The Man Machine

After a long break from all the really weird albums, we return to your scheduled broadcast of them with The Man Machine. And in all honesty, this album sounds very ahead of its time considering that it sounds like something that would be from the 80s or 90s yet its from 1978. The general electronic sounds used in the songs worked rather well too even if they could get repetitive but that is what you would expect with electronica albums. It is a bizarre album but that doesn't mean i didn't enjoy it. Best Song: The Man Machine Worst Song: Metropolis

Techno pop.

So techno! Honestly for the genre and the time period it's pretty good. Techno tends to fade into the background for me so I did have to listen a couple of times to really "hear" it.

Props for pioneering.

I listened to The Man Machine on iTunes and found it exceptionally dorky. Bleep bloops and silly repetitive lyrics. Then I had a thought… they’re a German band, why are all their songs in English? Autobahn is in German and it sounds way cooler than the English version “Drive drive drive on the highway” So I looked up the German version, Die Mensch Machine. It’s still bleep bloops but their native language sounds so much better! So I give the English version a 3 and the German version a 4. I also think it shoulda counted as my Duolingo for the day.

Solid Kraftwerk album, had some nice memorable melodies and decent vocal hooks. These aren’t always the most exciting LPs, but this band was pivotal in bringing electronica to the forefront and it’s fascinating to hear that sea change take shape here.

Wel lekker relaxed maar spotify speelde A Forest van the Cure toen het album was afgelopen en toen dacht ik ja weet je ik kan ook naar dit soort dingen luisteren

interesting album. very futuristic and feels like out of an cyberpunk themed movie or game. Looking forward too more work in that lane!

Almost goofy

Didn't know they had electonic music this far back. Not bad.

Interesting album that sounds like the foundation of electronic music

Liked it a lot better than the last inr

Weird, but good. But weird

Legal! Música eletrônica dos anos 70. Interessante! Imersivo. Um pouco parado.

I fuck with it, pretty simple but high quality synth music for the 70s

very nice synths i think you kinda had to be there though…did not entirely retain its interestingness

Must have been dope for the people in the 70s

Gründungsväter des Elektropop und der elektronischen Tanzmusik, bezeichnen sich selbst als Audio Operator.

Cool mostly instrumental synthpop, "Neon Lights" "The Robots" and "Metropolis" all very cool, really dislisked vocals on "The Model". Similar soundtrack to the main theme and soundtrack for Stranger Things.

70s German synthpop, laying the groundwork for 80s new wave & techno.

The man was machining alright very on brand for robotic techno music

Fun electronic 80s robot music but i couldn't listen to an entire album of this

Listened to it without wven realizing it was from the 70's. Was probably the foundation of modern techno. It reminded me of Blue Man Group. Alright to listen to, a blast to game to. Especially a game like hotline miami or rocket league

Very goofy album. This is definitely an upper 3, maybe a low 4. Some of the songs were a little long but it was a fun listen.

Fine, techno-y, good for background music, goes on a bit too long per song for me. Personally not something I can enjoy very purely like "I wanna hear this".

Meh.

“I am a robot” aight good for you man -5/10

Super interesting stuff. Enjoyed the first listen but I don’t know if there are any songs I’d come back to. Pretty crazy that it came out in the 70s 6.5/10

Very influential. From Bowie to Daft Punk. I might need a few more listens as I thought it was slightly dated. But it was interesting and I wouldn't be surprised if this grew on me.

Fine. A classic but it's somehow more dated than most things of the same era.

Only really engaged with the well known one. Rest are ... quite clever but samey

This was not unpleasant, but utterly unmemorable. Nothing really stood out to me but as a fan of electronic music I appreciated their founding and vision of what electronic music could be.

Cool and pretty easy to listen to just not super memorable

German Tomorrowland ambient music

proto - daft punk-y

Early electronic music, feels like daft punk got some inspiration from this

Hypnotic, bordering on repetitive but CAN'T STOP LISTENING!

The robots - it sounds like it was cool and wild in the 70s, not so much now. A little too repetitive, but maybe fun to dance to. Space lab - I liked the first half, then it lost me a bit. Cool synth work tho! Metropolis - probably my fav so far - really cool intro and decent development. The model - pretty simplistic Neon lights - it definitely sounded like neon lights! But it went on a bit long. Great music for a trip The man machine - great backbeat/ostinato. Didn’t go to anywhere interesting, but very vibey.

Strange one. Electronic music is not my most natural genre, but this one was among the easiest I've listened to. Some of it was that it was short, some of it was that there weren't a million layers, and some was that it felt self-awarely tongue in cheek. I'm probably not coming back to the well on this one a ton, but I'll be relatively happy when it shows up on shuffle.

Definitely some interesting sonic landscapes, and clearly can see how much of what will come started here (thinking of you, Daft Punk amongst many others), but can’t say I’ll revisit often.

I had to keep this in context. This was 1970, back before everything popular was digital music. This was pioneering and inspired new worlds of production that’s everywhere now.

It's interesting. I might have to try it again. Will I listen to again: 50%

Естественно за 50 лет от революционности и звука будущего здесь ничего не осталось, но даже сейчас этот альбом слушается как милая попытка в цифровой минимализм, например. Лучшая песня - Spacelab.

