Trans Europe Express

While it's still not my genre, this wasn't too bad. The beats and melodies are simple yet entertaining. Overall just too long and repetitive but taking into account the release year, I guess I'll be lenient and give this 3 stars

So I read a little more about this album in an attempt to understand why it is considered so influential. I can appreciate the groundbreaking, novel looping technology in the synthesizers that they were using to create the music. As I read about that and the impact that the album had on music that followed, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. The accolades bestowed on this album and the music I listened to, just didn't match up to me.

They have a unique sound and I think they were ahead of their time and probably a big influence in electronic music is the 80's 90s and beyond. Standouts: Trans-Europe Express 3.5

Brooding German electronic music which encapsulates my theoretical descent to purgatory from tracks 4 to 6.

Yep, still surprised by how much I’m enjoying Kraftwerk. And when I’m not enjoying them so much, I’m still impressed by how ahead of their time they sound. The eerie ascending synths on The Hall of Mirrors are a highlight, and Franz Schubert is a very pretty contrast to the industrial chugging of the preceding three tracks - like a train emerging from a stormy overnight journey into a peaceful valley. Also, Showroom Dummies seems like a very lo-tech precursor to The Robots, which is amusing. Track one really does feel ‘endless’ though - the length of some of the tunes is a bit of a negative. 3.5

Felt like I was on a long train journey in the future as sewn by a German man in 1977

Interesting, influential, ground-breaking. But somehow disappointing too.

I didn't think I liked Krautrock at all - then I heard NEU! 75 and loved it. But this.. ..meh. Perhaps I only like some Krautrock. I think NEU is slightly more up tempo - or maybe it's just better. I dunno, but this isn't anywhere near as good.

Germans are weird

not my usual listen but did enjoy it! think my parents like kraftwrek

I’m giving this a three, but it’s a low three. An electronic-euro music album, I know I would like this if I were in the right mood, but that would probably be if I wanted background music

Didn’t manage to hear every track but I enjoyed what I heard. 3*

My third Kraftwerk album in what is short of 70 days long journey and I rate it somewhat in the middle. No annoying parts but no really bangs either. Overall enjoyable music but from time to time I kept thinking: "This sound right here was added just because they could and thought it was cool, not because it sounds good".

Now THIS is coding music.

This is my first Kraftwerk experience. Things this album invoked: Adam Sandler's bandmate in The Wedding Singer. Stefon from SNL. Endless track - hear a little bit of Radiohead from Kid A in there. I AM HERE FOR IT.

3 stars

Kraftwerk is kinda growing on me.

Ground breaking electro album, amazing this came out in 1977, personally though I do find it very repetitive.

I can respect what Kraftwerk has done for music, but this is not music that I enjoy. Early electronic music is like early rap - I understand everything has to start somewhere, but if i'm being honest it's hard to listen to.

Bleep bloop, bleep bleep blorp, I’m just not sure there’s any need

cool voor op achtergrond

Sounds like a bunch of 80s TV themes, probably because they were the future when TV theme writers were getting into writing. Very repetitive, good background music for studying perhaps.

Sounds quite cute to listen to now, but you can't argue with their pioneering influence. Lends itself to softly playing in the background whilst you're trying to build out a strategic response. As a result it rather blends into a single moog-based soundscape. Apart from when your ears prick each time the motif sampled in 'Planet Rock' pops up. Better Kraftwerk albums to come...

Lovely to work to. The Trans-Europe Express suite is superb

Mye kult, men ikke deres sterkeste album.

Well, massive transport is my jam to this is definitely better than autobahn no doubt. The sound is more rich than that one as well.

Most remarkable to me is how this band made all this electronic music in the 70s. Maybe it was more common than I thought, but when I think of 70s music -- a decade with some of my favorite music in several genres -- electronic music doesn't come to mind, probably because I equate it with the Digital Age we now live in. That could be due to my own ignorance, I'm sure. Either way, this is interesting music. Quite a departure from my usual listening fare, which is what this project is all about and I dig that.

3 This album feels ahead of its time being released in the 70s, and I can see how it would influence a number of artists in the coming decade. In some ways, it felt like a more electronic Joy Division (reinforced when my Spotify jumped to the band after the album concluded), and it's as cold and industrial as I could only expect from German music. Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure how I felt about this one. I think I liked it, but there's not a ton to say as there are really only six tracks if you count Trans-Europe Express and the two songs after it as one song (I do). I could see myself listening again, but I think it's a little too emotionally-devoid to be something I could get too attached to... in this case, I think I'm more of a fan of the artists they influenced. Favorite songs: Europe Endless, The Hall of Mirrors, Trans-Europe Express

Not a fan of whatever that is? Techno but ill try anything.

fine

ikkje lika bra som autobahn

Zeer typische sound. Je haalt ze er zo uit. Ondanks dat dit niet mijn favoriete genre is, erken ik wel dat dit pioniers in hun vak zijn

The first four tracks here average 8 minutes long, probably intentionally to give a feel of droning and dragging. This album is an early venture into electronic music, and it sounds like pink floyd, zelda, and daft punk had a kid. Most of these tracks aren't super exciting, but it makes sense this album was influential ~50 years ago. The final few tracks were very interesting, implying the railway is endless (& the end of the album flows directly into the beginning again). I don't plan on listening again but I wouldn't recommend against listening to this album.

Through the years, I have tried to listen to Kraftwerk, but struggled to get into electronica. I feel now, I'm more patient and open to other musical styles and genres, so I can understand and appreciate the music more than before. Good background music, but my patience is tested after prolonged listening. Solid record.

