Reviews (page 3 of 15)
Yeah, well, it must have been groundbreaking back then but I am not a fan of electronic music so... I don't know. Frankly, I found it a bit boring.
The first ‘experimental’ piece I’ve heard so far and I don’t completely hate it! I mildly dislike it and I probably wouldn’t listen again, but I see what they were trying to do here and I respect the vision!! I read somewhere that these are performance pieces, so I might appreciate it more if I watched the music videos. That being said, I can definitely see some songs being part of movie soundtracks, I just don’t see the album as a standalone cohesive piece if that makes sense. It sounds like what would happen if you stuck the oompaloompas in a recording studio, and I adore the oompaloompas, so as I keep mentioning, this wasn’t a total blow, just not something I wouldn’t listen to again.
“Metropolis” was an interesting listen, I can see where people got the inspiration behind most 80s synth pop songs.
Kraftwerk is at the very top of the list when thinking about groups that pioneered a new sound. There was nobody like them when they were making music, but even still nothing really compares. This album transcends time and genre. It's fun but also has a lot to say. Top Songs: The Robots, Spacelab, The Model
Fine, not great
Probably groundbreaking for its time? Doesn't mean its good though. Enjoyed a few songs
Nobody does weird like the Germans. I have to imagine this is on here because it invented these weird synths and electronic sounds. It’s really hard for me to gauge how unique it is, because much of this sound can be made in modern DAWs, but in the 70s I’m sure it was crazy to hear this. I’m going 3/5. I don’t really enjoy it, but it was interesting and weird.
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
Enjoyed this one, though it's probably good that it's short.
great album. didn't enjoy it quite as much as autobahn but still the atmosphere is phenomenal
Nice to hear that they had much more to offer than the singles. It’s great to get drawn into an album full of their sound. Yeah, enjoyed this one
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
I feel like I'm on Space Mountain.
Not for me
Don't like it.
4,1/5 (but the german version)
Album 44/1001. Listened 6/26/2026. I can see that this album was groundbreaking, and it definitely made an impact on modern music, but it's not my jam. One listen was enough.
Это мой третий альбом на этом сайте. Я абсолютно не фанат этого жанра и слушать это было тяжело. Сама музыка хороша, но не по мне. Кажется я уже где-то слышал песню The Robots.
Beep boop...good old school electro-music noise
😃
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.
I think Kraftwerk are kind of an acquired taste--and one that I have not really acquired--but I found this OK to listen to, actually.
In German or in English. It doesn't mind. It an absolute classic!
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.
By no means is this a “bad album” at all. I understand the importance of it and the technicality of it all. Heck, I feel like modern-day synths are a whole complex language to learn, imagine analog synths back in the 70s? It is crazy, and really cool, that Kraftwerk managed to get all these sounds out of ‘em. The vocoder works great too, it gives everything a much more “sci-fi” feel and makes you go “wow, technology is so crazy!” even when this is considered outdated by today’s standards. My only reason for the relatively low rating is that I simply don’t really like this sort of music. I do like electronic music, and I did enjoy some tracks on here quite a bit, but The Man Machine just isn’t something I’d willingly listen to again. It’s not my cup of tea, but it does taste good. As a bonus, the album did give me some ideas for my own tracks, so, thanks, Kraftwerk!
persona 5 album cover
I didn’t hate it
Ya me lo enseñó Júlia, pero confirmo que está bien guapo y que no esperaba que estos frikis me gustasen
electro beats cool
Hard to hear now how innovative it was because it was so influential that it sounds became normal
8.5/10
Fine background noise to a sci fi based automation sim.
Not something I’d normally listen to, but it was fun.
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
Amazing what they did before the technology was really developed. The beginnings of the techno and 80s sound.
second album i’ve gotten by these guys. silly, goofy, fun. i’m obsessed with these freaks
Yes! I absolutely adore this record. How does on manage to sound retro and futuristic at the same time? Absolutely fascinating.
made me realise there is a very fine line between Phineas and Ferb songs and The PetShop Boys
I did not mind this. Maybe the only electronic music so far.
Listening to this with headphones while cleaning the kitchen I almost got into it. The synth style reminded me of Stranger Things meets the theme to Halt and Catch Fire meets a Sega Genesis game soundtrack. But, when the vocals came in it sounded like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite and ruined it for me.
1.5 - I still don’t get this band.
Amazing this came out in the 70s but feel like its been surpassed now. Glad to have heard it as an artefact but not sure when I'd choose to listen to this otherwise
- 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
I get why it's here, but it's not for me.
