The Man Machine

Surprised me honestly, never thought Kraftwerk would be for me but i really enjoyed it, very warm and fuzzy music

Kraftwerk is brat. Fave tracks: The Robots, The Model, Neon Lights, The Man-Machine 5/5

Will AI be the next motzart? No need to wonder just listen to this album

“Neon Lights“ Magnificent & Beautiful

Rätt otroligt ändå att det håller så pass bra som det gör

love it

couldn't imagine how much my head would have exploded if i heard this in 1978

Dieses Album von Kraftwerk gehört zu eines der kommerziellen Werken. "Wir sind die Roboter", " Das Model" und "Neonlicht" sind Hits und in vieler Ohren leicht zugänglich. Mir persönlich gefällt das gesamte Album, da ist kein Lückenfüller, sondern die Songs und das Albumkonzept wurden sehr gut durchdacht gestaltet. Ein Meilenstein.

Already heard it, but why not. Kraftwerk is arguably the second most important band behind The Beatles. In fact, they are The Beatles of electronic music. I love Kraftwerk. One of my favorite bands of all time, and this album is pretty much perfect. All the songs are bangers. All of them! This album focuses on the contrast of humanity and machinery. A theme that was also used in the 1927 classic film, "Metropolis" (Incredible movie). In fact, this album has a track called "Metropolis". It has the singles: "The Robots", "Neon Lights", and of course, "The Model". "Spacelab" is epic "space disco"-like music. The production on this album is fucking amazing! It's so sharp! So clear! And reminder: This was in 1978! And it sounds like an album from another dimension from another year, like 2199. Even if I get sick of one of the songs of this album (hello "The Model"), that doesnt mean the song sucks. I still love the song, but I dont listen to the specific song, until it feels refresh. Yeah, this is perfect. Definitely their best album in my eyes, and if there is an album that is as close to perfection as Man Machine is, that is Computer World (which sadly didnt make the 1001 Albums book). Kraftwerk are so ahead of their time. Their influence on music is just mesmerizing to look at. Like, how these German guys from the Krautrock scene create some of the most mesmerizing electronic music (just like how Jim Morrison prophetized) and have a huge influence on genres like post-punk, synth-pop and hip hop is beyond me. Their concepts on albums like Autobahn, Radioactivity, Trans Europe Express, this one, Computer World, even Tour De France are very fucking creative and very well put. Love this album, love this band. I could praise it for hours. Rest In Peace, Florian Schneider! 🙏🏻🕊️ -favorite songs: all of them -least favorite song: N/A

I was surprised of the lack of electronica, and here we go with the grandfathers of electronic music. Great relisten!

So simple, but so food

When the moment’s right, Kraftwerk slaps. I don’t think I’ve listened to this one and it may be my favorite record of theirs that I’ve heard. It has such rich sounds that don’t sound overly late 70’s. It still sounds futuristic today. I only had time for one listen but I think it’s worth 5 stars.

It’s hard to believe this was released in 1978. It sounds so well layered with both technical mastery and keen artistry, paired perfectly with their overall aesthetic.

Großartig!

One of the best ever and my favourite from Kraftwerk. The first album I ever bought as well. Not a single weak point of the whole thing just perfection the whole time. 10/10.

An amazing album. 5 stars for The Model, alone! Sounds brilliant still. I love all of this - a jewel of an album. 🤖

Love it! Brilliant from start to finish. Is this the best electronic album ever?

I enjoyed Air and Daft Punk a lot, and considering that: I should have anticipated how much I would like this! I have always been aware of Kraftwerk (there were many tributes to them in Berlin when I visited) but have never listened. Despite being surpassed technologically by many that have come since, something about the minimalist soundscapes here is totally unmatched. The simplicity makes this one all the more effective. The long tracks and short runtime suits it perfectly, and I couldn’t have asked for more. Strongly approved by Lucy too.. WE ARE THE ROBOTS 🤖 Favourite tracks: The Robots, The Model

Big fan of this album since Mum helped me identify The Model after the melody popped into my head one day about 10 years ago. I was looking forward to Kraftwerk coming up on this list. Wayyyy ahead of its time, still sounds like the future now. They basically created the electronic & techno genres. Brilliant the whole way through. I listened to this on my flight home from Croatia. Had this incredible moment when Neon Lights was playing as the plane was lifting in the night air, lights flashing on the plane and the runway, then seeing the lights of Split from above. The plane lights even seemed to be in time with the music. Hell of a song/moment combo. Very cool album, have enjoyed before and will enjoy again!

I know this well, it's a gem

One of my Fav kraftewerk album. Probably their most listenable

Wir laden unsere Batterie - jetzt sind wir voller Energie

I've never listened to Kraftwerk before, but knew about them and immediately clocked their influence on a lot of music I like. Beautiful electronic jams, dancey rhythms, funny lyrics. I knew I would be into this because of the legacy but I was even more delighted than I expected, I thought this would be moodier but I was surprised by its lightness. I really enjoyed my pre-dawn drive into work to "Neon Lights"

Die Mensch-Maschine I love this album, a bit more pop perhaps than Trans Europe Express, but more focused than Autobahn, but still meticulously constructed. The technical skill is amazing really when you consider the technologies they were woking with. On some tracks they are a pop band and then on others they sound more like modern classical composers The Robots is a great bit of catchy synth pop. Almost feels like they were parodying their own image. Spacelab is a favourite of mine, I love the cadence of synth melody against the pulsing percussion and rhythms. Metropolis - 1950s Berlin, a private eye is watching a man through the rain, the shop signs dimly illuminating the side of his face. Cigarette smoke rises warily from the discarded cigarette on the ground. The man starts to walk toward Potsdamer Platz and the private eye slips out of the comforting doorway and follows the man into the solitude of the night. The Model is a just a great pop song, excellent catchy vocal and synth melodies, the synth warm and soft against the matter of factness of the lyric. Neon Lights is just a beautiful bit of music, one of their best songs. I love the contrast of the repeating and catchy hook with the ominousness of the ‘vocals’ and atmosphere. Each song stands on its own, but as an album of 6 pieces of music this is great. I often think Kraftwerk are more like modernist classical composers than songwriters, in how they manage to evoke moods and atmospheres across multiple tracks. I love the theme of man and technology driving Robots, Spacelab and The Man Machine and the fascination with the man made environment in Metropolis and Neon Lights. And looking at a woman with The Model. It’s a five for me, a step up from Autobahn and on a par with Trans Europe Express. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The best record by one of the most influential bands ever.