Weird electronica album. Probably not a repeat listen. Chord changes were occasionally interesting, but the music didn’t draw me in

Europa Endlos

Holy SYNTHS Batman! Fascinating topic and lyrics. It’s very atmospheric. Surprisingly since it uses REALLY BASIC synths off what seems like a CASIO keyboard, it’s really well produced and doesn’t sound dated. Though the songs are fascinating and have bizarre lyrics, there is a bit of reliance on repetition - I don’t mind that, but I can understand some not liking that - it can make the songs feel quite long compared to your standard 3 minute pop fare. There’s a couple too many songs that are a bit too long and repetitive though… I like this album as it’s so different, but would skip a few tracks on repeat listens 6/10

Somehow, this all works. I get that Kraftwerk is beyond inspirational, and I'm pleased to have listened to this uninterrupted. But I'll probably file this under "Enjoyed, it's good, and I'll probably never seek it out again".

Not for me. I can see the artistic merit in it, but I did not feel cool listening to this. I felt like the kid in highschool who thinks his music taste is so superior to his peers. Highlights were the title track. It’s fine, has some solid moments, but I’m really not sure I will ever come back to this one.

This is a really interesting listen, but I don't really like it. Must've been groundbreaking in 1977, and probably was the grandfather of a lot of music that I like more than this, but it's just a bit too weird for me. It's all very repetitive, and really creepy. I did quite like The Hall of Mirrors for its over the top creepiness, that felt quite clever, but the rest is just creepy without being OTT. 3/5 for me, it's clever, well-done and clearly groundbreaking, but not that enjoyable.

Like a more subdued Daft Punk. Good beats, but not a lot of variety or progression of the melody.

This is the sixth album from German electronic band Kraftwerk. It continued a transition away from their earlier krautrock music towards melodic electronic music, and this new style of music was polished with a focus on rhythms and minimalism. The theme of this album was tied to the Trans-Europe Express, and the thought that this could be some of the future's music one would listen to when riding on a train across the country. The album has a haunting atmosphere due to the electronic sounds and sparse but manipulated vocals. This album sounds wonderful, is timeless, danceable, and not quite intrusive enough to take the listener's focus away from a task or event. It could be called the birth certificate of true electronic music. Since I have a soft spot for EDM, this album made me feel nostalgic for the times when musicians were first experimenting with these sounds. It's crazy to imagine what would have happened if this music never caught on with the general public. In conclusion, this album is extraordinary and may stand the test of time by being just popular enough to stay relevant forever.

The songs are funky and cool. I might listen again, but I don’t know because the songs feel “endless endless,” the first ones both being 7 minutes long of similar stuff, making it kind of hard to enjoy. But hey, good music to be a robot to.

It’s totally fine. It’s early electronica that’s well done. It’s not really my cup of tea. I will say for fans of electronic music they’ll find the origins of everything the genre brings.

Not as bad as Autobahn but still not for me.

Liked this. Didn't love it. TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS I liked some of the songs more than others though. Highlights: Hall of mirrors Showroom Dummies Franz Schubert 3/5

Vocals suck but the electronics are generally really cool. Could see how this was really influential for its time.

considering this is released in 1977 pretty advanced electronic album

3 stars only because i was starting an astronomy research job while i listened to it and it made me feel like a techy little robot

Заглавная песня и ее мотив интересны. Прослеживаются и в другом треке с альбома. Группа, которая повлияла на многих культовых музыкантов, включая Боуи. Но моё сердце они растопить все же не смогли.

Pleasant electronica, evoking images of a transcontinental journey

Electrónica

Leip album die beter weg luisterde als gedacht

This album is kinda exactly like the previous one. I don't find it good, but I know its great. So many bands refer to it as being influential. It was nice background music for my work day. Just not my cup of tea.

Mega drive music

Not my favorite Kraftwerk album, but if you like their other albums, maybe you'll like this one too. Highlights: 1, and 2.

1st April 2022 Listened throughout the day while working from home home. Mary Ruth and Stephen came round in the evening and we had biryani. Really liked the opening track and I appreciate Kraftwerk as a cultural institution but wouldn’t sit and listen to hours of them. Would love to see them live though.

Weird but interesting.

I desperately need some indie video game developer to make a spooky 2D metroidvania using this album as the score.

J'ai une histoire assez particulière avec cet album de Kraftwerk que je vais vous raconter brièvement. Il y a de cela 2 ans et demi, je démarrait mon nouvel emploi dans une grande entreprise internationale par une journée d'intégration. Après nous avoir donné deux trois généralités au sujet de l'entreprise et des locaux, du matériel informatique fut distribué à chacun d'entre nous. Une fois tout le monde servi, il était temps de tester le matériel. Tout d'abord l'ordinateur portable, qui après quelques manipulations fût rapidement allumé sur le bureau de chacune des nouvelles recrues. C'est alors qu'un intervenant passa dans les rangs, distribuant le CD "Trans Europe Express" de Kraftwerk à chacun des employés. Il nous fut alors demandé d'insérer le CD dans le lecteur de l'ordinateur prévu à cet effet, et de nous équiper de notre casque audio. Après 40m d'écoute, l'intégralité du systéme audio était parfaitement réglée, et aucun bruit parasite ne venait entâcher l'écoute. Cela fait donc 2 ans et demi que cette anecdote a eu lieu, et je ne déplore pas le moindre soucis acoustique depuis cette date.