Listened Before? N Robot voice synth pop? Cool! 6-9 minute songs? Not so much. I didn't hate it, and it was early on the synth stuff (1979) but nothing I'll come back to. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: The Model

It’s very different, but it’s not horrible. I’ve had much worse offerings on this list.

A major leap forward for stiff-ass German computer nerd jamzzz.

Kraftwerk probably had more influence on the direction of music than the Beatles. Listening back though, it's sort of like playing Goldeneye or another seminal old video game: you have to admit technology has moved on and improved

J: 3; N: 4 Fav: The Model

This was more of a vibe than most electronic music is to me. However, the thing that was not unlike most electronic music was that it was still strictly relegated to the background for me. It just can't interest me enough to do any more

Jakoś tak przeleciało w tle. Na pewno nie jest nieprzyjemne. Bip bop

Surprisingly decent for german robots. 3 bleep bloops out of 5.

Repetitive

7.1/10

Not my cup of tea, but I recognize and appreciate the talent and inventiveness and creativity.

Boring to me now, but I can see how it would be revolutionary when it originally came out.

Clean simple songs in terms of not having much layered on, but fun to listen to for something techno-y

When this came out it must have been earth shattering, I can see the influences that a lot of modern electric music has taken from this album. Today however it's just alright.

Super strange album. Listening to a man repeatedly intone "We are the robots" in a German accent for four minutes is certainly a new experience. Still. Not bad.

I can absolutely see the appeal with this, and can fully understand how exciting it would have been when released… But it just didn’t push the right buttons for me (LOLZO WHAT A ZINGER! Buttons…geddit? Cos they use synths…aye? Oh well, just me) and therefore I’ll stick it with a good three stars.

Better than the Europe express one

60

Ehhh. It’s alright. Probably influential for the time but not my thing.

crazy voor die tijd maar heel repetitive

Toch wel goed hoor poahhhh. Ik kan er wel van genieten. Toch drie sterren

Goed, Het is vooral heel origineel. Ik zou het niet zomaar opzetten.

Quite short but certainly an interesting listen. I knew that the roots of present day electronic music came from this period, but I wouldn’t have expected it to have aged so well. The album’s theme of robots and computers probably helps the sound feel modern. Didn’t have any expectations but was pleasantly surprised.

Was ok. Had loose Daft Punk vibes but nothing amazing

Quite good

Demasiado conceptual

I kinda remembered this as being better.

A true blind spot in my listening is electronic music. I mostly dislike it. Something here sorta worked for me big time. Pulsing beats and interesting composition lead the way for the best electronic album I’ve been suggested thus far.

Kraftwerk walked so Daft could run. Fun

Nice

i liked it at first but it got repetitive very quickly but after reading up on the band and seeing the context that they are some of the godfathers of electronic music while i personally wont be returning i will bump it up 1 star for the pedigree but for my personal listening experience i would give it 2 stars without the bonus but a 5 star for respect because it must've been crazy listening to that in 1978

I like it, but I don’t think I fully get it. Can definitely tell this was ahead of its time, and has influenced so many bands from new wave to electronic to the EDM of today (including one of my all time favorites, LCD Soundsystem), but as a standalone effort I don’t get that much enjoyment from listening to this. I view this in the same way I view early rap albums, I understand their importance in laying the foundation for the genre, but they don’t hold up well given the passage of time.

Very pleasant and retro. Though it gets tiresome after a while. Small doses in a playlist would be enjoyable

Natürlich die deutsche Version gehört. Zu technisch, zu kalt.

Weird and stupid, but weirdly and stupidly enjoyable. I only knew The Model prior to this listen, but to be fair, all the other songs sounded pretty similar to it. It was very good working music, which isn't always a total compliment, as it means it didn't really demand too much attention. One thing I would say about this record is that it's very easy to imagine The Mighty Boosh guys performing this during the episode where they get really into Crunk music. Again, this isn't totally a compliment. Ultimately, there are lots of pros and cons to this, and (weirdly and stupidly) it ends up with an extremely average score.

I'm going to sound like someone who has no idea what they're talking about now, because I don't, but is this really that ahead of its time? I mean, it's pretty decent techno, and was huge for its time, I understand that, but there were other electronic artists at the same time who made songs that I feel captured this up and coming sound better and fuller. I often see the argument "this is crazy for 1978," but Giorgio Moroder had already made multiple tracks that were electronic powerhouses, and artists like Phaedra, while not rocking the house, were showing off the world of ambient along with Brian Eno. So, this album is just an awkward middle ground that doesn't appease either part of my brain. It is pretty decent, as I said, but I would never see myself thinking this is the pinnacle of 70s electronic. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go listen to No. 1 in Heaven.

techno just isnt my fav in general, but it was decent study music

Fun. Weird. Probably pretty simplistic. We are the robots is catchy and the next one is almost baroque or renaissancy in melody.

Pretty interesting sound.

Interesting. I understand Kraftwerk is considered pretty influential. Not my favorite.