Gefällt mir besser den je. Kristallklarer Sound.

Expertly crafted both in terms of music and sound, and as has been pointed out countless times a real trailblazer for much of the music we have today. I'll be cranking the resonance and tweaking the cut off to make some layered melodies after revisiting this. Of course it's much more than the sum of its parts to those of us who love it, and the aesthetic of the artwork (not the one used on this site) and the inserts in the original vinyl elevate that further.

Fackn great

Really good. Great influence to other things but also good in its own right

This album must have seemed so completely out there in 1978. In retrospect it’s difficult to overstate how influential it is to future generations of electronic music. It’s incredible how little it has aged in almost 50 years.

A breath of fresh air for it's time. I enjoyed the simplicity and sound.

This might be my favorite Kraftwerk album. It's certainly the darkest and most dystopian. Unfortunately, I can only play this when my wife isn't home since she calls it that "beep boop bullshit". Well you married a guy who loves this beep boop bullshit, okay? Who's worse?

One of the greatest of all time in the electronic space. Sounds pedestrian today, but that is because nearly everybody in many different genres were subtly influenced by Kraftwerk with their modern compositions that include synths and effects. This album was more sophisticated in scope and production that their 1977 album TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS. Ironically I think that "The Model", perhaps the most well known song from this album, is actually one of the weaker from this album. I added all of them to my collection and to my rotation. My favorites were "The Robots", "Spacelab", "Metropolis", "Neon Lights", "The Man-Machine". Their production on this album makes this kind of recording look easier than it was in 1978 to record electronic music. This album would prove pivotal to the development of artists like Gary Human, which then helped kick off the entire New Romantic/New Wave era in Great Britain and elsewhere. Most of what is great about 1980s music was inspired by earlier Kraftwerk, whether they knew it or not at the time.

What should I say, music history.

So cool, so synthy, really just unbelievable that this came out in 1978 because it still sounds so modern. Some songs are a little silly sounding (eg. Neon Lights), but most of it is just really great. Very listenable and melds into the background while also giving the listener a really cool feeling. Recorded so well. Five stars.

It doesn’t take long to hear their influence on the industrial music scene and bands like Nine Inch Nails. I am giving this a 5 star. I do wish that the vocals were a little louder and that there was a song I could add to my “driving in the city” playlist. It’s a 5 star because it was just an easy to listen to album that never once made me want to skip to the next song. That matters. Choice Cut: The Model

Vinilo por The Model.

I did not expect to like this. Not only did I like it, I ended up listening to their other albums throughout the day. I had heard of Kraftwerk before, but knew nothing of their history. I enjoy this style of music in the background as I work.

I imagine not for everyone but more accessible than some of their other work.

Incredible sounds, so futuristic (even now) and the template for so many artists to follow.

Precioso!!! Espectacular

Superb example of Kraut electronic pop. Pioneering album

My favorite electronic album. I can't wrap my head around how innovative it was in the 70s. Nowadays it seems so simple, almost too simple.

Brilliant

I seem to really love Kraftwerk!

Which brought this music into the world, this man or that machine? This record doesn’t answer that question, but it does enjoy the back and forth, the digital cat-and-mouse. Listen to “The Robots” or “The Model,” where Kraftwerk successfully connect the first dots between Pop, Dance, and Alternative music. In many ways, they were more Punk than the Sex Pistols in their visionary, risk-taking approach. Keyboard-based music is everywhere and nowhere nowadays. We’ve had decades of Pop music since Kraftwerk came along and incorporated synthesizers, drum machines, vocoders, and processors into Pop song structures—it’s part of the landscape, the paint on the walls. We don’t notice it anymore because it absorbed us. The roadmap Kraftwerk drew isn’t a guide, it’s THE guide for every producer and DJ that came after them. There’s no Radiohead or LCD Soundsystem without Kraftwerk. There’s no Depeche Mode. There’s no Tame Impala. There’s no “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” or “West End Girls” or “Bizarre Love Triangle.” There’s no Daft Punk or Gorillaz or Björk or Massive Attack as we understand them. And all of Modern Hip-Hop is impossible without the kind of music Kraftwerk were pioneering.

I listened in the original German, and so I wish I could give this 6 stars.

Surprised this sounds so good after all these years.

Great Album

Wow, fucking goed. Efteling meets daft punk. Of gewoon zweefteef festival haha

Kraftwerk are too hyped up based on how influential they were, which is not to say I don't love them to bits, but rather that people constantly go into their music expecting their minds to be blown and that's very unlikely to happen. What's actually awesome about them is how weird and silly they were all while grooving super hard. I'm so glad they're still touring because I think it was seeing them live that made me just get it, these guys are so silly and German and I think that's so great

I like it! Poppy without losing its silly robot DNA.

Jokainen du - di - dhi - du "We are the robots" lauseen jälkeen ansaitsee tähden heh..

Very beep boopy. I’m not complaining though, this a fun record to listen to. Interesting how this was made in 1978. Fun early electronic instrumentals and lyrics all around, must have been weird listening to this back then. The (sometimes) robotic vocals add to the novelty of this album, I love it a lot. I can imagine the influence this had on later electronic musicians and groups. Fun album! Very good. The Robots, Man-Machine, and Neon Lights and all the other songs are amazing btw.

so good. great beats great jams

Cool like early daft punk. Video game sounds like Pac-Man and technoy early sounds

Kraftwerk is King

Simply brilliant. “The Model” and “Neon Lights” are standouts for me. I remember when Kraftwerk first came on the scene all those years ago. So many people didn’t know what to make of them then and from some reviews here, seems like some people still don’t. That’s unfortunate, because this music paved the way for so many bands; and not just 80s “new wave” bands, though that music owes a great debt to Kraftwerk. The pioneering electronic production involved in this music is responsible for so many of the techniques used in music studios today.

Really enjoyable album, such a great piece of history. I had only heard Neon Lights before and liked it before but in the context of the album it is even better. Love to see something that has influenced so many of my own modern favorites. Top tier album without the history or what it means to music as a whole.