It has some cool stuff in there.

Sounds dated now.

Un poco monótono, pero bueno, escuchable, electrónico, curioso.

Kraftwerk deserves its place in the history books, but this isn’t its best album. Not that it matters: fine music is made of these.

This is so much better and enjoyable than I expected!!!

Never been into Kraftwerk so was not expecting to enjoy this. Of course this was a pioneering time for electronic music and I see this albums place in history but a lot of it sounds like sub-minimalism to me. See what Steve Reich was doing way before this! I did enjoy the title track but not really my bag.

Interesting to listen to this right after Radiohead. Definitely a through-line between them. This isn't my favorite Kraftwerk album though...

Mm

All these tracks are about a minute too long and begin very similarly. Kinda remind me of iPhone alarms.

Not my taste, but I apreciate the cultural significance.

Elektronisk, konceptuelt, hypnotiserende, dystert

It's ok just a bit dull

Interesting and old school.

My kids: this sounds weird

I liked this without loving it. It feels like a darker, more forbidding counterpart to Autobahn. I think I would need to be in the mood for something this downbeat, whilst the serene, gliding rhythms of Autobahn went down far easier.

Cool but not my thing

Knew a few songs from samples and was better than the other techno album I had. I’d maybe give it another listen

Not my cup of tea.

Feel like I would have liked this kind of thing when I was in 7th grade so everyone would be impressed with how random I am. As an adult, I liked "The Hall of Mirrors" but everything else was fairly unremarkable.

Storico

Nice

Cool, hard to believe it was made in the 70s

Imponerende men ensformigt

Very interesting look into the then-emerging euro electronic music vibe of the late 1970s. Very omnious and creepy sounding at parts, I can understand why people may have felt off or uncomfortable with the sound. At times minimalist and very formulaic with lots of four-loops and subtle changes and additions to the loop.

TRANS. EUROPE. EXPRESS! Men se sviđa ovaj album, općenito oni su pojava. Drugačiji su bili, glavni u ovom pokretu glazbe. Elektrosintpopičko stvaranje uz mrvice techna. Sitnica koja mi se sviđa u vezi albuma je to što je kraj albuma povezan sa početkom albuma. Isto tako podsjeća na Pink Floydovog Zidnog albuma. Pa kaže: TRANS. EUROPE. EXPRESS.

U 8-bit vlaku prolazim kroz polja Europske prirode. :) ENO TULIPANI! PRODUŽIT ĆEMO ONDA DO FRANCUSKE DO BIG SERPENTA PA MALO ISTRAŽIT. Da, to su mi želje.

it's okay - I just can't get into Kraftwerk....and I like techno.

Innovative sounds

I have only heard a song here and there from Kraftwerk, mostly from college friends' mixtapes back in the 80s and 90s. But that and Sprockets on Saturday Night Live were enough to give me an idea of what might be in store here... As anticipated TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS is a musical journey, long on electronic music with limited, repetitive lyrics and melodies. At times this album felt almost like a parody - then I remember that this was released in 1977 and realize that this is the source from whence those parodies sprang. "Europe Endless" takes us out of the station and rapidly zipping across the continent. The first station stop along the way is a meditative one. The reflective "The Hall of Mirrors" juxtaposes our watching ourselves with being watched by others in "Showroom Dummies." Back on the train, "Trans Europe Express" chugs out of the station and continues our journey. "Metal on Metal" continues the song - you can practically hear the train whistles. When "Abzug" starts I realize that we are still on "Trans Europe Express" despite the new song title. These three songs blend together without breaks in the music or the theme. "Franz Shubert" is a welcome change of pace after the previous song trilogy. It's a simple but very meditative song that I found not unpleasant. Like the previous three songs, this blurs seamlessly into "Endless Endless". It seems that our journey will go on... At times this album had me looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being pranked, but the repetitious patterns in the songs became strangely soothing. Once one separates the memes that followed from the original, Kraftwerk's huge contribution to electronic music pull into sharp focus. I enjoyed taking this journey, but like a journey across Europe likely won't be making this a daily commute. Still it might make for great meditation or to lull you away from waking life.

It's Kraftwerk. Music by robots for us. Or is it music by humans for robots? Or are we all robots? I don't know. It's electronic bubbling with efficient and stern German vocals. Best Tracks: Europe Endless; Trans-Europe Express; Metal on Metal

I can see where 90s 16 bit games got inspiration from Cracking instrumentals and soundscopes!

Definitely weird but liked it better than other weird albums we’ve had so far

Have never listened to Kraftwerk before. I get where they have influenced a number of different acts, and Bowie was so big on them in the 70s. But those first couple of tracks went on WAY too long. They easily could have cut out a minute or two from each. I started to think of it as just pretentious, but I eased up and kind of “got” what they were going for. But those first few should have been trimmed, especially “Hall of Mirrors,” by at least a verse. Yikes.

Interesting sound. I had no idea who these guys were but apparently they're set to join the rock and roll hall of fame. I'm not sure I'd go that far but they have some catchy beats. I think I could probably play this as background music for a party or get-together and it wouldn't seem out of place. Not sure I could wear out a cd listening to it though. Europe Endless sort of epitomized the whole album - cool underlying beat but annoying high-pitched or distorted synth layered in. Interesting that Trans-Europe Express mentions David Bowie because I was thinking this wasn't far off from some of his "artistic expression". Not sure who inspired who. Definitely grateful I got exposed to this album and these guys, but not going to be my go to.