Kind of fun to hear one of Daft Punk’s predecessors at work and see how they shaped the landscape of electronic music. Not my favorite for everyday listening though.

Dit doet me terugdenken aan mijn synthesizer periode. Cool!

gammelt elektronisk, konceptuelt, holder stadig

Crawled so daft punk could walk

Way more fahn than the Autobahn

great album, takes some of the concept album feel and just leans into a concept band. Not a top listen, but definitely appreciated.

Good. Sunday morning chill listening perhaps

Meh. It was okay. The vocals really take away from the groovy electronic music. 3/5 for the entire album.

Not really my thing, but not bad. I can see how this would have been influential to the artists of the time. There's definitely new wave roots in here.

Boop beep bop boop beep. I crave ze boop bop beep.

did not understand really

I dont really like it too much, but its not all that bad and has a mild appeal. A 2.5 getting a 3.

Bouncy, and had me dancing in the shower. Can feel how Kraftwerk influenced so many bands, from Daft Punk to the DJ circuit. Not too much to say, just a solid dance album. Standouts: Metropolis, Neon Lights, The Man Machine

5/5 on influence but not one I'd put on often. May be influenced by me being tired when I listened to it

Hate Brit and jazzy metal Krautrock- but this was listenable background.

Listened to half of the album- not my jam but I can see how people like it. By the mid mark though kinda all flowed together and it felt like one LOOOONNNGGG song.

Decent

Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

The Robots- 6/10 😵‍💫🤖 They are the robots Spacelab- 6/10 it is a space lab Metropolis- 5 you could never guess the lyrics The Model- 6 Neon Lights- 7 The Man Machine-5

Nice but not as good as I imagined it would be.

Okayish weird industrial

Electronic Soundtrackish

I understand the disruptive impact this had when it first came out, but sadly it doesn't work on me

Very cool. Retro futuristic. Will listen again. Three Stars.

Prefer the droning, not the lyrics. Good as background music for a workday, but I don't think I could actively sit down and listen to this as an album experience.

i appreciate kraftwerk crawling so the rest of us could eventually run, but this does feel a liiiiitle bit like listening to someone play hot cross buns. great music to zone out to, probably wouldn't listen through again, but i do harbor a soft spot for the model in the same way i have soft spots for all the classic songs my dad would play for me growing up

Would not have known they were saying Metropolis if it wasn’t literally the song title Typically I’d go for electronic music with more going on and also with more lyrcis but I liked the album

So revolutionary... ahead of their time. Mad respect.

Not bad, not really my style anymore but I can see why it was added. It did pass the time quite well

I'd imagine this is one of the first albums Daft Punk heard. While there isn't a ton of "meat" to this album, I did like it for background music.

Really funky and different. Lots of influence for the current Retrowave themes. Not a fan of the vocal clips/additions. Fav tracks: The Model, Metropolis

Chillig

That was all right. Didn't really like the opener, but something about the clean tones and sparsity worked for me by the end. Might put it on in the background. Can't quite give it a 4 so...

Great!

Hit and miss for me. I quite like some of the songs, but a lot of them felt a bit "parody" - the kind of songs that a parody of a late 70s German techno-pop band might produce.

Fun

Interesting album, if a bit repetitive. Thanks for synthpop, Kraftwerk.

Reminded me of a scoring for night rider or a futuristic LA detective noir. Good background music for video games

Not bad but repetitive

Enjoyed the experimental aspects of the album. Could be more musical in nature, but amazing synth sounds.

Robot city be praised

Meio mecânico Interessante

Rrrobaht

Not a huge fan of this ambient type but this was ok!

A nice small album, quite enjoyable and would listen again.

cool bleeps and bloops clearly super influential BUT kinda cold and soulless and lacking groove. Music for robots

Every song is good and has a different feel to it, overall great early synth-pop album Best songs: The Model, Neon Lights

Extra star for the very nice Neon Lights

Definitely not my kind of music. I can see the appeal, especially in 1978. Must have been a real trip to listen to back in the day. My personal taste says 2/5 stars, but giving it 3 because of the technical achievement it must have been.

Wow, things happens and some sweet sounds.

Interesting Album not something I crave to listen to repeatedly but I like how committed it is to a musical concept and trying to really tap into modern themes, embracing them in a way that feels simultaneously loving and ironic.

In 1978, in my school Gym/Dance class they used to play Kraftwerk for us to compose dances to. I didn’t realise how progressive this was at the time. But the rigid structure absolutely lends itself to anybody trying to choreograph movement. Even uncoordinated, 11-year-olds. The Model still holds up as evidenced by its use as background music on countless TV show montages. Distinctive and original and in some ways timeless.

I was expecting to find this difficult/impossible to listen to, and while this isn't music that appeals to me, I was finding things to like about the clinical made-in-a-lab vibe of the opening tracks. Then the lyrics and vocals came in and it almost seemed to be parody. "The Model," specifically, was inadvertently funny. At the same time, I was struck by what seemed to be genuine attempt at something... AI before AI? But, where I groove on Laurie Anderson's clear goal of sarcasm, irony, and wordplay in what might be regarded a similar genre, I was never certain if this was for fun or for real. (Their being German, I'm leaning toward the latter). So, what did I think of it? I'm glad it's over and I didn't totally dislike it?

