Autobahn

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.

9 year old amateur synth player?

Autobahn was all new music for me, but I was happy to see Kraftwerk come up as this day's reocommendation. I think I have a soft spot for Kraftwerk. I enjoyed listening to the album. Some of the tracks feel a little more experimental, with some portions of the track feeling less "musical" than others. I never felt like skipping anything. I'd give this album a second listen.

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.

Much more experimental and proggy than I was expecting. Quite challenging in places. Lots of flutes and recorders in the mix too!

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

The first side is super weird and super long and clearly made, as my friend David says, by the German foosball players on Community. I'm not convinced that Side B is the same band. I really, really like Side B. Best track: Kometonmelodie 1

Everything but the last track is just noise. I don’t care if it’s influential or if David Bowie liked it. This is ass

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

No idea what I'm in for. House? Jazz? Rock? The album cover is exquisite and so ahead of its time. Ah, electronic. Ah, this is just hte cover for the remastered version. -I mean.....this is good. And definitely ahead of its time. But I'm not sure if I'm vibing with it. Feels very repetitive and doesn't have a "vibe" -Yeah I feel bad but this one didn't really do anything for me. At least it was pretty. 2 stars.

I’ve never listened to Kraftwerk before! So German! 4 stars because it came the day after Phaedra.

I was expecting techno. Kraftwerk are a blank spot in my music knowledge really beyond 'The Model'. More folky than I expected, but not really lighting my fire.

I had minimal fun on the Autobahn. It was a bit of an endurance test at times yet I did see some charm in it. I can understand why others would enjoy this and the influence factor as well I suppose but this is a trip I don't plan on taking again.

What a weird and wonderful experience. I knew of Kraftwerk in terms of their historical significance but never had interest in exploring what felt like the Stone Age of synth electronica, and a 20 min starting track length further disinterested me. I imagined it was a lot of exploring and messing about with unknown new sounds, which, well( is what they’re doing. What I was shocked by however was the beauty, warmth and emotion they manage to pull from those early analogue synths; especially in that first epic odyssey of a track. Decidedly not for everyone, but I am really glad that this project took me to this album.

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.

This sounds like they took a single and stretched it into an album. I like the first 7 or 8 minutes of the title track but it's painfully long. The LP was no doubt influential and ground-breaking, especially since this was their first pure electronic album. There's not too much on side 2 to catch my attention. It was 1974, I appreciate, but the compositions aren't very compelling. Spotify played something from Man Machine (and the Jean Michel Jarre) afterward which were heavenly by comparison.

My fellow 1,001 Albums colleague mgravelle59 and I recently saw Kraftwerk live in Toronto and it was a fantastic show. To think that these funky septuagenarians put out this album almost 50 yrs ago is mind boggling. To a new listener this album may sound quite primitive and simplistic but back in 1974 no one was doing anything like this. This album was a radical change from their earlier experimental electronic and Krautrock sound as it incorporated synthesizer beats that were eminently danceable and which would go on to influence disco, hip-hop, prog, glam, synth-pop, electronic, EDM, techno and trance. There's a reason why many critics say that Kraftwerk ranks up there with the Beatles as one of the most important music groups of all time. This album is very good, but its just notch below their very best which comes later (Man-Machine, Trans-Europe Express and Computer World).

I see the historic meaning of this album/band, Had hard time listening it all 'cause of very different music taste. :D

Música electrónica. Bastante tostón. Un 2.

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

Did not like anything about this album.

Must have been innovative at the time

This was the first time I actually liked listening to Kraftwerk. Favorite songs: Autobahn, Morgenspaziergang

Great record.

I liked all songs except the 20 minuter

A classic.

Looks like Ross Gheller finally made a CD!

not mine but fundamental

Not bad. Shoulda had more albums like this

Tolerable as background music

ehh

Mid

Got completely lost in this.

great album, but not quite Nagelbett

funf all day long

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"

It's my birthday today and this is 1001's present to me rather than some obscure mid-80's album by some unknown dirt band. I found this many years ago in my dad's collection and have been on an Electro journey ever since but these guys are the Godfathers of Electronic music. You don't get any better than this and it's a trip from start to finish. Experimental, ambient, jarring and hypnotic. 🌟🚗🌟🚗🌟🚗🌟🚗🌟🚗

Look, I know it's groundbreaking, and it paved the way for what was to come, but if we're honest, isn't it a little bit dull, a little bit electro noodly, and a little bit self indulgent?

