Faust IV

That was weird. Giggy Smile is quite cheerful though. Sometimes the volume dynamics are a bit much.

Wow. I hate it, but what a fascinating history......with a special guest appearance of Richard Branson.....so weird. Actually it's not so bad. Faust is included as a representative of Krautrock, which was Germany's post-WWII (1960's) counter culture attempt to create a unique "German" music identity while separating themselves from both their Nazi history as well as the soft power of the UK and US. With the US and UK dominating the music industry, Germany wanted their own German culture and sound. The result being Krautrock. Makes total sense. I feel like Kraftwerk is probably the most famous Krautrock band, but maybe Faust was chosen because they had a brief moment outside of Germany thanks to......Richard Branson of Virgin Records. Briefly listen to Kraftwerk - The Model and it is 100% what I think of with German music outside of Rammstein. You really hear the electronic, synth weird style that Krautrock is going for and it's totally unique in the 70's....before Synthpop popped up in the 80's in the US/UK. Really cool. Back to Faust, there is less synth reliance in this album, and it's a lot more "rock" but there are still those weird elements in there like the xylophone and laser sounds in The Sad Skinhead. There are also psychedelic, droning elements that identify the genre like in Jennifer or Krautrock, the first track. The first track for me......is just horrible. It's like a 12 minute intro to something that never happens. Jennifer and some of the other tracks are more tolerable though. I know this is kind of a characteristic of the genre, but holy moly some of the tracks drone on and on for way too long. Krautrock and Giggy Smile could just cut off by 75%. It's A Bit Of Pain.........includes a bit of pain, which is incredibly obvious when listening to it, so I guess it's aptly titled. What a troll song. It's a weird album, but I love being able to learn about some of these sub-genres and the history behind them. Again, Faust probably isn't the best representative of this genre, but probably one that is most agreeable to "the West" (meaning the Cold War West). Glad this is included rather than another Elvis Costello album.

weird as shit

Sort of an odd one. It was... fine. Didn't hate it, but unlikely to listen to again.

I don't really have much to say about this. it was...fine? in a historical way? I don't know.

A masterpiece of disciplined restraint; and boring af with it

Went into this with very low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. Still didn’t love it, but it was listenable.

Great to properly listen to some Krautrock, having been generally aware of the genre vand a bit familiar with Kraftwerk. Very interesting how this switches, often within the same song, between electronic noises that feel decades ahead of their time and much more conventional seventies psychedelic rock.

I’d listen again, but pretty random, psychedelic rock is fun to listen to

Ok, so not my vibe, but certainly interesting to hear. I won't seek this out, though I respect the independent nature of the recording.

To pull off long one-chord jams like the ones that appear on *Faust IV*, it's essential to keep the elements within moving and shifting throughout, and on tracks like the opening number "Krautrock", the band successfully pulls that off. Droning and pulsing guitars set the direction in the foreground, but behind that synthesizers, bass and drums weave hypnotic melodies and rhythms. The album also has a few songs (like "Jennifer") that successfully merge pop/rock elements with the avant-garde leanings while still maintaining a coherent whole. It's not all successful though - closing track "It's A Bit Of A Pain" is an uneasy mix of the two, especially with its at-times abrasive sonics. Also, the jokey pop songs on this record like "The Sad Skinhead" (!) try to inject some humor into the proceedings but instead break up the mood of the album.

Surprised at this one, I really quite liked it -

Not bad! I think I was expecting something more experimental, but it hit the spot of weird and familiar. Favourite Track(s): Jennifer, Giggly Smile Least Favourite Track(s): Just A Second (Starts Like That)

I can hear how this influenced later work and indeed, continuing to listen to the algorithmic radio station generated for this album I heard a lot that came from this work. Not my favourite work of theirs but formative.

Although I like a lot of stuff similar to it, krautrock is something I couldn’t fully get into. I don’t mind repetitive music, but the problem with krautrock for me is that it usually doesn’t build up to anything while also not layering or progressing the repetitions as much as I like. Look at something like Swans. Their songs have a lot of repetition, but the reason why they feel so good for me is because there is a lot of subtle detail and progressions that keep them exciting. Their repetitions also either build up to something big or slowly grow in intensity on their own. I feel that post-rock is a logical evolution of krautrock and it feels a lot more exciting because of that. I just think it’s a genre that I should like, and I’m kind of annoyed I don’t enjoy it that much. I did like this album, though. It is repetitive but not really monotonous, and it had a lot of cool experimental stuff. Not something particularly exciting for me, because it’s krautrock, but still enjoyable. 7/10

Heavy krautrock? Oh yeah! Not my favorite krautrock album, love the noise and repetitiveness, enjoy when they get in a grove.

Always know I’m in for a time™ when an album is described as a bands “most approachable” or “straightforward”

High highs; low lows

My really intense roommate in Prague was obsessed with this album and got me hooked on it too. Oddly nostalgic. Krautrock is great.

Very artistic.

Very early 1970s sound. Had never heard of them before. German prog rock.

It's such a weird mix of britpop and long jazzy instrumentals. Every time I enjoyed something it would either end too soon or outstay its welcome by several minutes. I think a creative editing pass to fix the pacing would go a long way but then they'd have to write more than 20 minutes of music (padded out to 45 or whatever with the long jammy tracks) Ultimately I did like listening to it enough to give it a decent score but it could have been a lot better.

Pretty, catchy, and disturbing. A real mix of styles here - flashes of brilliance and absurdity in equal measure. Songs shift right where you're standing and everytime you think you have an idea of where a song is going it changes. However, they never forget the hooks. Best Tracks: Krautrock; Jennifer; Giggy Smile

Woof, this was an interesting one. Not my kind of music, I listen to Zappa sometimes and some Iron Butterfly, but outside of that, this was just experimental noise. Won’t revisit.

So 2.5 but I'd really need to dig into this album more for a better sense of it. Don't hate it, but let's call it, "incomplete" for now.

Bloopy - definitely one I think will grow on me if I revisit

It was better than some of the others in this genre. Decent background music.

I don’t have any thoughts

Fine. I mean they were at least kinda interesting unlike most of the other krautrock we've had (looking at you Kraftwerk). Didn't really love but could appreciate the innovation.

such a weird album-kind of all over the place style & sound wise. case in point-Piano Piece. really enjoyed it & will bump it up from 2.5 to a 3

interesting...