The strongest of the 3 Kraftwerk albums on this list by far. The others had great tracks but could not sustain over the album. On Man Machine every track is a banger - absolute landmark album.
Fantastic album. The Model is a classic, The Man Machine sounds like the start of any hip-hop /pop song of today, nearly 50 years later. And at only 36 minutes, you can listen to it twice!
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.
Not for me
A classic. Kraftwerk’s peak 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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
1/1
3 albums in a row following what I’ve been complaining about for the past 3 days. I haven’t even reached 100 albums yet and I feel like at least 20 of my generated so far follow this formula of instrumental no lyric albums. This one had 1 song that actually had lyrics on. I’m honestly mad how many more of these do I have to sit through I’m apparently unlucky enough to generate these this freaking often. 4/10
Favourite Songs: We Are The Robots Spacelab Metropolis The Model The Man Machine
The one that goes "Bee-boo-boo-bop, boo-boo-beep."
Early electronica that still holds up incredibly well today. Such a forward thinking group for their time not just in sound, but the record concept as we get further into technology's development cycle. You can definitely hear where popular acts in the genre took inspiration throughout. Very catch instrumentation that never lingers so long in one sound to get boring and is extremely danceable at times. The Robots and The Model are both classic tracks from their catalogue at this point, but the rest of the album is very much putting up solid competition as the best songs on here. The entire album is a banger, not a single bad song here.
Déjà écouté avant. Qui aurait prédit que quatre mystérieux ermites fascinés par la technologie inventeraient presque à eux seuls le son de la synthpop des années 1980 dans un studio à Düsseldorf ? Minimaliste musicalement mais maximaliste dans son approche froide et calculatoire, effaçant toute imperfection humaine, et donc toute forme d'émotion, sous un masque de sonorités synthétiques et de textures futuristes. Conséquence logique, The Man-Machine finit par être très répétitif et, il faut bien le dire, carrément daté. Ca n'enlève rien à sa dimension révolutionnaire, mais en 2026, l'écoute n'est pas passionnante, en dehors de quelques morceaux. Top : The Model Flop : The Man Machine
Half of this album feels less like music and more like futuristic noises but I’m not saying I hate it
There are some interesting melodies here, but none of it sticks with me because of the cold calculated tone of the songs. It wasn't a terrible listen, but it isn't something I'm. Interested in revisiting.
I liked it more than Autobahn but still not style of music.
The Germans have done so many amazing things, and electronic music is definitely something they have had a huge hand in developing. But, I just can't get into this. A bunch of awkward German guys acting like robots doesn't do it for me. Extra points for great production value though.
some killer sound design here, which makes the fairly sparse and slow-moving arrangements primarily hypnotic rather than primarily boring.
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.
Verbal meme It’s the guy pushing the small domino leading to the really big domino. Small domino, some silly Germans in the 70s making some klang noises in Düsseldorf Big domino, hundreds of thousands of people having to suffer through an entire decade of shitty techno music based on this in the 90s. I’m at least happy I found the source of this bullshit. Some props for being the first to do it I guess.
Very listenable
YES!!!!!! shoutouts Edgaram Šadrim
I am machine
pretty gooood contextualised a lot of the electronic pop i already liked very cool
Good sound, but ultimately repetitive and boring.
Good chill album
Love it!
This was straight fire. 4.5/5
Kinda goofy, a great basis for further synth music, but I don't know if it's aware it's goofy. Just kinda aight.
Bops
epico
Not a big fun of electronic music.. this album didn't catch my attention 2/5
If you’re into experimental electronic music, this is the album for you. It feels quintessentially 70s with its use of early synths and electronic sounds, and equally quintessentially German lol. It’s definitely a trail blazer, but not my favourite
vorsprung durch techno
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
5 stars already So mechanic and so new, perfect for focus and studying Amusing that this sound originates from 1978
I can’t really get into Kraftwerk. At least this album is better than Autobahn.
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
I can see that they are groundbreakers but honestly pretty boring.
type shit co zrobis na garageband
Fun! I enjoyed it. Music from the future back in the past.
Not bad but probably won't listen to again.
Amazing. Perfect late night driving record. The back three tracks are an amazing run
I'd go as far as to consider this flawless in an isolated sense. That said, I was never provoked by it's absolute commitment to sonic coldness. It was less cold like a starless winter night in a mechanical wasteland and moreso cold like a corpse. 2.5/5
Pioneers of techno music style.
Amazing recommendation. Really different and unique sounds.