While listening I couldn't help think that Kraftwerk inspired Mike Myers' Sprockets skit. Sometimes real German Kultur und Musik come off as such parody and I love it even more. This is the case for Kraftwerk. It's more than a 3 but 4 feels like I'm totally being swayed b/c I'm a Deutschophile.

Did not know that LCD Soundsystem had ripped off The Robots for Get Innocuous. Super clean and sparse dance electronic. Vocal track makes me think of Flight of the Concords and I love it. I will say that knowing how Get Innocuous used the sound its hard not to want to hear that song. The production on this album is very clean. Crisp notes out of the synths that make for some sci-fi core vibes. The Model is kind of cringy and reminds me of the Thomas Dolby song "She Blinded Me With Science." I like this album a lot more than the first Kraftwek album that came up on this list. Still not on a short list of albums I'd like to listen to again, but I appreciate some aspects. 3 / 5

Good enough album from some of the pioneers of electronic music. Good to put in the background.

Kopfhörermusik, IMO komische Auswahl, Techno Pop und electric Cafe sind die besseren Alben Neonlicht große Entdeckung

Not really for me, though I respect it's nearly 50 years old now and The Model is class and it's short.

Technically I'm sure very impressive at the time, but feels a bit dated now in places (the vocals are definitely a bit clunky, and The Model is a bit too straight down the line in terms of the beat) - but much of the rest has held up really well. 3/5 again.

I quite like the electric music genre and enjoyed a few of these songs. But some of the songs are more repetitive, I liked them better when there were either less lyrics so the focus was more on the music or when the lyrics were more varied. Overall, it was a nice change to what I usually listen to.

I liked this more than I thought I would. Songs are twice the length of a standard song, and I kind of phased in and out during each song. Perfect listen after a long day of work, as background music, or for those just instrumental moods (some words but barely noticeable)

I was somewhat into this one.

This is much better than the Autobahn album - there's a few real songs here that are decent (The Robots, The Man Machine) but there are still a few tracks that don't really go anywhere.

The Robot and The Model are Alfa. Others are okay. Repetitive and too long. Enjoyed it more than I hated it.

good length spacelab

Meh mostly boring 2.5

I felt like someone came up to me and handed me their mix tape they made in a garage. I feel like I would be listening to this band in some seedy underground club. Honestly I dig the appeal of the band and based on the year they made this album, they were definitely setting up a movement and not just another one following the movement. They were building their own scene. The album though was just a little silly lyrical wise and was more a BGM to my day than a listen on it's own.

electric fun

It's fine, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it again.

More interesting than I suspected. I have never had much time for Kraftwerk. I saw them play live at Latitude years ago but it felt to me like a novelty act. Revisiting this album was good for me though. Richer and more layered than I’d remembered. Still repetitive.

A siolid 3 A bit weird but definitely cool definitely hear the influence on Daft Punk's Homewerk

overall rating: 7/10 favourite song: spacelab ( 8/10 ) runner up favourite: metropolis ( 8/10 ) least favourite: the robots ( 3/10 ) album cover: 3/10 vocals: electronic voice 4/10 normal voice 6/10 instrumentals: 8/10 would i recommend ? : only if i really knew someone would like it other: the genre is dance and electronic so i have high hopes. the vocals aren’t my absolute favourite (especially the electronic voice ) , but the instrumentals are awesome.

The influence Kraftwerk had on electronic music as a whole is undeniable and you can hear it in all the songs, but sadly for me personally, the tracks are just a little bit to long and after the first few minutes, they just drag on and on, making me feel bored. Still have to give them credit for what they achieved.

You can hear the influence almost immediately on bands like Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem. I'm pretty sure I was too harsh on this group the last time we had one of their albums. They were immensely important in the electronic landscape, I just want the music to be a bit more interesting on a surface level.

So this one is a bit off for me. I like it but I'm I think I might like Trans- Europe Express more. This is Trim. It's has nothing more than you need but I might need just a touch more. Like 1 more song. Very classic very kraft. Some good vocals here and there. Good beep. Good boop. 3*

I’d never heard of Kraftwerk until this listen, and while techno is not my style, I was pleasantly surprised by the agreeability of all six tracks. Throughout “The Robots” I felt like a microscopic sea creature was trying to get the Krabby Patty secret recipe outta me. Ravioli, ravioli, give me the formu-oli! The beginning of “Spacelab” almost sounds like the intro to the Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle,” but the song eventually settles into more of a Space Invaders feel. “Neon Lights” could be background music in a coffee shop where all the baristas are mid-thirties dudes named Bartholomew with beards reminiscent of the Gilded Age presidents, or could be music to fall asleep to. “The Model” gives us a glimpse into what New Order would sound like if they hailed from Central Europe. In fact, once the album wrapped up and Spotify started shuffling recommended songs, “Blue Monday” came first. I can’t say I’ll go out of my way to listen to more Kraftwerk, but none of the tracks are overbearing and I can see how this would be good background music to focus to. I’ll give ‘em a few points for that.