I can appreciate how ahead of its time it was, but it sounds a little cheesy today. Decent.

Kraftwerk is a fascinating band. Sometimes I kinda like how primitive this sounds, other times it’s kinda cheesy. Sometimes this album is calming, sometimes it’s claustrophobic. This album is basically a soundtrack to a doc that doesn’t exist about the dangers of urbanization in Europe. It’s fascinating to think about what it must’ve been like to be born in Germany at the end of or right after WWII and then come of age and be like “wait…we did WHAT?!” It’s also interesting to think of how much music might not have existed if it weren’t for Kraftwerk.

Was kinda neat

5/10. I do not want to hear the words Tran Europe Express chanted at me ever again. Based on the title, I would have thought metal on metal would have been the most grating sounding song, but actually one of the more pleasant because I didn't have to listen to them chanting some bullshit. Still, looking past the speaking bits, the music was pretty enjoyable.

Not exactly my kind of music, but it grew on me. I kinda dig the minimalism.

3.5/5

Do like kraftwerk but it does get a little repetitive

The opening track is great. It's insane to think that this was released in 1977 which is the same year The Clash and The Sex Pistols' released their first (only) album. Meanwhile, in 1977 the bars I was going to preferred to play that other 1977 release: Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever. It sucks to be us! Hall of Mirrors follows and seems a little off tempo. Perhaps if I didn't listen to Siousie & The Banshees' amped up cover version first I would not think this. Kinda like how I started thinking Paul Anka's My Way was a little off tempo after hearing Sid's cover. The tempo picks up again with Showroom Dummies and the title track starts off Side 2 and keeps the goodness going. Then, much to my surprise, Franz Schuber starts. Did I lose two songs somewhere? One could say this now sounds dated, but these guys deserve kudos for bringing out these tunes in the late 70s so I feel one of their offerings should get bonus points. Arguably a subsequent album (such as Man-Machine) is more deserving.

Agradable de escuchar. Medio electrónico. Sintetizadores.

I set out wanting to hate this album, but I really don't. The instrumental pieces just kinda sound like my kids are playing video games in the next room and sounds (at first) like something I could recreate in Garage Band in about five minutes. But - to my surprise - the vocals actually make these seem more like songs, not just guys playing with the synth buttons on their Casios. And - this clearly influenced a lot of popular 80s music and there are remnants of it in more recent bands (Daft Punk). I don't hate it like I thought it would, but it's still not really my bag. "Showroom Dummies" is cool. Ends on a real weird 0:56 song.

Future vibe

To be honest, this album is kind of boring. Very minimalistic, with songs that chug along repetitively. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it’s a landmark of electronic music, but I’m not going to sit and listen to this every day.

Very different but kinda fun.

3.5

A beyond important project. I’m not too well acquainted with early electronic works. Besides a few acts. But the LP is a illuminating journey into the synthesized world of Kraftwerk. Plunky at moments but the allure and entrancement of such early use of a technology is there.

New to me but I thought it was interesting and put me in a reflective mood

Listening today it’s all just a wee bit flat and tedious. That might appear sacrilegious but it doesn’t change my respect and appreciation for the importance of this album.

this is a lot like riding a train, it's a lot of the same thing for longer than you really want it to be.

An important, minimal, almost bare bones effort. The shape of magnificent things to come but just not quite there yet.

Important and influential but leaves me cold

I ugly cried to this one... I don't think this was related to the music, but it was a somewhat co-ordinating sound for a weird lash out... forever cherised

This album reexports a pureness in sound, didn’t mind it at all for a little change

I thought it was decent enough electronica, but I couldn't really get into it. I wouldn't mind having it on in the background, but it felt rather repetitive at times.

Pretty cool

Semibängeri Helt skön electro men långtråkigt i längden

This I like - 3

Other Liste

Good and trippy for 1977

It is electronic. Nice to explore another genre, though admittedly it was pretty repetitive and i couldn't figure out what makes it compelling. Nothing too catchy or gets you moving. Still fine, nothing to push the listener away.

A little sparse for my taste, but it's interesting to hear the samples used and the influence on later music.

Pretty chill. Some really good tunes on here.

Trippy

that little repetitive beep beep beep pissed me off so samey the whole way through. but kind of enjoyed it

It's close to being my style, but it isn't.

Fav Song: Franz Schubert

An album carried a bit by the quality of its first song, but it's so ahead of its time that you can't help but admire it.

I’m sure it very influential and all but to sit and listen to... meh

Good mellow electronic

A little too repetitive for my taste (ironically) but it makes good background working music.

90s electronica continues to not do it for me

I really tried with this album, but for the just part of sounded like someone hitting a keyboard in their bedroom

2.5 Not my thing, most of the songs were far too long and very repetitive

I always struggle with this band because I understand they're influential and all of that but listening to an entire album is a tedious struggle. To me it's like listening to an electronic Grateful Dead record. I don't like the Grateful Dead.

First song was cool, then didn’t bother with the rest

6/10 - Really cool sounds but ultimately didn't stick with me. It was really cool to see the album go through different movements however! Fav Tracks: Europe Endless Heard before? ---–- ❌ Saved a Song? ----- ❌ Saved Album? --–-- ❌ Will Listen Again? -- ❌ Album Cover -------Looks like a golf club

These guys are masters of their art, but this list does not need more than 1 Kraftwerk album. Their influence is profound, but that influence resulted in a lot of soulless and not great music. A 2.

Juu ei oo mulle.