Really cool. Like an OG Daftpunk/Chromeo. Very synth-y and electronic.

Excellent

Robots

I had to keep on reminding myself that this was 1978. 1978!! I would have been 11 at the time, yet remember how fresh and new it sounded. Futuristic, generational, yet it felt "right". Trail-blazing excellence.

Fantastic album start to finish. Some of the most recognizable Kraftwerk songs. There is a reason this is a must listen.

Accessible electronic synth music from Kraftwerk. Robots and Model are my favorites, but the whole album is great.

Loved this! Not usually my thing but recently got into more recent Tangerine Dream albums so not surprising that this ticked the box too.

💖 spacelab 🗣️ 9️⃣

Absolutes Highlight der Popgeschichte. Zeitlos!

de kraf är twerking.. hur kan det finnas ett sådant konceptalbum att varje låtnamn upprepas hundra gånger och plim plom proto-techno pumpar i bakgrunden, vad är formeln och varför FUNGERAR det SÅ JÄVLA BRA... det låter inte modernt kl. allt, otroligt arkaisk musik. lätt respekt killar och dålig godkännandestämpel...

Perfect. Hard to believe when this was released.

Really cool to see how many artists they've obviously influenced. Although the sound feels a bit old, less dated than other albums from the 70s and definitely has passages that feel new and fresh which is quite remarkable.

"We are the robots"

ohne Worte

Synth heaven. This album is a cacophony of electronic sounds that just work so well together. It’s a shame that this album is short, but it definitely makes the most out of the run time. On a side note, it is INSANE that this 1977.

Loved it, the synth sounds are all amazing. Lyrics and singing aren’t always great, but in all fairness, English isn’t their first language, and in an odd way it kind of added to the charm.

Geniale Band, geniale Musik. Eine Meisterstück, dieses Album

C’est une sacrée vibe, Kraftwerk font bien à manger

Deutsche Texte Version: Die Mensch Maschine

Absolutely. I enjoyed every part of this record. I've heard this album before. But I really got it this time. Classic.

Perfekt bleep-bleep.

Mah-sheen! Mah-sheen! ! Mah-sheen!

we are the robots

Großartiges Album. Deutsche Version gehört. Perfekt für eine Bahnfahrt.

Robot music!

One of my fav albums of all time!!

I remember seeing the music video for "the robots" playing somewhere and it was bumping. Before some show maybe? I love the big lebowski so once I understood that "Autobahn" was just a reference to kraftwerk I got the aesthetic a lot more. Regardless of these reviews being mini rambles/logs of my life, all the tracks set up these great long hypnotizing builds. They all, when played back to back, have maybe a slightly too similar aesthetic but they're all so good at hooking you in. The model being their most popular single. The Robots being the best beat. Spacelab having my favorite synths and neon lights being the pretty track. A good one by a good band.

Wow. It's genuinely difficult to imagine this being created in 1978. It still feel fresh 40+ years later. I'm not a huge fan of electronic music, but this was a banger. Really cool tunes to throw on in the background while coding. Standout tracks: The Robots, Neon Lights, The Man Machine

5/5

For me highlight of all their releases. Full marks for die Roboter! (-: Saw them live 3 times, twice in small concert hall and once at big festival ( with 3D glasses) concerts to remember& cherish.

It's cozy and cool at the same time. Most of the album sounds like a soundtrack to an old sci-fi movie. "The Model" is a catchy pop song, but it stands out thanks to the signature stripped-down electronic sound. "Neon Lights" is also a vibe.

The best

10/10 nobody was doin it like fuckin Kraftwerk

I can’t believe I haven’t listened to Kraftwerk before this. The influences of their music on some of my all time favorite bands is unmistakable. The vocal parts of the tracks sound rather crude at this point but I still think they benefit from having them. Other than that though the album is sublime.

Hørte den på tysk. Måske er jeg biased fordi jeg ved det er Kraftwerk, men hold fa kæft det er fedt. Ikke meget til electronica men den her plade spiller bare! Hørte den to gange i træk

The originals! Easy 5

It's been so long since I listened to Kraftwerk that I'd forgotten how groundbreaking their was/is. To think that this was their seventh album!

Do you remember Uli? He’s a musician. He used to have a group, Autobahn. They released one album in the 70’s

øøøh nej, 1001albumsgenerator dot com, jeg har ikke tænkt mig at høre The Man Machine, jeg har tænkt mig at høre Die Mensch Maschine. Elsker den her plade SÅ meget. Bedste Kraftwerk plade.

Instead of experiencing something cold and repetitive, I ended up experiencing the very opposite. This album gave me some serious chills and succeeds in feeling very warm and thoughtful. It's also very compact (the nearly nine minute Neon Lights seems much shorter.) Maybe a little dated, but there's no doubting the impact and influence and definitely sounds impressive coming from '78. My overall scope of Kraftwerk's discography is very limited, so I will want to visit their previous albums.

I love this shit. LCD Soundsystem took tremendous inspiration from this album for their 45:33 record. Didn’t know just how much until listening.

立体感

Excellent. Kraftwerk are synth pioneers & largely responsible all synth genres that followed. I especially like The Model, and the rest is classic modular. 5 stars.

I wasn't sure how this would go at first. But I loved it.

My first exposure to Kraftwerk was the video for The Robots where they looked like mannequins and moved like very crudely designed machines. There was something kind of otherworldly about them. There was an uncanncy valley quality to them. This was in the late 90s and by then, countless artists that I loved had been inspired by them. Despite that, I felt like I had never really seen or heard anything quite like them. Later, I'd come to realize their place in krautrock and everything that came after them. 'The Man Machine' may be their best album. The music is at once more refined and more spacious, almost completely abstracting out anything human at all, aside from the content of the lyrics. Even today, the music feels strange, unique and hypnotic.

El classico

synthesizers go brrrrrrrr my internet glitching out while streaming really added to this experience how can you dislike something that opens with rolling the r in rrrrrobot anyway I don't think I've ever sat and listened to an entire Kraftwerk album, and don't think they benefit from that approach, which is fine 4.5

Vinilo por The Model.