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
You can definitely hear the influences, and cool to hear something like this from the 70s. Quirky and interesting. Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: The Robots
Kind of hard to believe that this record is from 1978. It feels so ahead of its time in every way. Just very interesting and you can hear everybody in here who's been influenced. Daft Punk, freaking just an interesting album
kids funky, bit different
Decent listen, quite similar to Autobahn. Can appreciate the early synth/electronic sound.
I get how influential Kraftwerk were. New wave, dark wave, industrial metal, any genre that features synth is standing on the shoulders of Kraftwerk. However, their music just sounds dated at this point.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Meh
What can I even say about this album? There are no words. This isn’t just music — it’s something colder, more precise, almost mechanical. Kraftwerk aren’t musicians , they are music workers… or robots. True pioneers of electronic music, the Andy Warhol of the music industry. With The Man-Machine, they created something perfect in its concept and execution. While listening you don’t just hear the album — you feel every second of every song. The cold beauty, the repetition, the hypnotic grooves. “The Model” makes you visualize girls walking on a runway. “Metropolis” and “Neon Lights” transport you into a neon-lit, Blade Runner-style big city at night. “Die Roboter” and “Die Mensch-Maschine” make you smell the factory, hear the machines breathing. Everything about this record is simply perfect. The sound, the atmosphere, the vision. It’s clinical yet strangely beautiful. Cold but addictive. One of the greatest electronic albums ever made. A true masterpiece.
Sometimes I worry that I just don't get electronic music - and I think that is okay! I enjoyed this one and and can hear a lot of influences, but will probably never listen to this one again? I don't know! It sounds both ahead of it's time given the year it came out and incredibly dated in a way that I cannot separate.
really amazing! such early but effective use of synths
Humans pretending to be robots, pretending to be humans. One of the first electronic dance music projects that has a mesmerizing dark undertone to it. Known as the father of synth-pop and electro-pop, it sounds very futuristic even today despite originally releasing in 1978. While listening to it, you can definitely hear how its soul echos throughout electro-music even to this day, allowing us to really feel the impact it had. I think one of the groups they impacted the most was likely Daft Punk as their sound and theme of robots seem to be heavily influenced. Although sonically this project is very impressive and its historic value definitely needs to be appreciated, I didn't enjoy it too much from a musical standpoint. The long tracks and their repetitiveness made it pretty bland and I don't think I'll find myself revisiting this project too often.
Damals bestimmt wild. Heute naja...
I can hear Daft Punk from afar. 1. The Model 2. Spacelab
Das ist beep boop musik
adorei esse gênero é como se eu tivesse dentro de um computador
beep boop
I’m familiar with Kraftwerk, but I find this album a bit monotonous, so 2 stars...
Immaculate aura
Experimental. If you would have told me that this album came out in 2010s I would believe you. Not my taste, but I can see the massive influence this album had enjoyed since. It's crazy that this came out in 1978, still sounds so fresh. Favourite song in the album - The Model/The Man Machine No. of favourited songs - 2/6 Rating - 2/5
I didn't expect to like this. But I did enjoy it. It gets a little repetitive. But overall pretty good.
Can appreciate it for its pioneering and groundbreaking place in rock history. But not something I’m going to listen to on the regular.
Not for me
No. 202 I didn't mind this, surprisingly I listened to the whole album. Liked Neon lights.
A little too out there for a 5 but still a fun album
Bastante bien, al menos para mí que no hay chance que escuche este tipo de música.
Beep boop Fave track: The Model
Beep boop. 3/5
I am shocked by how much I liked this album. It's more melodic and groovy than I anticipated. Good stuff
One of my favourite albums of all time to listen to. Maybe a perfect record. No skips. Every track is a treat. Extremely tuneful, knows what it is doing.. just a joy to experience. It isn't krautrock anymore (was it ever?) but it is evolved, it is the future, it is..
This was beeping and booping. I liked it.
Definitely better than the earlier stuff, can definitely hear influences of later artists with some of these tracks but it still sounds like robot sex to me
I liked AUTOBAHN more
I liked it better than Autobahn, but not getting into this record either. I think having this one randomly follow Jean-Michel Jarre caused me to be ready for a break from the late 70s electronica. I did it more than Oxygene though.
Electronic
Lo-fi synth-pop
Pioneers of electronic music?
It is still wild how modern the music here sounds for an almost 50 year old album, the vocals date it a little, but still super impressive how ahead of their time they feel. "Spacelab" "Metropolis" and "The Model" are faves on here
It's like important for music history and all that so respect to the germans. I'm good though
I understand that this is pretty relevant and all and how it's themes are pretty ahead of its time. However, I don't think it was fun to listen to. Not my kind of beep boops ig Rating: 2/10 No Favorite song
That was way weirder than it was compelling.
