding like... maybe even how I imagined golden age sci fi "sounded" when I was a kid, haha. I'm guessing it's that Moog sound I'm describing there. It's pretty dated in 2021 so hard to honestly rate, but I'll give it a 3/5 for pleasantly reminding me of something I can't quite put my finger on. Not much music does that.

I know they're supposed to be pioneers of electronic or something of the sort, but really bored with this album.

Some cool unique sounds across the entire album, but it wasn't as interesting as I was hoping it would be. Autobahn could have been like 1/5 the length. Found where some MGMT inspiration came from.

This is the 3rd Kraftwerk album I've heard on the list. I know I'm supposed to like them and I understand why. Their influence and importance to how music evolved throught the 70s and 80s can't be understated. I just don't think I would ever choose to put this album on.

I know it's a pioneer of the genre but it's a difficult listen today. I did enjoy that the first track reminded me of the music they play around the futuristic area in Epcot.

I like electronic music and I like experimental music but this couldn't hold my attention. there were long gaps and silences and to me, that's not something I can engage with

1.8

Less interesting than the other Kraftwerk

Not nearly as annoying as The Man Machine, but it still was pretty dismal

Quirky and new at the time. I was in the “it’s Weird” camp. Still there today.

If Ross from friends were German and slightly more musically gifted.

I love EDM but...

I know it's iconic, but it's boring and weird.

I love the Autobahn as much as the next guy, but this wasn't for me.

cool. the title track is great, but the rest kinda feel like plantasia b sides. 2.5

As early practitioners of the genre, I get the feeling they had intentions greater than creating something for people to listen to while tripping on ecstasy. I can’t say I fully understand what those intentions may have been, but I also didn’t fully hate it. At least, not the second half of the album. Twenty-plus minutes of, “autobahn…auto autobahn…” cost them a star.

A lot of that type of noise that Buck Rogers used when they wanted to show futuristic music. Thankfully we will long be gone before that time is a reality. Unfortunately we have this.

Definitely a significant band, but nothing really hooked me on this album. Leading with a 22 min track is a bold move.

It’s really not even anything against this album I just think there’s kind of a 2-2.5 star ceiling re: my enjoyment of almost anything in the genre

I think I might've listened to this album before, and I remember not being impressed by it. The sound is very basic and amateurish IMO. I was kinda alright with the title track, and it was a little groovy and enjoyable to get into it, but really the whole thing was just kinda impactless. It was fine, but nothing I would tell anyone about or listen to more than once. Two stars.

Dnf. It was nice to listen to for the first 3 minutes. Then I got left behind on the Autobahn

Just didn't stick with me. I don't mind electronica. This felt kind of dated.

Mhhhhh

2.5/5

It's video game music. The entire time I listened to this I kept thinking of my playstation. I'm not saying it's bad but I expected it to be a bit weirder. I will never listen to this again but I'm not mad I listened to it once. I do not understand how this was groundbreaking, AT ALL. As someone who doesn't enjoy electronica this is a huge miss but I have friends that love them live.

Literally the most autistic music of all time (non-derogatory)

Cool that this exists, but not really my thing.

Too boring for me.

Not unpleasant, not pleasant. Will not listen again.

Drony, repetitive, and samey may be the point here, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. It mostly toodles along at a very medium tempo, which doesn’t give me much sense at all that I am speeding happily along on the Autobahn. The repetitive synthesizer swooshes simulating passing cars (and they seem to want us to experience EVERY passing car) are super annoying over a 22 minute track. I get it guys, we’re passing a lot of cars. Side 2, which is broken into four shorter compositions, does not improve things. The fake bird calls on the last track are especially irritating.