I've been home all week with COVID and maybe that's why I'm interested in this album. I'm not a huge electronica guy but the sounds and music of this album are scratching a part of a brain I didn't know had an itch.

Lekker retro en een bijzondere luisterervaring, maar echt mooie muziek vind ik het niet.. Eigenlijk 2,5*

I really have no reason to like the bleep and boops that were all over this album, but I did. I have a weird fetish for electronica and synth-pop. Kraftwerk is a band I have never heard (other than a few songs) and I am going to need to investigate them more.

Interesting, enjoyed. Crazy to think this came out in '78. 3/5

Liked it more than the other Kraftwerk album

Interesting - some good songs but a bit dated.

Not necessarily something I would listen to again, but I'm glad I listened to it, I will have 'we are the robots' chanting in my head for eons.

Is it the restraint? Is it the goofiness? Do I just miss simple synths? I don't know what it is, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Nao lembro mais mas foi mais legal do que eu pensava

I thought this would be worse! For some reason I expected something more industrial. Not bad at all!

Better than I expected, but not something I would ever play much. Favorite song: the robots

Yah, der Kraftwerk!!

Loads of people love them, I appreciate their contribution but I'll gladly skip every track in their material.

This is not my genre whatsoever, but I’ve got to respect what these guys seemed to have done for electronic music. Also, the album kind of goes hard. It was a fun listen the first time around and the second time I kind of let it surround me. Will I ever listen again? Not sure. But I’m glad I’ve heard it. Best: space lab, metropolis MMM: MEEEEETROOOOOPOLISS

meh

If one can get beyond the cliched-sounding “Robots” -- which feels like a joke, thanks to SNL's famous Sprockets skit -- there are intriguing moments here, both on their own terms and relative to the poisoned chalice of the dreaded influence. “Neon Lights” is lovely. But here again the datedeness of the synths undercuts the impact (is that a Casio? an Atari?). One's time commitment to minimalism would be more rewardingly spent with Steve Reich or Terry Riley. If it's pop music, just how avant garde or aesthetically enriching can it be?

Pioneers of Electronica granted but a tad bit pretentious! A few more listens will probably grab me but not convinced yet, however The Model is a great track!

Reminiscent of the old-school electronic sound

Es como un Daftpunk del 78'. Está muy bueno, muy electrónica también con tintes 80s. Está para volver a escucharlo.

A model of sonic steadiness.

These guys were pretty groundbreaking. I enjoyed some bits more than others.

- scene - papa is in the corner in his easy chair with a large glass of scotch and the trauma and guilt of the war not long behind him heavy on his shoulders and unbearable to live with young klaus is wearing a red suit and tie beeping and booping on his synthesizer papa cries klaus (expressionlessly) - "BEEP BEEP BOOP BEEP" papa remembers the screams from the little children and their faces. he takes the pill from secret drawer. it will all be over now. his head crashes onto the desk. klaus (doing the robot) - "BOOP BOOP BOOP BEEP" the camera pans out

this feels like an alien ship is beaming information straight into my brain. 3 stars

Beep boop beep boop

beepboopbeepboopbeepboop

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: I did, some great work of synth in this Favourite song: some good tracks but wouldn’t listen to any casually so none

Looooooong Hiatus: Jackson: Oh thankgod, sub 40 mins. Also note I am now on the Panasonic headphones. A noticeable step down from the wh-1000 xm3's. Very tinny treble, lacking base. Average noise cancellation. The robots is kinda annoying. Skipped a certain way in, very wounding. Space lab is better, nothing special. Metropolis better again, liking the model. Neon lights is alright. Title Track! This is the most fresh sounding. Peak: The model Metropolis The man machine Pit: The robots. Overall: Yeah not my style, but not too annoying, some good moments. Definitely unique but I have heard lots similar due to its age it doesn't sound as revolutionary. But I'm sure it was. It's a low 3.

I liked Neón lights and the model and idk it was funky I kinda liked it I guess

After first song I was thinking to myself: “I don’t know if i can finish this” Lmaoo just felt kinda dated. BUT THEN, spacelab came in and OOO shit we’ve got a jam going. I felt like I was a cybernetic drug dealer in tron cruising on my hoverbike hahahha. YOOO those layered synths in Metropolis!!!!!! Hahahha this is so shnasty

Hard to go above a 3, but I feel like I get it now. Just the sound of the synths alone must have been incredible back then, but as well as that they already had an understanding of how to put this sort of music together as a whole

Well you certainly know what you get, with Kraftwerk. Pleasant enough to listen to, extremely repetitive but it seems like that's their thing.

Computers. Synths. Keyboards. Drum machines. Who could ever have imagined that music would have come to this. Or that it would be listenable? Kraftwerk always managed to do something amazing. But listening to this album makes me feel as though I am in an elevator in a science fiction movie. It’s how I imagine the elevator music would sound. It also predates the 80s sound by several years, making it ground breaking and influential in the same breath. I don’t know how anyone could listen to this over and over again though. It’s very interesting listening to it for this project, but honestly I could t do it on a daily basis. It would send me insane. Maybe that is just what it was intended for…

Interesting to listen to this album, memories of my days in P6 primary school hearing this emergent experimental synth group, what was this new sound and do I like it, even with the strong German accent singing. They weren't really my thing, and the synth on this album sounds very dated now, but you have to credit these guys for the progression of music, because you can hear the roots or basic formula for later DJ created club tracks and a ehole new genre of music. If it hadn't been for experimental synth groups like this, we would still be rocking all over the world to the Quo and that would be sad.