Loved this. So ahead of its time and influential.
Cool electro
Ooh I love this. This is way better than the Autobahn album, which was my first exposure to Kraftwerk. This has cool sounds, awesome synths, interesting structures and arrangements, but most importantly it has great songs. It starts off a little more experimental, lures you in, then wallops you with a pop masterpiece like “The Model.” Really fun, I listened to it twice in a row. Must-listen #349.
Them bleeps bloop hard.
cool sounds ! !
Iconic, influential, interesting. Not all to my taste, but some fantastic songs on here. Can't knock how massive this album really is. Overall a good listen, but some songs grated a little.
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.
Tavallaan mageeta, että tällaista on tehty jo 1970-luvulla ja siinä mielessä tämä on aikaansa edellä. Mutta ei tämä erityisen nautinnollista musiikkia ole. Piste lähinnä avausraita The robotsille, joka on kelvannut Eläkeläiset-yhtyeellekin coveroitavaksi. 2/5
very futuristic and i like the idea of humans pretending to be robots
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.
Good background music. The model is well known. The rest of it was fine but forgettable
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
Marvellous.
Gesamtkunstwerk
I love this album. Here is an essay about how it’s the most influential album of the last 50 years
Initially was kinda torture. Then I thought it was kinda groovy and telling a story with metropolis. Then I felt like I was getting tortured again. Really don’t think this album aged very well. Probably cool back when it was made but everything feels very simplistic and would have preferred much more of a story being told throughout the whole thing for how conceptual it is but maybe I just didn’t get it
Got me feeling like Mr Krabs listening to this. Boop bop? BEEP BOOP?
really sick and I think it would have blown my mind in 1978 but listening for the first time in 2026 it's definitely suffering from its own success - kept reminding me how badass it was the first time i heard daft punk. That being said, i feel like this might actually be killer on future listens.
I see why people like it, but I really didn't. It was electronic and repetitive in ways I didn't appreciate or need. 3/10
Pre mňa najlepší album od Kraftwerk. Baví ma aj v nemčine aj v angličtine.
Stilistiskt fulländad! Och "Das model" är en av de två bästa poplåtarna i historen, den andra är förstås "Be my baby"
Allt faller på plats. Oslagbara popmelodier. Minimalistisk synthdisco. Briljant ljudteknik. En ren hitskiva där The Model, Neonlights, The robots och Spacelab är allra starkast.
En kalla krigets dystopi. Snyggt och stilbildande. Utan tvekan en oerhört viktig inspirationskälla för många band. Samtidigt blir det snabbt långtråkigt. KW är nog i större grad viktiga än bra. Musikaliskt en tvåa, men satt i sin kontext når de trean.
Inte alls lika bra som Trans Europe Express. I jämförelse är det simplare och barnsligare melodier. Låtarna pågår men saknar kraft och framåtrörelse. Det är först i slutet av Neonlicht som det verkligen tar fart. Tuffar i den tyska versionen.
Electronic essential. The synthwork here is incredible. Still sounds futuristic to this day. I can't believe they made this in 1978.
Music for a low budget movie about wannabe hackers.
i understand its value as an influence and almost a premonition of the sound in electronic music, techno, synth pop and other derivatives, but as also happens to me with these genres, i cant find any connection with the music itself the songs keep adding and removing layers and playing with patterns and textures; again, i understand that this is the purpose of this work, to sound mechanical and artificial, but it seems to me that these machines are too far removed from the emotionality i expect in music so much repetition ans waiting for small variations makes it tedious to finish and difficult to enjoy, and my rating will reflect that
It’d be more interesting if each song didn’t carry on for quite so long. Nonetheless, it’s a fine listen. Liked Neon Lights and Man Machine.
I didn't mind this, surprisingly I listened to the whole album. Though I prefer the synthesized electronics of Yes, the Who, and ELP. 3 stars
I'm not really in to electric music but I still got a decent bit out of this album
(89/100)
classic kraftwerk. it's got a mood to it, very life-under-machines, can hear vaporwave coming out of here for sure 💥the robots it's a vibe, 3
Parts of spacelab kinda sound like one of the tracks from the final fantasy VII soundtrack, for whatever that is worth. Otherwise, this is very much not my kind of album. Lukewarm on this at best.
