Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Very odd! But was it good? I have no idea.
I don’t know what to say about this, definitely WEIRD and experimental. Never heard of this artist before. I enjoyed “Lord give us more money” as background music but there is so much going on it got a bit disjointed and fatiguing for my taste. I enjoyed the more laid-back vibe of ‘Persian Love’ and ‘Hollywood Symphony’. Maybe a jazz background, certainly playing with sampling. Enjoyed hearing something new
Strange different and influential, ticks a lot of boxes for an album to be included on this list.
very artsy
Unusual!
Know and love Can, know zero about any solo projects. Not really sure why this is in the list, but then it's also the weird shit that I'm in this for, at least partially. First track was weird in a goofy 70s way that I'm not altogether on board with. Second track was loads better as it developed. Persian Love was pretty good to be fair if a little dated sounding.
I liked the first song. It kind of wandered around and I didn't find the vocals added anything beyond that. A cool listen. Not a favourite. I'll relisten to that first song.
Fun, cheeky, interesting. Didn't hate it. Would be surprised if I remember it in a month.
Holger Czukay n'a pas volé sa place dans la liste si l'on se fie à son statut de rockstar. Un de ses morceaux comptabilise plus de deux millions d'écoutes, c'est tout simplement phénoménal. Chapeau l'artiste.
ok de shit isch nöd uf qobuz. dütsche wo uf englisch musig macht mit vieeel akzent. cool in the pool irgendwie horny. isch bitz funky aber au afoch weird. er samplet glaub stuff? huere früe für da. ah und er het underem stockhausen studiert da heisst avant garde time. zweite song chli meh ambient. kei ahnig waner do samplet aber i guess film? tönt meh wie es experiment eig. de groove unedra isch recht geil. s wird immer wieder luut und lislig. d DI gitarre gfallt mer zimli. FUCKK WISO MACHTER REGGAE TIME im dritte lied. persian love??? oke wenigstens samplet er so persische gsang und so. oke er chan glaub au no cool. aber finds sehr jo i probier mol us und hau es paar samples ine. aber etz die letste paar minute vom album sind geili synths schöni melodie und knackigi trocheni gitarre. plus de drummer isch en geile siech macht afoch wiiter.
mega funny er macht eifach sache muss sege die restliche lieder sind okkkkk gsi aber nöd meh aber cool in the pool hani mega gliebt hahahahah er het eifach e gueti ziit, drum es solids 3
Interesting combination of sounds. I like the first song, but not so much the others...
Weird Music, but I kind of like it ... 3 stars
It was not a genre that I enjoy, so I can’t tell you if it was good within that genre. I didn’t hate it, so I listened to the whole album, but I didn’t really enjoy it.
I like Can, and Cool In The Pool scratched an itch to be propositioned by a camp sounding German accented man which I didn’t knownI had. I haven’t laughed so much at a song in ages. Oh Lord, Give Is More Money and Hollywood Symphony were both good, the former often sounding like an interesting funk jam, Persian Love on the other hand was mostly forgettable. I liked this album fine, but it didn’t have the same sort of relentless experimentation that made Can’s work so groundbreaking. It was a fun, gentle, sort of proto-synth record.
It most certainly was eclectic. It falls in the category of albums that I might like if I listened to it a dozen times. After a couple of listens it's stuck in the middle.
I love “Persian Love”. The sampling would have been fairly progressive for 1979. The vocals/lyrics on “Cool in the Pool” and “Oh Lord give us more Money” are chuckle-worthy, as I think they were meant to be, but the latter is a bit hard to bear at times. The longer tracks have some nice passages, though I’m not a fan of the sudden interruptions, tempo changes, added noises, shifts in volume or Holgar's shrill voice. I suppose it’s harder to be musical than experimental.
I'm not sure what this has to do with "Movies", but this is much more accessible than his work with Can. Props to him for forging a path with World Music and sampling, but I think he overdid the vocal samples in Hollywood Symphony. The most enjoyable and playful track for me was Persian Love with its blend of funky/afrobeat/world music.
#83. Funky weird jazz rock something. I'm honestly not entirely sure. 3/5: What is happening?
What an odd, but pleasant album! It's relatively short (4 tracks totaling in at roughly 40 minutes) and each song is incredibly different from the next. I didn't think the vocals added anything of value; but the instrumentals were particularly noteworthy. The parts without the vocals really allowed the weird but beautiful music to shine. "Persian Love", in particular, sets such a beautiful and ambient scene.
Rating: 6.5/10 Good experimental album. Really enjoyed the instrumentation, weird but not too much, Holger Czukay incorporated a lot of interest sounds without it ever being too overwhelming. I wish this whole album was instrumental, the singing is awful and what prevents it from being rated much higher. Favorite songs: Parts of Oh Lord, Persian Love, Hollywood Symphony. Worst song: Cool in the Pool.
Funky, better than expected
All over the map. Should be sold w a bong. Need to listen a couple more times, i think.
Cool album. I'm slowly learning about Can and they are really interesting. I can't imagine anyone sounding the way hey did at that time. But this is not a Can review. Movies starts out great and continues to intrigue if not dazzle. The last song I find a bit boring but the album as a whole is worth a few listens to digest. 3.5 stars that could get higher with more listens.
very experimental. a hodgepodge of genres all thrown together to form songs. not necessarily a bad listen, but definitely a weird listen.
Cool in the Pool is good, the rest is just a nice listen....
Ahh yes, every funky track needs random dog barking and laser noises... Honestly, I don't know what to make of this album. I found myself enjoying the funky music often, but the entire album was just so... weird... that I can't see myself listening to this ever again. This is my second Krautrock album that this site has recommended me and I think I've learned that the genre is too... avant garde? For me? I mean, I like strange music if it makes sense, this just sounded like someone snuck into the mixing room after the track was finalized and started messing around with the sound effects board on the piano. "YES! MORE LASER NOISES! MORE THUNDER NOISES! DID I ADD A CATS MEOW IN HERE? NO? WELL HERE YOU GO" Idk, I enjoyed it somewhat. 2.5/5 but I'll bump it up to a 3 since it was catchy.
