Reviews (page 7 of 9)
points for inventing synth pop
Stand-out tracks: Hall of Mirrors, Abzug This certainly is music, I'm just not sure why 7-9 minute loops are so highly appraised. I guess I could call techincally call these beats since they repeat for the entirety of the tracks and basically replace the drums, but they rarely don't change, even repeating in multiple tracks. Like Abzug is just a shorter, slightly different version of Trans-Europe Express. And why does the opening track need to be so long, in fact why are all of them so long despite being basically the same thing throughout with minor variations. The vibe of the album is cool, but I can't help feel that it is all kind of cheap, giving you basically half the amount of content for double the time since it all repeats so much. Just a big letdown honestly.
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.
This generator is stalking me as I got this one as I was traveling to Europe for the first time and after listening on a plane is a fair three stars.
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
repetitive and not my style
Very close to getting a 1
I do enjoy their sound but not something I would seek out often.
I'm sure they have inspired lots of stuff I love but I didn't love this
Beep beep boop
Listen I know that electronic music can have a soul. Jean-Michel Jarre’s Equinoxe album is a top 10 for me (you should check it out, so moving). But this? Sounds like tinny 1980s arcade game background music. Their Autobahn album is MUCH better.
Liked the first song, but then the constant repetition got boring.
Solid 2.01
I might have preferred it as an instrumental maybe? I can see where a lot of artists have pulled from it though.
Again, just get why it's probably important. But it's not very good
Listened on a train in Europe and it was still booty
Sort of cool. I would never choose to listen to it casually. Interesting to read the history of the album and how influential it has been. If I want to sit completely still, unblinking and pondering the point of existence, I might throw this on.
This was *absolutely* not for me. Boring, redundant, uninteresting.
I like trains, but not like this. Maybe if I listened to it again it would grow on me, but for the most part it was a big nothing burger.
I have a German surname. I have a computer that can make beeps. I can chant stupid lyrics in a monotone voice. I have great idea! I’ll start making music! Some ideas are better off left alone. This is one of them. Maybe this was ahead of its time in 1977, but this was just plain dumb.
"Europe Endless" sure lives up to its name. Not a good start. Seems like it's important to have music history context to really appreciate this album. I imagine this sound was just not really existent prior to Kraftwerk but it is not my vibe. Showroom Dummies is a bop. Read more about the history here and didn't realize that electronic music basically didn't exist before them so makes sense why this is a must listen. Apparently synthesizers were quite different back in these days and way more difficult to use. Overall just not my cup of tea. I'm in the wrong but it is what it is. I only truly enjoyed one song on the track and the rest of it felt like a lot of repetitive filler.
I understand how this record inspired and enabled so many artists and genres but it is a very boring record to me. Bleep bloop repeat with repeated monotone vocals.
**an instrumental/noise/sound album, redundant to annoying.
Not the first german electronic artist I've heard(Neu! debut a few years ago), it started strong, but as it went on I kept being relaxed and not engaged as much as I'd like The first track was the best one, feel like the album felt empty with so much repetition, but that's how the genere goes, so not a them problem but a me one. 5/10
I’m not a fan, it’s just weird, and boring. I don’t understand why a lot of people seem to have such an affinity for these guys. I know they were influential, but it’s still shit.
I do enjoy a bit of Kraftwerk every now and then but an entire album is just too much for me
Feels like I should’ve been in a different state of mind.
It sounds ahead of the times, but it doesn't sound that good. I'm absolutely sure that for that era it was incredible though.
Sorry Kraftwerk, I like some of your other werks but this one is so drawn out all the time
mmmm not what I was expecting. Sadly this will only get 2 stars.
Quite liked the first track. Rest of it was just a little samey
Was going to give it 3 because of who they are, but then I listened to Daft Punk and enjoy that more.
Cool but not for me
скучно и примитивно, на то время это и было прорывным, но мне не нравиться, 2/5
trotos
How many times does Kraftwork need to feature in this list? Once is more than enough but this is the third. If I wanted more music like this I’d refurbish my Commodore 64 and give the old SID chip a spin.
I dunno it’s clever and unique just doesn’t grab me
Bleh. A few moments of interest but 90% annoying.
Nope. Not for me. I wish I could hear this music composition with different instruments to see if I'd enjoy it more, but then it wouldn't be Kraftwerk. Too much upper register tones for my ear.
não é meu cup of tea definitivamente
Repetitive, robotic, mind numbing. Quite the bore. This is a genre that never improves.
