Trans Europe Express

What's not to love about Kraftwerk? Groundbreaking electronic music and German accents! I've been a fan since a very young age. The Siouxie and the Banshees version of "Hall of Mirrors" was an important moody college song, but sounds positively jaunty next to Kraftwerk's masterpiece of existential dread, which leads nicely to "Showroom Dummies." We are all showroom dummies; "we go into a club, and there we start to dance." I never had this album, but "Trans Europe Express" was on a Kraftwerk collection I had, and was always a favorite of mine with its funky train beat in the background and (retroactively) futuristic feel. On a sleek, high speed train of the future, speeding through the European landscape, I'm filled with ennui and angst under this façade I'm forced to wear. Timeless perfection.

Early electronica should always be celebrated. It’s the foundation for any synthesised music today. But this foundation has cracks...and their extremely repetitive and flakey. There is a solid compound in it’s mix yet nowhere near interesting enough to want to reapply once let alone over and over again. 1 Star!

Good job it wasn't the Trans UK Express or it would have been overpriced, delayed, busy and the toilets would have been horrible. AMIRIGHT?

OK, I wrote my first review below but was still listening to it when driving across town. In the space of a mile, I encountered some staggeringly entitled arsehole drivers. I found that it actually was the perfect soundtrack to staring the patriarchy in the face with a cold, dead, unblinking stare. It's just gone from 1 to 4 stars. ---‐------------------------------------------- Yes, I know, massively influential on the electronic music genre. But this is the musical equivalent of eating 6 crackers without water. Joyless, functional and boring. I couldn't finish it. One star.

What an interesting album. I can see why it is one of the most influential albums in modern music history. Electronica vibes

Beep boop we are german and we like trains beep boop

I LOVE KRAFTWERK. So cool, different, electronic, but not overwhelming or too much. Genius. I discovered them playing in Vintage Vinyl one day and had to ask an employee who it was and bought the CD.

The track listing is 8 tracks, but in reality it's only 5. That's how coherent it is. It's an album that gets better with each minute as the anticipation keeps building but modifying their formula. Kraftwerk is by far the leader of the electronic world, and this is them at their peak. This record comes right before The Man-Machine and you can hear it with the lush bright synths despite the monochromatic cover. "Europe Endless" is a fantastic opener, so happy and bright like it's opening for a movie. It goes on for 10 minutes, but with the variation and atmospheric sound, it works well. Kraftwerk was brave for following a 10 minute song with an 8 minute song. "The Hall of Mirrors" takes a mysterious, eery turn and shows another side of the group. The spoken word is mesmerizing, and the simple repeated chorus is catchy. "Showroom Dummies" is our most intense song. It's catchy, cool, accessible, and fun. I love how cold and mechanical it sounds, really matches their robotic vibe. My favorite after the titular track. Then we get to the entree, the titular track is divided as a medley of three. The iconic glissando motif leads a minimalist beat. "Metal on Metal" pauses the motif but varies the beat in the most krautrock way possible, adding creepy atmospheric synths and industrial effects on top. "Abzug" smoothly returns to form but plays with variations. This ends with the climatic closer. "Franz Schubert" and "Endless Endless" are combined as our bright peaceful instrumental coda. It's a soothing and satisfying finale. Only complaint is they could have done more with their variations to make the tracks more engaging and warrant their runtimes, which could get tiring after several listens. But I'm fairly satisfied with what we get.

2 Kraftwek albums in a row.... Wtf are you doing to me. These sound exactly the same. Like crap.

Solidly boring. I see that it was made in 1977 so this may have been foundational to the music that I DO like but... I do not want to listen to this ever again haha.

Sounds like someone dicking around on a keyboard. Almost ten minutes of this shit on the first song. Guh. Like is the fact they say "Europe. Endless." Over and over and play the same shit over and over for 10 fucking minutes supposed to be ironic? Or is it supposed to be a stab at coloratura? Europe is endless and so is this fucking song. I don't find this groundbreaking in anyway. It's sophomoric if you we're to ask me. Pedantic even. I'm not taking the right drugs. I've just seen there's a song called endless. I can't wait...