Strange in all the right ways…
Slightly nuts, but really cool in places
Was not what i was expecting but good.
Horrible opening song but does improve somewhat. Seems like a lesser ancestor of My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
It was a little unusual at first but this album grew on me. I didn't love Can either (Czukay's band before he went solo) but also didn't hate them and found their work innovative. Same here. I guess hew as most known for being one of the first to introduce sampling and that is here in spades. I think if anything, it's a bit manic and sometimes used unnecessarily. But at other times the clips he inserts are spot on. And then coupled with his funky beats, it can be quite interesting - the last half of Hollywood Symphony I thought was his best work on this album. Maybe the last half of Oh Lord, Give Us More Money too. Almost had a bit of a Talking Heads feel with the frantic beats and sampling (at least later TH or David Byrne efforts). All in all, a bit too strange? I found myself reaching for a 4 but couldn't quite do it.
I haven't gotten into any of Czukay's other projects besides CAN, but this was pretty good. Has a nice krautrock vibe, while also being experimental post rock. The samples are used sparingly, which I liked.
I dunno about this. I played it in the background and I didn't hate it but nothing stood out as remarkably wonderful or remarkably terrible. I vaguely recall some interesting chord progressions and odd orchestrations, but is innovative synonymous with essential?
Interesting instrumental album. Pleasant music, but the movements were longer than I’d like. 3/5
Experimental.
Weird in a good way
After blazing a trail with one of the most influential and consequential rock groups of all time, Holger Cuzkay decided that it was once again time to go solo and Movies is a rather apt descriptor for what he was aiming to accomplish. Apart from Hollywood Symphony, there is very little in the way of noodling instrumentation and dizzying composition; keeping things on the short and sweet side whilst venturing on the weirdo trek that serves him well. Overall, one of Holger's finer outings and a nice step out into a new terrain. Favorites: Cool in the Pool, Hollywood Symphony.
Música un tanto instrumental en la que no destaca nada especialmente. Al principio parecía que iba a ser más interesante, pero se ha quedado en un disco pasable, sin más
weird and interesting. 3 stars.
Very strange album. Some parts good as ambient music. Can hear some influences from other bands here and there. Cool in the Pool is very weird!
I like this challenge because I get to discover new stuff but then can’t help to feel a bit ignorant for not knowing so many! Never heard of this artist before and found the record very experimental in a quirky and good way.
This album is alright but is just not really my thing. It's a little too all over the place most of the time for my ADD but there are definitely some good moments on it. I don't see myself coming back to it for a full listen but not upset I experienced it this time. Standout Tracks: Cool In the Pool, Persian Love
unusual, but ok
5/10
I was quite bemused by this one! I did want to get Cool in the Pool. I found this hard to place and on reflection I do think I appreciate what it was and thought it was good fun.. and slightly mad.
Well this was fascinating, can't say I loved and would listen regularly but it was very interesting to hear. Never heard of this guy.
Parts of it were interesting and it was fun, but probably not going to listen again
I’m not sure what this is but I like it. 4/5 a little too avant garde 3/5
Super long songs, this felt like just a general jam album. Good to have in the background but I didn't need to pay much attention. "Oh Lord, Give Us More Money" was unhinged but entertaining.
This is very chaotic late-70s pop music. It gives a lot of MF Doom vibes with the different samples and sound effects from different things like movies cartoons and TV. Sometimes it's pretty cool and good, other times it's not and kind of samey and boring. It definitely has a lot of aspects that were ahead of their time. Sometimes it sounds like this guy is emulating Santana (who I am surprised we haven't seen) A solid 3/5
Rating: 6/10
КУЛ ИН ЗЭ ПУЛ 6/10
What the heck
Fun funk.
Way better than I thought it would be. I don't know that I will ever listen to it again but it was a fun album to listen to while I was on a drive. Cool in the Pool and Hollywood Symphony stand out to me. Persian Love, however, is like the sonic equivalent of salty garbage. Without that song, it would be 4 stars.
Double digit songs are bad but this has some good parts
Interesting guitar, not quite like anything I familiar with. Wouldn't seek it out, but didnt hate it. Had a Caribbean vibe to it, but says its Persian/Krautrock
Not to my taste tbh. Too many styles colliding
I enjoyed this more than I thought I may. I was dreading going into this with what I assumed to be mostly instrumentals and they turned out to be my favorite part of the album. It's so weird with beeps and bloops and what seems like an entire sampling board being throw into a song. If this book wants to include all kinds of music, this weird avant-garde shit has to be in there too. I don't necessarily connect with the music, but it's interesting to listen to.
Was expecting a “noodling” CAN/ELP/YES-style escapade and it was better than expected, but still a bit weird. First song was fairly funky, but I’m not going to be listening again. 2.5 stars.
More of a soundtrack vibe than an album vibe. It started out strong and continued to have strong parts throughout, but also a couple rather annoying sections such as the Hawaiian bar sounds (?) on Persian Love. Overall, not a horrible experience, but not something I really needed to hear either.
That first song was amazingly strange. I loved it. After that there wasn’t much I was excited about.
Pros: weird. Cons: noodly.
3.5 - I can see why this record would have impressed other artists with its colorful display of electronic ambience and sampledelia. It sounds like Czukay intentionally kept these compositions rough, noodling between sour notes on guitar and smatterings of synth sounds that don't layer so much as slosh around. Moby would take these ideas decades later and add a professional sheen on "Play", effectively sanitizing this record's more shaggy/human elements. For me, this project is a mixed bag. I admire its playfulness but find it overall pretty goofy, with the exception of "Persian Love", which is a stunning reinterpretation of traditional folk music that blends Persian and African influences as well as novel electronics.
Crazy sampling album. No idea who Holger was prior to listening to this. I'll check out his other works.