Nein, danke dir.
Electronic euro music, not my taste but didn’t feel like a chore to get through
“Trans Europe Express” is notable because of that recurring motif from the title track, which pops back up on “Azbug” and has found its way into popular culture through its use by Afrika Bambaata and Paul Oakenfold. Beyond that, this Kraftwerk album is too simple and mechanical, with “Franz Shubert” being the one exception that feels like there is some emotion behind it. Maybe we are finally done with 70s proto-electronic synth-pop?
Thoughts before listening: I don't really get the appeal of Kraftwerk. What I've heard is too robotic and inorganic for me. I'm sure this will be more of the same. Does this make 3 albums on this list? Review: So I get that people love these guys, and I know they have been a huge influence on the dance and electronic scenes....but its just not for me. To be fair, I don't really love the later musicians that were influenced by Kraftwerk either. Even when I do find something I can latch onto with this album, its usually just isolated parts of a much longer song that loses me at some point (i.e. "Endless Europe" and the title track). I have to give this 2-stars for me personally even though I know it probably deserves much more.
I get this is probably the birth of techno that i know and love but it’s just not super fun to listen to.
Minimalist music can be good but this is soulless and uninteresting
I generally don’t enjoy techno of this style because of its extremely repetitive nature. It might be good within its genre, but definitely not my cup of tea. By the time I reached the title track, the songs felt formulaic and predictable—usually just a few words repeated over and over (often the song’s title or something closely related). The first major surprise was on “Abzug.” Instead of having “Abzug, Abzug, Abzug” as the chorus, they brought back the chorus from the title track. It wasn't a particularly pleasant surprise, though; the first seven-minute song of repeating "Trans-Europe Express" was more than enough for me. 3/10
Might be important and influential but I find Kraftwerk so boring
Cmon man … I was pumped for this
I am so sick of consuming this band's entire discography. The music would be more tolerable without the "lyrics" here, but it's still some pointless as an entire album to me
Too weird for me..
Electronic music for robot people 🤖
Very repetitive. Not music I care to listen to.
Geht so.
La première est vraiment bof, sinon ça manque de complexité, c'est un 2+ parce que c'est pas horrible non plus et il y a peut être de la beauté a découvrir
Somehow I missed how the sideshow dummies learned how to walk and dance. Other than Franz Schubert, the rest of the album seemed one dimensional to me, with lots of train-like sounds.
Very, very repetitive and not that good. And Europe Endless Endless. Songs and album too long and repetitive. (1.7*s)
I can see how Kraftwerk influenced future electronic beats but this didn't hit for me. It sounded a little corny, the simplicity didn't age well, and the dark overtones are a strange choice for the genre and topic (beep boop trains Germans). It seemed a little slow but I give them credit for doing this in 1977. Too repetitive, 1.85.
Trans Europe Express is a totally acceptable album. In fact, I'm sure it was groundbreaking for 1977. Unfortunately, it didn't really hold my attention well and I didn't love it. The influence of Kraftwerk is amazing, but the actual albums are generally just decent. Best Songs: The Hall of Mirrors Worst Songs: Abzug
Nah
I got a bit bored on this one. Probs the same as you would on a trans european train.
- Da ich Fraktus kenne, kann ich Kraftwerk nicht mehr unironisch anhören. Die haben das einfach so genailt, dass Kraftwerk schon selbst wie eine Persiflage erscheint. Dabei war das damals durchaus ernst gemeint und von der Fachpresse auch so rezipiert. - Ich weiß, dass die mega die Pioniere waren und im Prinzip allein den Weg für die heute mit erfolgreichsten Musikgenres weltweit geebnet haben. Und dazu auch künstlerisch sehr hoch angesehen werden. Aber trotzdem kann ich insgesamt doch recht wenig damit anfangen. Es ist einfach das Ding bei mir mit dem meisten Techno und Elektronischer Musik - ich tue mich mit großer Repetetivität schwer. - Ich find das Album an sich irgendwie ganz witzig, und auch nicht total schlecht, weil ich manche Synthies und auch diesen düsteren weirden Vibe echt irgendwie cool fand, würde es mir aber privat nicht anhören. Und musste wie gesagt echt bisschen lachen zwischendurch. Rating: 2,25/5
Kraftwerk is obviously a pioneer in electronica and a big influence on many bands in the post-punk and synth-pop eras that were to follow, but I didn’t particularly enjoy listening to this album and wouldn’t seek it out in the future.