As an insufferably pretentious nerd I obviously think this is great

Kraftwerk really placed themselves on the avant-garde of the music of the future back then. Still sounds like the future today.

What a treat. These guys are the best at what they do. Hugely influential. The sound just envelopes you. Hard to believe this is 46 years old.

This is the Kraftwerk I've been waiting for. Just the right amount of weird forward-thinking energy without getting too much. Great, catchy songs. A fantastic medley on the back half. This was just what the doctor ordered.

It is such a great album and love the early electronics and rhythms, along with the German flair in Kraftwerk's vocals. Listening to this made me want to catch a train in the middle of the night in the city. A very essential listen. Trans Europe Express to Abzug was perfection and its chant felt like a powerful mantra. Have to say though, the German version was better and in partitcular, so were the live versions of Hall of Mirrors and Showroom Dummies in 1981. Fun Fact: Dr Dre playing a live version of Metal on Metal at the beginning of Defiant Ones effectively prescribed me to Kraftwerk and this album.

One of the coolest albums ever. German version >> English version. Electronic ingenuity. 9-10/10 1. Trans Europa Express 2. Spiegelsaal 3. Schaufensterpuppen

The track Franz Schubert is what plays when you ascend to heaven

Dope. Never heard. Really enjoy

Groundbreaking and classic. And still fun electronica! If you are a) reading this review, b) like electronic music and c) are not familiar with Kraftwerk, please look them up and research what they are about. It's understandable from today's position to think this sounds "simple", but it was not from 1977's technology. Many of these sounds you hear and know from keyboards today were created mechanically (analog wires and electricity) by these people. If you just don't like the music or this genre, be well and I hope you enjoy the rest of the 1001 list!

I've never listened to Kraftwerk before, and that's a shame, because they influenced so many bands that I love. I was really excited to see this come up today, and I expect that I'll really enjoy it. As I expected, I really enjoyed this album. The thing that surprised me the most is the range of emotions that Kraftwerk was able to evoke with a sound that's fairly minimalist. From the nostalgia of "Europe Endless", to the sarcasm of "Showroom Dummies," this album is broad in sound and mood. "Europe Endless" was easily my favorite track on the album. I loved its bright tones and the way that more layers were added to the sound as the song progressed. The first three tracks on side B of the album were great too, and I loved the way the rhythms sounded like a train chugging along. This album was really brilliant from start to finish, and I loved how unique it was. I'm really excited to review the other two Kraftwerk albums on this list.

Trans Europe Express doesn't feel quite as (German) goofy and upbeat to me as Autobahn, and is a little less out there, so I don't like it quite as much. But I would have rated Autobahn six stars if I could. I love these guys.

Masterpiece of synthpop/progressive electronic. It's almost unbelievable how Kraftwerk can create strong and powerful tracks while being so minimalists at the same time. The beats, the tones, the groove, the sounds... I'm all in for a 5 stars rating.

They are from my hometown, 7 stars

Highly influential and no wonder. A move away from the previous "Autobahn" incarnation of Kraftwerk - in fact, this was the third style the group created. Wonderful stuff.

This album is a minimalist masterpiece. Its use of sequencing was revolutionary for its time and it remains a listenable, hypnotic album and stands as one of Kraftwerk’s best. I love how the songs take their time and build slowly. Some reviews have had issues with the repetitive nature of the album, but I find that the repetition demands attention and falls into a satisfying and transfixing groove.

A favorite of mine. Just a great album to put on. Even in the background.

Think I’ve gotta go 5 here. It’s just so well executed and influential. Not something I’d reach for every day but I’ve heard this a couple times now and I think it keeps getting better. Europe Endless and the title track are bomb.

TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS

Not my favourite Kraftwerk album, but still pretty amazing for 1977. You can hear how this would be so influential on the artists following in the wake of Punk. And that's before we get to Planet Rock. I also think the humour of Kraftwerk tends to be overlooked,. I love that the title track has only seven lines of lyrics and the traditional and classical music references here do make me smile. Great tunes, great fun - inspirational.