Nice to hear something new
This is super weird in the best way. It holds together really well and holds up despite being from the 70s. Probably won't listen again, but this was good.
interesting. Not my everyday style
Odd, but not offputting. Interesting to see that the 5ish minute long tracks have a couple million listens while the 10 minute plus tracks have a few tens of thousands. Same opinion for me; I prefer the 2 shorter tracks.
I never hard this one before but I'm a causal fan of CAN, so this wasn't completely novel for me. I rather enjoyed it not as much as the early CAN records. Though more than likely in 6 months I probably won't recall listening to it.
This was very strange. Like really really out there weird. But there is something compelling in it, I didn't hate the thing. I'm not planning on listening to it anytime soon, but there is just something about it.
Innovative and exuberantly weird. Nicely crafted blend of the pleasing and the dissonant, with a good dose of whimsy. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Cool in the Pool; Persian Love; Oh Lord, Give Us More Money; Hollywood Symphony
Really weird, yet I still liked it.
Alistaa meikäpojan.. pakko antaa respect.. avantgarde.. viimeine kapale uskomaton.. konsanaan..
Niet slecht, maar ook niet persé zeer goed
It's some pretty alright experimental, but it's a far cry from CAN
Cool fusion album, in the format of classic jazz works. It was a good listen, but nothing I would necessarily go back to.
Got weirder as it progressed but still not so weird or bad to rate it down
Feels like a national progression for a member of Can, but skirts into early fascinations with world music which feel quite meh today. Lots of neat ideas but it doesn't really coalesce into something I'd frequently want to hear.
Really weird. But…… I kinda liked it?
krautrock. Popurrí instrumental. Ni fu ni fa.
Some interesting and at times pretty entertaining experimentation here, but overall maybe a little lacklustre for me. If the opening track comes on at a party though it’ll be hard not to go mental. Fave track: Cool in the Pool
A bit weird
It's some music alright. Good for a single listen since the songs just meander into different shapes and forms, but not much to bring me back to it. 5/10
Pretty good
Never heard of him, uneven listening
interesting more than good but defo a 3
Weird, experimental, kinda goofy at times.
Very experimental, preferred the shorter tracks to the 10+ minute ones
Weird experimental music that sometimes hits the marks and other times misses it completely.
Quirky and unusual, but infinitely more approachable than the Can album we previously experienced. Though Cool in the Pool is mostly weird on the first listen, it did grow on me a bit. Persian Love seems the best of the rest, though overall reasonably interesting.
Very interesting and playful. I enjoy the backstory of the album and can really see it reflected in the sound. I'm not sure it's something I'd seek out often but it's a really unique vibe that I can definitely see myself returning to someday.
kinda cool actually its like a predecessor to prog rock with a bunch of electronics and rock mixed
This was an enjoyable listen. I had not heard of the artist or heard any of his music, and given the year in which it was released, I can hear how it was at the forefront of a few popular trends to come. Very talented composer, arranger, and performer.
Usually you're in for a bad time when all Wikipedia can tell you is that it's "art rock," but this wasn't terrible. Best track: Hollywood Symphony
Anyone who can try to make experimental music more accessible deserves commendation. But many of the most interesting nuggets of ideas are lost among aimless noodling.
When I was browsing the Wikipedia page for this album as I do when time permits, I was wondering why all the players' name links showed I'd visited them already. Then figured out this was pretty much just more CAN. Which there was already plenty of on this list. Try as I might I can't get into it. Too much of it just seems silly and affected.
avant guard, fun
I came into “Movies” as a cautious fan of Holger Czukay’s work as the co-founder, bassist and visionary engineer of Can. Those delicious, neverending grooves in “Halleluhwah”, “I’m So Green”, “Mother Sky” and many more, as well as the widescreen, immersive soundscapes of “Aumgn”, “Peking O”, “Bel Air”… they were mostly down to Czukay. Reading that he went on to become a prominent early force in sampling, becoming a big influence on Eno among others, I was expecting a proto “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” to sink my teeth into. I was not- repeat, NOT- expecting “Cool in the Pool”: a blissed out funk jam that treads an uncomfortable line between the ridiculous and the sublime. Interspersing crystal clear funk rhythm guitar with bursts of abrasive synth, brass and various vocal tics shouldn’t work… but it somehow does, right up until the jarring “cutaway” ending. At first baffling, on subsequent listens it’s got under my skin. Credit to Czukay: placing material like this alongside the rest of the tracks here is how to truly confound an audience. The remaining three pieces are much more expansive, moving through a bucketload of moods and motifs like a five year old with a pick n mix. Speech samples are woven throughout, alongside distracted vocal hooks or instrumental lead parts. Every time we appear to be grounded in a primary chorus or hook, the idea is abandoned and we’re off somewhere else. It’s a restless, sometimes frustrating album which also starts to really sag somewhere in the middle. “Oh Lord, Give Us More Money” peters out towards the end, lacking a satisfying climax, while “Hollywood Symphony” rarely sticks with a groove for long enough to sink in, going all over the map with little sense of purpose. “Persian Love”- supposedly exemplifying Czukay’s interest in the music of other cultures- is a pleasant diversion and groove, but nothing otherworldly. “Movies” may not feel as groundbreaking or “out there” as I would have expected- particularly in the context of Czukay’s earlier career with Can- but it’s mostly an intriguing listen, a sonic journey where you have to get out and walk a little way for the best views. Perhaps further listens will bring it up in the ranks, but for now it strikes me as a middling effort from a singular mind.
It’s a bit ridiculous, but a little fun too. I was leaning toward a 2 initially but it charmed me to a 3.
This was a silly album that didn't make much impression, but the first song was so ridiculous and entertaining I listened twice and that's gotta be worth an extra star
Interesting, but not entirely for me Fav track: Cool in the Pool
This gets at least 2 stars just because of his bitching mustache. The music itself is fine, good even! I think I liked this better than the actually Can album on the list (Future Days). Wouldn't turn off if it came up on a playlist, but also probably wouldn't personally put it on a playlist. THREE IS MY JUDGEMENT
German Frank Zappa?