Quite enjoyed this one

A family cannot live on kraftwerk alone

I understand that this is a progenitor to modern techno, trap, house music, but to me it is just dated. Not bad at all, technically great, and I have to appreciate the work put in but to me, it's just an old techno album.

Neon Lights wins the award here.

I liked it and you can definitely hear how they influenced other bands.

Dystopisen kuuloista vanhaa analogista elektronista musiikkia

Solid electronic album, kraftwerk so ahead of their time. Deserves its place on the list.

This album is soooo much better than Trans-Europe Express. This one has melody and purpose and some songs that are even a bit catchy. They're still pretty simple songs, not a complicated in anyway but with a tinge of creativity, which goes a long way.

Nice voor in de auto nachtrittrn

Interesting proto-electronic music

Beep boop beep bobeep

Synth-tastic. However, it is missing an artistic flair. It would blend in with any synthwave album released today. Technically impressive for the time though.

Would be 2 stars if released now, but seeing it's 45 years old shows this album made the list for innovation. Likely will not listen again but happy this influence is all over modern music. 3/5

~ ~ ~

Sounds like if blue man group played while you wait in line for test track. Pretty awesome mix to it though. Amazing on a good set of headphones. Still struggling with long mostly-instrumental albums

If someone put this on, I would have thought "who let their teenage son near the synthesizers?" But since I knew it was Kraftwerk, I had to open my mind a bit and remember that they laid the groundwork for a lot of the electronic music we know NOW. Even keeping that in mind, it's not like I think myself "man, how did they DO that? That sounds incredible!" Still, it's very atmospheric. It's something I would definitely have in the background, but not something I would be actively listening to all the time. Moving on.

Interesting album, but the main question I had while listening was WHY ON EARTH ARE THERE 3 KRAFTWERK ALBUMS IN THE 1001 ALBUMS?? I get that they were groundbreaking, but we could hear the groundbreaking-ness from one album and that's enough. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed listening to this, but there are an awful lot of albums I enjoy that didn't make the 1001 albums. Anyway, I liked this one more than the previous Trans-Europe Express. The tracks that most caught my ear were Spacelab and Metropolis (shades of Daft Punk and the Stranger Things soundtrack on the latter - both clearly owe a debt to Kraftwerk), but all the tracks were good. Moving on...

Kraftwerk jaksaa ilahduttaa (varsinkin livenä - söpöt vanhat sedät läppäriensä takana plim plom), mutta onhan tämä vähän höpsö levy.

Pienoneerityötä tämäkin, ja sisältää tiukkoja raitoja kuten Das Model. En sitten tiedä onko tää musiikillisesti niin erikoista musaa muulta osin kuin siltä että tää on tehty aikana jona tää oli täysin uutta. Olishan tää hyllyssä kiva. Alkuperäiskielellä jotenkin vielä hieman väkevämpi minusta. 3/5

It's funny how robots used to be thought of as these physical creations with dead-giveaway mechanical voices, when in reality robots are "bots", unseen software that often fools people into thinking they are fellow humans. The robots are smarter than we gave them credit for, their takeover more insidious and complete. Robots have evolved beyond our anthropomorphic conceit. That's okay, though, because we still think of space as this super-interesting place where cosmic winds of music push our ships along, where our spacemen can float.

Interesting 70’s electronica. Impressive composition for the time, but probably wouldn’t listen again as it’s not my preferred music

I respect this record’s innovation more than I enjoy it. ‘The Model’ is the only song that goes anywhere melodically.

Solid arena rock. Obv. One of the best the genre has to offer. No Appetite for Destruction though

Если учесть, что это 78 год, то это очень даже прикольно, но не более того

I mean, for 1978 this had to be pretty advanced stuff.

Eclectic but a little repetitive on the electronica for me. Definitely ahead of their time

Boop beep boop

Felt like a robot walking to the factory as I went to the library today with the rest of the masses.

Though short, I thought it was great! I know Kraftwerk are like THE original influential synth music maker people and I've heard some of their tracks but not this album. It was enjoyable! More listenable than I thought. I figured it would be experimental and minimal but it actually had some great moments- like the fantastic pop song "The Model". high 3/5 for me. Not quite 4 but if I'm sure people who love electronic music LOVE them.

You know when you put an album on and immediately know it’s going to make your cats pissed off

Can hear the influence on 80s an this eras music

Not bad, reminded me of the song Ross from Friends made on his keyboard, but generally interesting.

J’aime comment ils ont embrassé la technologie pour aller ailleurs. Plusieurs choses ont découlé de ce son.