Yeah, I’m weird but not this weird. I prefer the CAN kind of Krautrock

Enjoyably quirky, krautrock has been a neat genre so far

Overall, a bit meh because this whole thing was just sounds, but not in a bad way, for sure.

Thoughts before listening: This one will be new to me. Being from 1973 I'm going to guess this is some sort of European prog rock. Based on the minimalist album cover I will also guess that it leans toward a krautrock or maybe early electronic style....but I really have no idea. Review: Well, the first song is called "Krautrock" so it seems my guess was correct 😂. This is album is actually all over the place with some definite krautrock influences, but this is more eclectic than just being Kratwerk wannabes. They definitely feel more lighthearted and less mechanical than their krautrock contemporaries, almost reminding me of a jamband who just gets into the studio and throws a bunch of ideas out to see what sticks. "Giggy Smile" and its sax/keys jam is probably my favorite part of this album. Overall I'd give this 3-stars.

Liking this makes me a certified RYM user. Right?

Interesting album, hypnotic though not as frenetic as other krautrock records I had listened to before.

Interesting?

Would be ok as a some background music

Unavailable on YouTube music

It see the merit in it, but it's not my taste.

The name sounded familiar, maybe just because of the word “Faustian,” but none of the tracks rang a bell. Listening through, it feels like a precursor to bands like The Beta Band, and I can hear shades of other prog rock influences that came later. It’s not bad by any means, though some of the songs tend to drone and stretch on a bit. The opening track runs nearly twelve minutes, but it almost justifies its length when the drums finally kick in around the seven-minute mark. Overall, Faust IV has a laid-back, hypnotic quality - an album you could easily throw on in the background and let it carry you somewhere strange and mellow.

Would be much more interesting under the influence of some hard hallucinogenics. Especially the 12-minute opener (aptly named Krautrock) that, fully sober, you can feel dragging on for its entire length. It's very repetitive on account of the 1-5-1-5 synth notes (which are boosted way up in the mix). I have to imagine the synth player wasn't having the most interesting day. Maybe he put paperweights on those two notes and then snuck out the back of the studio to go watch The Godfather, and the other band members were too wasted to notice. There's a reason why long, uninteresting tracks tend to be put at the end of an album – at least, if the album's good. (Think Endless Nameless, Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast, Revolution 9.) In contrast, The Sad Skinhead is great. The addition of vocals lets the album pace really pick up after the endless slog of the opening song. There's some great guitarwork between the verses, and we actually hear a chord progression (rather than a drone) for the first time. Sounds intensely punkish (or proto-punkish). Unlike punk, though, there are lots of little details to keep your interest here, including some fluttery xylophone lines, sound effects in the left ear, and a simple, fun bassline. Jennifer is reminiscent of some early Black Sabbath (maybe Planet Caravan?) with its repetitive, echoey guitar tunes and spaced out lines. The throbbing bassline is cool but I would've liked to hear some more complexity. The outro is very weird but oddly enjoyable. The rest of the tracks continue in much the same way, and I'm left wondering what exactly happened in track 1. Did they forget how to write good, engaging music? Are they stupid? 3/5 Key tracks: The Sad Skinhead, It's A Bit Of A Pain

Another band I never heard of. I liked it , but I found their first album and liked that much more.

When it hits, it hits. (3.5)

Pretty cool

It was a nice chill vibe

another meh album for me. still pretty cool though!

Experimental, yes. There's cool synth on here and nice ambience. I think a lot of stuff that would have seemed new and edgy in the early 70s. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this was inspiration for excellent and influential albums that came afterwards. I mean, I didn't hate it. But I wasn't particularly whelmed in any form. Not what I want from music necessarily. 3 stars.

Interesting sounds! With enough listens it would probably click

Classic Krautrock that, while it doesn't have the driving motorik and funk energy of Can, has the loose jammy sprawling feel, emphasis on drones and repetitions and shifting textures, and psych exploratory energy to it. More of a proto-shoegaze than a house music precedent. Favorites: Krautrock, Jennifer, Giggy Smile

This one was strangely captivating. It pulled me in so many directions that follow up listens will happen. I gave it 3 because some of it is strange, but like another review said, I can see why the cat got freaked out by it

The first track was long and boring. I thought I was in for a long, annoying slog through some uninspired shit. But, it turned around soon after and began to get interesting. I won't be putting this into my regular listening rotation, but it is an early example of forward looking musicians trying to move on from the mostly boring standard fare of rock and roll at the time. Surprisingly good.

Not something I'd listen to often but kinda interesting. The second track is pretty good! Reminds me of Blur's more eclectic moments.

I actually like this kind of style of music. Experimental and long rock songs. I do kind of wish that they just didn't have any singing on the album, though. It takes away from the experience, I think. Their sound is really good. It also feels really well-crafted and intentional. Favorite Song(s): Krautrock

This is a hard album to rate accurately. It's experimental for the time, but there are proper songs in there, albeit interspersed with an aural panic attack.

More an experience and education that actual listening to music... I liked "Jennifer" though

This was an interesting German krautrock album, it wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst thing I've heard!

Before even looking at the reviews I can tell people will hate this. But for me I actually love some of these sounds. The opening track is Krautrock noise rock, and when the drums kick in it really goes to another level, and the other Krautrock style tracks I also really like. But then the second track Sad Skinhead is weird reggae? And Jennifer is pretty dull. A mixed bag of enjoyment here for me, probably as intended but the band, given how the pretty standard It's a Bit of a Pain has harsh feedback, Swedish (?) and electronic bleeps inserted into a simple melody, but all this makes it a much more interesting album than most.

Elektronische Musik aus Deutschland

I preferred the instrumental heavy tracks to the vocal forward tracks. Overall it was an interesting album, good grooves, lots of synth.

I don’t hate this but I also didn’t *love* it. Some good jams for sure.

This sounded like a krautrock band and a prog band simultaneously recorded an album. It seemed to be walking the line between sounding actually interesting and just random in the hope of being interesting, there were some good songs and some that didn't do it for me. Picnic was great, krautrock was pretty good, most of the others were okay. For 1973 it's pretty impressive but I don't think I would be compelled to hear it again.

I presumed krautrock was the same sound as Kraftwerk, and so it took me ages to realise that it is trippy, experimental, funky rock. Not really my bag, a lot of it went nowhere and ended abruptly. I feel like the riff to Just A Second gets sampled a lot.