Not much I can say about this. I am confused but not displeased
Cool in the Pool was sort of fun. And even though the rest of it didn't hold my attention, what I did hear was interesting. But there's not much to come back to for me.
A dopey song about a swimming pool followed by three largely shapeless, tuneless longform tracks that veer between sublime, boring and eccentric? Honestly, quite the chad move.
I mean, that song about the pool was fantastic. Put that in a movie right now, please. The rest? Eh. But I’m all for more EPs on this list.
Four songs for 40 minutes, not bad except I remember I skipped two of the songs so this album felt really quick. I liked Persian Love but more so for the samples than the actual song. I can kind of see how this one snuck on this list but it makes me want Sabbath again.
I’m a big fan of Krautrock and Can in particular but this just didn’t quite measure up for me. I enjoyed the idiosyncratic bits and the electronic art rock format, but there’s just something missing from this. It was a fun listen to though and I can see why this album is on this list.
Surprisingly nice and pleasant music! I’ll put it this way, it’s way better than the bulk of the crap “music” I’ve been served with here.
Top Three Songs: 1) Persian Love 2) Hollywood Symphony 3 ) Cool in the Pool Bottom Three Songs: 1) Oh Lord, Give Us More Money 2) Cool in the Pool 3) Hollywood Symphony
Homien til David Sylvian, jo. Gøy å endelig få hørt litt. Masse bra synth på siste sangen
Not a single movie on this album just music
Didn’t like it, didn’t hate it, and I appreciate the presence of original ideas here even if they don’t all land. 5/10
Sounds like an overly complex ambient-electronica album. Like most experimental music, it's quite interesting and it has ups and downs. A notable up is of course the surprisingly charming oriental inspired "Persian Love".
wasnt the noise I was expecting. I listened it was ok but not his biggest fan
I don’t know how to classify this. Weird, esoteric, occasionally catchy? But music that, if my date put it on in the car, I would immediately expect to be either killed or bored to death while he told me about the characteristics of various IBM calculators from the 80s.
Nah. Next, please.
It was fine. Easy to space out to.
Mostly instrumentals and really not my thing
Persian love is an interesting song but can't say I rate the rest
i do love CAN, first time listening to Holger solo - let's see.... well it's about what i'd expect from 1979. interesting enough.
what the hell
Good effort but not for me
Didn't do much for me, sorry Holger
I’m sure there are lots of interesting things to say about this album — but I’ll leave them for someone else to say. This didn’t interest me at all.
Liked it more than I thought I would, but still not something I’d ever need to listen to again.
I guess it's tongue in cheek and very funny. But I somehow cannot join the fun.
Summer Jazzy eastern European pop
I mean listen man, this is not the worst thing I've ever listened to. There are some almost-grooves, and the sampling really is interesting. This album gets a lot better if you pretend that the only song on it is Hollywood Symphony. Other than that, what the fuck are we doing here Holgy. Surprised people like this as much as they do.
Czukay's debut album sounds quite a bit like his former band, with its repeated, minimal instrumentation. Though while Can's version of funk and grooves were often not truly funky or all that groovy, this is a bit smoother. Does that mean it's better? Well, not exactly. The opening track "Cool in the Pool" is a lot of fun, with some actually funky bits, a good chorus, and sporadic samples. After that the songs get more drawn-out and lack the things that make the opener great. There are early uses of sampling on the album, but they don't usually amount to much or feel that satisfying. It's definitely not a bad album, but it rarely crosses over into being enjoyable.
I think he may have taken all of the sound effects from the tools on a PowerPoint software program and hit record. I haven’t given higher than a 3 in weeks. I’m in a rough patch. Get me out!
That were weird.
그냥 나쁘진 않았는데 막 좋다는 느낌은 없었다. It wasn't bad, but I didn't get the feeling that it was particularly great.
I could not get into this. Weird and esoteric, and at times funky, but didn't grab me at all.
As tine goes by*
Ik ben in een wat vreemd hoekje van van het 1001 boek beland de laatste dagen. Als Kate Bush normaal lijkt weet je dat het serieus is. Dit is lelijk, fout en raar. Al zijn er ook goede kanten: Er is nog net een normaal doorlopend drumbeatje en genoeg structuur om het muziek te laten blijven en er wordt niet continu zo extreem mogelijk geëxperimenteerd om maar uniek te zijn. M'n favoriete stukken zijn wel de stukken waar Holgert z'n Duitse snaveltje toe houdt. Het gebruik van samples is ook leuk, al is het wel een beetje alsof je aan het luisteren bent naar een rare of slechte film. Binnen z'n stijl, waar ik moeilijk een naam op kan plakken maar zeg maar de stijl waar drugs-gebruikende liefhebbers van bètavakken enthousiast van worden, vind ik dit zelfs één van de betere werken, omdat het nog enigszins te behappen is voor de amateurluisteraar zoals ik. Ik snap het als mensen een 1 geven (al hebben die het denk ik te snel afgezet), ik snap het als ze een 2 geven en ik snap zelfs een krappe voldoende nog. Ik hou het zelf op de middelste.
I wanted to hate this album. First song is cringy as hell. But there is some serious music going on in here that I can't get over! Didn't need each song to be 10 minutes, but I enjoyed some of the jazzier chords he threw in here. I'm sure there is some deeper meaning in what he was trying to say, but I couldn't hear it bc his voice was annoying. Highlights: Oh Lord, Give Us Money
This started really promisingly, and then it went German.
Carino ma niente di sconvolgente
Too many electronica
Some good fun times. I like Cool in the Pool. Not much else
This is really out if my league ahah, instrumentaly is very good with a lot of analog and synthetizing. Just not for me!