4 and a half stars😛 wie konnte die band mit EINEM album das nur SECHS songs enthält solche berühmten banger kochen
3/5
I hate it here. Maybe I don't appreciate this because technology has advanced now and a child could accidentally make this on the keyboard in their music classroom today. Electronic music must've been difficult to make back then. I acknowledge this is groundbreaking stuff. Just because you could, it doesn't mean you should. Dear lord how can something so revolutionary sound so drab? It was so dull.
felt like watching a soviet movie, full of desires for future
The robots did come for us all. Math rock for cool boys. I know it is important but it is still silly
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
Good. In a weird way. I'm sure having the music videos up while listening to these would've made it better but listening to it as is on Spotify just sounds a bit video game-y. No stand out tracks.
So warm and hopeful, welcoming the future and creating these beautiful, evocative soundscapes.
Not sure what this is all about but I found it quite uninteresting.
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.
Wow, this was a surprise listen for me. I LOVED this! It felt like I was stepping into a movie with Tron/Blade Runner/Stranger Things-vibes and I thought some lyrics (especially the song about the model lol) were so absurdly silly that I literally laughed out loud. But I absolutely loved this and would totally listen to it again as background music when I need to feel like I’m going into another planet or something!
Decent
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
Fun, danceable, and with a sound that feels a decades ahead of its time
no tengo idea que fue eso jjajjaja
Super old edm, felt obsolete compared to modern day edm. But to be fair its 30 years older than what i consider to be the descendents of my edm.
piola para tipear familia
Very influential but the other Krautrockers were more so. Kraftwerk led us young kids to them.
I’ve some old friends who have a Kraftwerk cover band. Noteworthy, I think. This was a good listen on a nice spring morning. I was robot-ing all around.
Not too sonically interesting nor unique by any means, seems generic, although it may have waves, from an objective modern perspective the entirety of the electronic genre has left it in the dust
Debe haber sido un viaje escuchar esto en 1970 y seguro que fue muy revolucionario, pero es muy dificil escucharlo entero, mismo es muy dificil escuchar una canción entera.
It’s astonishing that an album from almost 50 years ago still sounds as if it’s been dropped through a time warp from a sci-fi future where man and machine have merged, and icy robots dance in the neon lights of a cyber metropolis. This album was massively influential on many genres of music, from 80’s synth pop and hip-hop, to electro, house and EDM in the 90s and beyond. There are even elements of trip-hop and ambient, which explains why this album sounds both contemporary and timeless. This version is the remastered one from 2009, but to be honest the original sounded pretty good on the cassette that I listened to on my Walkman way back when. It’s difficult to pick out highlights from this as it’s all excellent, but if pushed I would go for the stunning electronic Motorik beat on Spacelab which is still eminently danceable. Robot-tastic!
Malisimo
KRAFTWERK
Muy robótico y futurista? It's not my cup of tea
Re-discovering Kraftwerk yielded some actually beautiful tracks. All-time gold
Love this band. Love this album. Can't get enough.
I mean, electronic music has never been good. Did not get it
Kraftwerk are such a key seminal group. Their work in the 70s laid so much groundwork for so much music. No just the synth pop of the 80s but hip-hop, dance music and all music that now just had the understanding that electronic devices can make art. This album is much more pop oriented and allowed the accessibilty to synth pop. But earlier records are much more powerful now
For some reason I used to hear Kraftwerk a lot at home as a kid, so I was very familiar with some of the songs in here. This album is spectacular. The production is amazing, and I bet it was very innovative for its time. 5/5
Outstanding album. My favorite from Kraftwerk.
This is the dumbest shit I have ever heard. How people get such a boner for this is beyond me.
Kraftwerk were pioneers of electronic music, a genre that I absolutely love. This album is supberb, blending the repetitive nature of the genre with grander, atmospheric melodies that captivate the listener.
Interesting
i normally like weird but not for me maybe i’m not weird enough yet
Another on the "I bet it sounded incredible at the time" pile.
Grand Daddy Daft Punk
is good
sounded like sci fi credits tracks. cool, but like not amazing.
okayish did not find english version in yt music
On paper this one should sound super dated. But it doesn’t; it sounds super good. I wasn’t a huge fan of Trans Europe Express which I got a few days before this one, but The Man Machine was awesome! Pretty cool
Not one of my favourites, but still very good.
Interesting more like robotic instrumentals
Not my jam
They are kind of addictive, I enjoyed this more than I thought
Good shit. Listened to it before but you can hear how much it influenced all the 80s stuff.
