The Man Machine

De übet Krautrock record! What a classic. The fact this came out in 1977 and bands still try to rip this sound today is testament to how cool this record is. It’s fairly short at just over half an hour but if your calculator had a favorable record, it would be this one. The first track We Are The Robots sounds a little silly but it’s a great starter. It’s cute to hear a robot German voice! The second track Spacelab is what I’d imagine hold music for the Martian consulate would sound like. Or one of those old Epcot center ride train music would be. Metropolis sounds like it would fit well on Autobahn, which is my favorite Kraftwerk record. Fun and funky little number. The Model is probably the best known track since it’s so dancey. Another fun little number. Neon Lights and The Man Machine close it all out with some highly pleasant soundscapes. Kraftwerk has always sounded intentionally sparse to me but this album is legit a relaxing and fun listen.

Engrossing grooves, definitely on the frontier of electronic acoustics. A few catchy songs that make it a great listen

I won't listen to this every day, but it is great

Really enjoyed this one - I’ll be listening to more kraftwerk for sure.

wall to wall bangers

Seminal but not quite there for a 5 I guess

exactly what I needed to round out my sexy time playlist

Very cool

06/11/24 S Tier—————————5 The Model A Tier—————————4 The Robots Spacelab Neon Lights B Tier—————————3 Metropolis The Man Machine C Tier—————————2 D Tier—————————1

The level of influence this band and album have/had on so many artists downstream earns it a high rating. From bands already experienced on this 1001 list like Underworld and Soft Cell, to so many others like Depeche Mode, New Order and especially the more recent Daft Punk. The scarcity of lyrics mixed with more simple sounds only supports the intended theme here of humans and their relationship to technology. And the fact that these German robot dudes also built many of the instruments and units used to create the sounds is pretty amazing. Life imitates art.

Noel Fielding's and Matt Lucas's portrayal of Kraftwerk in a Great British Bake Off cold open had me fully prepared for this. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

hey i already listened to this album it was very good its very good now or is it not now but later sooner or later the time would prescribe me a saint or a patron with letters or papers denied for vacants

It was definitely some interesting stuff going on here, felt symphonic at times. Warrants another listen

Fun listen, but most songs became repetitive quickly. Definitely ahead of its time though. Sounds really crisp, and likely influenced generations after.

One of the first introductions into electronic music. My first introduction to electronic music. It’s just as weird and oddly satisfying as the first time I listened to it as a kid. 8/10

Seminal bangers

I have given electronic music a lot of shit during this journey. Because I don't like it. But I always give it a fair chance when it comes up, I want people to know that. I'm not just maliciously assigning 1 star without ever trying to understand what might be worthy first. I guess most of the electronic music that comes up really is bonafide crap though. And I can see that clearly now that I've got this album to use as a gold standard going forward, because I am actually quite surprised by how much I've enjoyed this one. I think the main difference I perceive is that this feels like art. Legitimate, musical talent that has produced art. It feels like it has been thoughtfully created with a specific point of view and intentional musicianship versus all of the other acts that apparently just noodle aimlessly with dissonant tones and slap an "art" label on it at the end of the session. I can finally see the light, and I can finally hear the brilliance.

We are indeed the robots. 4/5

This is right up my alley.

Super ahead of its time, and still sounds great to this day

Only 36mins

Really enjoyed this. Crazy how well this holds up.

Los abuelos de la electrónica en estado puro

As someone who played video games in the 1980’s, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Another classic of electronic music.

Awesome.

I was expecting this to sound more outdated and corny. I'm not sure that I've heard anything as timeless as this. If someone made me guess I doubt that I'd say the 1970s. Obviously influential. Anyway it sounds great. I almost wanted to go for a 5 but at the end of it, most of it was missing a spark for me. I liked the tittle track the most.

Oh, shit, we’re vibin’! I can see this is influential on all the dark synth-based musicians out there, and I get that.

Great to listen to. Great as backdrop when doing work... Beep Beep Bop...