Affirmative

Not my favorite Kraftwerk album.

Ughhhhh I hated it. Sorry.

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

This isn't my favourite Kraftwerk album, but damn I'd listen to those 1970s synths making any old noise. The sound is kind of clinical but warm at the same time? (Like receiving great news in a doctor's office.) I like the hypnotic title track and the whole concept of the album, but the shorter tracks on side B have some great moments of ambience. This was their first album in the recognisable Kraftwerk electro/pop style, and I suspect it's on the list mainly for historical importance. But it is still a great record. 4*

Meh

I love Kraftwerk, but some of this isn’t their best, some of it is.

I am fairly sure that I saw Kraftwerk's debut on british tv on tomorrow's world in the early 70s, so was always intrigued by them and Autobahn in particular. I never got that into Kraftwerk but have really enjoyed listening to this album, particularly the monumental title track. Even at 22 minutes it is a joy to listen to. The remaining tracks are well worth a listen and I particularly liked the contrasting moods between Mitternacht and Morgenspaziergang. one thing that intrigues me is how different Kraftwerk really are to other exponents of 'kraut rock' such as Tangerine Dream and the extent to which their far greater popularity is down to image as much as the music?

Super groundbreaking, of course, and it is a deeply hypnotic driving album. The B side is near perfect IMO, but the title track on the A side does get a little repetitive, and the vocals absolute do not sit well in the mix when they crop up.

As I've established thus far, I'm a suckered for gimmicky experimental sounds. I love the feel overall of this, and it feels like perfect late night music.

I've enjoyed most of the Kraftwerk albums that I've listened to. This one I liked the least of them. Maybe since it is the first time I've heard it. I know (of course) the title song - didn't know it was so long though. 2.5/5

So who is the most overrated cult band in music history and why is it Kraftwerk? Sometimes I think people overpraise Kraftwerk just because Bowie liked them. Personally they bore the shit out of me within 5 minutes.

The electronic dream starts here. There have been fits and starts, promising beginnings and premature ends but this is where it starts to solidify itself. Before the suits, the haircuts, the dummies, cycling obsessions, etc., Kraftwerk focused on the joys of the road and the beauty of the automobile as they wax sonic miracle that continues to enliven and enlighten nearly fifty years on. Fahren! Fahren! Fahren!

Fun fun fun on the autobahn! I know these are not the lyrics, I know exactly what they're saying, but that's not the point. The point is that this is a creative, relaxing, album of electronic music that I can always go back to (and I do). Now, let us drive, drive, drive, on the Autobahn.

asså det är skumt

05/16/2022 OMG, these guys again? What the fuck.

nope

Loved it... Fun fun fun auf der autobahn

This still sounds incredible.

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.

Wild, I listened to it running which worked well, I think I would find it kinda boring in other contexts, but whilst running it felt like interesting a varied

I'm so sorry I still don't massively get this. I liked the last song that was just completely different but the rest of it, left me cold. I know this is meant to be amazing, not sure what I'm missing

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.

Enjoyed this one for the most part. Autobahn was easily the best track with the quality factor going down and annoyance factor going up to the end of the album

As always, weird and intriguing. I had no idea the band had been around since 1969 having only heard them in the 1980’s

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

Titillagið er æðislegt, þótt kaflarnir séu misspennandi. Kometenmelodie 2 er mjög skemmtilegt og lifandi hljóðfærin í Morgenspaziergang eru flott tilbreyting frá hinu hefðbundna Kraftwek soundi. Held ég hendi í fullt hús.

Not bad, I don't know if it really qualifies as music tho.

This is a strange beast. Obviously it was innovative upon its release, and even today it still sounds like a science experiment. It is quite monotonous though. I was expecting to enjoy this much more than I did. I'm glad I've listened, it feels like something that should be heard, like a lesson in the evolution of music, but isn't really something I'd choose to hear again.

Easy five. Kraftwerk's best album.

It was good. I read up on the group and was intimidated - sounded a bit too experimental. After listening , I really like the beats/music more than I thought I would.