Nope. I appreciate that these guys are pioneers in electronic whatever this is. So respect for that - it was a pretty radical break from the guitar-heavy anthems of the 70s. But since I already used the "Ross' soundscapes" metaphor, I have to up my game - this is basically the finale of "Revenge of the Nerds" when they play the concert and all of a sudden everyone loves them (as a side note, it's amazing that nerds were seen as outsiders IN COLLEGE; it's also gratifying to see that, 30 years later - the nerds won, bitches!; but I digress...). My breakdown - one star for not causing physical and mental distress (looking at you, Napalm Death), one star for singing about robots, and one star for the innovation. But this won't be entering my regular rotation.

It’s kind of pleasant, but in the words of my fifth grade daughter, this music is fine for a sci-fi movie or video game but I wouldn’t want to sit and listen to it. Actually, I might kind of sit and listen to it though I’m not sure.

At first this felt like a novelty act, but as I got deeper into the album I started to like it. I found the music really interesting. 3 stars.

not my style of music but it was alright

Electro Style Allemand. Efficace, un peu redondant, mais amusant si dans le mood.

5/10. I admire the robots' ability to roll their r's, but not much else about this album. Some of the songs sounded kinda cool, though

Their call and response song structure gets pretty tired when every song is like 6 minutes long. Still cool they were able to make these sounds in the 70s. 5/10

decent

Apparently very good for the 70s, needs a relisten

Early German techno. Standout is "The Model".

weird space

It sure was a Kraftwerk album! Not terrible, I was into it. 3.5 stars

Música electrónica alemana fácil de escuchar, con toques de sintetizadores y sin apenas vocales. Pasa un poco desapercibido

Different, yet good.

Don’t know where this album sits in the history of electronic music but it wasn’t the worst way to start my day. Definitely reminded me of some sweet NES tracks. 'The Robots' was a bop with its funky beats though the 'we are the robots' line had me laughing. Liked the haunting melodies of 'Spacelab' and 'Metropolis' evoked Ryan Gosling coolly driving around LA at night. The standout for me though was the long, laid-back jam of 'Neon Lights'.

Getting serious LCD Soundsystem vibes from this, they must have been an influence. I don't love the drum machine sound(s) they use here, but you can't argue that it doesn't fit. I've actually heard the Love Tractor version of Neon Lights and I really like that song, so it was pretty fun to have that "wait a second" moment while learning that this is actually the original. Weirdly, I like the cover better. I'm not sure I have any standouts, since the album is just 6 long songs, but overall I liked it.

Kraftwerk doing its Kraftwerk thing. What’s to say? Super modern in its time, the intentional monotony wears thin after a while.

surprisingly modern, except the drums

I was a little stoned when I listened to this, so maybe it’s a 2, but sounded alright! Just the one song that I knew

I love Kraftwerk but this one is much more boring than like, Computer World (or even Techno Pop!!)

I feel like it worked for playing StarCraft to

The album starts with the robots, initially a well formed piece of bleep bloops into a song that I think I recognise but I don’t like it too daft punk for me. Spacelab is a slightly interesting mostly instrumental track, I personally would’ve opened with this as an intro track. Metropolis again isn’t my kinda thing but it’s still solid I guess. I like the model it’s a good dance song with a great groove and feels the least robotic of all the tracks! Neon lights is long, very long but if it wasn’t so long the album would be 5 songs lasting 20 minutes so i’am happy it’s there. The closer the man machine goes back to the super daft punk esque roboticness its good but not a song I would reach out for. 3/5 good music not really my genre.

Lays the ground work for new wave and all the synth stuff in later years. Not really into this genre but they were at least trying to do something new.

Definitely not my cup of tea, but interesting

Electrónica.

Not my taste, too techno with not enough lyrics. It’s good though

I get the importance of this album, but not my style.

revolutionary

Excellent.

I was not enjoying this until The Model started. I looked at it differently then, kind of enjoyable. Only saved The Model though, so maybe it’s just that.

Decent, but not great.

unusual again, I want to listen again, but I don’t want to put a very high mark лол

An enjoyable background listen

Pues sí, naturalmente una piedra angular de este género, pero nada que me vuelva loco. Par de cosas notables (The Model, por el cover de Rammstein) y el punto de ser corto y conciso.

'70s daft punk!

Another album I don't know how to rate. Kraftwerk is a band I appreciate what they did because they we're quite a ahead time but at times there music seems so dated and down right cheesy. I assume this album was picked for the song Model, which is maybe the first techno pop song ever. Therefore do I rate this album for what it inspired or how it sounds in 2022. Going to split the difference at 3 stars.

Couldn’t wait for it to be over. Which felt like a very long time. But keeping in mind it was 1978, and what came after, I’ll bump it a star.

An album I wanted to like more than I did. It was fine, but it was so of it's time that it's a little hard to listen to now. My kids thought it was funny, but I don't think it's supposed to be a comedy album.

Prima plaat, moet vaker Kraftwerk aanzetten

Listening to this, you can hear how much music borrowed from them. Not just electronic artists, but there was a huge influence on New Wave and all that followed.

I am really torn on this... so influential, and for short periods, amazing, but phew, listening to it straight through was kinda tough... so going middle of the road on the score with a 3.