I think I can safely cross off Avant Garde, or whatever they call this, as a genre of music I don’t like. Hard listen this one, there’s obviously an element of skill in making this music, and there were periods of the album that weren’t too bad, but even though I’m sure there’s an audience for this, I’m definitely not it
Quite the oddity. I didn't hate it, but didn't enjoy it. Cool in the pool was kinda fun, I guess.
Anonymous
Nei takk!!
I actually really like Can and was excited for this album, which stated off promisingly enough. But I have zero patience for the self indulgence of 13-minute long experimental tracks like the kind on this album.
Duitsers die geen Engels kunnen, maar wel in het Engels gaan proberen te zingen. Of althans, wat ervoor door moet gaan. Dat is echt heel erg cringe! De muziek is tegen het schijtlollige aan: vrolijke zomerse deuntjes met een beetje jolige zang er over heen. Een "cult classic" lees ik. Cult is natuurlijk eigenlijk gewoon heel slecht, maar omdat het zo slecht is, wordt het stiekem toch weer een beetje leuk. Schijtlollig noem ik dat dus. David Byrne van de Talking Heads vond het wel grappig en Holger wordt wel benoemd als iemand die de brug maakte tussen pop en avant-garde. Dat is in principe niet aan mij besteed. Het zit op het randje voor mij en het gaat er net niet over heen, zelfs niet met dat Indische gezwam. Het blijft allemaal net muzikaal genoeg, met fijne gitaren en genoeg ritme om me te vermaken. Ondanks de vele gekke geluidjes en filmsamples, blijft het dus net onder de irritatiegrens. Een klein beetje meer en het is een onverbiddelijke 1, maar nu kan ik het schijtlollige redelijk hebben. Het is net niet genoeg voor een 3, al scheelt het niet veel. Het is toch wel aardig in elkaar gedraaid.
And here I thought I was a cinephile! I didn’t have a bad time with this, and it was wonderfully short. There’s something about Krautrock that I like…but rarely something I love
Just slightly too high on the zwonko-meter.
70’s Rock
First impression (visual): sir is somehow giving Benjamin (mfin Coach) Wade This is good album cover. Fun. I don't usually love an album of mostly samples but love the percussion and it sounds like this was an early sampling endeavor.
If I were an artist, I might appreciate this album more. But as a casual listener, it sounds like a blend of Frank Zappa and Phish but without the charm of either.
Oh man. Is this brilliant or terrible? I kinda hate it. I dislike the cheesy sounding organs and nonsensical sound effects thrown into "Cool In The Pool." It was a weird, off-putting start that didn't really get much better. I kinda get this album and it's uniquely German style weirdness, but I don't think I like it very much. I dont outright hate it, but I don't want to listen to it again. It's this kind of all-over-the-place zaniness that I dislike. There's seemingly no point to it. Little vignettes of nothing. 2/5, a very big meh. Was hoping for something out there that would captivate and hold my attention, but I didn't get that from Movies sadly.
Met my expectations. They were low.
Now we’re talking. This is what I want from this list. Never heard of it, weird, and right up my street. I came back to this one and not sure how I arrived at this rating. not awful but certainly not good enough to listen again.
20/05/2026 I have no idea what I've just listened to. Spotify listeners: 27.3k
617/1001 2026.05.19 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
I like parts of this and other parts had me scratching my head. I probably won't ever listen to it again -- but I am glad I head it once.
When this started, I thought it sounded interesting, but it soon devolved into a bunch of unrelated sounds pieced together, which kinda did my head in. That may have been the effect that Holger was going for, but no something I'm really going to listen to again
1. pool - 2 2. lord - 2 3. love - 2 4. hollyuuood - 1
I'm sure this may have been important/impactful in it's day but it's just a bunch of loops and corny instrumentals/vocals. Not for me Favorite Track: Persian Love
Less horrible than some of the other experimental albums
Why are we doing all of this...
Day853 - i thought it was gonna be an ironically goofy album but it was just goofy
what
Another one where I was on the wrong drugs
It was fine I guess, but really didn’t do much for me.
Kind of interesting sometimes… but mostly just noodling. An electronic version of a jam band. Plus lead dude can’t sing. A 2.
no quiero ser hater pero no me encantan los álbumes instrumentales y más este que se sintió como ruido en algunas partes
Album #138 Holger Czukay: Movies I find it funny that the two shorter tracks both have 2 million streams, while the longer tracks are both under 100,000. The first track had me thinking that this guy was Poland’s answer to David Byrne, a really interesting and fun track which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Talking Heads album. The second song started really strongly, but wasn’t able to fully captivate me throughout its entirety. I wasn’t a fan of Persian Love, or the beginning of Hollywood Symphony, but by the end, I thought the track got a lot more interesting. Knowing that this guy is from Can, I definitely respect his musicianship and ambition here, and when this album clicks with me, it is really quite good; however, for the most part, the album just kind of sounds like wankery. Sometimes with experimental music, I can’t tell if I’m just an idiot, or the music is just bad; with Movies, I can tell that the music is good, but I can’t fully embrace it. Maybe that makes me an idiot, or almost one. However, I will say that the two songs that queued up after this album were both great, so at least I got something out of it. Best Tracks: Cool in the Pool, Oh Lord, Give Us More Money, Hollywood Symphony Worst Track: Persian Love Score out of 10: 5.5
Did not enjoy this or the experience of listening to it, no real sense of direction and the music itself was just everywhere and nowhere all at once
es muy raro, tiene muchos collages que digo wtf pero al mismo tiempo no me parecen mal. no se que sentir sobre esto jajaj no se si hace q todo quede bien o mal
# Playlist Track - Cool in the Pool # Notes - Starts of on a cooky-but-interesting foot, but the super long tracks after just too much for the casual listen. - Cool as a historical curiosity and for the most devout of experimental fans only.
This was … different. I liked the Persian track. I think I can only give it a 2. I appreciate how it influenced some artists but I didn’t love it.
This was a delightful surprise.