This started brilliantly. I loved Krautrock. I could listen to a whole album of that sadly much of the rest of t album was somewhat as I feared this record would be. A bit weird (but not aa weird as I expected). I liked some of the weird but it wasn't nearly as listenable as the first track. Giggy Smile probably the other highlight. A Bit of a Pain was aptly named.

Well this is pretty mad. I quite enjoyed the first track although it dragged on a bit, following that every track was totally different and largely unpredictable. It was fun. I don't know that I love any of it, but it was interesting. From reading it sounds like this is their least crazy release, so I'm somewhat intrigued to look into more of their stuff. Perhaps on further listens it would become a 4.

Freaky soundscapes that I definitely preferred to the quirky circus songs

I had a negative reaction to Krautrock but there was some other interesting things on here. I probably wouldn't have chosen to listen to this but I didn't hate it.

interesting album. I can see where some ambient music was certainly influenced by this. will need another listen

It really feels ahead of it's time in terms of the production. Some drone/ambient/electronic stuff, mixed with a whole bunch of other genres. Outside of the experimental songs, it seems the band does have a knack for writing something catchy and even poppy. 6/10

The opener, aptly titled Krautrock, is a textbook composition that brings the template of the genre Krautrock into play: driving motor-esque rhythms mixed with a bag of psychedelic and drony passages. Sad Skinhead is a fun take on pop by avant-garde, and Jennifer is a cool pulsating number. Other than the closer, which is similar to Sad Skinhead in that it's a shorter pop oriented song, Side B is more of the same, with a slight twist and addition of a folky twang to its suite like feel. My krautrock knowledge is limited, but Faust IV is to me, the perfect blend of accessible and the autobahn-driven motorik that adorns the genre. Faust IV is one of the albums you seek when you look into Krautrock, no doubt.

It's definitely interesting. I do like it, but I don't love it. 3/5

Ehhhh bit all over the shop, is it an album or just "Here's some really long tracks and some other ideas".

generally enjoyable. feels like I'm not always getting it, kind of weird sometimes. Reminds me at times of film soundtracks, creating scenes and moods. opening track is pretty atmospheric. sad skinhead is groovy. giggy smile's pretty groovy and gets better as it goes on. Lauft is fun. Jennifer is really nice. I don't exactly know what to make of this, it's generally enjoyable but very hard to parse.

Really conflicted with this one. Not an easy listen (perhaps 2/5 stars for that?), but that's part of the point. It's compelling and envelope-pushing, especially when considering its time (5/5 stars). There's plenty of intentional rock convention upending, which I appreciate.

Svår och svårbedömd skiva. Rytmiskt orytmisk. Kantig sång. Det gör lite ont. Påträngande. Är det ljudkonst eller är det musik? Troligen före sin tid 1973 och till inspiration för efterföljande artister. Sammantaget ändå mer intressant än bra att lyssna på.

This is... Interesting. I don't know exactly how I feel about it. I like it and don't get much from it at the same time. It's decent music with some very strange choices. One song lulled me into a false sense of security with light guitar and vocals, then suddenly blared an Amber Alert-sounding alarm in my ear. It's bizarre. I can't say I dislike it. I also can't say I would listen to this again.

2.9 // weird space-y sounds a lot of the time, some songs drag out a while, weird but not too much where it's hurting the music

More ambient than anything else, I wasn’t sure about it at first but better with a second listen. Still ended up getting pushed to the background but I was decently busy and was pretty shallow in my attention. 3/5

I liked it. Great background music! I'm trying to come up with a ranking system. I think: 1) did not enjoy/finish the album 2) finished did not enjoy 3) finished might seek out more/listen again 4) finished and listened to more 5) can play on repeat

I have no idea what they are up to. It is interesting to me that punk rock which often told its audience to go fuck itself is more inviting than experimental music.

This is such a mix of styles that I don't know where to begin. I really liked the first track, all 11 minutes of it, and then the skinhead novelty song kicked in, and it all kinda went off the rails. Shame really.

Man, I don't know. The ambient/prog-y/shoegaze-y stuff in the first few tracks I enjoyed, and I imagine it was pretty groundbreaking. Almost anything with lyrics didn't hit for me, with some of it being actively off-putting (esp., "Giggy Smile"). There are pieces of intentionally irksome music I've enjoyed and found interesting (see, in particular, the early work of IDLES), but this ain't it.

Strange album, but somehow was kind of into it. It wasn't groundbreaking or life changing, but a solid, fun album that was completely new to me. 3.5/5 Might listen again

1st time every hearing this band

Not really sure what this was.

Not for me

This is kinda like "what if we did Jazz with random stuff I found in the elementary school music room" and also one guy is goin crazy on the synth. If this is your thing I can see the appeal but I feel like I'm starting a twelve book series at book 7.

a bit disappointed, kinda boring tbh I expected more

this sounds like prog rock for people on lithium and/or lexapro But it's not bad, just a bit of a snooze fest. Lucky I was in the mood for something boring, so this gets a solid pass.

My expectations were definitely played with going into this. From initially seeing a fairly low global rating, to being taken back and enjoying the 11 minute opening track, to back to being a bit disappointed that a remainder of the album did not maintain this same energy. If the change in direction on the tracks following Krautrock is what people were upset by back in the day, I can understand. It does find shades of that opener on side B but not enough to entirely win me back.

Front and back loaded without much in the middle. Final track is really really cool. Jennifer is also great. 7/10

To było takie dziwne! Dziwne, oryginalne, zdeformowane, czasem naprawdę wdzięczne i dźwięczne a czasem odpychające, jakby przypadkowe, taplające się z dumą w swojej ohydzie. Ale przede wszystkim było to JAKIEŚ! Nie sprawiało przyjemności, ale fascynowało, pociągało i odrzucało, ale robiło to wszystko trzymając Cię za fraki. Nie mam pojęcia jak to ocenić, ten dziwny twór, ten eksperyment szalonego naukowca. Dam 6/10, ale ta płyta wymyka się gwiazdkom i ucieka wprost na swoją, zupełnie obcą, zamieszkaną przez kosmitów planetę.

Impressive experimentation for the time. Didn't do much to grab me but great in the background.