A compeletely groundbreaking album from Kraftwerk that still sounds futuristic even after 45 years. Amazing. I can't even imagine how it sounded back in 1978 when it was released. I have it on CD, the German version, so I've just listened to that one. The most famous song is "The Model/Das Model", but my favourite is "Neon Lights/Neonlicht". It had a huge impact on the music later so it's an album that deserves a 5 no doubt.

Foundational. Pivitol. Revolutionary. Influential. Clinical & hyper-futuristic rendition of machines' impact on man through a Fritz Lang lens presaging Ray Kurzweil's vision of the singularity. You can see why John Foxx took these ideas and ran with them. Bathe in it with headphones.

legendary

I didn't think I've ever listened to this album in it's entirety. I had computer world on cubby and listened to that frequently. I knew all the songs individually but never as a cohesive whole.

I know and love this album very well. One of their best albums. It includes the gorgeous “

Still feels like a fresh and innovative album. The mechanical feeling invokes the mechanical and sterile feel of society. We are the robotsss

I've heard chunks of this record over the years and have always been impressed, with an astrix. And reading the reviews you see it all over the place. This record is mind bogglingly ahead of its time and would have been insane to hear in 1979. And it's also awesome that we've come so far that here in 2023, it's normal for modular synths to be in mainstream music. But it doesn't hold up. While this record 100% should be on this list, it's now a VERY important footnote in musical history. It's a first. An impressive one. But it doesn't hold up to today. And that's okay! I loved hearing it all the way through.

Such an amazing classic album that's really fun and inventive. So many genres were influenced by Kraftwerk.

Verdens beste album?

Years ahead of it’s time

Kommen sie bitte und listen to Kraftwerk

Excellent album from Kraftwerk and probably the one I know the best. I took the time and listened to both the English and German version. It's very simplistic but as it's from 1978 it's also very impressive. Kraftwerk really are pioneers when it comes to electronic music. Listening to Daft Punk after this is an experience and just shows how much the genre has evolved. Not something I listen to often but I sure enjoy it.

BEST SONGS: - The Robots - The Model - Neon Lights

Actually pretty good, still, after all these years and many new ways artists have found to make electronic music.

Revolutionary and iconic music!

Hittiä hitin perään! Kovaa kamaa. Ekalla kuuntelulla mietin, että onko osa biiseistä liian venytettyjä ja toistaa itseään - tokalla kuuntelulla diggasin täysii. Näköjään kakkosraidasta pöllitty kohta ff vii scoreen.

I once had a friend who was in the habit of rolling his eyes and announcing, whenever he heard electronic dance music in a club or at a party “it’s just Kraftwerk”. It’s easy to hear the influence that this had on the new wave and synth pop bands that followed, as well as House Music a decade later. Man Machine is more melodic, more dance floor oriented and less mechanical than their earlier releases, and thankfully, it’s bereft of songs over 22 minutes long, though Neon Lights runs on a bit.

This is possibly one of the most influential and iconic electronic albums ever released. Interestingly Wiki mentions that it didn't do well when it was originally released in 1978 (yes 45 yrs ago!) but four years later it peaked at No. 8 and was certified Gold on the British charts, testament that it was a few years ahead of the curve. Everyone knows The Model and The Robots, but the other less well known and more melodic tracks: Spacelab, Neon Lights, The Man Machine and Metropolis are also damned fine songs. In Metropolis you can clearly hear the influence that it had on Giorgio Moroder who in turn was the Godfather of dance music (and dare I say it... disco). These mensches also influenced House, New Wave, Electro-pop and then eventually hip hop. At only 36 minutes long this iconic album has no filler, all killer so it fulfills my requirement for 5 stars.

Fantastic album and an incredible marvel of technology for the time. Every note including the drums is all synths and without listening really carefully you would never pick it up. One of the most important albums ever made.

Ok they're one of my favourite bands so this is going to be easy. I think that some people forget how influencial they were back in '78 but they started doing this in the late 60's (although the sound was very sparce and industrial back then). My favourite albums were before this too- Radioactivity and Autobahn. This is more polished and clinical. It's just so relaxing and mesmeric- takes me to another world. My favourite track on this is Neon Lights. Timeless and iconic.

Mefa

One of my favourite albums. Quite wonderful how these lads made electronics sound so warm. 'Neon Lights' is positively cozy! Very few, more traditional, albums have as much heart as this lovely slice of Teutonic robotica.

This one felt pretty close to perfect in its execution of intent. The whole thing sounds incredible over headphones, it’s short, “Neon Lights” is the shit, and I like their version of the future circa 1978 more than the one we’re currently living in. I want a robot, dammit, and I want it to sound like Kraftwerk.

Perfection. Encapsulating a time, place and style with immaculate precision. Great listening from start to finish, not a second too short, not a second too long - wonderful!

Uno de los discos pilares de una de las bandas más influenciables de todos los tiempos. Excelente.

Wunderbar

Forgot how stunning this is. It’s nigh on flawless with elegant, danceable arrangements that sound deceptively simple, but are actually quite complex rhythmically. Clean and minimalistic but never sterile, with that beautiful, aching, melodic quality ever-present, ‘Man Machine’ is the sound of music made by robots with a soul.

Affirmative

Noch einmal, Danke!

Amazing electronic music album that influenced countless others after it. It has a cold dystopian feel to it, but at the same time more poppy songs like Das Modell convey a lighter atmosphere. Both the English and German versions are awesome. Together with Computerwelt this is the peak of Kraftwerk. Highlights: Die Roboter, Metropolis, Das Modell, Neonlicht

5.0 + Probably the most accessible, song-oriented and danceable of Kraftwerk's albums I've heard. Also happens to be my favorite. All of the songs on here are great, especially "Neon Lights." I love the Soviet imagery and the sheer variety of synthesized sounds without sounding crowded. Amazing how fresh this sounds even to this day.

Vinilo por The Model.