It's like Devo if they were boring, and sucked. I like prog amd I like electric, but this is my least favorite version of either. This is NO Jean-Michel Jarre. Its like the German Daft Punk, which is to say its terrible.

Just... nonsense slop. It was painful to get through but it was alright to listen to I guess.

Sullen robots are not my thing

I realize that Kraftwerk is considered an enormously influential band - probably quite rightly so - but in my opinion, their achievement lies less in producing great albums and more in exploring new territory and experimenting. I think it’s excusable that their musical vision sometimes falls by the wayside in the process. However, there’s no need to listen to the albums today - it was enough for me to know the name Kraftwerk and recognize that they were important pioneers of electronic music. The albums sound exactly as one would expect based on this description: song ideas on the level of ringtones, monotonous arrangements, and string sections that are commendable in concept but completely botched. That was the case with “Man Machine,” and “Trans Europe Express” is no different in this regard. More suited for a music history freak show than for a best-of list!

Too electronic, tedious and repetitive. As I skipped through this album there were times I couldn't even tell I was on a new song because it sounded so much like the one I just skipped ahead on.

Not for me

points for inventing synth pop

I thoroughly enjoyed The Man Machine when it appeared elsewhere on the list. This one - not so much. Very very repetitive and lacking in the catchy hooks. Annoyingly bad in places.

I love David Bowie and Talking Heads. So I was hoping to enjoy this, but I just couldn’t get into it. Glad I tried

Not my jam but I love German accents so much. They really like trains

I like some of the sounds, but the album as a whole sucks. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should" kept popping in my head through this listen. I won't be taking this train again...

Meh… middle of the road. Rounding down due to the 3 tracks on the back end with a nearly identical synthetic backbeat. 2.5/5

No thanks. 1.75

2nd Kraftwerk album in 5 days.

I guess this was the very beginning of electronic music effects, so these people just slammed a whole bunch of effects. The music side of things is overall not too bad, it's okay having this in the background, but it's just a bit meh.

A bit repetitive and droll. 2.5, but likely won’t return to this one

I didn’t like the first one I had to listen to. I didn’t like this one either.

I I know this album was put up by pioneers of the genre and was an important release the no doubt influenced musicians through to today, but just wasn’t my jam. It didnt feel memorable and felt like I was listening to the same sounds over and over by the end

Fine

Best Song: Franz Schubert. Short and relatively inoffensive. Worst Song: Showroom Dummies. Goddamn the backing bloops in this album were annoying. Overall: Mostly kind of obnoxious. Slowly cycling beats, over which a man repeats some just absolutely inane nonsense. The only difference from one track to the next is which specific notes the robot makes, and what new random thing the man will mutter.

It felt endless less less

Comparing this to The Man Machine, I just didn't enjoy it nearly as much. It felt more slow and repetitive, and I don't see myself returning to this album.

interesting but it got repetitive imo.

I understand the importance of Kraftwerk, but this probably isn't something I'm going to put on again out of a desire to listen to it.

Crazy this was made like 50 years ago -does not mean it’s a masterpiece. It laid great foundations tho, just for that reason a 2

Eh. Probably does well in Berlin, but again, not really an EDM guy. Not a terrible listen, also not a double listen.

must be in a very obscure mood to enjoy this album, and i fear i wasn’t in it.

Yea, no thanks.

Sci fi techno music

Bah non.

C'était bizarre mais je pense que c'est établi maintenant que j'aime pas Kraftwerk

LOOK, I'm sure Kraftwerk are the best at what they do. I'm sure they've had a huge influence on a lot of music. But I don't wanna listen to it. I saw them live at Bestival and the most interesting part for me was the robots that played the first bit of the set. Otherwise, 'nicht für mich'.

I have a lot of respect for Kraftwerk but I didn’t enjoy this

Loved the first track in this but was disappointed in the rest. I prefer melodic and driving Kraftwerk to spooky Kraftwerk.

this type of electronic music just isn't my thing

Not a fan of this album. I can acknowledge it’s place in early electronic music. However, its place is in the past.

This sounds like that fake song from that one episode of SpongeBob where SpongeBob and Squidward thinks Mr. Krabs is a robot. 3/10

its a fine listen, won't say it impressed me or i am adding anything of this in my playlists, but i respect Kraftwerk as artists who paved way to a lot of Krautrock bands, who in their turn made a lot of cool music and influenced a lot of cool bands

Electronic music. Could’ve been cool, but was so repetitive. 2 minute long songs stretched out to 5x what they should’ve been.

None of the songs are bad but it's all so repetitive. It was probably new and exciting in it's time but through modern day ears it's very basic electronic music. I imagine there has been some great rap samples taken from this album.

Another one I appreciate more than I enjoy

Precursor for ringtone Favourite track: Franz Schubert

What ChatGPT listens to when it needs to relax. This was a tough listen. Me no likey!

Starship Enterprise nightclub music. That said, I sort of enjoy parts.

You can definitely hear how this impacted quite a lot of electronic music: building a little these/snippet and repeating it with some variation over time. But other than there I couldn't find a whole lot to like about the album. Not bad, just kind of boring. Like with other albums (and I suspect more and more that we'll listen to), it's hard to fully appreciate this when you started with the music that this inspired, which has also been refined, enhanced and expanded. It's kind of like watching dead-ball baseball when you started watching in the modern era.