Now this is a really interesting pick! I've heard of Faust before, but never really listened to them, so I was happy to see them here and give them a chance. What I liked about this album is how forward-thinking it is, while still offering moments of simple and nice songwriting, sometimes paired with playful musical ideas and sarcastic lyrics. Some ideas here would appear in music much later - like the opener, "Krautrock", which is an almost 12-minute-long drone piece that slowly evolves and grows over time. It adds subtle layers, with the track fully developing when drums come in, very late in the song's runtime, around the 7-minute mark. Here, you can hear the influence on post-rock bands such as Swans and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but maybe a bit of Sonic Youth and Stereolab, too. Hard to believe this came out in '73. On "The Sad Skinhead", we get a complete 180 - a track featuring playful, sarcastic and absurd lyrics I previously mentioned, combined with psychedelic guitar sounds and a xylophone solo that reminds me of Zappa’s 70s fusion work. A really cool and fun track. "Just a Second" starts with a funky groove, but halfway through breaks down into an unpredictable ambient/drone mix of synths, piano, and guitar. The way these two parts are joined strangely reminded me of some of The Mars Volta’s sudden changes. This track feels a bit under-developed - like the band wasn't sure where the opening idea should go. For me, another highlight is "Giggy Smile" - an energetic mix of jazz, prog, and blues with unusual rhythms and creative instrumentation. It has a restless energy that brings to mind the adventurous Canterbury scene. However, not every track works this well. Some experiments feel more like sketches than finished songs, and the album’s flow can be a bit uneven. The last two tracks explore some folky ideas, which is another complete left turn in this album, providing even more musical diversity. Still, Faust IV balances humor, surprise, and real musical ambition and inovativeness, while still providing enough . At its best, it's fascinating and bold. At its weakest, it feels a little self-indulgent. I’d give it a solid 3.5 out of 5 - definitely worth listening for its highlights and historical importance, even if I wouldn’t listen to it all the way through very often. 3.5/5

Some kinda wild stuff -- good enough as a background listen, but gets a little drony after awhile.

3.4 1x flagged for another listen... pretty cool

Singulier; grandiloquent dans son minimalisme

I went into this with great trepidation, but it wasn’t that bad. It certainly seemed ahead of its time as moments reminded me of Beta Band and later experiments with sound and spoken word. I mean, I’m not adding it to my collection or listening ever again on purpose, but it was not nearly as bad as I feared.

First track was a drag and I thought this was going to be a hard one to sit through, but there were some interesting bits and pieces here. The album as a whole didn’t feel cohesive at all, but I like what they were trying to do.

12/1001 :: Faust - Faust IV Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 5 Fav Tracks: Just A Second/Picnic on a Frozen River File this under bizarre industrial album that would be cool to play if you owned a coffee shop and didn’t want to offend anyone with your music taste but also wanted to come off as avant garde. Lots of interesting parts here but the structure of these songs are so loose. A couple of them have no words too and would have been good contenders for our Discogs Instrumentals run. While I can appreciate this and thought some of it was pretty rad I’m not sure I would go back. That is of course unless I open up a avant garde coffee shop, which if I’m being honest I would love to do… So I guess there’s still hope, but the chances are slim.

It's a mood. Reminds me of my parents, and aunts/uncles with the lanterns around the pond. White noise, with a bit of hypnosis.

Krautrock and Jennifer (the latter of which I had heard before) rock, the rest not so much.

Sprawling, experimental, sometimes catchy, a little strange, often a bit repetitive. Bends riffs until they break. The kind of listening experience I’m appreciative of but don’t need to have again.

***An ok mostly instrumental album

There were parts that hit so hard but they were overshadowed by the general incongruity of the songs, even internally.

Not that great

Not my style. Some songs were decent

Ok I suppose. Doesn't particularly stand out.

Weird German electronic rock, nice :)

It was quite dense

I love me some krautrock, but I prefer that of Can, Neu! or say Amon Düül, with emphasis on rock and minimum amounts of gimmicky artsy fartsy bollocks. Faust leans too much on the art side for my taste.

kind of a crazy album! enjoyed the instrumental songs a bit more, krautrock and laust. a real challenge to listen to but not entirely unpleasant. by my scale i should probably give it a two but i see the merit in it.

Fav: Jennifer Least Fav: The Sad Skinhead The best parts were when they were not singing, loved the atmosphere they were able to create

Best Song: The Sad Skinhead Til there is a thing called "krautrock" and if this is it, then it's not for me. It's not terrible, just not for me. I'll stick with sauerkraut, that's German enough.

I see the influence they had on ambient and industrial music.

great experimentation and groove 3.5/5

This one was weird and repetitive and I kinda liked it. A series of sonic landscapes. Favorites were Krautrock, Just A Second, and Giggy Smile.

Interesting

Nice aber sehr experimentell

Preferred instrumental songs but enjoyable album overall.

I was being bouncing between this is great and this is weird I think I settled on “at least it’s interesting”

Was really hot when I listened to this one, so it tested my patience a little and didn't enjoy as much as I'd hoped. Got better towards the end, bit more jammy and rhythm section came to the fore, but a bit disappointing.

Doidinho. Curto paradas diferentes assim, mas admito, literalmente dormi por um momento escutando esse aqui. Poderia ter gostado mais. 3/5

Not awful, but Faust was never my cup of tea.

Whats cool about this is that it’s on the brink of something. It’s not just elements that will influence other artist. It’s not something that steals the spotlight from artists, it feels like a building block for a lot of things. Very cool.

I like my beep boops with a little more melody, but there were some interesting bits here. I liked The Sad Skinhead and Just A Second, although I thought something was horribly wrong with my car when the weird sounds started in on the latter. 2.5 rounded up, what the hell.

There's a lot to unwrap with this album. Some of it was shit but some of it was crazy and cool.

Guess I have another 3 to sift through (3.5/5)

If I won tickets to a Faust show, I guess I'd go.

I've never really listened to krautrock so I didn't really know what to expect (bleeps and bloops, I guess), but this was a very pleasant listening experience--very prog-rock in some places. Also, that is some beautiful manuscript paper on the cover of this album.