Haven't written anything in a while. This one made me pause. On one hand, this album is why I'm here. I want to be exposed to and challenged by music I've never heard before. I like Can, I own a few of their albums, and can clearly hear their influence in many albums I love. I've never listened to any solo work by Holger Czukay. This was going to be fun. Fourteen-year-old me would have been giddy over this record. I'd be so cool (not really) talking about the electronic sophistication and worldly influences of an Eberhard Shoener combined with the sophomoric humour of Robbie Rox. Somewhat older me was not so impressed. This album is both good and original; however, the original is not good, and the good is not original.
Okay. I mean… cool, guys. Got me here. (ntm.)
Weird but enjoyable.
Lo escuché mientras hacia lo de morfo
#326/1001. While I love Can and I love experimental music in general, this record fails to move me much. It seems there is one idea per song, and then they just extend it for a to long jam. i'd rather have a monotonous 1-2 riff extended over the length of the album. Sorry czukay.
As someone who never really got into Can, I'm clearly not the type of person who's going to understand the Holger Czukay solo album. It's even more out there than Tago Mago's most out-there moments!
he mightve been onto something
I'm usually all in for art rock, but this one is landing terribly flat. It's not bad music, but I'm finding it outdated. And i believe it's a bad sign for a supposedly avant-garde piece.
German Experimental Art Rock. Quirky as might be expected. The opening track, "Cool in the Pool", reminded me in places of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
This is such a weird mashup of non-sequitur noise that I don't know what to do with it. Some of it is listenable, but cool in the pool makes me want to drown 2.5
While I respect the innovative use of samples and the artist's history with Can, this solo effort feels too disjointed and experimental to provide a truly cohesive or enjoyable listening experience.
Mest irriterande, ibland ok bakgrundsmusik
I am instantly wary of anything prefaced “Art,” but turns out this is just Chic ft Ralf Hütter.
Ah the 70s
Listen, it’s interesting to hear all the samples and loops, but the music just does nothing for me really.
Weird german music. A very interesting Wikipedia read
A little too experimental for me. Guy has a horrible German accent
Not bad but not something I'd ever just throw on. Really enjoyed future days from can which this inspired me to listen to
Pretty mid ngl, it's not BAD but idk about have to listen to before you die. Persian love is nice but maybe a bit long which really says something given that it's the 2nd shortest song on the album 2
Saved? ✅ Would listen again? 🤔 Would recommend to anyone? ❌ Would buy on Vinyl? 🤔
Weird? First track was nice but I lost it afterwards
I'm definitely more lenient with experimental things because at least they tried something different. I think this kinda flops a bit, because it was quite disjointed and incoherent and I don't know what was going on. But I'm still wondering about it.
Cool is the Pool is quite fun but the rest of it is pretty crap. Experimental but not enjoyable, quite boring and repetitive.
I was expecting something based on that album cover. I don't know what exactly, but that something did not happen. How to describe this. Confidently weird. Objectively terrible. Euphemistically great. Strangely inspiring. I'm imagining an underground lair on a volcanic island where Czukay and Bjork meet with their friends, Bond villain style, to discuss their next great attack to destroy the conventions of music. They dine on seaweed salad sprinkled with cassette tapes that have been chopped into croutons. "Did you bring new samples?" Bjork asks Czukay. The salad is both wet and crunchy. Czukay places a mic on the table. "We have samples at home." They chew into the mic. Beware, this is the sort of music-induced hallucination you might experience listening.
Overblown. Songs would be better sampled and not listened to in their entirety.
Track one is like a madman has been let loose in the BBC Sound Effects Archive, got over excited and tried to use at least one effect from every category of noise. It was a sensible song length, if not a sensible song, and I didn't hate it. Track two, being over 13 minutes started slowly, before the weird vocals and dog barking sound effects reappeared. It was, to put it mildly too fucking long to be that fucking weird. Track three, "short" at only 6:20 was also weird. But also with sort of South Asian vocals and African inspired instrumentals. I started to long for the traffic noises to return because at least then something would happen. Finally track four, the real endurance test at over 15 minutes. It was one of those songs where every instrument sounded like it was trying to play a different track. While a wavery voice sang "to whooooooom it may concern" over the top. I got fed up with it around a quarter of the way in. Really, really, really weird, but I didn't hate all of it, so: 2/5
Movies is an unusual and experimental record that blends funk, ambient textures, and collage-like sound. “Cool in the Pool” stands out with its playful, almost funky feel, which made the rest of the album feel even more abstract by contrast. While I can appreciate its creativity, the longer, more atmospheric tracks didn’t really connect with me.
In the mid-1950s, French avant-garde artists developed a new movement called "musique concrète." "Concrete" here involves recording absolutely any sounds (from a creaking door to the sound of rain) and then sampling them (if such a term existed back then). Holger Czukay was inspired by this school when writing his first solo album. The cover likely shows him at work — in addition to natural sounds, he also used excerpts of dialogue from television and radio broadcasts. All of this was layered over some decent bass lines (Czukay played bass in the band Can) and spiced up with his quiet vocals. And overall, it's not all bad; the album could serve as a background. I was about to give it three stars until I listened to the last song, where all this variety of sounds began to merge into a cacophony. Even this could have been forgiven if the song hadn't been fifteen minutes long.
I don´t know what I accutly heard, but it was intresting
This started great. What a fun experimental album I thought. I haven't really liked the earlier experimental albums on this list so this might be the first. About a minute later it got to experimental for me. At times I really like the vibes of the album and can picture myself having it on in the background while doing stuff around my house but every song has elements that makes me want to click next straight away.
avant-gahg
2.5
he was ambient music pioneer, very cool just not the vibe today. other days this gets a 5.
Skvele muzikantsky zvládnuté, ale pre mňa je takýto štýl hudby stále len exhibicionizmus hudobníkov bez pridanej hodnoty.
This is one of those albums where I vastly preferred it when there were no words. This would probably get a slightly higher rating from me if it was all instrumental. This wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t very good. Definitely waffling between 2 and 3 stars, but I think I have to round down, though this would be a 2.5 if that were an option.