Incredible sound. Somehow, almost 50 years after its release, it still sounds like it's from the future. My one complaint is that some of the songs are a bit long.
I generally like electronic music but I stopped listening to this after 3 songs because I thought it was an annoying waste of time. I've tried listening to Kraftwerk on multiple occasions and this is always the outcome. Their sounds reminds you of just how fundamentally joyless Berlin and North Germany are as a whole. I think the word that sums my feelings on them is banal. I will never attempt to listen to Kraftwerk again.
Wouldn’t listen again
This has to be like the origins of EDM and Nightcore
I was on the fence about buying a synth to mess around with. Now I’m buying a synth.
SIE EST EIN MODEL UND SIE SIEHT GUT AUS
I don't believe it, but it might be another 5. It's the second Kraftwerk I listen, and I liket it a bunch more than Autobahn. The electric sound here are so fresh and existing to this day. It's unbelievable it was made in 1978. Sometimes we treat this albums as examples for music evolution, but this time you don't need any excuse to love it. The strongest thing in this album is actually the musical ideas. Melodies, harmonies and beats. The electronic instruments are just the, well, instruments. What a listen. (I mean, the man machine sounds like an early 2000's tune. Unbelievable)
This album was fun, and a great example of Kraftwerk’s wacky synth music strengths. It’s clearly influential as I can think of several bands that reference tracks on it directly or indirectly. Was it repetitive? Sure. Kind of silly? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes! I’m glad it’s short at 36 minutes as longer may have been overkill. As an aside - I love LCD Soundsystem, so this album was fun for me. LCD’s “Get Innocuous” is basically “The Robots.” According to the interwebs it’s not a sample, just heavily influenced.
By all rights I should hate this. Strangely I mostly don’t. I certainly wouldn’t choose to listen to it, and it has inspired a lot of music that I do hate but this was fine. I prefer the second half. I like Model, it has lyrics and everything! First few tracks tend towards the repetitive and the whole thing is just way to electronic for my tastes but it is definitely good. 6/10
I enjoyed my $1 used copy of Autobahn I purchased in the late 80s. So silly (fahn fahn fahn auf der autobahn ... whoosh ... beep beep ... ). Like robotic beach boys. I never went very deep into Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, etc. This album kind of represents why. It's ok. It's not clear -- are we doing soundscapes? Song? What's the plan? I have a certain fondness for this band, but I can't take this seriously. Metropolis sounds like Mr X by Ultravox, and one could think of Vienna -- a very solid album -- as what would happen if you took this approach and then actually tried to write some songs. Went ahead and listened to Autobahn again ... that is still a fun song.
I fell for the Columbia Record House thing in... 1983? Agonizing over those wee stamps, and them gluing them into place... SOOO VIRGO!!! I ordered The Moody Blues' mediocre album; the Eagles something; a few Greatest Hits albums, because who knew if Neil Young's Harvest really was all gold. And oddly, I ordered Kraftwerk's "Computer World." Probably because that was the year my dad built his own Radio Shack TRS-80, with a case he lifted from HP that looked almost EXACTLY like Kraftwerk's cover. And of all the albums I got, only "Computer World" stuck. Definitely, my love of Euro electronica circa 1983 world got a boost from my friend Russell, who was a big Gary Numan booster, and who supported Kraftwerk as a side thing. I listened to "Pocket Calculator" while messing with my sister's Speak and Spell on family vacations. I listened to it on my first Walkman. But I kept on listening, and as the eras of my youth evolved into a post-college life that was based in computer use, I kept finding new veins of meaning in what appeared on the surface to be beyond simple. Turns out "Computer World" was beloved by early 80s hiphop pioneers, too. Man Machine is not my heart's album. But it gets a 5 because the band is a lifetime joy for me. I listened to "Computer World" again last week, even.
I like the first couple of songs and enjoyed reading about their immersive art concept. I had only heard one or two of the songs before. Seems like they were very much ahead of their time
Yes, innovative, influential, genre-changing. But to me, very boring. The wikipedia write-up cites a Pitchfork critic who described this album as having "No emotions, no philosophies, no performances, and virtually no humor. It is pure technology." I suppose that might have been said in an admiring fashion, but it's not what I want out of my music.
Superb !
Unbelievable that this was released in 1978. Years ahead of its time and probably one of the most influential albums of all time. Classic
There is something so fascinating about Kraftwerk. As a band, they’re pretty inscrutable. Who are those guys? The music production is clearly ahead of its time. The songs themselves are at once innovative and simple. Es lebe Kraftwerk.