Faust IV is certainly a very bizarre album. Krautrock is a genre which i have never heard of before listening to this album but after listening to it, it makes me think of some of the stuff Frank Zappa made. However, this album is better than anything he has ever made. You get the best of both worlds with this one, it's quirky, just like his Mothers of Invention albums and it's coherent like his solo album Hot Rats. Even some of the stuff some people would find annoying, i found tolerable. This album isn't amazing as it can get quite a bit repetitive due to the length of some of the songs but in all honesty, i was expecting a lot worse. Best Song: Giggy Smile Worst Song: It's A Bit Of A Pain

All Kraut. No Saur.

This is cool. It’s another case of a band that I respect for their influence on my favourite artists. I liked listening to this while I worked. I enjoy the repetitive rhythms and there are some cool sounds on this record. But I prefer how subsequent artists incorporated krautrock into other/new subgenres. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to put this on but I like hearing the origins behind the music I love.

I was hoping this would be a telling of the Germanic Legend. It was not.

Not sure about the improv solo over a vamp instrumental tracks. First track was quite weak, but maybe that’s intentional to lure in folks. Second track had big Ween vibes which I liked. I liked it enough overall but it didn’t click enough that I’m itching to listen to it again. Perhaps if they went weirder with it.

Interesting

Interesting album. Couple cool tunes but a few of the songs are too long. I’ll definitely listen again.

Odd, electic, but after reading up on them, understood the direction a bit more..

For german krautrock this was actually unironically good. Would listen again. Stand-out: Giggy Smile

This is definitely a weird one. Like every neurodivergent music nerd I love krautrock a lot. This album is definitely not my favourite in the genre but I do like this album. The droney opener "Krautrock", "Jennifer" & "Giggy Smile" (or whatever it's actually called on the official release) are all staples of the genre imo. The rest of this album leans into Faust's experimental side a lot more, which I don't love but still appreciate. 7/10 Favourite: Giggy Smile Least Favourite: The Sad Skinhead

No my thing but interesting

KRAUTWERK

First-time listen. Liked the long, droning, instrumental Krautrock tracks. Not a big fan of anything including vocals.

Complicated

Y'know, there's something pretty charming about when a band just doesn't give a twig and makes the crazy experimental music that they want to withouth worrying about listenability. Unfortunately, it also means that the album is lacking in listenability. Favorite Track: The Sad Skinhead

I really liked the first song. The rest was alright. Didn't really stick with me though.

Better as I got used to it. Enjoyed it overall. Very interesting Standout songs: Jennifer Giggy Smile

M,eh, not good or bad,

After slogging through 11mins long track 1, I was dreading the rest of the album, but I found I quite enjoyed the rest! It was weird, but inventive.

Album 719 of 1001 Faust - Faust IV (1973) Rating : 3 / 5 Krautrock. Not something I'm terribly familiar with. Parts of this were just terrible while others were passable. There was the track "Sad Skinhead" which I had saved to my favorites when listening through the whole playlist. It was slightly redeemable for the album. Certainly interesting.

A wonderfully weird album. Definite high moments, but very strange and didn't always connect with me. Still I appreciate the ingenuity and almost whimsy, and there are definitely some fun and engaging songs, but I don't think I liked the album on the whole as much. Top tracks: Jennifer, Giggy Smile, It's A Bit Of A Pain

Meget mærkeligere end jeg forventede. Stor 3

This was really nice - very shoegazy at times

It’s good. Lots of cool ideas but also lots that I find a bit grating.

Definitely strange and original. Mostly, but not always, good. This sits well above most of the 70s music that is so heavily represented on this list.

Interesting but repetitive

I quite liked this - shades of Stone Roses, much different to what I imagined.

Meh. It didn't really do much for me.

cute

I remember buying the predecessor to this album, "The Faust Tapes" which was a bit too experimental for my taste at the time, but this album, while still experimental, is much better. My favourite track is the hypnotic opening track, "Krautrock", which is just under 12 minutes long.

3/5

Interesante. Ha lo escuché. Cumplí el objetivo.

A chill album. It was ok.

I came into contact with a lot of Krautrock in my youth. Much of what was being produced and tried out in Germany at the time was groundbreaking and revolutionary. However, I've always had problems with some forms of experimentation. This album by Faust is one of those works that I find too exhausting. It was interesting to listen to, but I couldn't really make friends with the work. 3/5

Interesting, but not that unique.

It’s different and it’s the sort of thing that should be on this list. It’s not particularly inspiring, but different enough to get three stars here.

A surprising new-to-me band. I really liked a lot of this. Some progressive rock jams like a jam band. Overall close to or right on the 3/4 line for me.

2/11/25. First time listening to Faust, really interesting instrumentals and sounds. It’s almost like if a jam band originated in Europe, but more electronic.

jennifer wow what an amazing song

I'm not sure what to think. It was at least interesting.

I feel like I've rated almost everything a 3 lately but truly, a lot of music to me is: Fine! I like it well enough. I'd listen to it again but might not put it on. You know?

Not for me

I don't get it, but I guess it isn't terrible

I used this as background music and it is good but not at all memorable

„Faust IV“ ist ein Album, das nichts für schwache Nerven oder die Freunde von einfacher Popmusik ist. Es verlangt von seinen Hörern Offenheit und Neugier, belohnt sie aber mit einer der innovativsten Klanglandschaften der 70er-Jahre. Das Album beweist, dass Faust mehr als nur Pioniere des Krautrocks waren – sie waren wahre Klangabenteurer. Wer Lust auf einen musikalischen Trip ins Unerwartete hat, der sollte sich „Faust IV“ unbedingt gönnen. Ein Album, das auch 50 Jahre später noch frisch und frech klingt!

I appreciate the experimentation and the fact that it's doing something a bit different at least, but I wouldn't say it's a great listen. It's quite repetitive throughout, as a bunch of the songs slowly, slowly build into something, although without much pay-off. There's not huge amounts of form here. It's not bad... it's ok. The last track is nice and ambly and I like that more.

Mixed feelings about this album. The intro track is definitely the highlight. Also, the unsettling sounds present all over the album are such a plus to me. However, I find the vocals subpar at times, and I do not really understand the cohesion in the whole project. Reminded me of LCD Soundsystem, if I may, but it could be a stretch of mine.

Melodic, maybe background music for me. But decent such.

Experimental noise - if that's what you're in the mood for then it's good, otherwise it tends to blend in to the background.

I like Krautrock but I'm not a big prog fan, so those two things were at odds with each other here for me. Ultimately I liked it, but probably wouldn't listen to it again. More of a 3.5.