Well done production but boring and repetitive.
It’s cold, precise, and stark. Has the same repetitive allure you’d find in early Tangerine Dream. The melodies are simple and robotic, but there’s an elegance in the sparseness. For all its cleverness, it feels more like a concept than an experience.
Okay, sure
Iconic and groundbreaking but not my cup of tea. As usual for Kraftwerk the cover artwork is great!
It will forever amaze me that people can listen to entire albums of this for enjoyment purposes. There's no variability anywhere, not even in the lyrics. What is holding all of your collective interest?!
Honestly, not a very good album. The repetition was a bit more refined and less jarring on The Man Machine. On TEE the electronics are more muted and less vibrant, and the repetition is maxed out. 2/5
I wanted to like this but as it turns out, 60% of the songs could be produced by a gameboy colour. Obviously in its time it was a bit more cutting edge but times change. 2.5
Tough to make an album this short drag but here we are
It has its moments of being enjoyable but it got really tedious at points too. I'd give it a 3 for it's positive qualities but I was pretty over it toward the end of its run.
Nopeity nope for me
Listened Before? N Meh. I had a lot of trouble caring about this album. It was slow and repetitive and the tracks were so very long. I don't think I'll ever revisit it. I've been told it's influential so I guess I'll take that and give it an extra star. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: The Hall of Mirrors
Another band my pretentious brother used to listen to. Ugh, he was an obnoxious twat! Kraftwerk. My first exposure to “German” music. “What weirdos!”, my prepubescent brain screamed. Europe must suck if this is the crap they’re grooving to. No thank you! I’m older now, only marginally wiser. These guys might be pioneers, but they’re still weird. But Europe kicks ass!
Some interesting sounds, but way too repetitive. Albums like this make me wonder, who is this for? Who is putting this on in their car and jamming along?
2.5 - tämä olisi voinut nousta jopa neljään tähteen jos ei toistaisi niin pahasti itseään.
More experimental electronica that I don’t want. Kraftwerk are revered for their musical brilliance or whatever, but I can’t hear it. Does not stir my soul. But respect for their place in the musical realm gets them 2 stars from me.
One of the first true electronic bands. Too bad, way before their time. Enjoy their music. Set the path for all new age/electronic music to follow.
great if you want to hear these sounds for long periods pf time…. could i write poetry to this? n
I know it probably took forever to program the patterns into the primitive synthesisers. I don't need to hear it for 6 minutes straight though.
Trans Europe Express is like riding a train that never quite leaves the station. Sure, it's innovative, but the endless repetition feels more like a broken record than a journey. The robotic beats and monotone melodies might have been cutting-edge in the '70s, but now they sound more like the soundtrack to a retro video game. If you're into mechanical music with the emotional range of a toaster, this might be your jam. For everyone else, it’s a slow trip to nowhere.
At least "Autobahn" was fun, this one was...significantly more dull. Things only started to get interesting at and after the title track, as the rest of the album ranged from monotonous to almost tedious. I'm already aware of Kraftwerk's impact on electronic music, I shared my thoughts on this when I drew "Autobahn" a few months ago. This one just felt more of the same and less exciting to me. At least "Trans-Europe Express" gave us "Planet Rock" a few years later.
Just so repetitive that it bores me
Man, EDM started off so long ago, and it's gotten only more boring and flaccid coming up on *50 years* now.
STANDOUTS: n/a OVERALL: 2.5/5; It's tricky because I LOVE these synthy German robot sex noises, and it sounds like historically, the synthesizers used here CHANGED the game. HOWEVER, it's not an album I'd ever need to return to.
Impressive that it was released in 1977, but I won't go out of my way to listen to it again. Minimalist elctro-synth pop.
In ze 70s this would have been groundbreaking. In ze todays it is whelming
I mean, if I wanted to listen to german influenced experimental music from the late 70s I'd put on Bowie's Berlin trilogy
ok I guess
Had been meaning to check out Kraftwerk for awhile now. But man, this was boring and just not for me. Because I don’t like boring.
I had high hopes for this after Man Machine, and man do I love and support public transit, but this just didn’t hit me the same way.
Old school German Electronic, I like the track Metal on Metal, but over all, this is before my time / generation. THis album over all sounds like Sprockets from SNL!
Ehh, trains and noises. Its fine, kinda boring, some songs very similar. I swear ive heard the synths in trans-europe express sampled somewhere
Pop con sintetizadores muy machacón y tostón. Un 2.