Idk how much kraftwerk I need to listen to to before I die but I almost died of boredom from the song autobahn. Overall this album was mildly boring but mitternacht was good

Honnêtement c'est pas nul, juste pas ma came, un peu inécoutable ça a sûrement dû inspirer l'éléctro moderne

rating this 5 for the 5 year old who probably loves this

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

Bits of this sound incredibly futuristic now - I'm not surprised it didn't catch on at first in 1974. Great album.

-a a a a autobahn

It's interesting hearing Kraftwerk before they completely turned to robots, musically speaking. The more acoustic instruments (i.e. flute, violin, guitar) was actually a nice bit of fresh air compared to the rest of their discography I've listened to so far. The 22 minute title track is a fun trip itself through the Autobahn itself and a underground level from a video game, and I like Kometenmelodie 2 as well since it's sunshine beaming out of the dark tunnel that was Kometenmelodie 1.

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.

p318. 1974. 4 stars. In terms of influence, this is absolutely massive. Giorgio Moroder, Vangelis, Gary Newman and all of the 80's electro/synth bands owe this a huge debt, as well as John Carpenter and anyone working on sci-fi soundtracks in the 1980s. Aural cinema :) If you don't like atmospheric synths then you're going to hate this - but everyone should listen to this once in their lives.

This album reflects a transitory period where Kraftwerk was blending electronic influences and coming out of their Krautrock origins. This album is atmospheric and melodic. Though it is not as fully realized as their later work. It documents early experimentation and for that reason alone it belongs in this list.

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

Disclaimer: Adolf Hitler was a horrible, genocidal maniac. When the Autobahn was created in the 1920s and 30s, it became the first modern national highway system. And it happened largely thanks to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, who invested considerable economic and human capital into its construction. It allowed, among other things, the easier mobilization of the Nazi war machine. And after the war, it inspired the creation of Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System, which in turn solidified the dominance of post-war car culture, lack of mass transit infrastructure, and gas-guzzling and fast food addictions. Were they setting us up for future conquest all along? Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" begins with the title track that feels like you are cruising down the highway with no speed limit, even literally singing "We drive, drive, drive on the Autobahn." Then you take the next exit, and the roads get stranger and more experimental. One song/road was built around a leaky faucet, I think. Both the Autobahn and Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" were ahead of their time, and paved the way for things both great and awful. Only one of them was built by an evil dictator, though.

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.

Weird

Ich verstehe es nicht. Ich denke das es ist nich sooo schlecht aber es ist nich für mich. Eine tag ich möchte fahren auf der Autobahn aber nicht heute. Danke meine Freunde. Meine deutsch ist sehr gut.

"Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn!" Album je instrumentalno-ambientalno-progresivno elektronički/futuristički-repetativno-minimalistički u neku ruku i hladan, a opet ima tih dijelova na gdje ima taj neki warm feeling, tipa zadnja stvar. Sviđa mi se, i je, prva stvar je najbolja, ali nemojte zzzzzz na B stranu albuma. Samo da kažem da više preferiram original cover art, ovo je samo znak što je u tom cover artu. Svejedno je dobar ovaj, imam majicu takve boje sa bijelim slovima, piše: "23. Memorijalni turnir Seoce 2018." Tako da ako bi imao ovaj cover art na majici, bila bi druga najbolja majica sa ovom bojom.

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.

Not my thing, but cool.

Basically just noise.

Original

Not Krap.

gesamtwerk. and some bonus flutes

10/10, super cool album I’m surprised electronic music sounded that good in 1973 I was expecting it to sound a little more simplistic or something but they really made the most out of it you can hear all sorts of modern production techniques being used throughout the album and I have no idea how they pulled it off overall just a super impressive album they pioneered genres that led to some of my favorite artists like Big Black Delta and LCD Soundsystem

Dull and kinda weird, not my thing

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

Solid electronic album

I loved this.

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.

The title song is 22+ minutes of Germans being weird and I loved every minute of it.

German Rush

beep boop vroom vroom

The music of bureaucracy, capital, self-interest. It's up to you to decide just how oh-so-arch it is. Just enough for me, but I'll understand if you opt out. What saves them is their love of melody and repetition, which isn't in dispute, though it doesn't come in the usual shape and size. Given how little love is on offer here, I'll take whatever I can get.