#460. Weird, but good. 3/5: decent

Sprawl and vast and difficult but valuable

Ended up liking it a lot more as the album went on. Prefered the instrumentals over the ones with lyrics though. Some stuff was too "artsy" for me though 3-3.5

hellllllla weird but I welcome it

Pretty interesting

A fun but ultimately sort of plain mishmash of genres

1973: A great year for music. Yes this counts. Though I wouldn't drop this in the same bucket as Kraftwerk, I can see how the timing and the contentious situation really group them together as rebellious forms of experimentation. What a diverse unfolding of Kraut

Rating: 7/10 What an intriguing album. Impressive this came out in the early 70s, very experimental while still being musically enjoyable.

It's a pretty short album with not a ton of substance. In the album's defense, it is pretty inoffensive. I've heard much worse on the list and obviously much better. It's also funny how the song "It's A Bit of A Pain" is a bit of a pain to listen to.

Har alltid vært interessert i Krautrock, men aldri kommet helt inn i det. Har hørt på litt CAN her og der. Første sagen, GTA heist music anyone? Just A Second blir sånn asmr futuristic shit. Meget ambient eller drone blir kanskje mer riktig, og minimalistisk. Mange kule og unike ideer man ikke møte på i annen musikk som jeg setter pris på. Men det var ikke helt for meg. Blir kanskje litt for "out there", men kult å utvide horisonten litt.

Lowkey fakka mer med enn jeg trodde. Noen av sangene funka faktisk ganske bra til å jobbe med skole til. Mange av sangene som jeg likte godt på starten, men så måtte jeg egt ta av headsettet eller dempe lyden på noen av de fordi lydene ble litt for ubehagelige/rare. Likte den siste sangen best tror jeg, men la også til "Picnic On A Frozen River, Deuxieme Tableux" på likte sanger så må ha likt vinen på den også. Har brukt 2 dager på å høre på dette albumet så husker egt ikke mange av sangene.

Not an unpleasant sound - just long!

I once looked up the Krautrock genre and thought it wasn't for me. But I quite enjoyed this.

It’s a 3, but a strangely compelling & oddly entrancing 3. This feels like I’m listening to music itself go through a midlife crisis. I know that’s incredibly weird to say, but hear me out. The album starts off with the big wall of noise that drones on and overwhelms in “Krautrock” for an excruciating 7 minutes before the drums finally pop in to give some semblance of a crutch, before also blending into the soundscape like everything else. I’m stretching, but it feels like a journey through a brain going through a total mental breakdown. The Sad Skinhead feels almost like a slight bargaining stage of grief, what with the xylophone solo of all the things and the more comedic tone. Based on the lyrics in Jennifer (“your red hair’s burning, yellow jokes come out your mind”), it kind of reads to me like her death (or some other traumatic event involving her) is the reason why “Krautrock” feels so empty, hence the reprise of the wall of noise at the end of the track. Hell, maybe the traumatic event is that “Picnic on a Frozen River” that makes up part of Track 4. The last 3 tracks, mostly instrumental with lyrics thrown in every now & then, feel like his attempt to finally rebound from whatever happened, exploring a wide variety of styles that sort of jump around a lot of the late 60s and early 70s, and hell, it feels the album jumps ahead to a Moby track by Track 6, with a sort of electronica/dance structure reminiscent of the 90s. The last track kinda sells my theory; every time he says “yes, it’s all right” on “It’s a Bit of a Pain”, his vocals get covered up by an incredibly harsh sound, and once this other person he’s talking to presumably leaves, that harsh sound takes over as the primary lead instrumental, scattered and kinda riffing awkwardly like an electric guitar, all while a nice bubbly happy acoustic plays behind it. He’s not over Jennifer, he’s not happy, and with how abruptly the album ends, it feels like he’s doomed to fall back into that emptiness again. I’d say there’s honestly a semblance of a narrative close to my interpretation here – I’m probably stretching by calling it “music going through a midlife crisis”, but it feels like there’s something to it. With all of that said, you can have a compelling and entrancing narrative, but I don’t think the execution of it is that strong here – it’s not a bad album, but this does suffer from settling for way too long on some of its least compelling melodies or rhythms without properly evolving or changing (or taking too long to do so, killing the vibe a bit). The tracks themselves have no reason to go for 7 or 8 or even 11 minutes – at times, it feels like the album is trying to justify its own existence, and that’s never really a vibe you want to get out of an album. When it all clicks, and it finds its entertaining melodies, this album does work for me. It doesn’t work that often, but it worked just enough that I felt compelled to pay attention, even in its flatter moments. It’s not an album I think I can go back to, but I like it enough to give it a 3. If nothing else, it’s interesting, and being interesting is way better than being boring.

It's a tough album to judge. It's uneven. It creates new things. Mixes things that shouldn't be mixed. It goes one way, in the next moment in completely other direction. But it certainly is not in the middle. 3.5/5.

I do love me some krautrock but yesterday I was not in the mood. Saving it for another day. But liked the little I heard

Y'a des albums joyeux, y'a des albums tristes, pis y'a Faust IV. Je ne savais pas comment me sentir en écoutant l'album, I guess je me sentais stressé par la cacophonie ambiante de synthés distordu, mais par moment je me surprenais à viber sur les lignes de bass qui se détachait du chaos. Bref, si t'aime pas Autobahn, je ne te recommande pas

That's a lot of prog.

A couple of the songs were okay. A couple were really not good. Started off stronger than it ended for me. I guess it averages out to a fine album.

No private session used for Spotify. I got in to kraut rock some through CAN, there was one track on this album I liked a lot, some not so much.

Weird, but agréable

My younger self would have loved the extremely experimental nature of this. Why this is one of the 1001 albums I must listen to, I have no idea, but generally enjoyed it, mainly because I used to seek stuff like this out.

I really liked "The Sad Skinhead", and "Jennifer". The rest was a wandering, dissonant mess. I'm actually giving it an extra star for at least being interesting and each track going in a different direction.

It least they weren’t French

Pleasantly surprised by this one.

Vibes brother, it’s all about the vibes ✨

A bit like Can but possibly more experimental. Interesting at times.

Pretty dope

Amazingly weird. Almost felt like it might have been the original inspiration for creating 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Not sure if I really understand what krautrock is, but at least it feels a little more familiar.