Might have been the day or mood I was in, but this one just didn't hit. If you are going to make electronic music that repeats itself into trance like musical passageways, then the sounds and electronic instruments you're implementing NEED to be soft and easy on the ears. Too sharp or higher pitched and you run into issues where things get annoying fast. A good example of this done well in my opinion is Tangerine Dream. Repetitive melodies and rythyms, but done with soft ambient synths. Or Timeless by Goldie, might have some more impactful drum hits, but the patterns don't overstay their welcome. The music switches gears to keep the listeners attention, keeping things interesting. I think Kraftwerk kind of failed to do this throughout some arguably longer songs on this album. Wasn't as fun as their previous album either. Tried to give it a 2nd listen to see if I was just imagining things, but I unfortunately don't think I was... quickly switched off to something else. Kraftwerk is not my cup of tea when it comes to electronic music. 5/10?

It is cool that the Trans-Europe Express sample is used in Planet Rock, otherwise this is pretty boring, some neat sounds here and there. Definitely better than bahn bahn bahn on the autobahn.

I understand how influencial Kraftwerk has been for many artists and they paved the way for many; however, I did not enjoy this album. I’m not sure repeat listens will help change my mind.

2.5

я устала слушать альбомы, занимаясь ментальной гимнастикой с мыслями: ну да, это скучно, но оооо это же так повлияло на все остальное…. Окей, да. но сейчас мне скучно

Beepy and bloopy.

Lyssnade bara lite, men var för experimenterande för min smak, hade väl gett den 5/10 Lyssnade bara första 3-4 låtarna, de var ju så LÅNGA

Robotic and dull.

I'd love to meet someone who's favorite band is Kraftwerk - like its fine, but it just drones and I go in and out. And then suddenly I traveling in the TARDIS and then I'm laughing about the Big Lebowski joke about Kraftwerk and then I'm back to listening to KrautRock and I'm exhausted.

2.5

Impressive statement experimentation piece! This group layers many sounds with rhythms and timbres that don’t seem musical in such an intricate way that the texture feels complete and driving while keeping the tangible, industrial feel. I’d love to see this type of work in more approachable, musical applications, but I am impressed with this as it is! I disagree with the notion that this album represents the gesamkunstwerk style, since it lacks melodic features and true style/talent in vocals/instrumentation and form. In fact, I’d call the album a dull listen as a whole because of these omissions. This is truly a proof of concept, not a masterpiece.

Great instrumentals, but the song takes almost two minutes to get interesting, when it actually gets interesting. Otherwise, it's just boring.

I have a really hard time getting behind the robo-vocals on this album, but if you take those away there's really not much of anything left. The last Kraftwerk album I reviewed (The Man Machine) had a mix of instrumental tracks and some with robo-vocals, I felt like the instrumental tracks saved that album for me. This was just too simple, too repetitive and honestly too corny. From an artistic perspective I did feel like I couldn't look away, but it wasn't because I was enjoying it..

I am so grateful for the influence Kraftwerk have had on generations of electronic and rave music, they are most certainly pioneers. But like some pioneers, just because they were there at the start doesn’t necessarily mean they were really good. I understand that the music was revolutionary at the time but I don’t find this particular album all that enjoyable to listen to, and find some of it quite bland. Perhaps that is due to so much exposure to electronic music and creative sounds throughout my life. That being said I don’t think this is a bad album. I really enjoyed the opening track, and I think it ends nicely on the last track and the penultimate track. I feel like Kraftwerk perfected there craft as time went on with there later albums. Favourite tracks are: ‘Europe Endless’, ‘Franz Schubert’, and ‘Endless Endless’.

Boring, sorry. I know it is groundbreaking but it is also boring.

OK. 2/5

Listening session: february 3rd, while commuting to internship Listened to before: no Thoughts: I do believe Kraftwerk was ahead of their time, but I found the tracks on this album too repetitive and the production outdated Favourite track: Europe Endless

Legendary and innovative. But i heard this in full not in 1977, but in 2026, so i can't really dig it.

Oh it seems I haven't heard this Kraftwerk album yet! But obviously I've heard other albums from them. Decided to listen to the album in German because the list contains too much English anyway. I'm afraid Trans Europa Express just didn't have any big memorable moments for me. I do like Kraftwerk though so I hope to rate their other albums better when the generator gives them to me 2/5

It was certainly unique, especially for 1977. I liked the first song as background noise, but as the album went on it definitely lost me. Didn't enjoy the rest of it as much.

I know kraftwerk is important for the synth community but i cant imagine wanting to ever listen to this for enjoyment. Vocals and songwriting were pretty much non existent but i guess thats not the point. Not my jam but we’ve heard much worse

Need to be in a specific mood to listen to this. First song was my fav

Det är många coola ljud som de får fram, men jag fick höra varenda ett upprepas betydligt fler gånger än jag hade behövt innan jag dör.

a pain. Certainly new at the time, but the delivery sounds wooden to this day.

Top song: Franz Schubert

Really interesting. Not good but glad I’ve listened to it. Europe endless and showroom dummies were my favourites

This one's honestly disappointing me. I wasn't huge on The Man Machine, but it was still pretty good. This one though is just stretched out within an inch of its life with overly long, extremely repettitive tracks. The triple threat of Trans-Europe Express, Metal on Metal, and Abzug really wore me down. And then immediately into Franz Schubert, with basically the same synth riff for four minutes. And the cool sci-fi vibe of The Man Machine is not here, with this one having a more "futuristic travel" vibe, which... yeah, fair given the title, but its just not my vibe. Yeah, this one just isn't doing it for me.

Would be good if I were on ecstasy in a German club!