Went from I want an Audi to what are the aliens trying to say very quickly. Synths are still a top tier instrument

take LSD up your ass and start singing along, along the autobahn. your heart rate will sync with the light flickering in your sad sad office. as you stare into the window, the world turns darker and brighter. congratulations, you are now a lizard again. life as you know it is over, no more worries. enjoy the sun. find the best looking rock you can find. enjoy the sun.

zey ar zee fazers ov electronic music

aight

I just really really really liked the sound of all of this I love the flute sounds on Morgenspaziergang So much of this album sounds warm and familiar

Nah, didn't get this at all. I found autobahn interesting for the first 3 minutes or so...

KK Slider went off.

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

not my cup of tea

ja!!

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.

I really, really hope this is the last Kraftwerk album. A 22 minute lead off of...I don't even know. I thought they were forbearers to electronic music but this wasn't even that.

Sintetiza a importância da eletrônica na música. Audição com maturidade.

Great in its day. Sounds a bit dated now.

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.

Decent background music album. Can respect that they are the root of a lot of the artists I like but don’t see myself coming back to this.

I wasn’t so keen on this one…

At the time this album came out it must of been ground breaking new music that blew minds. Feel like a B movie soundtrack that makes for great background noise.

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

I have enjoyed some Kraftwerk in the past, but this album was pretty terrible. The title track had some interesting parts, but as a whole was WAY too long. The rest of the album just seemed like filler. 1/5

boring. autobahn was kinda interesting but yawn

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.

fuhn fuhn fuhn

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.

A stunning masterpiece ✨️

Muy interesante, pero muy estraño (lo usual, pues, jaja). Me gusta que cierren con "Morgenspaziergang" porque se siente correcto: después del alboroto, una calma, una caminata matutina. 8/10

This is electronic music with a heart of gold. Happy instead of freaky, if you know what I mean. I had never listened to this album before but it's just my cup of tea. Clearly experimental but not past my ability to easily grok what they are trying to do and appreciate it. I also admire the commitment to the theme. Four stars for how much I like it and an extra star for being almost as old as I am. Talk about groundbreaking. Respect.

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

A bridge between the analog dreamy Kraftwerk and their electronic phase, not their best but still a classic

It's good

initial thoughts: starting out with a 22 minute song huh? bold, but i’ll take it fav from album: autobahn

The sound of optimism in the future. I find this album very uplifting and enjoy hearing the full version of the title track. Sound so ahead of its time, and this version of the album cover has to be one of the most iconic sleeve designs ever.

It's the future, apparently. Does that include the bloody flute? 22 minutes was pushing it a little for the title track. The wonky key changes didn't help. At best this could be packaged up as Electro 18.

Really good with some surprisingly pretty songs.

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

The first of a string of top class albums by Kraftwerk. Certainly not their best work, but it's bright and atmospheric, surmounting Kraftwerk as one of the leaders of the krautrock movement. The star track is obviously the titular piece, which was a massive hit everywhere in the world, but the other songs match the hype exceedingly well, tending to reflect a wide range of emotions, from the optimism of Kometenmelodie 2, the discovery of a hidden land of Morgenspaziergang, and the cautious sense of adventure into the unknown of Mitternacht, that isolates Kraftwerk from the rest of the genre. Definitely one of the more intriguing and non-repetitive krautrock albums out there, and one I'll use to expose people into the genre.

I'm not the biggest fan of electronic pop music, but I did enjoy this album! First song, autobahn, I could listen to for hours! So soothing and love the lyrics "fan fan fan.. Autobahn!"

Cool. Not as catchy as other Kraftwerk stuff but a bonus star for its innovation at the time.

About as interesting as fake Bhutan artwork.

Why

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.

ok

A great glimpse into into the early rise of electronic music. A good album to put on while stuck in a German highway. Favorites: Autobahn, Mitternacht

Loved this album. Weird rhythms and strange sounds!

Didn't like this one as much as Man Machine

YEAH KRAFTWERK!!! Already love this.

Classic stuff

Очень круто. Ок. Компьютер.

Seemed esoteric and experimental. Felt decent at best and uneasy at worst

Seriously?! A 22 minute opening song. Fucks sake, kill me now. I honestly hate this shit. Who in the hell listens to 42 minutes of boring electronica??