Way ahead of its time. Favorite track: Neon Lights

Strong 4

It's insane that this was made in the 70's. It's groundbreaking and highly influential to all sorts of music, right up to now. It sounds timeless and also nostalgic. I can't help but picture 80's video games when listening. With all that said I can't give this 5 stars as I found it a tad repetitive and annoying, and I wouldn't listen to it again. I am glad that I listened to it though.

We Are The Robots was cool, I've never heard anything like this before. The repetitiveness of it is trance-like, and it feels like the bedrock of every electronic song I've heard before, but still really catchy and earwormish, despite it's sparseness. I enjoy the way the songs build up with droning tones into the main song. I'm not normally into synth sounds, but this album is great. It reminds me of playing old video games.

Good stuff! More accessible/radio friendly compared to Autobahn, which I listened to a few weeks ago.

Not my normal rotation but a solid album

1978...still sounds modern

Much more melodic than I expected

swing~

Repetitive but some songs were enjoyably repetitive

A prelude to Daft Punk. The album was very easy to listen to. I will look into some of their other cuts.

4 für Das Model und Die Roboter

"The Man-Machine" by Kraftwerk: a classic case of musical Stockholm syndrome for me. Initially, it felt like being trapped in an elevator with a synthesizer enthusiast—interesting for the first minute but quickly turning into a "please, let me out" scenario. Yet, somehow, with time, the album grew on me, much like a quirky wallpaper you initially regret but come to love for its eccentric charm. Kraftwerk's robotic hymns and electronic landscapes turned from monotonous to mesmerizing, proving that even a digital heart can beat with a warm, infectious rhythm. It's not that the tracks became personal anthems—they didn't—but rather like those oddly specific ads that know you a little too well; you start to appreciate the craft behind them. Elevating "The Man-Machine" from a misunderstood machine's monologue to a 4/5 in my book, this album showcases how repeated listens can turn skepticism into admiration. It might not have the tracks on my all-time favorites playlist, but it's earned its spot in the "I get it now" section of my music library.

Retro-futurist synth-pop. Successfully capturing the zeitgeist. 4

Way ahead of it's time

Shows that electronica can have warmth and rhythm while still being alien as hell

4.5/5. Beep boop beep!

Very vibey, much German. I get the feeling that this was not my first time listening to this, but I can't for the life of me remember another time when I would listen to electronic music besides Daft Punk.

A milestone!

Just learned where Neil Young got Trans from. Loved it! Neon Lights especially is a synth dream

Album Nr. 60 Eine Kult-Band der frühen, deutschen, elektronischen Musik. Sehr gutes Album, aber nicht perfekt.

OMG ELEKTRON MENTIONED brooo Kraftwerk☝️☝️☝️ fun album! Enjoyed it. Good sounds

funky as fuck, but at times overly repetitive. i would listen to this doing manual labor

Loved this. Really wanna listen with my good headphones. Short and sweet and cool and out there but not in an annoying way. 8.5/10

7/10 - It was kind of all over the place but was super interesting throughout most of the pieces.

Great stuff! A very cool album and hard to imagine this hitting shops in the 70s when it was a pretty new sound. It’s basically what has evolved into Daft Punk but a bit more atmospheric rather than dance floor friendly. Definitely coming back to this one.

ohhh jaaaa, velcome to ze clahhb!!!

aged well

Moderat interessanter Elektro-pop. Ikonisch und wohl bekanntesten Lied ist "Model".

3.5

Timeless

Stylistically speaking, 1978's The Man Machine could be seen as the sequel to its predecessor, Trans Europe Express. From its fluid synthesizer melodies to its disco-informed electronic beats and Vocoder-assisted robot voices, it's the ultimate example of Kraftwerk's pioneering work with electronics. From "The Robots" to the title track, the band continued to underline their technophile aesthetic and image, perhaps even more succinctly than before. And for as many overtures to pop accessibility as they'd made on previous albums, tunes like "Neon Lights" and "The Model" were the most overtly pop-oriented tracks they'd created up to that time, with the latter becoming an international hit that went all the way to No. 1 in the U.K.