Not exactly my style of music and didn't enjoy it as much compared to everything else I've listened to

Huinea

Annoyingly repetitive

I'm not a big fan of a lot of the Krautrock stuff. I find it extremely repetitive at times. I like a lot of the beats on this album, but repeating Trans Europe Express 500 times does not make for good lyrics.

Very interesting album Not quite for my ear 2/5

2 - was going to give it a 1 but the last two tracks were decent

King's Quest beats. 2.5

not their best work

..

Cool and inspirational for its time. Dreadfully boring for any other time period

This is a generous two-stars; Kraftwerk are just not to my tastes at all. Repetitive droning over hammering techno beats gets very old very quickly. There's no subtlety or light-and-shade, you get what you get (and in my case, don't enjoy it particularly). Was dreading this after the last Kraftwerk recommendation, and got on with this one even less.

The best thing I can say about this album is that it helped me save money on getting a “23 and Me,” test. I think I can safely rule out any German heritage. Seriously, I might have liked this album a smidgen if the tracks weren’t so long, monotonous, and an obvious attempt at hypnosis.

How does one decide the length of a song when it is just the same couple of measures on repeat? There must be some kind of testing to avoid violent rage against the band. These songs press that limit.

2artsy4me

I know that they’re an important part of music history, and have had a large influence on modern music, EDM in particular, but I just can’t make myself like Kraftwerk.

Seems dated

Groundbreaking once, now just a bit dull.

I am really not a fan. Although I did go from wanting to turn it off to deciding that this album would be great for a spin class.

This album was not nearly as compelling as Autobahn was, for me anyway. Where Autobahn felt effortless, and therefore inspired, this wasn't nearly as fluid. I recognize situational factors like where I am when I'm listening and my state of mind play a part, it doesn't change the fact that this sounded stilted and didn't take me on the pleasant ride that Autobahn did. I guess I prefer a car to a train.

I think Kraftwerk is my new answer to one of those Reddit posts, "What popular artist or band do you simply not get?"

Kedeligt

Ikke min kopp med te. Litt for spesielt og kjedelig

Pues seguro va a ser una herejía lo que voy a decir, pero el disco me hartó un poco. Sí, muy electrónico y experimental, pero me pareció también bastante repetitivo y medio aburrido. Ni hablar, este disco de Kraftwerk no fue para mí.

1977!!! Empieza bien, pero acabas del acorde del trenecito hasta el gorro. Si aceleras Abzug te sale la música del coche fantástico y eso es todo lo que tengo que decir.

Ikke det mest Kraftwerk agtige album. De prøver med noget mere melodiøst lyd og mere sang. Det skal de virkelig lade vær med. På titelnummeret og dets to tilhørende numre er vi mere tilbage i det monotone Kraftwerk. Det fungerer bedre.

You can hear the influence on new wave and synth pop, not to mention hip hop, particularly the electro hip hop of Afrika Bambaataa, whose _Planet Rock_ samples the title track. There’s even an influence, I’m sure, on **Joy Divisions** _Unknown Pleasures_ which came out just two years later but whereas human fragility seeped through every pore of that albums glacial sound, this album sounds clinical as fuck! And that just doesn’t chime with me. It’s obviously very well done but I can’t connect with it. Because I know all the samples from it here’s my…

Okay. Got really repetitive towards the end of the album but I preservered. Would not listen again.

I understand their influence but it’s just not for me. Sounds very basic. Like a kid on an old Casio. 2.5

Hmm, not really my jam

I liked their other album we listened to on this list better than this one. It all sounded the same and not sure why they have two albums on this list.

It had its moments. I was surprised to see that it came out in the late 70s because it sounded like crappy 80s synth

Going from MC5 to this is whiplash. It feels too clean, too polished, too perfected for my tastes. I get what they're trying to do and they do it well but I don't enjoy listening to it. The songs are still too long, still too clean and polished sounding for me to enjoy. It's better than their other album we had. Too much repetition too.

if you like super repetitive, uber synth, long tracks, with repetitive vocals....then this is for you. super boring.

Repetitive repetitive repetitive. Read some stuff about this record being one of the most influential of the last 40 yrs or something. Maybe something about it was groundbreaking in the 70s but that doesn’t mean it’s still any good. I mean I was impressed with my kids’ artwork when they were 3 and 4 years old, by now looking back 15-20 years later, those drawing sucked. Hahaha! I do understand that these guys used new instruments and essentially created electronic music. That’s impressive and got it hand it to them for creativity. Still don’t like the music or the record.

Maybe foundational, Maybe transformative, I wasn't interested

A bit too basic to hold my interest and I don’t care for the repetitive lyrics

Better than average Kraftwerk, still not saying much.

Meh

Ehh not really my cup of tea

I actually have a lot of respect for Kraftwerk being so influential and groundbreaking for electronica music, a genre I enjoy. But this is not something I'm pretty much ever going to choose to listen to.

This album should come with a black turtleneck and sunglasses. I'm settling for a 2, this didn't move me.

Not into this electronic synth stuff. That being said, it could be a lot worse. It’s palatable but I’m glad it’s over.

It was an interesting listen, spotted a couple sample sources, can definitely hear how the entire EDM genre is stemming from this. All that said, it has no human quality to it, and that keeps it from being truly enjoyable. It's like a non fiction book, important and valuable but not something you pick up to enjoy casually.

Good music to fall asleep to, which I think I said about their other album I listened to.