Already know I love this one

I've been meaning to sit down and listen to some Kraftwerk for a while but not got around to that until now. This is an amazing record - I simply cannot imagine how it must have felt hearing this upon its release in 1978. Maybe like alien robots landed in West Germany and delivered this upon the Earth? I can't say, this album released the year my mum was born. I think it's impressive to hear this some 45 years later, with the knowledge that so much modern music was influenced by the work of this band. And yet, this still sounds modern and futuristic today. Some of the synths are arguably a bit dated by today's standards of course, but it blows my mind that this sound was even achievable in 1978! Very listenable, very danceable, and absolutely timeless. I've been looking for some Kraftwerk to add to my vinyl collection for a while now, and I think I'm just going to try harder to find it now. Favourite: Robots

Classic

If someone sent this to me and told me that this was a video game soundtrack, I'd believe them. Five stars.

transcendent energy king!

Loved this

No comment necessary.

I just realized how lucky I’ve been with electronic albums in my first 100. We’ve had MHTRTC, SILY, Blue Lines (granted, arguably not electronic), Cross, and now this. Kraftwerk were pioneers of electronic, and this is a great work - all the songs are just so enjoyable. ‘The Model’ has great lyrics along with these enjoyable melodies, which makes it possibly the best song here. Albums like these make Kraftwerk in my top 2 electronic groups on this list who are robots. (Just try to guess the second one).

Setting the stage for 80s techno and, eventually, EDM, The Man-Machine is a tour de force in electronic music. More pop and dance-oriented than many of their previous albums, they set the pattern for club music with drum machines, sequencers, and voice synthesizers.

This might be Kraftwerk’s best album and it is certainly a foundational electro pop album. This is one of those albums that was so ahead of its time that it’s difficult to imagine it being released in 1978. Its rhythms are mechanical yet there is a sense of levity and fearlessness that makes this album still feel deeply human.

Brilliant

Obviously this is an absolute gem, a thing of wonder. All the tracks are good but I'm going to be uncool and choose The Model as best song, because it's magnificent.

First five star

I have loved this album for decades. I'll probably listen on English and German today! The Robots is bouncy, jittery fun, Spacelab all graceful beauty, Metropolis all glacial beauty, like it's cinematic inspiration, the full on pop of The Model, Neon Lights is one of the most beautiful songs ever made and Man Machine is wonky march funk. It is, in short, perfect.

Tunes. Vond het vroeger al top maar bij het terugluisteren hoor ik hoeveel invloed ze hebben gehad

Maybe the best balance of kraftwerk's groundbreaking experimentation and pop forward sensibilities (read: most listenable). I love this album. Man machine hits hard. Neon lights is downright pretty. Anyone who accuses kraftwerk of being a one-note output didn't spend enough time on them.

Solid. I like their silly computer stuff better but they're titans of the genre regardless.

I knew it'd be a good day when this album popped up this morning. Kraftwerk slaps, you just have to admit it. I had to listen to the German version, though. I feel like it's the only right way to do it. One of the easiest 5/5 ratings I've given.

One of many groundbreaking albums by this band. Still sad that 2020 ruined the festival circuit for them.

"The Man-Machine" is the seventh studio album by Kraftwerk. It was noted for a refinement of their electronic musical style and incorporating more dance rhythms. It is a very focused album. The album was initially unsuccessful but four years after its release reached #9 in the UK. It had very positive reviews and was thought to be very influential to the 1980's synth-pop scene. Warning sounds begin "The Robots" which has a danceable rhythm and a nice synth melody. The lyrics sent through a vocoder repeat "We are the robots." Making a statement about the dehumanizarion for workers using technology. "Metropolis" builds synth notes and a moog-disco beat. Slow and long-held synth notes. Very sleek sounding. Repeating the word Metropolis. Their second single "The Model" has a seductive synth melody. Very simple. Very stoic. A statement about being obsessed with beauty, shallow and superficial. A melancholy feeling pervades " Neon Lights." There's shooting star sounds. The synths get more complex and layered. The album ends with "The Man-Maschine." A suspenseful melody. Machine noises. Nintendo and Mario were listening. This a great album, very minimal and economical. There's only six songs but each conveying a different emotion yet important in the overall album flow. Great melodies and rhythms. This might be my favorite Kraftwek album.

We r the robots

Kraftwerk's best album imo. Every song bleeps all the right bloops for me

Amazing, so ahead of its time.

Das est goode

Half man, half machine, what does it mean? I'd heard this album a couple of times, thought it was alright, but I must have been in a contemplative mood yesterday and I thought it was great. I'm giving it an optimistic 5, knowing full well that if I was in a less contemplative mood, it'd be more like a 3.

Classic album that pioneers electronic music movements

Masterpiece! The foundation of all that is electronic and dance music today! A stone cold classic!

The founders

These weird robot people simultaneously invented electronic music, techno music, and also what the kids are no calling "Vapor Wave". Jeeze guys take a day off and go to the beach or something. Real fans prefer the German version B-)

"The Robots" is one of the most magnificent pieces ever created. What else did you want the future to be? "Spacelab," "Metropolis," "Neon Lights," and "The Man-Machine" continue to conjure up this sleek, shiny, slivery world. "The Model" gives us the ice queen character in this new world, with my absolute favorite line, "She's posing for consumer products now and then." This was electronic music as electronic music.

This one struck my fancy today.

Of Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express, I said, "Their music doesn't make me FEEL anything." Well, I guess today is a new day because I felt great listening to The Man Machine. I loved the lasers and the dance beats and just generally had a good time.

Ahead of its time and perfect for our robot future! Loved this. Not sure if it is the day or the subject or what, but I enjoyed this significantly more than Trans Europe Express.

Incredible album! Music today simply wouldn't be the same without Kraftwerk, and this is probably their most accessible album, of the ones I've listened to anyway. I still prefer TEE I think, but this is still fantastic.

I consider this to be the peak of 70s krautrock. In just 36 minutes, Kraftwerk throws six electronic compositions that paint future landscapes of night cities and space travel full of automation and scientific advancement. Usually 70s krautrock can be harsh and sound primitive, but the synths here come together and sound smooth. You could hear the influences on later music genres all over: "Spacelab" in post-rock, "Metropolis" in house, and "The Model" in synthpop, all of which affect music to this day with the likes of Dua Lipa or Flume. All the tracks are amazing, each one complete, memorable, atmospheric, and evoking feelings of comfort and happiness.