Robot Rock

Mixed, strange, getting closer

I do own Autobahn and know the track The Model but I don't think I had heard the rest of this album before. I do like it, while I won't be listening to it every day or even every month I will be once or twice a year. Several Kraftwerk albums added to favorites.

Can’t give this one less than ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, and I’m not even that into electronic music. They’re the blueprint for so much that came after but more than that, the album rocks. Give me more robot German sounds every o day.

I have no clue what this is. Wait, this is really cool. I feel like I'm playing a retro video game or something. This is super fun to listen to so far. This album started off strong but it's starting to go downhill a bit for me. Finishing strong with the final track though. 4/5 This was a pleasant surprise.

Favourite tracks: robots; the model; man machine; neon lights

Precisely my kind of goofy ass electronic weirdo shit. Not too weird, not too normal

Loved this! I ended up listening to it 3 times on the bounce. When you think if what was around at the time, I think this album is genius. Might just listen to it again.

Ok, this album was cool. And when the robots begin their takeover of earth, I hope they come out marching to the 1st track.

Klassiker, aber in Deutsch war es mindestens so gut. Jugenderinnerungen mit The Model und The Robots.

Hadn’t heard Kraftwerk before, but quite enjoyed it.

Fan of some of the songs. Enjoy the vibes.

Initially I thought I was going to really hate this album but I actually quite enjoyed it. I was not a fan of the first song but the later ones were good

Actually a really fun album, enjoyed throughout. Crazy how you can hear the influence the album had on subsequent music. Love the beeps and boops. Will listen again

they made electronic music human, HOW CAN ENJOY THIS MORE THAN I ALREADY DO.

Admittedly a little avant-garde for my taste but I could appreciate how influential this album was to Alt Rock in the '80s, particularly Depeche Mode. Thompson Twins "Lay Your Hands on Me" drew inspiration from "Spacelab."

Unique and unmatched - even in English.

sssssssspaaaaaaaaccccccee laaaaaaab

Revolutionary. Cant believe this came out in 1978!

Kinda cool and funky -Danny

Kraftwerk had a brilliant run of albums in the 70s. Thus is one of them. Way ahead of its time and beautiful.

Pretty poggers

Without Kraftwerk there would be no EDM.

Im a robot

Fun to hear! I've never listed to this band or these songs. Had to listen twice because i needed better speakers.

"The Model" is the standout. 3.5 stars rounded up.

sick!

I don't really have much to say about this one, just a fun, groovy album with lots of cool electronic and robotic themes. And it's always cool to listen to things in German since I am currently learning the language

I really love the rhythms of the music. It's different, but intriguing and wonderful to listen to. I would like to know the words. I do drum circles in schools and these pieces would be great to teach the rhythms and drum with the music, but I must be sure they're appropriate for kids. Thanks.

I was fully prepared for this to be boring—just because something was innovative 45 years ago doesn’t mean it holds up—but I really enjoyed it. The last two tracks were standouts for me.

This sounds so much like a Tony Banks film soundtrack. I love it. It likely won't be the last album of theirs I listen to.

Enjoyed “The Robots” and “Neon Lights.”