Less lyrical songs were better

I think this style of electronic music is just not for me. It's too repetitive, which causes me to get bored of each song by the time it finishes. The synth sounds are nice, and the atmosphere built up is pretty cool, but there's just not enough change or melody to really hold my interest

I felt in a strange videogame. Like a wii mistery one (does that exist?) Whatever pioneer, I could not take it.

It's cold in here...

Oh good! Kraftwerk #3. If this list has done one thing, it’s taken me from feeling pretty neutral about Kraftwerk to actively hating them.

437/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Repetitive. But not a terrible listen. Probably won’t listen again

Interesting music. ALL electronic, too. But did not light my fire. Can see how this was the underpinning bed of some of the EMD music today.

Again, I get someone had to do it first to lead the way, but damn this is repetitive and annoying. This is what my computer listens to during the screensaver. Metal on Metal made me want to drive a screwdriver into my brain.

Some good sections, but nothing to write home about.

There was a car accident while I was listening to this album

Going through a lot of albums that are obviously not my cup of tea, especially from the same band, makes me feel a bit like a bully. But such is the way of discoveries, even if sometimes they are more about the history of music than enjoyment. I found Trans Europa Express more interesting than the ultimately android-like Die Mensch-Maschine, but still very unmoving. The most lively part of it is the vocals in Spiegelsaal, which is the most lovely track here. Thankfully, Kraftwerk are those super-influential pioneers who can do without my love.

This was a letdown. My reaction was "THIS is what Kraftwerk is?" I appreciate the deliberateness of the notes and pacing, but that doesn't make it not plodding and interminable. It was interesting to see how the genre has evolved since this early pioneer into electronic music, but still. 2/5.

Not my style. I'm going to give it 2 stars

Kraftwerk, you would love eurovision

I understand their pioneers yadda yadda yadda. This is good & unbearably repetitive. I think people like Brian Eno & Gary Numan also working in the electronic genre were doing waaay more interesting stuff. The first & last two tracks would have made for an ok ep.

I don't really see the appeal in Kraftwerk outside of an artistic live venue show.

I respect the influence and that this foundational for electronica. But I mostly hear beep boop we are German and we like trains. 2.5⭐️

better than most electronic music but still, unfortunately, electronic.

I love electronic music. And was excited to listen to its early roots. This album did nothing for me. They were on the cutting edge of sequencing in the 70s and really paved the way for future electronic music but this album is so monotonous and the lyrics and vocals just really take me out of being able to even try to get into the music. After reading the Wikipedia article, I’m even more amazed that the LA times considered this one of the top pop albums ever made. How is this even classified as pop?!

I can listen to this and understand this group's influence on electronica, and I can also listen to this and say this is boring and repetitive nonsense. Nothing stands out in any way.

Yes, this is ahead of its time. But goddamn it this is boring.

What exactly is a Showroom Dummy?

Cold, impartial, repetitive, soulless, relentless, endless, etc etc. Void of all human emotion.

Very experimental, interesting. 4.1/10

Rad. Great band, good listen through. Saved a bunch of the songs

Well, I really wanted to like this. I mean, I really did. Electronica, scrappy West Germans trying to make a name for themselves in the 70s new music scene, ("Now is the time on Sprockets when we DAHNCE!") but honestly, I just found this to be rather redundant/repetitive and a bit of a snoozefest if I'm honest. Listening to other late 70s albums like those by The Police make this seem like a weak effort, and parts of this remind me of the demo tracks that came on a Casio keyboard.

Kinda cool and kinda annoying.

Not as engaging as Autobahn nor the Man Machine albums. They were maybe saving their creative energy. All the songs run into each other with very little variation. Bit of a miss.

A couple tracks are fun, but Kraftwerk just ain't my thing. It's dull, repetitive and long. Now comes the time on Sprockets where we sway in a desultory fashion.

I felt like I was being brainwashed, not my tub of mayonnaise

Niche thing

Europe Endless had a very upbeat and quick tempo beat, which made for a joyous song that it was hard to sit still for. Hall of Mirrors has a much slower, more contemplative sound. And the repeating “riff” coming in and out sounds like a background instrument from an old sci-fi set. The production is intentionally sparse, leaving lots of aural negative space for the listener to float into. I wanted to like it more than I did, but I had a hard time not letting my mind wander.

I thought i was being punked, pulling Kraftwerk two days in a row. Alas. Not to my taste

Respect but no thanks

Would've been better without any words.

Oof. I think my appreciation for Kraftwerk starts and ends with admiring their role in early electronic music. Some of the sounds here reminded me of classic video game soundtracks, which is pretty cool. But man, the actual listening experience is *rough* by today’s standards. Most tracks feel like 90-second ideas stretched way past their welcome. Their robot voice I didn’t love on The Man-Machine is back, and I still don't care for it much. It was only until Frank Schubert that I really started vibing… and of course, that’s right about when the album ends. Overall, it's far from being bad, but I didn't care much for it. Much respect for their appreciation of public transport though 🚆 Standouts: Frank Schubert • Endless Endless

Super repetitive and the songs could’ve been way shorter. But, I got a good laugh imagining these people on stage taking this very seriously and every few minutes leaning into the mic and just saying “Trans-Europe Express” over and over. So at least there is that.

It's definitely better when they aren't "singing"

this was very campy, and just didn't work for me. i generally don't like music it sounds like I could have made, but I can appreciate that this was likely extremely interesting for its time.

lots of synth and repetitive sounds with a dark vibe. i feel i would like it if it werent so repetitive and dull.

I did not care for this, except for the first and last songs