Better than Gary Newman! This would sound much better played in the MGM grand arena during the first set break of a Phish show. Beautiful in some places. Stark in others. There's only so much intentionally de-humanized music one can handle before you just want to radically abandon your biological programming and commit a random act of unfiltered imperfection. So yeah, I'm typing this sentence with my pants down in front of a large window with 5 chickens on the other side. It's ok, they get it. I'm more akin to the hens than to Kraftwerk. We're all naked pecking around in a heavy rain. Kraftwerk is driving a car. B-

Pretty great. Some optimistic songs. Some dark menacing songs. Very filmic. The birth of electronic music.

Live laugh love, get weird, get dark, get light, get bionic

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

great instrumental German electronica

autobahn is kraftwerk's crowning moment

Pretty cool concept. Not sure if I'd class some of it as 'music' but still enjoyable

Nope.

driving on the motorway ennit

Didn't think I would like it be it was white noise which I enjoy for some reason

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

This album just takes you somewhere else. It’s so innovative and ahead of it’s time. Who said you can portray emotion with computers?

Надо как-нибудь внимательнее переслушать, так как синты у них классные

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.

Really enjoyed this. The title track has - unsuprisingly - a real autobahn feel to it. Added to my library.

OMG the generator gave me Kraftwerk albums two days in a row. I guess it liked my comments on The Man Machine. Hey, generator, what’s up ;) Yesterday I said that I thought "Neon Lights" was possibly the best song Kraftwerk ever made. As I typed it, a little voice in my head kept saying "Except for Autobahn!" So, I guess now I get to talk about Autobahn, which pretty much makes my weekend. Okay, it’s obviously not for everyone, an acquired taste, as one reviewer put it. But if you have the patience, this album is really worth the listen. Autobahn is next level over next level, something that I have tremendous respect for and also just like listening to. It is a bit of a mood though. I don’t necessarily want to hear it often, but when I put it on, those first 22 minutes just make me inexplicably happy. You get a sense of joy and that they were really having fun on this one, and I guess that’s what I’m feeling a response to, the joy. Musically, the album is absolutely sublime. I love the effects they use to give an impression of vehicles in motion (“Autobahn”) and the sounds of the natural world (“Morgenspaziergang”). It’s an incredibly playful and clever use of synthesizers. The incorporation of traditional instruments adds an extra level of depth you don’t hear in their later albums. This is actually “The Man Machine” in action, the natural/traditional paired with the mechanical/constructed. Go figure. In "Morgenspaziergang," the band masterfully captures the essence of sounds from the natural world like birds and flowing water to create a pastoral soundscape, complete with accompanying Pan's flutes. It's incredibly pretty. “Kometenmelodie 2” is likewise just a lovely, melodic listen. It’s a window into what other electronic artists will be doing 5-10 years down the line. As for the masterpiece of the album, "Autobahn" is the only 22-minute song I will ever care to listen to. I hesitate to even call it a song, because it's bigger than that. It's a far ranging, longform musical journey. I may never make it to the actual Autobahn, but one day I want to just get in the car and take a ride to nowhere with Autobahn playing on a loop. It's what this album was made for. Fave Songs: Autobahn, Kometenmelodie 2, Morgenspaziergang

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.

Notice that the artwork looks so exceedingly modern? Smashing album by the way, ambitious in scope and, despite the majority of sounds being generated by electronic means, it has a warmth to the sound - and even a touch of humour. German is the perfect language for this kind of electro-futurism. I miss cold mornings in Berlin.

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.

I think that it's almost impossible to fuck up an electronic album.

Lovely music for me to listen to

Enjoyed autobahn a lot the rest less so

Fun album!

This was not what I was expecting given Kraftwerk's later work. It's ... symphonic. Sure, it's repetitive but it's also layered, textured, and nuanced. Sure, it's electronic but in a way that somehow feels natural and not overly synthetic and robotic. Autobahn (the title track) in particular, truly feels like driving on an interstate highway at night. They nailed it. I'm impressed.

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.

Need to listen to more of this for sure.