There are probably many ideal scenarios to listen to Kraftwerk’s “The Man Machine”, and my latest one was on my morning commute this week. Mid-January, temperature at a steely cold 0, sharing a packed Underground train with my fellow nameless worker droids, all enslaved by the machines in our pockets. Kraftwerk’s future has arrived. By 1978’s standards, “The Man Machine” must have only sounded like the future to the most perceptive of listeners: most probably thought “what’s all this nonsense?” and then got on with their day. Now we’re in 2024, and Kraftwerk’s influence and pioneering approach to music has become more and more bleedin’ obvious with every passing year. It isn’t too much an overstatement to suggest “The Man Machine”, and a handful of albums around it, birthed an entire genre of electronics: someone had to do it first, but this album did it brilliantly. Through a series of synth leads, pads, sequencers, vocoders and electronic drums (there are no acoustic sounds on here at all), Kraftwerk create a compelling and sinister landscape, which somehow retains a danceable energy. The production still sounds overwhelmingly clean and crisp without feeling dated whatsoever, despite the fact my girlfriend thought I was listening to the Crash Bandicoot soundtrack when I had “The Robots” on. Most of the lyrics are delivered with minimal expression, frequently through a vocoder, so they mostly just become an extra layer in a soundscape. The only song with conventional verses, sung through, is “The Model”, which takes the danceable energy to the max: it was a single and has become Kraftwerk’s best known song in the UK. It does help to make the album a good deal more palatable, breaking up the more indulgent sonic experiments. Two of my other favourite tracks are “Spacelab” and “Neon Lights”, doing so much with very little variation and managing to feel vast, expansive, thrilling, human and alien at once. If there are any weak points at all, it’s the title track coming at the end, which doesn’t really build on anything we’ve heard before: perhaps the record’s shtick is already wearing a little thin by then. It follows that I’m not a big fan of a lot of what Kraftwerk influenced, including techno, house or 90’s EDM (I’m still hoping this list will change my mind, but it hasn’t happened yet). Still, I can’t deny the importance or influence of this album… and at 35 minutes, the ideas feel infinitely more digestible and never outstay their welcome.

Magnificent

I've only ever really been exposed to Kraftwerk briefly, but I do enjoy electronic music so have always enjoyed their music. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, and listened to it back-to-back. I will listen to it again. As an added bonus,. it reminded me of the Bill Bailey Kraftwerk homage and I watched that a few times and laughed my head off as usual.

Meilenstein

Not even 20 albums into this project, and I have by second Kraftwerk album. This is truly amazing stuff for 1978.

I didn’t know I would like Kraftwerk this much. It was especially fun to work on a computer while listening. If you like this, I can’t recommend FWY! enough. Check out the track HWY 101

cool - wie in meiner Jugend

I like it more than I was expecting to. It quite easily manages to mingle in backgrounds while still be interesting. It has intricate layers much like Sigur ros, but with a totally different and unique sound. It’s motivating and even a little danceable.

fucking amazing probably a 5 in the distant future, but a 4 after first listen

amazing. still modern (...almost)

I remember not liking their other album when I had it two years ago, but I was probably more close-minded back then. I liked this one a lot. It sounds like a shimmering diamond. Torn between 4 and 5.

Веома занимљиво. The Model сам чуо раније, та ми се веома допада, то је хит. Реално је албум неких 7/10

Favorite Songs: The model (I think I like the German version even more) Obviously a good album and a fun listen, definitely one of the albums where I wish I would've experienced the impact it had at the time.

It blows my mind that this music was recorded in the late 70's.

I like this a lot more than I thought I would. Best electronica album I probably ever listened to. Wunderbar!

Really cool and catchy.

Good album. Definitely more background listening than the last few days, I definitely zoned out a bit.

Kraftwerk er sgu meget fedt. Den her plade har nok nogle af de sange jeg har hørt mest med dem, men så er der også bare de andre som bare bliver glemt.

Sehr gut.

4.25

I've heard the name Kraftwerk for years, but never gave anything a listen. This is pretty much what I expected it to sound like, but am amazed it's from the 70s. 3.5/5

Uniek en heel herkenbaar

very cool songs for/about/by german robots. this sound would have absolutely blown my mind if i were alive and had heard it in 1978. each song felt really unique and interesting, and i enjoyed what each of them brought to the table. will listen again. favorites: basically everything. metropolis was the weakest track in my opinion

Dun dun dun dun, classic.

Un clásico.

I never got super into Kraftwerk. Something about it doesn’t groove enough for me. Doesn’t catch me. Doesn’t make me feel anything. That said, this is very well done, iconic, and important. So, 3.5 - 4

Very unexpected and a little odd. Reminds me a ton of Daft Punk

This is pretty good

#35. Dial-up modem music made by robots, for robots. 4/5: fantastic

Music entanglement for the mind. Great compositions that catches your attention and lets you drift of along with the music. Solid 4.