It was ok. Not really my thing.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's the guy from Can. Okay, sure. This sounds exactly what he would make on his own. Your time would be better spent spending another hour with Ege Bamyasi, to be honest.
Could recognise why people like this but just not my vibe and would choose to put it on again
I listened to Prog rock before so it wasn't that bad to me. his voice is a bit annoying I must say.
Self indulgent garbage. I’m sure he had fun making it- but he was thinking about himself far more than he was thinking about his poor listener. Not for me.
2.5 Some really fun groovy beats, but almost completely without lyrics and like 13 min songs. Idk, if I needed lyric-less music for something upbeat at some point this would work well but when do I need that
Not a fan
Best Song: Cool in the Pool. This feels like a slightly jazzed up elevator music. Worst Song: Hollywood Symphony. There is simply no point to this directionless fifteen minutes. Overall: Lots of just purely annoying sounds here. It also gives the vibe of a guy alone in a room, hiding under a blanket, mixing all these sounds together with one hand while holding a flashlight under his chin with the other. From downstairs, his mother calls. Dinner is ready.
One of those albums that is weird and clearly influential but I didn't really connect to. 3/10
Se me borraron mis notas pero bueno. Me pareció un buen disco conceptual, muy artístico y muy raro la verdad. Me costó acabarlo, esta demasiado denso para mi. Sin emabargo, creo que tiene sus virtudes y estoy seguro que The Talking Heads (o al menos David Byrne) las vieron y se inspiraron de este disco. En fin, un disco con muchas cosas interesantes, poco digerible y conceptual y artístico af. No creo que vuelva a escucharlo si no es para buscar algún tiempo de inspiración o para ayudarle a la tacha a tronar bien duro (si por alguna razón me quiero malviajar para siempre).
Some decent tunes, some weird phrases. Not really my jam. Nonetheless an interesting introduction.
Cool Pool Persian Love
I for sure poisoned the well on this one. I read a review that compared this to zappa and as a zappa head it kinda ruined it for me. Its not zappa. Not at all. Maybe it kinda tries similar things but zappa is fun and this is too self serious. Its not songs about pissing in the snow or robotic sex dolls. The only song that had any of that fun factor was the reprise of cool in the pool and even then its like a bonus track. The rest if it is just too dower. There are some good guitar and synths or Keys. But its such a small part of the record that its almost inconsequential. Maybe without swaying my own perception id have more fun but I would doubt it. Disappointed
Very...conceptual
Didn't hit where I wanted it to after reading the description and influences. Trying too hard.
A bit weird and all over the place, there was a Persian love song on it it was alright
I was excited for something I hadn't heard of but other than something interesting bits it didn't feel like it belonged on this list
I usually like "experimental" music, but other than a few minutes of Hollywood Symphony, this didn't really resonate with me.
you know in friends when ross starts playing his music for everyone and it's a collection of random sound effects over a repeated baseline? that is exactly what the second track sounded like. the other three were better - i can see why this is called experimental though
2/5 - interesting idea that has some neat moments but over all a lack luster entry.
At times it's really interesting, just very weird, not something I'd listen to for enjoyment.
Definitely a weird one. Hard to describe it, but I didn't like it that much.
Might be experimental and a little weird, but it’s forgettable.
Interesting but not my jam
I wouldn't say it's really bad but I wouldn't say it's good either.
Definitely not my taste but it was extremely interesting!
Hmmm. Well. Yeah. It’s, um, …German. Actually, I expected to hate it but found myself weaving a weird storyline in my head listening to it. I respect that Holger was taking his (and now our) music into a different direction by taking sounds he enjoyed while traveling and mixing them together. That was pretty revolutionary for 1979. I have to give a shout out to Jaki Liebezeit whose jazzz-style drumming was impressive. I won’t be coming back here but it was worth a listen.
I quite liked experimental music until I heard this album in its entirety
Not really sure how this made it to the list. It was fine, a little weird. Forgot I was listening to it at some point
It is just some bloke pissing about. Avantgarde? bloody art snobbery. Studio time, indulgence, throw every shit that is at hand down. And you end up with this - loose musical vomit. If this had been another time and another place then might be I would have been more receptive to this But well, was not and it went down like the Titanic without a trace, sound effects and all, samples from wherever, world music thrown in. Good for you if you like this, I wasted 40 minutes, at least I will never have to bother again, 1.5 Star
Very few redeeming qualities.
Not my style.
Yeah fine. Listened to this on 2 hrs of sleep and the first song nearly sent me into psychosis.
Well--it's different. This is not to say that it is good. Songs are too long and just not something I'd want to listen to again.
Sure you could call it unique or experimental. You could also call it, boring or pretty shitty.
There's just enough decent music here to raise this to a 2. The vocals and sound effects are terrible.
I'm open to "experimental" works, but this just wasn't it for me. It failed to engage with it in any meaningful capacity, thus I struggled to maintain focus upon the album. I hope some people will like this more than I.
I love CAN, and Czukay's Canaxis is one of my favourite albums, ever. So I had high hopes for this. Sadly it just sounded like a mess. Real kitchen sink stuff - too much going on, too much of the time. Felt very much like Holger was trying to be weird for the sake of being weird. Cool In The Pool is okay for a couple of minutes, and is probably the most focused track here, but even that was too long.
English isn't his first language, right? The instrumentals work best. It's a real curiosity of an album. The intention was never to make an outstanding record. Experimentation was heavy on the agenda. As ever with these types of projects, some hit the spot, others fall very wide of the mark. Hit and miss, pick and mix. Enjoyable, but not a must listen.
Da jeg startet album tenkte jeg at dette var noe i samme gate som Günthers «You Touch My Ta-La-La», og det ble egentlig ikke så mye bedre. Det hender jeg klarer å digge litt, men det er bare ekstremt masete album som tidvis høres ut som Donovan synger over soundtracket til et eller annen b-spill til Super Nintendo.