I have a love for synth and electronic music that I developed at an early age through music that came from early Commodore 64 games and Kraftwerk’s 7th album, The Man-Machine doesn’t disappoint. I usually listen to albums at least twice before I write a review, so I chose to listen to the German and English version (not that there’s much difference except in the words). Reviews for this album will probably be all over the place. If you aren’t into this sort of thing it might get under your skin quite quickly. Personally, I love every track on here with “Neon Lights” being my favorite (and probably my favorite Kraftwerk track overall). The Robots definitely influenced an LCD Soundsystem track, but I can’t think of which one it sounds like. “The Model” might be their most famous track. I think I even remember hearing it either in a movie or TV show. This is a 5 star album for me but I’m sure I’m in the minority.

The future

I liked this album…

really good sound i'm impressed still sounds modern and unusual for my ears

I love Kraftwerk. This is a great album.

Cooool

🕺🤖

Still sounds new 40something years later

In a past life, I would be a Kraftwerk diehard, I think.

It might be easy to dismiss this as plinky plonky scifi-ish synth, but it's actually really bloody great. The music has structure and texture. It creates an image, it sets a mood. Sure, it's not Kraftwerk's first stuff, and it expands upon, rather than creates electronica as a genre - but it is cohesive, skilful and really appealing to listen to. Try listening to The Robots on headphones while walking. It's almost impossible not to fall into step with the beat. Great stuff.

Even without the context as electronic music trailblazers, this is a great album. Mechanical computer blips and bloops come together to create a very melodic, atmospheric and strangely beautiful and emotive record. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: The Model Date listened: 21/10/22

30 seconds into The Robots and I started dancing involuntarily... moving my head around etc. please god let me hear this at the club before i die this absolutely bangs. can't wait to listen to kraftwerk's entire discography.

I’m quite unfamiliar with Kraftwerk. My only knowledge really is that every now and then Rachael will just shout “Rah rah rah at the autobahn” at me. That song isn’t on this album, but I’m interested to hear it nonetheless. Songs I already knew: none Favourites after listening: The Robots, Neon Lights I had completely wrong expectations of what Kraftwerk were. For some reason, I always thought they were retro goth rock and I couldn’t have been more wrong - they feel more like they could have been the musical parents of Daft Punk. Each song on this had me tapping my foot away. This might sound a little oxymoronic, but it sounds futuristic in a retro kind of way. Like a soundscape to getting abducted by aliens in a film where they used puppets. I’d definitely recommend to people who enjoy pop and EDM. Maybe less so for goths, but then again it is a pretty great album all round so who knows?

Pretty great

I can't believe I have never listened to this. Fantastic!

It's a tough call, but if I were forced to decide, I think this is the pinnacle of Kraftwerk's discography. Despite the digital precision of their instruments, the sounds across these tracks flow smoothly, like a masterfully hewn marble sculpture. And with that work done, the groundwork was laid for numerous groups and genres to come. Groups like Daft Punk and The Orb and genres like ambient, house, and synthwave built upon that ground bringing EDM on the whole solidly into the mainstream. Now the use of computers are ubiquitous in all aspects of making music, so much so that working without them is the exception as opposed to the norm. In that sense, groups like Kraftwerk were pioneering multiple levels and their influence can hardly be overstated.

👾👾👾

Huge favorite. Used to listen to this one in its entirety with my family. Makes me feel nostalgic, and it’s also incredibly influential.

The future has never sounded so interesting, fun, melodic and hypnotic. And ironically, you have to dig way into the past to find a version of it that can fuel your imagination like no other electronic record out there. Maybe because this very album is one of the first to fully go to that direction and never turn back. Beginnings have rarely sounded any better, frankly. Besides, everyone said it, but I'm gonna repeat it now: the influence Kraftwerk had on modern music wasn't circumscribed on this particular electronic genre. The band also gave ideas had to a vast array of other styles, from post-punk to hip hop. But even if you don't give a damn about all that, this particular album stands on its own. Because this here is Kraftwerk's true masterpiece. Earworms after earworms, *The Man Machine* takes you into Metropolis' world, both dystopian and utopian, so cold and robotic, and yet so frail and so human, in a way. Beyond the mechanical rhythms, there's a lot of subtle emotions to be found in those tracks. It's a lesson that the best electronic acts learned from this album. And it's one they should never forget. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 821 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 97 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 45 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 39

This one is a masterpiece - early minimalistic, electronic music with great hooks and rhythm. The Model is perhaps Kraftwerk's most famous song. The Robots has great rhythm and makes for a fantastic opener. And Neon Lights is just beautiful. There is not a weak track to be found. I somewhat prefer the album's German version, but the is a must-hear in any language; certainly one of Kraftwerk's best. 4.5/5

Pioneering high fidelity electronic.

Charming to the last! In concept it seems like this would come off as a more scathing critique of modern life, but the melodies are so alluring, bright and catchy. It's like the robots have realized the true meaning of happiness.

I can't give Kraftwerk anything less than 5 stars for their pioneering contributions to the evolution of electronic music (and music in general). This album seems to have the least amount of overarching concept of the albums in their prime, and is more of a collection of songs - but it definitely has some of their most memorable and catchiest singles. This is where they went from being showroom dummies to full fledged robots, with more danceable rhythms. I like this album because Ralf and Florian finally let Karl Bartos in on the songwriting and rather than too many cooks making it too busy, it actually made them tighten things up and refine their formula. A well oiled machine.

One of the best electronic albums of all time

Brilliant. Innovative. This one set the stage for the 80s synthpop scene. One of chillest albums ever made. Masterpiece. 9-10/10

So... you don´t have to say anything about Kraftwerk. But I suggest listen to the german version. Don´t mind the lyrics. They are not important. But I think in the original version they even sound better

This is probably my favorite Kraftwerk album, even though it is their most accessible. I just love the simplicity of every song, but somehow it's some of the most enjoyable synthpop I know.

Mm- Human music! June 11/ 2022

Weird early German techno. Oddly fascinating. I listened to Trans-Europe Express and Computer Love after this. It was good rabbit hole to fall into.

Nothing more to be said other than five stars. My favourite Kraftwerk album.

Gateway drug for Kraftwerk was Africa Bambata, then "Breaking" (the scene where Shrimp dances with a broom, scored to "Tour de France". Nice thing about coming late to the party is that there is so much waiting to be discovered...