These guys really just woke up and decided to blueprint the next 25 years of music. Amazing.

Sounds like video game music at the start of the first track. Album is very chill and I normally hate electronic. Love it.

I loved quite a lot about this listen. It brought forth the electronic sounds of the '80s while having been released in 1977. This is really one of those pioneering albums. It was perfect for working to, because the leitmotifs were just repetitive enough to settle me into a groove without growing boring. Catchy, well-crafted music that isn't just one of the best as what it does -- it wrote the book. This is a 4.5er to me, and it was hard to decide which way I'd swing it. I'm feeling generous today.

I’m a little concerned how I’ve gone my whole life and never heard of this album or band. The first few electronic beats and I was loving this album. Great concept with the concept of the Trans Europe Express and the chugging beats! Album seems timeless to me as I thought it was a recent album and was shocked to find out it came out almost 50 years ago! A quick google search and I really think they should use the original album cover…classic. Anyway was a joy to listen, something about the beats are almost zen like & trance inducing.

You'll think I'm weird for this, but I listen to Trans Europe Express a lot when I'm working. There's something about it that keeps me focused. My personal work habits aside, this is a perfect album in a lot of ways, and the influence and power of Kraftwerk can never be overstated. They never got enough credit for what they did, but Kraftwerk in general and this album in particular are directly responsible for so much of what we hear in all kinds of music going forward, even to this day. Not only that, but it's also such a beautifully made album. Gorgeous music that runs the gambit from elegant and ethereal to coldly authoritative and trancelike, even menacing at times. The songs are minimalist, but subtly layered in a way that allows you to really hear and appreciate every tone. It's stunning how an almost 50 year old album can still sound so innovative. All the stars for this one. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Impossible to rank. All these songs are perfect. Europe Endless, Franz Schubert, Showroom Dummies, Trans-Europe Express/Metal on Metal/Abzug, Endless Endless, The Hall of Mirrors

So simple and engaging. I'm sure it's a sheep in wolf's clothing.

Electronic music classic. Hall of Mirrors.

What more can be said about an album that like Sgt Pepper or Pet Sounds virtually nothing is left to say. Two notes from the relisten here: their melancholy beauty is even more pronounced in a Brexit Britain listening to this love song to Europe. And the transition from Trance Europe Express to Metal on Metal is an awesome drop.

The 1st song had me smiling & I never looked back. All other electro-pop bands owe their existence to Kraftwerk This is a great lp to start the day No boring filler, every song stands on its own Now excuse me infeel the need to catch a train

I loved this album when I first heard it, back in 1979, because all of my favourite artists; OMD, Human League, Ultravox, Gary Numan, cited Kraftwerk as a major influence. I still love this album.

Diese verrückten Deutschen sind wieder dabei, ja. Sie lieben die Synthesizer-Musik und sie lieben das gesprochene Wort über Euro Rail und Mirrors so sehr. Bringt mich dazu, mit meinen Händen vor meinem Gesicht abstrakt zu tanzen.