Mellow stuff from the German keyboard enthusiasts. Usual fare about robots and the future, though this time one of the boys has taken a fancy to a model who's more in love with her camera than him. Poor nerd.

Only goes so far. “Robots” is way too Sprockets-y right out of the gate, though subsequent tracks set a more artful mood and tone. Intermittently intriguing and even lovely (“Neon Lights”) but the synths make it very much non-timeless. One feels the pressure to like it as a signifier of good taste, but it’s just not aged all that well to these ears. For monotonous minimalism, give me Steve Reich or Terry Riley. If it’s high-concept and avant-garde (“sound poetry”), should we even consider it pop (much less rock) music?

I love this concept of a sci-fi album with minimal robotic singing, especially ahead of the new wave craze. This reminded me a lot of something you might have heard in a 70s Tron movie. In fact, I'm sure these guys influenced a lot of new wave and electronic artists that would come to the scene later in time. This was both a strange and cool listen.

Listened to these guys a bit in high school. It was always for the novelty of it and that a friend loved them, not that I really thought they were amazing. Listening 25 years later, I can hear a lot of their influence in music I listen to today, like synthwave. I find myself bobbing my head to the music. But I still don't love it. It's just ok.

Very influential and ahead of its time, however if we leave this out and purely focus on the music, then its just not more than 3 stars for me. The melodies and instrumentals are decent, could have done without many of the lyrics

There seem to be a lot of albums like this on the list. Glad I listened but probably won't listen to it again. Wouldn't skip a song if I heard one, but wouldn't seek one out. Interesting album but I'm not interested.

Okay, yup this is kraftwerk. check.

Interesting listen! I remember when they hit the airwaves with Autobahn and having a fleeting interest in them at the time. Album is an okay listen but as noted by Nick - sounds very dated. You can't deny their huge influence on electronica and some of its sub genres. I would give it a 3 out of 5, mainly for its influences.

Innovative and influential. While it may not stand up to our modern expectations around electronica/new wave/bleeps and bloops in our songs, it's hard to deny its technical achievement and its importance in the history of modern music. And if I never have to hear "The Model" again, it'd be too soon. Fav Track: Neon Lights, Metropolis

The distant future/The year 2000 I think Flight of the Conchords might have ruined this band for me. Despite that, I can see how this album would have been really innovative for its time. And the influence on new wave, electronica, and bands like Daft Punk is apparent throughout. Listening in 2023, it sounds a little dated, goofy, and retro, but still clearly well-produced and realized and an important steppingstone in modern music. Iconic almost to the point of self-parody. In fact, I feel like the biggest hits on this record (The Robots, The Model) are the most annoying songs of the bunch. Yet the album is still a lot of fun if you're in the right mood. 🤖 Should it be on this list? 5/5 Personal rating: 3/5 Favourites: Spacelab, Metropolis, Neon Lights

Альбом, который повлиял на десятилетия вперед

Interesting. I can see how unique and groundbreaking it was in its time, and its influence on modern electronic music.

I'm not a massive Kraftwerk fan but this is undoubtedly a vibe and as I think we've said before on here they were clearly very influential on a lot of music, I guess I just wouldn't ever choose to listen to them

An interesting electronic album. No recognized songs

Fun- i could see what they were creating

2.5/5 Not really my type of music, but I can see why people like this. It’s not bad, just not my style. Favourite song: - Neon lights

It still sounds like the future! I have no idea how they made this in 1978. It must have been incredible to have heard it at the same time as punk…

So these guys didn't do Tron? Because it sounds like they should have. Daft Punk back in the day. Not a bad listen!

After listening to their last album, they try to keep the same course. They also added 2 catchy songs. (6/10) FT: The Model, Neon Light

very cool och ball och allt det där men man orkar ju inte med så mkt sånt här i streck tycker jag

Stabil, Obevekligt banbrytande har dock åldrats sisådär.

I expected ... I don't know? More? I've previously reviewed their album, "Autobahn" and quite enjoyed it's layered symphony. This album, however, seemed... amateur. Kinda boring, really. Shame.

Average, early pioneering electronica. Groundbreaking for the ‘70’s but hasn’t weathered so well over time

Pretty funky.

Futuristic electronic music by one of the first acts in that genre, besides the massive influence i think this record must have had in the electronic genre i don't think it has aged that well, but even with that it was a fun listen and i will probably try it again, mostly the tracks i enjoyed. Fav Tracks: Neon Lights, The Man Machine

Meh, I’d rather listen to Donna Summer - or even Robbie Williams actually.

This album sounds like it was exclusively used to score B movies from the 80s even though it came out in 1978. It also sounds like a sort of progenitor to daft punk because it’s much more simplistic but still well produced.

3.5, takie o, ale brkthrgh.

some of the trecks are great

Good electronic music.

Lots of respect for this extraordinary sounds and recordings. They opened up a door for a whole new musical genre. It was fun to listen to but rather felt like a musical history class than something I would listen to in my everyday life.

interesting samples

Interesting. But, gets monotonous.

Didn't age that well, it was OK. The vocals did not work for me it was distracting and unnecessary. Overall: 6/10 I like Mort Garson - Plantasia much better in the same ish genre.