Sounded like a proto-Daft Punk

synth

Top notch bleep bloop

Historically, this is pretty cool. By today's standards, the music is... good, but I cannot imagine what people thought listening to this almost 50 years ago.

Interesting electronic music, I did really like it 4 stars

Fun

Electronic music found its roots in Germany. By the time the late 20th century arrived, the push for more of it had made its way to the United States and Japan. But in regards to the electronic movement of the 70's and well into the 90's, there is probably none a finer group to have emerged from that scene than Kraftwerk. Most of the electronic music you listen to today can probably be traced back to this record in some way. This is just as essential of a listen as Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Autechre [LP5], and Feed Me Weird Things are. It's cool, chilling, and rhythmically hypnotic. Lyrics are sparse, which leaves only the synths themselves for you to attach yourself to. It's simple, and simultaneously dense once you begin to peel back the layers. There is also a sense of danceability to these tracks. Neonlicht, for example, instantly clicks, and is addictively fun and colorful. The drum beats are snappy and tight. Really this album has as many synth leads, pads, and arps as one could ask for. It is an excellently constructed and put together piece of electronic music, that would go on to push the boundaries of this kind of sound in more traditional and mainstream rock and pop based music. Rating: 8/10

The album had me feeling like I too was a robot in a cyberpunk dystopian environment. Seems like an album with a lot of utility. I mean I feel like I could jam to it while doing chores, while gaming, studying, or just put on some headphones and let my imagination run wild. I dig it.

Really like "Spacelab" and "The Model." Sounds great, trailblazing. I was excited to listen to this one.

meh

A minute in, I was thinking THIS IS AWESOME!!! I felt like such a dipshit not having heard it before and wondered why didn’t anybody tell me? But the album overall got pretty boring pretty fast. It’s kind of ironic because seems like they were both opening the door to and critiquing the kind of mechanized media word we live in now that could make it possible for an album like this to be boring. Seems like it would have been super fun back in the day! Also, four stars is the minimum because any one song is fun to listen to on its own plus it seems like they should get an A for effort given they were blazing a trail and all that entails.

Need to be in the mood

I only know of Kraftwerk from Big Black's cover of The Model and wasn't expecting to like this album as much as I did. The depth and complexities of sound hidden in the repetitive electronic beats is impressive.

Convenceram-me a escutar mais música eletrônica ao construir as obras sonoras ao trabalhar efeitos sintéticos no desenvolvimento de melodias pulsantes.

I listened to this while I was cleaning the kitchen and it was perfect background music, tickled the right spots in my ADHD brain to keep me focused. Very cool to see what has and hasn't changed in the genre for the proceeding decades.

Good

Favourite songs: The Robots, The Model, Spacelab, Metropolis Least favourite songs: Neon Lights 4/5

3.9 amazing it came out in 78

A pioneering electropop album that's still very listenable today and almost new sounding. More accessible than many of Kraftwerk's works, with stuff to bop along too. Outstanding tracks are The Robots and The Model, both feel like they belong to a larger concept work. In the main actually an enjoyable poppy listen rather than the bleeps and pops of some of the other Kraftwork stuff.

Cool to hear some pioneering electronic music. Crazy that was born in the 70’s!

Solid early electronic music. One or two stand out songs

Very good, bits of final fantasy x and vangelis' blade runner but with a beat. Listened again immediately to 2009 remaster which sounded better but maybe just poor quality first time.

The origins of electronic, owe a lot to this sound. Catchy I like it

Funnest electronic album on here so far

they... are the robots we... are the robots i... am a robot

Elektronisk Sväng

Snilld, eintóm snilld. Elska allt við þetta.

It’s really probably a 3 and I don’t like the arguing “but it’s so important to stuff that happened later,” but it’s so important to stuff that happened later.

Sick beats!