The Man Machine is just an incredible synth-pop record. It sounds so energetic, creative, ahead of it's time, and each track has a unique contribution to the whole experience. One of my favorite ways to start the day is with a double espresso, waiting for the caffeine to kick in, and getting hours of work done with this piece of brilliance. 5/5.

Robots

It took a few listens to feel the vibe again, but certainly when switching to the German version I could confirm this is still a great album.

Klassik Kraftwerk.

Heavy.

There's nothing else to say but *chef's kiss*.

Stan Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk RULES. I could hear and FEEL the neon lights in "Neonlicht". Ultra beautiful, slick, and futuristic, even 43 years later!!!

Ett banbrytande album. som the wall utan alla tråkiga gitarrer och bögig sång

Aucun défaut

MUSKAT NUSS HERR MULLER Prefs: TOUT Moins pref: NADA

Drugi kraftwerkowy material na liscie, tym razem najbardziej popularny albumik, wiec the man machine z 78, bedacy siodmym studyjnym nagraniem w dorobku bandy, jak to w przypadku elektroniki tworzonej przy pomocy poteznych synthow czlowiek nie wie jakie dzwieki go atakauja, tak w tym wypadku atak byl tak minimalistyczny, ze wrecz nieodczuwalny, nie jest to brzmienie krautowe jak w poprzednim autobahnie, a cos bardziej konwencjonalnego w normach synthowego popu, bo jest to material popowy, co wlasnie kupilo mnie o wiele bardziej niz eksperymentalna autostrada, popowe brzmienie elektro polaczone z luznym konceptem, ktory jednym slowem mozna podsumowac jako futuryzm, tworzy dobre kombo, material niby z lat 70, a sluchajac mam wrazenie, ze znam te brzmienia z vaporowowych trakow, wiec juz wiadomo czym tworcy tego renesansowego zrywu artystycznego sie mogli inspirowac, kolejna sprawa sa wykorzystane wokale, w wiekszej czesci sa one mocno przepuszczone przez modulatory w celu uzyskania brzmienia pokroju mister robato arigato, ale na najbardziej popowym utworze plyty, otwierajacego druga strone the model, utrzymanej w sarkastycznym tonie historii pieknej kobiety i jej roli we wspolczesnym spoleczenstwie, nie mozna sie przyczepic do jakosci anglinskich wojsow, a przeciez banda niemiecka i sa nawet wersje dojczowe, ktorych nie sprawdzalem, bo angielskie brzmia na tyle dobrze, ze nie widze sensu szukac czegos lepszego, jak zazwyczaj ciezko mi sie slucha elektronicznych pickow, tak the man machine skatowalem juz chyba z piec razy, bo samo nagranie ma 36 minut i zawiera 6 dosc rowno podzielonych czasowo trakow, na plejke rokowa leci the model, ktory ma w sobie cos co kojarzy mi sie z tworczoscia residentow, a na guti szitowa otwierajacy the robots, ale rowno dobrze moglby to byc kazdy inny utwor, bo plyta jest rowna i ciezko znalezc momenty nudne badz niepotrzebne, calosc wiec laduje w biblioteczce spotifajowej zasluzonych krazkow

Великий альбом

This one is a real jam. And trailblazer

Ja das is gut

I love zeez goddamn krazy Germans and zere krafty trailblazing of genrez various. Amazingly accessible avant garde krauty goodness, totally futuristic, forward thinking, look into the krystal ball, pioneering goodness. YA

не ну это ш крафтверк, чо тут можно ваще говорить, давно уже всё сказано

Very cool. They made a splash with their electronics in the late 70s! Many are influenced by Kraftwerk and don't even know it! Definitely a cool listen. I may revisit a few tracks for some of my electronic playlists. Rating 5 for importance to modern Electronica!

Classique. L'un des meilleurs albums d'électro

Now this is an album that I think would really pique the interest of both Jude and Iris Law. 🍤 Pretty revolutionary, wasn't it? The past masters of the future. Haunting and echoing, the album glides effortlessly into the future that has now long since arrived. Yeah Again, Thomas Tuchel would be tops off on the u bahn with a traffic cone up his ass. Speaking of The Man Machine... and cones up the ass, I wonder when SHACK will ever do a review again.

All time classic love it

The title track is the best Kraftwerk song hands down. Classic/10

Already listened to.

Very good

Really loved this synth pop pre new wave album. Got me moving with a driving rhythm and great electronic beats.

Classic.

Discazo! Una obra maestra

Great album. I really liked it.

1978. 6 songs, most over 5 minutes. It's a very even and smooth album. Obviously a bit groundbreaking and influential for the time. The Model has lyrics. I consider this to be an essential album, but not sure how often I would put this on.

Innovative and paved the way for electronic music.

Very 80's video game

Delightful synth with the origins of dance music felt. Even though a little repetitive, never felt to be irritating.

One of my all time favorites.

Du du du du

TITÁNICO, GIGANTE, TRASCENDETAL, FUTURISTA.

Really unique and cool use of synthesizers for it's age

amazing

Surprisingly good. I’m a new fan!

4.5

Classic album that flows seamlessly. Robots love it!

Great Album so interesting to see the early use of synthesizers and learn about the history of the band and them trying to reform culture in Germany post Naziism

Liked that more than I thought I would. Very spaceage and strange. Not quite background music, but so unique I have to give it credit Favorite Songs: Spacelab, Metropolis

JA. you could say that it is... outdated, i guess. it could be both dated and not dated at the same time, which is an interesting thing to say. the slow mechanical sound of kraftwerk is gonna turn somebody off and i guess it indeed turned me off. 4/5 for the robots and the model.

I probably couldn't distinguish well between this and other electronica albums, but it was a really good mix between the amount of time spent just grooving to beats and the amount of lyrics mixed in. The songs were unique from one another, they kept it short and sweet. I like!

I am perfectly happy with whatever on God's Green Earth they are doing here.