"Trans-Europe Express" is the sixth studio album by German band Kraftwerk. This album was a move away from their Krautrock style of improvised instrumentals to more melodic electronic music. The melodies certainly carry the day in many of these songs. Sequenced rhythms, minimalism and manipulated vocals are also incorporated. Yep, we've covered most of it. The themes include the European rail service, glorification of Europe and disparities between reality and appearance. There was and is very high critical praise for this album: "Timeless, retro and contemporary" and "The modern electronic birth certificate." A high pitch sequencer/keyboard melody begins the album and song "Europe Endless." A happy song. A man's voice and a manipulated man's voice. An ode to Europe...parks, hotels and palaces. "The Hall of Mirrors" has an eerie echoing beat and melody. This song is frightening. Deadpan vocals with a heavy German accent. I hear many a video game soundtrack and noises. It's autobiographical with how stars look at themselves in the mirrors...loathing, self-obsessive. Eins, zwei, drei with a Ramones ode and were off with another creepy song in "Showroom Dummies." A little more dance with the beat. Paranoid lyrics as they compare themselves to mannequins from the point of view of a mannequin. The famous dramatic melody keys begin "Trans-Eurpe Express." The hypnotic repetitive snare-drum beat noise. The robotic repeating of the song title. Hey, a shout out to David Bowie and Iggy Pop at the end. Bowie was a fan. The song is about the modern European railway system. The next two songs, ""Metal on Metal" and ""Abzug" are basically extended codes for "Trans-Europe Express." Keep a good thing going. "Franz Schubert" is an instrumental with repetitive keys. More grandiose with an orchestral background. The album ends with "Endless, Endless" and a manipulated voice repeating endless. I guess you might fall into two categories with this album: either there is not a wasted moment or rather this entire album is a wasted moment. I'm a huge fan. That "Trans-Europe Express" melody will be in my head for the rest of the day. There is no doubt as to the influence of this album in electronic music, other musicians, video games and probably a lot more. This sounded as good today as when I first heard it years ago.

Liked this one a lot more; slowly building songs, somewhat repetitive but intricately great

Great album about J K Rowling's least favourite train

Repetition, but make it beautiful and captivating. I really enjoyed this record.

I respect the influence. Not something I'll listen to often.

Kraftwerk opens this album with sparkly electronic synths reminiscent of 8-bit games that would later be invented years after its release. A display of their visionary status in the 1970s music industry milieu, 'Trans-Europe Express' (album) implements simple beats and minimal production that is perhaps more contemporary and innovative at the time. Despite this, Kraftwerk fundamentally misses the target - static and uniform composition that manages to revel only in its past glory, of being first to experiment with the digital medium.

Might have enjoyed that one more if I had been high on crack But I wasn't. So... 2 ⭐️

This has to be one of the most abysmally boring albums I've ever heard. The fact that it's early electronica does not excuse them creating a mildly intriguing sound and then proceeding to do absolutely nothing interesting with it for several minutes at a time.

Noooo! Synthpop... This was the most painful listen so far. Ja ja ja, mach schnell mit der art things, huh? I must get back to Dancecentrum in Struttgart in time to see Kraftwerk.

Tedious, sterile and joyless. I really don't understand the appeal of this music - except maybe as a background, ambient sound. Felt a lot longer than 43 minutes.

not good bad

I don’t care for electronic music.

This one was challenging to listen to the whole album. Grinds a bit on the outside of my brain.

I like synth. I even like some Kraftwerk. But this album is so repetitive and boring that it was pretty hard to get through. There's a set of 3 songs that are actually the same song. Rough.

Really could not get through it. Understand why it was foundational for its time but unsure if it translates to anything interesting today. Did find out the melody from the title track was used in a Bollywood movie which was funny.

A little more in the way of vocals than the previous Kraftwerks album, still DEFINITELY not my thing though.

1977 German techno sounds interesting just by the title, but honestly it's feckin boring. Couldn't finish

I fucking hate Kraftwerk!!! We’ve had 3 too many Kraftwerk albums

Weak sauce

Didn’t listen but I’m still going to rate it 1 just cuz

Class

I liked this albulm a lot more than the man machine. Some parts reminded of the Ape of Naples for some reason. As for as 70s electronic music goes it’s hard to imagine there’s anything better than this. Favorite Song: The Hall of Mirrors Least Favorite Song: Trans-Europe Express (But it’s still very good)

Just the perfect synthesis of technology, creativity & sound.

I’ve listened to this one before and I really enjoy every song on this album. Hard to not give it five stars.

Is there anything else to say about this album? "Krautrock" whatever that is. As a German who grew up with it in the 60s and 70s, I initially found it a bit disrespectful, but now I see it as an award, even though it says nothing at all about the music Großartiges Album *****!