It took til the second listen to notice the release year. That's wild that this album is old enough to have hip problems. It sounds a little aged but damn, they rocked it here.

WE ARE DA RrrOBOTS! Great beginning and middle of an album, but it kind of trailed off toward the end. I was bumping to this one with some energy all the way through!

Kraftwerk is great such a change of pace! I am now a robot apparently. Spacelab sounds like I'm either entering or exiting a k-hole Great album to have on which you don't really have to pay too much attention but can still really enjoy the trippy beats

Weee are the ROBOTS. This is a jam. More jams that sound like video game soundtracks from the 80's! The Model rules. Definitely one of the songs I was excited to hear them play live. This album is just so crisp and perfect for background music. KRAFTPUNK

Damn good electronic album most of the album is wonderful I especially like Das Model and Neonlicht. 4 stars

love it. the model is the best track

Wow! First song had the same rhythm as Get Innocuous by LCD Soundsystem. Imitation is a form of flattery right? I might have liked this a bit more than autobahn. Bring on more kraftwerk

Classic. Perfect late night road trip music

The robots learn to dance. A little warmer than their previous work.

Icy, electronic pioneers,

Was very cool but I didn't find a favorite.

I'll be the first to admit that electronic music is not my thing. Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed this album, and will be exploring the genre more

Ik weet niet wat het is met Kraftwerk, dat dit nou de zeldzame elektronische muziek is die ik wél goed vind. Misschien doordat ik me bewust ben van hun pionierswerk, puur het feit dat dit jaren '70 is, is gewoon mindblowing. Dat iets als Autobahn 7 jaar na Sgt Peppers kwam. Dit album is ook gewoon weer erg goed. Veel bleepjes en bloopjes, maar ook gewoon heldere structuur en duidelijke muziek, en daardoor aanstekelijk.

never really been one for electronic music but even i gotta give it up for the boys

Die Mensch-Maschine. This was the formal move from strictly electronic music to synthpop. Although the hooks were rudimentary and the production still electronic-focused, The Man Machine would give way for a genre that would dominate the 80's as we know it. Sleek synths, programmed drums, soaring pads. Kraftwerk gave them the building blocks for synthpop. All they did was shove out a few tunes in German. A fair amount of the albums feels kind of mechanical and calculated, very serious in a German way. The exception to this would have to be Neonlicht, which has a sort of dreamy, nostalgic sound to it. This is the track with perhaps the most emotion. The rest of the album is still groundbreaking and amazing work, it just lacks a bit of the emotion that the genre would develop on it's own.

Great album, though some.of the songs go on just a bit longer than they really need to.

Mä en voi ikinä uskoa, että tää levy on tullut vuonna 1978! Ajatonta ja hykerryttävää.

Syntikat + Saksalainen pragmatismi = THE MAN MACHINE

My appreciation for these robot revolutionaries has deepened with each record this list has gifted me (three now), and I still might be underrating how important they were/are.

I like it, its sort of odd and reminds me of a factory level in a gameboy advance game, but occasionally a German dude is singing lightly over it.

Absolutely incredible album.

actually quite good

This has some good stuff. It sounds dated but not dated for 1978. I'm sure the fellow grey haired folk will understand what I mean.

4(-)

Awesome!

Genius in German rock. Highlight: The Model.

Loved it! The had only previously heard of this band from the Foo Fighters documentary “Back & Forth”.

Gutes, eingängiges Kraftwerk Album.

Unsurprisingly, it sounds a bit dated now but was so far ahead of its time and still sounds good to me.

Enjoyed it more than I expected to. Classic robot future music.

I’ve never really listened to these guys. But I’m digging this. Nice, chill electronic stuff. Great for working.

The last Kraftwerk album left me kinda scratching my head and thinking that it was probably only included for historical reasons. This one on the other hand totally jived with and I really enjoyed it! Just the right amount of retro-futurism and synths

Simple but beautiful

Good

First imperssion: Hey, it's kinda like Daft Punk... Second impression: ...and kinda like Jean Michel Jarre... Third impression: ...actually it's not like Daft Punk or JM Jarre... Final impression: ...but it has a certain vibe, that I can't really assign to anything, and there is plenty of fearless discoveries...