I'm 1000% willing to bet that when JG Quintel was talking to his music supervisors for Regular Show, he directly referenced this album. Same for any GTA V music supervisor asking what their "Heist Music" ought to sound like. I wont try to get into history as that is way out of my ball knowledge, but if I had to take an educated guess (and based on the ethos of this being one of the "1001 most influential albums" in music), this was likely a MASSIVE turning point of an album for the music industry. Who knows if it was actually that influential at the time of release, but it is clear that these presumably German dudes were tinkering with what was going to be the complete future of sound. Late stage disco was the thing of the 70's, and I imagine that synths and drum machines were starting to rear their heads at this period. These two were artists using brushes completely new and foreign to them. Saw wave synths. Artificial drums. Fun and funky beat patterns. and most of all, ALMOST NO VOCALS. This album is the exploration of "machine", as it was introduced to "man" in its mystique, modern representation in the 70's and 80's. This album is a piece that (now according to the wiki page that I read) represents a maturity of electronic music. One of my favorite other reviews from this site: Music made by men pretending to be robots for people who are pretending not to be robots.

great album. didn't enjoy it quite as much as autobahn but still the atmosphere is phenomenal

Ouvir Kraftwerk é sempre uma ótima experiência e The Man-Machine remete em uma sensação de estar ouvindo uma trilha sonora de um sci-fi da época The Robots - 85 Spacelab - 80 Metropolis - 80 The Model - 85 Neon Lights - 80 The Man-Machine - 75 Media: 80.8

4,1/5 (but the german version)

😃

Not a fan of electronic music, but this was quite good. Really enjoyed Spacelab (and remember when it was supposed to crash to earth), and I liked the title track. This was electronic music with personality.

A genuine 70s electronic classic. I’ll be honest, this is one of the few early synth records I genuinely enjoy. There are so many that just sound annoying or primitive.

Ya me lo enseñó Júlia, pero confirmo que está bien guapo y que no esperaba que estos frikis me gustasen

8.5/10

Really cool. Had on in the shop I work at and thought about a lot of things while it played. The passing of time, the transition to modernity, the replacement of classical music. Seminal

A German proto blue man group? Nice

- Had never heard of Kraftwerk, so pretty cool to realize that they are essentially the Daft Punk beta. We are not to 80s OG vaporwave yet, but the seeds are definitely being planted. - Enjoy "Spacelab" and "Metropolis" the most, but impressed with the diversity of sound here; "Neon Lights" is an entirely different sentimental vibe. - Like the instrumental bits more than the accented vocals, but they are somewhat charming in how barebones they are.

Bleepin good

the model wersja rammstein nednak mi sie bardizej podoba jakos to electro sroednio ale dam 4 za to ze mieli oryginal twj piosenki chociaz wolalabym juz tego albumu nie sluchac ponownie

I'd say that this is the best one of the Kraftwerk albums on the book. It's a solid album, but it’s now confirmed that this experiment has not turned me into a huge Kraftwerk fan.

The Man Machine conveys the cold, angular futurism of the 70s so well. It feels really monolithic but somehow isn’t unhuman. The general vibe and the really exposed analogue synths reminds me of landing in a foreign airport. My favorite parts of the album are the really atmospheric sweeping sections. There, I feel like you can really hear the raw and experimental nature of Kraftwerk’s synths, and the really unified songs they still manage to produce. The Orchestron playing optical disks is such a cool sound. Its lofi character is a really good counterpoint to the syntheticness rest of the album! Favorite songs: Spacelab, Metropolis, Neon Lights

The Robots - 4/5 Spacelab - 4/5 Metropolis - 4/5 The Model - 4.5/5 Neon Lights - 4.5/5 The Man Machine - 4/5 Imagine hearing this kind of the music in the 70's and hearing nothing else like it. This makes me feel like I'm talking a walk through EPCOT on opening day with their multitudes of bleeps and bloops. Amazing that nearing all big synthpop and electronic music can be traced back to these guys. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: The Model, Neon Lights

Finally, a song about my love for neon lights.

YES!!!!!! shoutouts Edgaram Šadrim

Good chill album

Love it!

This was straight fire. 4.5/5

Bops

06/06/2026 For what it is... and for the era it was... we cannot deny how ahead of the time it was... and for that, I reward it highly. Spotify listeners: 1.1 million

Both retro and futuristic in the best ways, listened to both German and English versions. Highlights-Spacelab, The Model, and Neon Lights

Never listened. Expectations: High - Verdict: Great - One of the Kraftwerk albums I never got around to. The Robots sounds so futuristic even today, it's an incredible opener. Spacelab continues in a really cool sound. I can't believe this is my first time giving this album a full listen. Excellent stuff.

We don’t need AI, we just need Germans pretending to be robots

Fun! I enjoyed it. Music from the future back in the past.

Learning about how influential this band is you can’t help but be impressed too by how good it sounds so early. Will it go back to it a bunch, prob not…are these oddly still enjoyable? Yes

kids funky, bit different

I can hear Daft Punk from afar. 1. The Model 2. Spacelab

Immaculate aura

I didn't expect to like this. But I did enjoy it. It gets a little repetitive. But overall pretty good.

A little too out there for a 5 but still a fun album

This was beeping and booping. I liked it.

This kind of music usually isn't what I listen to but these guys are an exception. Definitely a free cursor to New Way in the other synth based music.

Honestly kinda a silly bit of fluff techno

If I’m ever assigned a secret mission, this album will be the soundtrack. The laser sounds got cheesy but for the 70’s this album is rad.

Foundations of something great

Feels a little prototypical, but definitely like a precursor to a lot of future music I enjoy.

Extremely easy to listen to. Discovered a new track I like from them in Spacelab.

Perfect working music. Puts me in a trance with minimal but catchy tunes.

Always good to hear a little from one of the Pioneers of Electronic Music

Electronic essential. The synthwork here is incredible. Still sounds futuristic to this day. I can't believe they made this in 1978.

(89/100)

felt like watching a soviet movie, full of desires for future

Very nice, relaxed electronic techno album

To my ears, this curiosity reflects some Eno, Pink Floyd, and electro-disco that came before it, and leads to Debo, Flaming Lips, and MGMT after it. Def a worthwhile musical path, but the robo voices and other dated/ campy production things leave it feeling a bit too Buck Rogers SciFi schmaltz. 3.5 stars

Nauran WHAT IS THIS yllättävän hyvää musaa matikast kärsimiseen

The whole album is a good combination of sound, but it's just not for my taste.

Decent