I kinda found this to be boring? Seems like something that was technically impressive for its time and influential, but not that great to listen to now.
The first song really had me grooving along with the beat. I was pretty surprised as most electronic music is very similar to me. This was a good start but then the German weirdness came out and I lost a bit of interest. Not terrible but at least a little fun. 4.1/10
Another weird trippy album. reminds me of the penguin cafe. 2.5 stars
didn't leave much of an impression. 2/5
Was excited because I thought "Autobahn" was an immersive masterpiece and I definitely love trains more than highways. Quite a disappointment for it's mostly repetitive electronic fiddlings. Instead of an immersive train ride, it turned out to be a nerdy stare at a train machinery. Nice wires and beep boops I guess?
Some interesting stuff but a little too minimalist/repetitive for me to get into. I like some of Kraftwerks later stuff and I know they’re super influential but I didn’t get much out of this one.
Not my thing
it sounds like it was super revolutionary in 1972 but it’s kind of a slog to listen to today
Didn't impress me much
Associated with European music, there is an aesthetic that evokes pastoral scenes or mediaeval towns and an ancient kind of urban village life. But Kraftwerk came along with this album, Europe was still recovering from the second world war and the scale of development was beyond human. I was surprised listening to the tracks on this album just how bleak they actually are. How they capture a rainy November day on a train travelling through the industrial outskirts of Paris or Düsseldorf or Vienna. Not the romantic or poetic Streets of European urbanity, nor the past gentleness of mountains and forests. Just the simple functionality of an industrial estate and train the flies across the countryside desperate to arrive rather than to journey. This album represents a sort of dystopian interregnum between the hell scape of the second world war and the rapid development that was started in the 1980s. That was the Time in Europe, that felt most bleak, most angular and most cold. This album captures those moments and that epoch. I find it completely devoid of optimism and history. It looks forward to nothing but a few fragmented ideas of vision. It seems to have emerged from a place that has buried the violence and the passion of the previous decades. If ever there was a moment when Europe was waiting, it was 1977 and it felt endless.
1 europe - 1 2. mirrorz - 1 3. dummiez -1 4. ezprezz - 1.5 5. metal - 1 6. abzug - 1.5 7. franz - 1 8. endlezz - 1
Couldn't be more monotone and lifeless. Not the best work of Kraftwerk
Side 1 was repetitive and boring. Side 2 was pretty good.
Pioneers in the use of electronic keyboards. a lot of it sounded the same
Blind album, know the artist... I know they made huge strides for electronic music for their time, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Wanted to like it, but it just wasn’t enjoyable.
If you are into robotic electronica dirged out repetitively in German, then this is the album for you!
I really don't know why but I just did not like this one; most of it was a dull drone.
meh, pretty boring
There's not enough going on.
Idc
she trans on my europe till i express
This just isn't for me. It might be the foundation of the music I listen to today, but we have done so many more interesting things to build the house since then it's challenging to appreciate.
not sure how that could be considered one of the top 1000 albums
All I knew going into this was that Kraftwerk was German and Electronic music. It very much sounds like both of those things even though the lyrics are English. I applaud their use of the electronic instruments given the time period, but the songs are a bit flat and repetitive to where I feel that is intentional or the style they were looking for. So on one hand I feel they executed their vision very well, I just keep finding excuses to not like it for some reason. "Hall of Mirrors" for example has some clever lyrics and commentary, but it goes on for about 2-3 times longer than I would prefer to the point I end up getting annoyed a bit, same for most of the vocal tracks. The instrumental tracks are a bit better IMO. Favorite track "Franz Schubert" 2/5
This album opens and closes SO STRONG. I love Europe Endless. But damn, this album really suffers from how long and repetitive the songs are. Especially the 3 that follow Europe Endless. And since I’m rating the album as whole, it’s unfortunately, a 2 from me.
Im just night high enough for this to be good.
I do like kraftwerk, but i don't think this their best work. This album was very repetitive and boring.
Definitely techno. Interesting but became a bit much...over and over.
Refreshingly German, but also boringly repetitive. While I'm glad this exists, I will also try to avoid repeating this experience. Thank you for travelling with Deutsche Bahn.
German electronic music from the 70's. Lots of influence on today's electronic.
nah
Knowing about their historical importance I am very much underwhelmed and bored by its redundant focus.
2.4 - I’ve seen them live and my opinion hasn’t really changed. They are important, but I don’t think it’s aged well. When the album started I was ready to enjoy it, but it just got a bit torturous.