Synthesizer greatest, wie kent het niet? Heerlijke melodieuze muziek. Album is wel vreemd met een liedje van 22 minuten en dan nog een paar kleine tracks. Zou het eerder maxi single noemen. Ik persoonlijk houdt wel van extended versies van liedjes en al helemaal van elektronische muziek. Heel leuk hoe je de auto's voorbij hoort komen of de wolf hoort huilen 's nachts . Deel "2" van de "Kometenmelodie" is ook wel heel goed zeg. De vrolijke panfluit in de ochtend kan ik ook waarderen. De rest mwoa. Geweldig hoe men in de jaren '70 al electronische muziek kon maken. De muziek was de tijd ver vooruit, maar zijn tegenwoordig wel een beetje langdradig en saai. ****

Langdradig

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

I got to see kraftwerk a couple of years ago and like this album they are great

The man-machine was better. This is a little to weird. But it has that dark scary technologic vibe that I love. And wow the original album cover might be the ugliest image I have seen yet. The remastered us much better. Damn what a weird album. 2/5 so far

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.

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this but I thought it was pretty shite. 1/5

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.

Whoa - now this is new to me. Never heard of them, never heard of this, never thought this would be something people wanted to hear. So, anyway, let's go. Autobahn - Song builds like it's trying to introduce something. I would assume that this music was experimental for its day. Reminds me of the Blue Man Group. "Repetitive electronic music" is putting it mildly. That being said, I don't hate it. Fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn. How long is this "song?" Kometenmelodie 1 - Ok - was actually not sure if I was still listening to Autobahn - that song was 22 minutes. Anyway, this is well, like an 80s David Lynch movie. Just synth and piano, and ominous buzzing. Kometenmelodie 2 - Now we're bouncing. Stark contrast to 1. Victorious is what comes to mind. Mitternacht is back to the Kometenmelodie 1 sensibilities. Kometenmelodie 2 is definitely the preferred sound so far. Morgenspaziergang - The last song is like radio waves and a flute. So we're way out there now. Way, way, way out there. Overall, this was a fun diversion into something I've never ever ever thought to listen to. Is it good? To me, not really. It's hardly listenable in terms of a cohesive thing. It's avantgarde in that it is art for sure, but not what I would consider musically appealing. My guess would be these guys are cited as influences to bands like Depeche Mode though.

Infinitely better than The Man Machine, but still bad.

Een epische tocht op de Duitsr snelweg. Lekker dromerig en otherworldly.

nice, repetative and edgy but nice

Rad

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.

Pioneering ambient work that clearly opened doors for many other synth and pop artists.

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

Didn’t finish

Didn't make it all the way through...little too off for me.

FUN FUN FUN AUF DE AUTOBAHN

A me i Kraftwerk mi sono sempre piaciuti. Conoscevo già Autobahn e lo trovo geniale. Non si tratta di un ascolto semplice e magari non tutti lo apprezzerebbero, ma a me questa atmosfera elettronica di altri tempi mi ipnotizza.

Wild, noisey, comforting, I guess

Monumental album. Influential and memorable.

Weird as all hell

Shit

<3

Quality album. One of the first bands I saw live.

Really enjoyed that and can't believe I haven't listened to Kraftwerk more as I'm such a fan of electronica. Could have done without the singing though

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

Innovative, great material

what did i just listen to?

23 min song was amazing, but the songs with flutes were terrible - however, really glad I took the time to listen to it all. Very impressive - for the time and for now (but mainly for that 23 min song, fantastic)

Notes: 7mins into first song: SOMETHING JUST PLEASE HAPPEN THIS IS LIKE GUCCI GUCCI PRADA PRADA ALL OVER AGAIN 8mins in: Ok maybe I should have been careful what wished for. You know when you get stuck/lost on a video game level and the soundtrack just loops? Yeah… Some of the effects were nice just not used in a nice way. I was constantly checking how long was left on this album and I paid more attention to it than other albums we’ve done so I feel a bit more confident with my vote. This album was the equivalent of a long drive on the autobahn for someone who doesn’t like driving.

Autobahn is a masterpiece. Some of the tracks are even more experimental in nature and didn't quite jibe with those.

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.

Il brano Autobahn è un polpettone epico e senza motivo, negli altri brani invece ci sono alcune cose interessanti ma sono una piccola parte del disco. Secondo me è un album sopravvalutato.