I Bloody LOVE a bit of Krautrock. Sure, there's elements of dungeons and dragons here. I'm too old to give a shit about style these days. There's a lovely pace and rhythm throughout. Ozric Tentacles were clearly fans.

Lemppari: Piano Piece Vähiten lenppari: Lauft…Heisst Das Es Lauft Oder Es Kommt Bald..Lauft

i was trying to let this album lowkey rest on my ears but im forced to rate it early, thought it was a nice listen and kinda pink floyd esque, but a bit TOO randomly experimental at times

Tons of weird things going on, overall I liked it.

So, krautrock is kinda weird, but I kinda liked it. My favorite track was Jennifer.

Play it loud... preferably with headphones.

Much better, and much worse than I expected. There is one track here I have been hunting for over a decade, and it's here. Magical work. Half the album is ok, half the album is dross. So, 2 stars for the dross and 4 stars for the magic means a 3 star album.

Krautrock. Another psychedelic voyage. Like some moments where it breaks the musicality.

🎧What an adventurous, unusual album this is. Musically interesting and a bit challenging (though not altogether inaccessible). It’s pretty damn out there at times—some of the most enigmatic krautrock I’ve heard, maybe even more than Can. According to Wikipedia “some fans of Faust's earlier work felt that it was a ‘sell-out’ album” which is baffling and hilarious. “The Sad Skinhead” reminds me of Fear of Music-era Talking Heads, wonder if they were aware of Faust. Traces of early Eno in “Giggy Smile.” So yeah, overall did not love it but I can see why this is considered a must-listen pre-death.

Schrill & Thrill - Die Songs “The Sad Skinhead” und “Jennifer” stechen besonders hervor und bieten eine faszinierende Mischung aus Melancholie und Experimentierfreude. Der Rest des Albums ist eine abwechslungsreiche Mischung aus schrillen und spannenden Klängen, die den Hörer auf eine skurile musikalische Reise mitnehmen .. es läuft.

Not something I understand.

Glad we came back to it. More interesting than a lot of other krautrock albums imo.

Faust arp. Cool stuff, though not sure it’s catchy enough for me to come back to it.

Bizzar stugf

happy to hear this fuzzy leftfield shit, but it was pretty underwhelming after awhile

kunni vel við þetta. þarf aðra. 3,5.

I don’t know what to make of this

Weird.

Weird album for me. Definitely some tracks here that I found enjoyable like The Sad Skinhead or the apparently mislabeled Run, but other that will probably always keep me from returning to the album like the 11 minute event less opener. Just an album that never felt like it got into a groove for me. It would hit me with an enjoyable track or stretch of time but then just lose my attention. I guess I enjoyed it overall but I’ll probably forget I ever listened to it.

Truly never heard of this and interested to hear what they sound like. First track in, definitely not what I was expecting. Very cool so far though. Very interesting really not sure what to think, their genres are all over the place. First sounds like euro-electronic music, then 60's rock band, then pink floyd.

I sort of expected polka rock or something when I heard krautrock, but no this was actually pretty cool and I don’t mean to say that as a slight to polka rock.

This would have hit me a lot harder if I’d heard it when I was in my 20s. Or if I’d heard it before I’d heard countless bands who had been influenced by it? It’s good, and I’m glad it did so much for other people, but I guess I’m just old now.

Holy hell this wasn't what I was expecting. Kind of pleasantly surprised. It's not all my thing but the melody's and unique musical refrains kept me interested. Kind of a nice replacement to lofi if you're looking to get some work done with background music.

Pretty good, but way too long

Faust?? Ah, German ambiance industrial music. This is gonna be a tough one. I feel like I’ve been listening to “Krautrock” for 15 years. I think I like “The Sad Skinhead” maybe.

I see it’s influence on other albums

A nice surprise this one…. Will definitely revisit….

Not the worst thing I've ever heard, but not really my style. Experimental yes but not to the point of being annoying. Synth and electronica sounds like it is meant to be there, which I think is the real art behind a band like Faust in a genre like this. Take what is or could be weird and make it sound normal (usually). I really enjoyed the opener Krautrock. The rest kind of got lost on me or felt like it ran together as the album droned on (literally). Ready to move on.

Surprisely good album. Very different from anything else one the list. I am sure some people didn’t like it but what a pleasant surprise

It's actually decent. I expected it to be constant droning noise. The songs range from good to quite bad. "Kautrock" is the best track. I'm surprised by this curiosity. 3 stars for "Faust IV".

A solid and cool record 7/10

Thought this was Feist and it confused the shit out of me.

ive heard krautrock songs in albums not associated with krautrock, but never listened to an album primarily about krautrock. i came into this expecting what i heard before, which now that i think about probably werent mainly krautrock songs, it sure was different. based on release date, this was released in the middle of the krautrock peak but idk cause im not an expert. it was a pretty jarring listen in its entirety. the opener was good, but i didnt think of it as a song with relistenability, but an experience; was nice but hard to listen outside of album perspective. the shorter tracks didnt have enough time to develop and i felt like it overall lacked something. i accept that pure krautrock isnt really my thing, but i appreciate the genre. 3 personal favs: krautrock, jennifer

you know what respect. yeah, you open with an 11 minute minimalist drone track!

alright but a bit repetitive drags on a bit 2.6/5

Lovely surprise! Didnt think I was gonna enjoy this at all. Way ahead of its time! Couldnt believe it was from 1973! Parts were a bit all over the shop for me but will definitely listen again. 3.4

It is impressive that this album came out in 1973 it sounds great and is very interesting, but the overall music just isn't that compelling. I thought the opening track set a good tone for the album and had some interesting ideas. I also thought Jennifer was a nice little song with a cool noise section near the end. The next 2 songs have some cool funky parts but also some bad / annoying parts. Lauft... almost feels like it would belong on The King Of Limbs, but it never really goes anywhere. Overall, some cool ideas and impressive for the time, but as a whole a little boring.

Fun and interesting, but a bit repetitive. More of a 3.5, but going to 3.

3.5

Reasonable background noise whilst I was working. Interesting.

I have to say that there were many a moment where I thought “why?” But, the album also had some intrigue.

It's lowkey a vibe. Favorite track: Giggy Smile

Different!!

I was not expecting "Krautrock" to sound like this but it makes sense. Kind of a prog rock meets, electronic music, meets avante garde/art school mixed. I would have pegged this as a genre of the 80's so to see it's from 73 is wild.