Interesting and fun but only for half an hour
Boringgg
Not my bag at all.
Wow, apparently electronica can be boring *and* terrible
I really didn’t get this at all. Close to giving it 1 star.
Not my favourite this
as with many other albums, this was likely revolutionary back then but nowadays it's quite boring. maybe the list should be called "most important albums"
Another mostly instrumental electronic album. I enjoyed this one slightly more than Moon SafRi but i still probably would never listen to this album again on my own
"Europe Endless" more like "Hurry Up! End This!" These songs are so LONG. I get it, that this was really influential, and ahead of it's time for 1977, but OH MY GOSH these songs just drone on. "Trams Europe Express" is kinda cool, because you can hear how it's been sampled over the years. But then "Abzug"?? HOW is that a different song. Cool to be aware of, but I don't know when I would want to listen to this again
This album could’ve been cut in half, or even into a third, and I would’ve given it a lot of credit for being an early proponent of the style that would come to define a lot of video game music & the synthesizer use that was soon to come in the ‘80s – short little electronica pieces with fun melodies that work as a great background noise, and certainly ahead of its time. While all of that is still true to me, the issue is that each track is just feels so long to me that they all overstay their welcome. Don’t get me wrong; I understand that this is sort of what it’s like to ride on that titular express, as made obvious by the sound design. The problem is, if you're riding on an express and look outside, a landscape has scenery changes. Even if you’re just stuck looking at trees, each tree has their own thing, and they go by in a blur. These tracks don’t go by in a blur, and they didn't captivate me in like seeing a big mountain in the distance. In 1977, I'm sure this was great, but in 2024, it feels less like I’m riding a high speed train, and more like I’m stuck on a tourist bus in LA traffic. I'm disappointed to give this a 2 -- not because it's that bad, but because it just doesn't fit my sensibilities for an album experience, and I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other albums we've done so far. It was better than Apocalypse Dudes, though.
Not their best
Usually a Kraftwerk fan but this was way too repetitive and draggy for me. A slight increase in tempo or some more varied melodies outside the central theme could've made this work, but as it is there's just not enough exciting electronic action here.
I had hopes with the first track, as it had this good blend of interesting vocals and a cool synthy beat to keep me interested for most of the durrstion, but it just kept getting more and more dull past that, to the point where I was starting to actually get droopy eyes. I understand it is important as an album to the world of electronic music, but I can respect history and still dislike it, and that stands to be the case here.
Couldn’t do it. Much more Euro 80s dance pop than the earlier album I was given by this list. Pretty cheesy
Pretty funky in places, but slightly wearing over the course of a full album. Good musical arrangement and a test for the speakers in places! Feel a bit bad about 2* but that's where I'm stuck with a 5* based rating system ;-)
Europe endless is long but interesting. Hall of Mirrors is long and boring. Showroom Dummies would be better without lyrics. Reminded me of Bowie a bit, but I just found it annoying eventually. That's how I found most of the songs on this album - I get that at the time this was pretty groundbreaking electronic music, but overall the simple syths didn't really build much and I felt like unless you are really into repetitive minimalism, it gets boring. And i like ambient minimalism. so maybe it was just the lyrics that jogged me out of a nice space-out mindset. Last half of the album is much better, especially Franz Schubert. No coincidence those songs are shorter and have less vocals.
This sounds like video game music, and not even good video game music. There are vocals this time, which is a nice touch, but it’s so boring and every song overstays its welcome. I understand that it’s pretty experimental and original for its time. By no means is it not unique, but I can’t stomach this scheisse. Production is phenomenal though. 2/5
Kraftwerk have made some tracks that are very good and holds up well today, but between those tracks (that aren't found on this album even) it can get quite boring. I appreciate the album as a concept thing, and I think if you'd listen to this in the correct setting or context it would shine brighter. I am normally listening to quite a lot of modern electronic music, and this just pales a bit in comparison to in all areas ranging from production to music writing. In my opinion, you have to work deliberately to get movement into your track to make it interesting since you don't get that for free like you do with "organic" instruments like guitars, drum kits etc. This lacks all of that, it gets very monotone. I should probably be a bit nicer since this was at the inception of synthetic music when it was much harder to do just that, but I can't get away from the fact that it just hasn't aged very well.
- i am not vibing with this one
The first songs instrumentals at one point reminded me of pokemon on the game boy, however it did go on for too long The album is really slow tempo which I couldn't get behind. Also lyricly it's poor.