Yeaa kraftwerk początki elektroniki, techno trochę. super odkrycie. tour de france super piosenka nie z tego albumu akurat. Puszczę kiedyś na jakiejś imprezie na pewno

Fon fon fon

Kraftwerk are incredibly important and have some great albums, the most influential electronic act of all time without a doubt. Autobahn however is not the reason for this legacy and does sound dated. It is nearly half a century old but in comparison to similarly aged Krautrock gems Tago Mago or Neu! 75, it is not up to the mark.

weird

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

The title track is dull and tediously long. The other tracks are fairly incoherent. It’s hard to shit on an album that is universally considered so important and influential. But while I recognise the significance of this album 50 years ago, I would never stick this on to enjoy today.

Very long tracks. Engaging

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

Good and bad in equal measure

What did I just listen to? The title track was the only one that I even remotely recognize...

Sensacional!

<3

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.

The title track is tediously long. The other tracks are fairly incoherent. It’s hard to shit on an album that is universally considered so important and influential. But while I recognise the significance of this album 50 years ago, I would never stick this on to enjoy today.

false

No conecto, no lo disfruto. Soniditos que avanzan sin emoción ni momentos bellos ni nada. No es lo mío.

Fan of the autobahn? Yes. Fan of this album? No. Tedious.

Autoballs

wtf

Trippy twisted.

This is a strange beast. Obviously it was innovative upon its release, and even today it still sounds like a science experiment. It is quite monotonous though. I was expecting to enjoy this much more than I did. I'm glad I've listened, it feels like something that should be heard, like a lesson in the evolution of music, but isn't really something I'd choose to hear again.

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

It's almost impossible to listen to this now and appreciate how ahead of its time it was. Some of the instruments used here were brand new, expensive and not widely used. Plus they made their own synths too!

1st song was a bit on the short side.

Really enjoyed it. First time I’ve listened to it all the way through, and was interesting to notice the influences it’s brought to other artists over the years. Weird vibes at the end, almost went a bit chronicles of Narnia. Overall 8/10

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

It didn’t werk for me

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

Weird sounds, not bad at all

Cool and poised and wry, like the most well-dressed cyborg reading haikus

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

Now I’m a man who can appreciate good electronic music. Even though kraftwerk were one of the originators this album was a bit too wild for me. Sounded like they were having a play with their new synthesiser and just hit record. 2/5

I find this all a bit souless and dull to be honest. Also do we need a 22 minute opening track? Complete lack of love and sounds like the soundtrack to a shite arthouse movie. Good cover tbf. 1/5

Its OK as ambient music but I cannot really remember a thing about 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

Weird

Not my genre

Electronic music is definitely not my place. However, this album is very good in simulate the annoying of long road trips (at least).

did not enjoy. First song was 22 minutes long and for what.

Weird, early electronic / noise music. The fun fun fun of the autobahn... Creative, but does not move me at all.

I get it's pioneering but these seem more like experimental recordings over something you'd want to listen to just to listen to. 2/10.

.

ahora no le dedique el estudio suficiente a la banda pero me imagino es alemana y estuvo chidito el trip que se agarra con ciertas canciones especialmente la ultima que tiene un toque asiático saludos a toda la banda! buen matecitos de churritos

Sublime. A musical journey.

No me voy a molestar ni en pensar que mierda poner aqui

Muy electrónica, pero para tener de fondo mientras se hace algo es bastante buena

Groundbreaking

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.

One of my formative albums from one of my formative bands. Is this you a five star album objectively? No. But it is for me.

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

Eh... not my favorite. Some cool sounds going on, just not the kind of thing I feel like sitting down and listening to a whole album of. Favorite Track(s): “Morganspaziergang”

I think I’ll be able to give this one a five once I’m more familiar with it. One listen wasn’t enough. Autobahn was definitely the highlight of the album

Very bland for my taste. Maybe for its time, it was something never done before, I dont know. Just finished listening to it and I completely forgot about it already. 1 star, there's not intereresting substance (for me at least) and I wouldn't listen to it again.

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

Liked Morgenspaziergang the most

An important document in music history. I recognize the massive influence this album had in electronic music and synth-pop.

C'est nul

Thoroughly enjoyable early electronic music!