Not my kind of music
Sounds like music that would play in the background of a factory building game
Kraft week are an odd one. So influential but I find them very dated. They have some good tracks, but ultimately I think this is a 3 for me.
It feels like heresy but Kraftwerk don't really do it for me. I've can't put my finger on why not. Everything thing I think about singling out is something that I like in other electronic acts. I don't dislike them but so many artists I love cite them as a huge influence that I feel like I should like them more 🙂 There are some great tracks on here though - the last one especially.
I think it probably fades so far into the background that it only really deserves a 3. But nostalgia and just how catchy The Model is means I'm happy to give it a 4.
It sounds like an older video game soundtrack, with some occasional light German vocals. It is pretty cool and good, but it doesn't strike me as fantastic, I guess.
I'm familiar with Kraftwerk in the general sense, as in I knew about their influence and their innovation, and even enjoy some of their most well-known tracks like Autobahn and We Are The Robots, but I never gave them a full album listen. I expected it to be pretty dry and repetitive... and it is... but honestly I liked it better than I expected. A lot of the B sides and lesser known work is frankly much more enjoyable and melodically interesting beyond just the technical aspects. Fun album!
This one felt very spacy and almost ambient to me which I really enjoyed. The tracks are pretty repetitive, but enough new sounds or changes happen often enough to keep me engaged Standouts Space Lab The Man Machine 5/5
Enjoyed this quirky Teutonic robo adventure. Probably another album that sounds a little small by virtue of how much it influenced those that followed...
I can see why when this came out in 1978 people thought it was future music. Alotta beeps and boops, but suprisingly easy to listen to. Its aight to this day.
Robot communism. Really enjoyed listening to my overlords
Bored.
Phenomenal! You hear music history being made, but it also still holds up as a pop album.
Some of these tracks have become really corny over the decades, but this album represents necessary work to bring electronics out of labs and musique concrete studios and into pop music. The cool songs are very cool, and the longevity by way of sampling is testament to what these guys accomplished.
ta bueno
This album is incredibly ahead of its time. The synth use combined with the great artistic choice of panning go incredibly throughout the whole record. A lot of the songs go on for way too long however, and even though the length of the album isn't that long, I quickly felt pretty bored of the looping keys. Great ideas, but I just wish they were executed more fully. As the songs drone on, they begin to feel empty. Nevertheless, this record is super groovy, and if you're looking for something to dance a bit to and enjoy the futuristic sounds that the 70s somehow achieved, this is a wonderful listen for the most part.
No.
Pas aussi bien que Trans Europe Express mais quand même ils sortent du lot sur l'électro de l'époque
Un poil trop lent mais pas mauvais… pas mon style
C'est assez original, mais pas trop ma came
Completely ahead of its time. A classic to go back to now and then. Just spectacular
Synths are beautiful... I hate the drums. Best: Spacelab Worst: The Man-Machine
Let’s try something new - pre- and post-listening notes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Kraftwerk album. One of my favorite artists of all time, Steven Wilson, holds them up as favorites of his, so I’m hopeful I’ll be intrigued by this… Love the opening of the record. Fewer vocals, please. “The Model”, for example, is a little ridiculous. “Neon Lights” isn’t helping things either. I think I was expecting more driving, repeated rhythms and less shimmering keyboards. Darker. The final track, “Man Machine” brought it back around to a moodier tone, one that I prefer. Overall, a little dated, but it does have me interested in exploring more of their catalog, unless the first track of the next one I listen to sounds like “The Model”.
A more accessible Kraftwerk.
Enjoyable and different. And it gave me an excuse to listen to Tour de France.
Ok I get it. I see why Kraftwerk is such a big deal. To have music that sounds like Daft Punk in 1978 is kind of unbelievable. Talk about sounds that people had never heard before, not to mention it’s really good. I can see how this would have inspired countless electronic musicians that came after it.
i didnt like it!
Look, I know this is a masterpiece, probably one of the most important electronic albums ever made, etc., but the fact remains that each of these tracks is 6+ minutes long and during all of them I’m (figuratively) checking my watch repeatedly after 3 minutes. Excellent pop songs extended far beyond what they can handle. Best track: “The Robots”
Listening notes... im lost and aimless, borrowed time
favs: spacelab neon lights rating 2.7/5
This may be the first German entry on the list. Kraftwerk made the scene with their 1974 hit “Autobahn”, but they seemed to fade into obscurity after that, at least where I was. This album is more of the same synth-pop music. It’s pleasant enough to hear; it makes for good background music.