For me, it is the second Kraftwerk album here after Autobahn. TEE is obviously the successor of Autobahn (even though Radio-Activity was released in between), much more refined, partly because of the sequencing equipment specially developed for Kraftwerk. Ralf's flat singing style and vocoders are key elements of Kraftwerk's music, as are their often minimalistic and repetitive soundscapes. You can imagine sitting in the TEE, watching the landscape flying by, and always hearing the monotonous rhythm of the cart's wheels on the rail tracks. This album was very influential for many musicians, but I still vote for Computerwelt as the most important one.

This album is perfect in everyway. It's everything a modern electronic record should be. Masterful work by a masterful group.

I will always have a soft, warm spot in my cold, robotic heart for Kraftwerk - I know they're not for everyone and that's okay, I will always take their angular minimalist techno and embrace it :) Faves: the set of TEE/Metal on Metal/Abzug blend so well and give a great chugging momentum through the second half of the album

Još jedan klasik! 🙂 Ima dosta dobrih stvari na ovom albumu i uvijek me fascinira koliko su bili ispred svog vremena, ali ima i nekih dijelova koji su mi malo manje napeti i pomalo dosadni/repetativni. Za veličinu albuma i benda bih dala 10/10, ali ovako će biti 5/5 ili 9/10.

Nisu mi najdraži švabe iz toga vremena, ali su ostavili jako veliki utisak na mene. Tipa, oni su mi otvorili oči i uši prema elektronskoj muzici kad sam bio u dvadesetima Nisu možda najinteresantniji danas, ali bez beda poslušam cijeli album Devetka

Wasn't familiar with this particular Kraftwerk album, but as someone who discovered German industrial and techno music in the late 80's, I love hearing some of the origin story. While not on this album, one of the highlights of my life was listening to "Autobahn" while driving 200 kph on the Autobahn, driving from Berlin to Munich.

This is an excellent and highly influential album. Kraftwerk were an important band in moving from synthesisers as a means of emulating conventional musical instruments to using them as instruments in their own right. They influenced many post-punk bands, and even house music bands.

The first time I listened to Kraftwerk, I was dismissive and apathetic, the way a lot of people are when they hear early electronica. That opinion was very, very wrong. Trans Europe Express is both a triumphant Suite and celebration of the endless abilities of electronic music the same way a trip through the gorgeous European countryside into the magnificent city can fill you with inspiration, and a foundational building block album that establishes a lot of the genre’s themes, tropes, and fascinations in a way that makes it inextricably linked to the history of the genre, whether you actually enjoy listening to the album on face value or not. Now that I’m past the “yeah, yeah, it’s important, who cares,” stage of my Kraftwerk exposure, I can appreciate Trans Europe Express as music. And as music, it’s perfection. Side A in particular works for me: the chugging serenity of “Europe Endless,” the Dorian Grey haunt of “The Hall of Mirrors” as it builds up to a full narrative, and finally, in stark comparison, the porcelain stillness and minimal build of “Showroom Dummies.” Again, I think the latter two songs in particular are pretty essential to electronica tropes – about the line of reality and the line of human existence – but the opener’s sprawl is just as important to the vibe of the genre. Side B contrasts this with a tight operetta of sorts, revisiting elements of the opener on “Trans Europa Express” and extending those elements to more nuanced avenues that still keep the sonic motif alive to the very end. Trans Europe Express is magic, and it shows the magic of electronic sounds to create something akin to classical composition, debatably for the first time. It’s also one of those albums that gives you more the more you sit with it, as I’m learning. If it doesn’t click at first, I really encourage sitting with it more. Because once this clicked, it really clicked.

Ahead of its time for sure!

5/5

Like its titular locomotive, Trans Europe Express is nothing short of transportive. Unreal.

Smooth like buttah.

T.E.E

Perfect album. Kraftwerk had about 4 or them.

8.5/10

Fun frenetic melodic danceable electronica.

Kraftwerk - one of my favourites. Good album

So oddly beautiful and optimistic.