Odd.
This was weird. Not unlistenable but also what the hell. I reckon cool in the pool and Persian love are the best tracks.
This was hard work. Not for me, I'm afraid.
I didn’t like it; perhaps I’m shallow but I found this album a stupid effort under the guise of creative music.
Glad it exists and appreciate the artistry, but noise/art rock is not for me
diss a point thing ngl
Kind of bizarre. One song sounded like police procedural soundtrack, another made me think 'this is what David Lynch listened to for inspiration'. I've bought random albums from artists I like and been disappointed when I realized it was some experimental stuff and not exactly similar to the material I had been enjoying from them. That feeling is what this album was (without being familiar with any of the artists work)
Weird
You know it was a quite interesting and fascinating album. The shorter songs like the Persian song were quite cool, but others were just too experimental and abstract for my taste. German songs influences are pretty cool. The longer songs really tank the score.
Inoffensive for the most part but not memorable
2.5
Not the worst album I have ever heard. But what was that. I am realizing this is a list of albums you “need to hear” and not a best of all time. Maybe you need to hear an album like this to cleanse the pallet kind of like when you have sushi.
Weird experimental stuff. I'm sure there's all kinds of hidden stuff in there that I'm too much of a philistine to get--or maybe not. Anyway, I mostly let it wash over me, and it was fine.
Tyckte den började rätt kul med "Cool in the pool'. Men sen blir det lite väl många galna idéer och tyskt skojfriskt mumbojumbo. Fast det svänger rätt schysst stundtals, det får man ge det. Stark tvåa
Stora lattjolajbanlådan har åkt fram. Inledande Cool in the pool känns som en pajig skämtlåt. Men resten av det här electrojammet har ändå en del intressanta infall. En hyfsad tvåa.
Så Holger är alltså tysk med porrmustasch. Det hade man aldrig kunnat gissa. Absolut inte när man hör inledande Cool in the pool. Rytmiskt med bra sväng emellanåt. I längden blir det dock en aning enahanda.
Lekfullt, men ibland över gränsen till tramsigt. Läser mig till att samplingsteknik och användandet av influenser från hela världen var nydanande och inflytelserikt när skivan kom. Det må så vara. Här finns fragment som jag uppskattar och andra som jag verkligen ogillar. Kul att höra något nytt, men mer än så blir det inte för mig.
At times interesting, at times noisy nonsense. I'm having a hard time figuring out who would listen to this album multiple times for pleasure. 2.1
I don’t know why this is on the list. Not something I would listen to again. 2 stars.
holy earrape in the second song. freakin groovy in parts and freaky and weird most of the time
If The Muppets were German, this would be the album they made.
Interesting. Nothing remarkable. 2 outta 5
Just okay.
Weird. Cool weird? Maybe, but not for me at this moment in time
Solid 2. This is not my thing at all and initially I was like WTF. Over the course of the first song I did start to see some value behind the wacky. Ultimately something I would pretty much never recommend to anyone (unless I was trying to seem super artistic and avant-garde), but I could understand if someone said they liked it.
There's some interesting and enjoyable elements to the album. But there's also a lot of experimental/grating/annoying sounds as well. Kind of reminds me of Frank Zappa at times. 4.75/10 (2.375/5)
Not for me - experimental, bit jazzy but not really. Ok as background listening but sometimes breaks the mood by being shrieky and discordant.
I'm glad stuff like this exists, but ranking it on the same scale as some of these other albums? C'mon. A two is being generous.
Nope. I love Can, and you can hear how Czukay brought his influence to bear on Can, but without the others in the band, this is just some noodly shit. Persian Love, in particular, just suuuuuxxxxxx.
Never really got in to can or krautrock it’s a bit goofy
Didn't really like what I listened too much
not quite as shit as I thought it was going to be, still pretty bad
Quirky but not all that fun to listen to. After the first track I at least thought I was in for an odd listen but then it just started to drag with really long instrumental sections that I often found annoying. Strong 2/weak 3.
Interesting
POV: you believe that Tylenol causes autism and decide to take LSD for your fever instead
Interesting in that sounded quite different at times. Wasn't that fun though
Glad it's on the list for variety but not for me
the most contrarian guy in your friend group probably loves this album. Its loud and offputting, feels very experimental. There are some interesting bits here and there but not worth digging deeper for. Mercifully short.
A noble effort but not very good ultimately. I can appreciate ambient or world music for the most part but this just seemed poorly made. Not a fan!
I was excited that there are only four songs in the whole album, but the second and fourth were around 30 minutes total, which was 3/4 of the whole length of the album. Overall, not too bad of an album, as my expectations were quite low. The album is called "Movies", so that probably explains why all of the songs had this "movie background" vibe where they would be great as soundtracks while something extreme is happening in a movie.
All this reminded me of is movie music for the kind of films that would go DTV. I did not hate it, but held no interest in it at all. 5.33 ★★½
Experimental and cheesy at the same time. 2 stars
This album ain't really Movies as such... more like a taped episode of Eurotrash if the TV reception was really bad. Opener Cool In The Pool has extremely cheesy, dated, weird, kinky energy and is the seeming soundtrack to a teutonic nude pool party where everyone was fat, gross and in their 50s. The two extended pieces are scrappy sound collages that are limp for the most part but actually quite punishing whenever Holger dude wants to sing. Some of the guitar work isn't too bad, like a Lidl brand Mike Oldfield. Persian Love is pretty nice and lilting and the one main uninterrupted stretch of non-badness here.
My guess as to what this would sound like based on the artist name and title was pretty spot-on, thank you very much.
The most notable thing about that album was that it was featured in this book.
Its cool, fun, groovy, experimental. I hear some progressive rock and jazz influence, some Zappa too. World influence. Engaging rock parts, operatic at times but all in all its okay. Not something I would use to point someone in the way of progressive or experimental music. It manages to do enough to be tolerable but not enough to be memorable. So thats that.