Nice, Trans Europe Express was one of the first new-albums-I-liked from this project. This is similar, although about robots instead of trains. The compelling thing about robots is, they don't have any agency (bad) but they also don't feel any pain (good), so whatever robot metaphors you get are very mixed in valence. It's Kraft-werking for me. Something interesting about this album is that it was released in both English (the language of the masses, I guess) and German (because they're (West) German). Not so unusual - I know a lot of Latin Pop Stars (TM) like Shakira and Enrique also had English/Spanish versions, and t.A.T.u. of course did Russian/English. But in those cases, I prefered the non-English version because it is the original! (Going the opposite direction happens less often - Avril Lavigne's 'Girlfriend' (which had releases in 8 different languages) completely turned me around on Avril Lavigne!) So even though this is listed as The Man Machine and not Die Mensch-Maschine, I listened to both versions just in case the German one was better. (The upside of a Friday album.) Conclusion: it was a little better, but they're actually... extremely similar! Highlights: 'Spacelab', 'Neon Lights', 'Das Modell', 'Neonlicht'
Me estoy quedando sin cosas para dexir
They didn't even ask if I could touch their monkey.
I really like the synth they used in this album. I will definitely listen again, but there were some times where it was just a little too repetitive that I’m not quite sure I can give it a 5, but it is very close in my opinion.
I was outside doing yard work so I listened to it twice. Didn't feel the need to change it to something else. Would listen to it again.
nottttt a fave.
Oddly good!
Not the worst I guess
Is this album good? I'm not sure. It's far from the best electronica album I've heard on the list and I haven't really liked the genre so far. It doesn't feel futuristic. It just feels outdated and cringe. Machine doesn't feel like a real word anymore.
Honestly... It surprised me. (5/1001) at the first song, i'm sorry but i couldn't help but think like "wth is this yoinky sploinky ass song?", but after continuing with the album anyways, i realized that this was WAAAY too ahead of it's time even I thought this was something you would hear in a club somewhere in teh Futurama universe, but to think that this was made in '78... i don't know how people would've reacted at hearing this album around that time, really not only that, but i can clearly see how this might've influenced HEAVILY in the electronic music industry, though the only names I can name are Daft Punk, Aphex Twin... and damn, even Kanye in 808s & Heartbreak it isn't something i'd listen to every day, but it really has been a trippy experience, in a good way of course.
Un álbum muy interesante teniendo en cuenta el momento en el que fue hecho. Lo disfruté a pesar de que puede llegar a ser difícil de escuchar. Me parece interesante como empieza con una canción que se llama the Robots y termina con the Man Machine
The robots en la electrónica = el génesis en la biblia. Me gusta mucho, cuando salió seguramente fue una bomba para el mundo 4.1
3.8 Cada canción se pone mejor
1/1
I almost had to do a double-take when I saw the date of this recording. I imagine discovering this in the 70s felt like a glimpse into the future. That being said, the tracks in here are mostly just fine. Maybe it's an indicator of it's pioneering of a genre, allowing other synth-pop bands to fully bloom later in the 80s. That being said, when they do bust out their lyrical moments and songs I didn't mind them one bit. Something about their German accents fits the vibe of this genre so much, and is worth a listen at least to a couple songs. Highlight: The Model Lowlight: The Robots Highlight #2: Neon Lights
No había tenido la oportunidad de escuchar a los pioneros de a musica electrónica y fue interesante hacer un viaje en el tiempo
Listened while playing some battlefield. Not really my thing but i got like a 3kd so
Good but some songs are not really my taste.
good
We are the robots 🕺🤖
Step off, Daft Punk. Kraftwerk are the real robots! 4
music is love
Kraftwerk: The Pop Album
I now want to go to Tomorrowland at Epcot and listen to this all day.
That this came out in 1978 (a year before I was born) is something. Listen to it with ears from that era. People had to be confused, interested, apalled or so many other things and that’s what great albums do. Extremely influential to what would come in the 80s.
Good studying music as far as instrumentals go Favourite track: The Robots
I liked this one. The first one on the track The Robots sounded very silly which made me immediately want to share this album with Grace. Later on in the track there were more sad beats that were mixed with happy beats I think this was able to work because the songs where actually very simple and had few lyrics. I did some research on this album and found that it was created to be the composer’s ideal music which was without emotion or message. I did not like this because I think that this is the opposite of what music is supposed to be but I also find it ironic because I was easily able to pick out emotions in his music.
I bet my good friend Dolores Abernathy would have loved this, but for better or worse I am human.
pretend its a 4.5 rating lol. very impressive how did they do this