This one is an automatic 5 stars from me. I love this album! Listening to this while riding the Deutsche Bahn last year from Berlin to Frankfurt was a fun experience. I know it's not the TEE but it's the closest I'm going to get.

The first of Kraftwerk’s holy trinity of electronic albums (the other two being ‘Man-Machine’ and ‘Computer World’), ‘Trans-Europe Express’ is arguably their best, taking the musical themes they explored on ‘Autobahn’, and expanding on them in a more concise manner, and with consistently more memorable hooks. Opening track, ‘Europe Endless’ feels classical in composition, with a wistful, otherworldly quality, a beautiful elegance, the musical motifs of which are repeated at the back end of the record. Meanwhile the ‘Trans-Europe Express’ medley is muscular but refined, minimal, but tough and hard…Modern. It’s also funk and hip-hop. No wonder Afrika Bambaataa stole the riff for ‘Planet Rock’. In between we get some nice asides in ‘Hall Of Mirrors’ and ‘Showroom Dummies’, one a song about self-image, fame, narcissism and general self-loathing, the other a tale about shop window mannequins who come to life and go clubbing. A celebration then of Europe’s nostalgic, romantic past, and the promise of a glittering future. An album both anachronistic, but ahead of its time. Old, yet modern, but always stylish. Elegant and decadent. And that’s its genius.

Ageless beautiful electonica.

I love the optimism on Trans Europe Express. There wasn't a lot to be optimistic about as a European in 77.

Marvelous

Kraftwerk's 'Trans Europa Express' is probably their finest in their stellar catalogue. They perfected the art of minimalism, hypnotic rhythms and catchy melodies with this album. It's nearly 50 years old but still sounds futuristic and stunning. The album centers around the Trans Europe Express, which was a railway service in Western and Central Europe from the mid 1950s to the 1990s. The monotonous, harrowing and alienated music is directly inspired by long train journeys, among others. When I visited Düsseldorf a couple of years ago, and saw the industrial heart of Europe with the huge, modern factories it all made sense to me why Kraftwerk - which was from Düsseldorf - made such futuristic music. They inspired countless artists and genres with this album, I can hear how they influenced post-punk, new wave and later 80s and 90s electronica. I listened to this album in German because the language fits much better to their music than English. In my opinion, this groundbreaking album deserves no less than 5 stars.

I don't know what I'm listening to, I don't know how they made these sounds. All I know is I like it.

Godfathers of Electronic 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

From the run of albums that spawned multiple music genres. Truly visionary.

Like almost everything that Kraftwerk did in the 70s, this album is magnificient. As innovative as humorous, Kraftwerk paved the way for many electronic acts in the decades that would follow. This, however, is the original. There can be only one. 5/5

I love repetition, so this went down extremely well with me. It's probably the closest you can come to being on a long train journey, without actually leaving your home. For an album that's approaching fifty years old, it sounds remarkably fresh. I struggled to decide between four and five stars, but a relisten convinced me that this was indeed a five star album.

The title song could be the anthem of the EU, though the European Parliament probably wouldn't go for that. But what better example is there of the celebration of post-war Europe? When people abandoned nationalism and embraced a European identity. High speed train travel helped further unite previously warring countries. The past was full of mistakes but the future looks bright here. Kraftwerk took krautrock further by turning to minimalism and adapting the sound of trains into something danceable. Influenced by the recent work of Bowie and Iggy Pop, 'Trans Europe Express' went on to become a seminal work in the history of both post-punk and electronic music, even influencing pop and hip hop along the way.

Äntligen något bra. Inte hört första låten och de 2 sista förut men övriga låtar har jag lyssnat mycket på. Det är ett bra album, riktigt bra. Kanske inte i klass med Man Machine men inte långt ifrån.

Very beep boopy. I like all the synths n stuff here, very danceable: The Man Machine had competition with this one, honestly. Pretty good album!

Legendary.

Crazy German robots - but this time with a hint of humanism, perhaps inspired by fellow contemporary trans-European Jean Michel-Jarre.