This is just another example of something that everybody wants to be really good but it's just okay

Each song is a different mood. Experimental without being too out there.

This krautrock has potential - I really wanted to rate a "IV" but there's just a bit too much screechy progressive experimentation at times, which takes away from the talented krautwork.

Is this krautrock? Do I like krautrock?

i was prepared for "terrible", so pleasantly surprised to hear "pretty OK".

Interesting listen but not really much to draw me in here.

The first track is a tad hard to get through, giving me the same feeling an avant-garde jazz album may give to one not interested in jazz in the first place (hey, that's also me!) but after that beast of a track the album mellows out a bit and actually has some pretty nice stuff in it. I'll admit that this album being from 1973 earns it the sense of being far ahead of its time, but it doesn't feel like it does enough to really stand out, other than a surface level striking layer to get you feeling euphoric, only for it to mellow rather quickly and then just be a decent, albeit playful and inoffensive, time. There's some stuff here to enjoy, and parts of the longer tracks are nice too, but it never feels like a proper package, and the long tracks never seem to stick the landing, save for Jennifer, which I quite enjoy and see why it would be the "big" track from this release. Its a decent time, and I can see why many quite like this, but also why one would just find this boring.

Sauerkraut(rock)

I can hear the influence this album has on many bands I like, but I like what those bands did more than this album.

A krautrock classic, which is apparently criticised for being a sell-out and far too commercial. It still seems slightly too weird and industrial for my tastes, so pure krautrock probably isn't my thing. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Krautrock Date listened: 18/03/24

Krautrock isn’t my thing. But this is fine.

It's better than the krautrock I've listened to already, but definitely far from being okay. It wasn't irritating, and that tells you something. Definition of average.

Nice composition album. The sum was a bit better than the parts, but it kept me going and was a nice listen. 3/5

Some nice beats and rhythms in here.

Appreciated the lo fi funkiness of this - reminded me of Pavement in parts - with each song taking different directions (often) than the last. Got a little too noisy, borderline-jam band (for me) in parts, but a shockingly enjoyable listen.

I'm very unfamiliar with Krautrock, but this was a dope first go. Very atmospheric and I really enjoyed the ambient elements. Weird asf at times but that's quite charming. Fav songs: - Krautrock - Just a Second - Picnic on a Frozen River - Lauft...

Who knew the Deutschers had such a sense of humor? This is an amazing album for 1973 and 50 years later! Lots of subtle electronic effects in the background. Giggy Smile (best song) is bouncy, weird, and even includes some bad jazz. Jennifer is lame (very, very, very, very repetitive). Will check out more Faust (2.9*s)

I like prog but this is too much

I didn't like it, but i also didn't hate it.

More KrautRock….not as good as Neu!, but better than than last pile of shit…nothing memorable

Not my cup of tea but a worthwhile listen

An experimental album with unfortunately not enough memorable songs.

It's very interesting album for '73 with samples and a brooding airy dreamy sound.

Interesting prog rock

Kind of a weird blend of Neu, Brian Eno, and the more psych trips of The Byrds. Interesting driving music, but not something I'd feel compelled to revisit.

is this a 3 because i like faust or a 3 because i like the idea of faust? idk but show me ur giggy smile

pioniers van de Kraut. Kunt toch we horen waren de heren van bijvoorbeeld the O Sees en King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard een flinke pot mosterd hebben gevonden.

Never heard of these guys before. I like the production on the album

Nada me chamou muita atenção, mas nada chegou a me incomodar. Provável que eu não escute novamente

It wasn’t unpleasant.

just not a fan. but i did like two songs from Disc 2 Piano Piece and Giggy Smile

This is the first album assigned by the album generator that I had zero knowledge of. I am pleasantly surprised. It is very listenable - it has the playfulness of "trippy" Beatles experiments or Zappa.

3- Stars (7/15)

I love that "krautrock" is even a genre and was actually impressed this album was as listenable as it was. Some of the songs are too long and a bunch of them sound the same though. I had fun listening to it nonetheless and def appreciate their bizarre material.

What a bizarre bit relatively enjoyable listen. A couple long drawn out songs of random instrumentals that kinda work for some reason? Not sure I'll ever recommend it but glad i was exposed to it. 2.80 stars, would kraut again

Saaie bedoening bij momenten, maar soms ineens dan toch wel weer geweldig. Een dubbelaar hadden ze hier alleen nooit van hoeven maken. Tussen 2 en 3 sterretjes voor deze Duitse vuist!

First track is a proper musical assault - 11 minutes of instrumental that I'm struggling to describe, it's an overwhelming wall of sound that is really intense without being aggressive. Then a couple of songs that are much more like trippy pop songs, before it's back to the instrumentals. It's a cool, layered sound - would say I was interested in it more than I enjoyed it - but I will come back to it. A solid 3/5.

krautrock ja hyvää soitantaa.. Ei käy niskan päälle ja se on hyvä se..

It's wild how they shift sound so dramatically from song to song. "Krautrock" establishes such an intriguing mood, which they break the spell of aggressively with "The Sad Skinhead" and it takes a few tracks before they bring that sound back. A bit of a rollercoaster that I'm not sure I'm on board with, but there were moments and individual songs that I quite enjoyed.

Not good, not terrible. First track is decent, but the next couple of tracks were just not very good. Strangely reminiscent of NIN ambient tracks or Holy Fuck analog electronica from the mid 00's. Or even MBV in the '90s. It's not something I want or need to listen to, but I can appreciate where it's coming from.

This was aight. Some good songs. I'll call it a 3.

experimental for sure. can't say I would recommend this though , as it's very out there rock. ahead of their time, sure, but hindsight is 20-20.

Enjoyed that this had a lot more space and texture that some of the psych/prog we've had on here. It didn't have the intensity to really dig its hooks in but there were some impressive compositions. Fave track: Giggy Smile

Heard a lot about this band and really thought I’d be sucked in. I guess I was a little let down. Not by a lot, I still enjoyed it, but felt it could have reached a little further in its weirdness. I like the long and repetitive stuff, but sometimes just felt like there was some fun missing. Fave track: Krautrock

Quite liked this. I think I may have heard of the band before but can't say I know them. It was pretty interesting and individual but didn't blow me away.

Intéressant par moments