This was a very interesting album. I grew up in the 2000's so when I think of electronic music I immediately think of genres like EDM and Dubstep but this was surprisingly minimalist. I really enjoyed the stripped down production and think that it really made this album feel unlike others. It wasn't mind blowing but it was interesting and different and I appreciate that. I liked all the songs except the last one. I really liked "Neon Lights" and "Metropolis". Overall I would give this album an 8/10. Good but not great. The highlights I mentioned above are definitely worth listening to.

Sweet early electronic stuff, could hear the influence they had on Daft Punk.

This one hits me so much deeper than Trans-Europe Express. Not really sure why, it's still hilariously dorky ("we are the rrrrrrobots!") and electronic repetitiveness but I feel like this has more subtle hooks. I feel like I'm watching Doctor Who in 1979 all over again and that freaking rocks. Better actual song composition combined with an almost otherworldly sound - the various synth patches/sounds all work so well together... Not gonna think too much harder about it but this one is a nerdy keeper for me. 7/10 4 stars

Like most other Kraftwerk albums, this is a set of good, competently structured songs, but most of them file more like sketches than complete works.

Interesting music, I get a dystopian feel from it but still enjoyable

The model, the robots

Ok this is actually kind of a banger

vi-a-ze-robatz-piu-piu-piu-piu

Funky robots. There's not really much I can add that hasn't been said before. Kraftwerk is pretty ubiquitous in music nerd circles at this point. Favorite tracks: "Spacelab", "Neon Lights"

Good classic techno

Very cool, super well produced and clean sounding, also quite repetitive and a little boring, this is maybe not the album for an airport and moreso a club...

Excellent beeps n boops. ze Germans win again

very good electronic album. I loved it.

Great album. German electronic music from the 70s, who’d a thunk how great that would be, this is why I’m on this journey. Solid 4. TBz 1. The Model 2. Spacelab 3. The Man Machine 4. Metropolis

AWESOME, the model was my favorite song

Awesome chill album

Short and sweet, good.

Once again this project helps remind me how innovative bands like Kraftwerk were. Electronic music has been around for several decades now, so our ears are quite accustomed to it, but it's fun to imagine how unusual this album, which came out in 1978 and is the band's seventh album, must have sounded to 1970s listeners. Even with electronic music's ubiquity for so long, this record was enjoyable for me to hear. I'm going to read up on how they recorded and produced this album. I know that these days creators can put together similar tracks on a laptop or home computer for very little cost, so I'm curious about what it took in the 70s to make this album.

By today's standards, this sounds slightly outdated, and simplistic. I can only imagine at the time, this was pretty ground breaking and innovative. Despite the almost 45 year period since it's release, I can hear the ripples of this album in modern cultural works (most prominent in my mind is the Mass Effect OST, or how the dark arpeggios and harmonies in "Metropolis" have become ubiquitous in cyperpunk style music). In this way, this album was truly ahead of its time. I'm also impressed that 45 years ago, this group produced synthetic sounds that still feel relevant today. A lot of synthesizer work from the time feels overwhelmingly outdated, and instantly out of place. This album, despite being a little cheesy ("We are the robots"), still feels clean and a standard for high quality audio production in electronic music. If someone had played it for me blind a day ago, I would have guessed it was a retro-inspired work from the last decade. This says a lot. Kraftwerk were surprisingly ahead of their time.

Really great. Neon Lights is best. Album wise I think I prefer Computer World and Autobahn. but this is gooood.

a feverdream

Always surprises me that I enjoy this.

NEEE-ON LIGHTS WEOOOW GLITT-ERING NEEE-ON LIGHTS etc. Great, listened to it 3 times. Brilliant cycle ride to work. It's just a very nice album. Smooth whizzy synth tunes that evoke the Autobahn, long brown trench coats and a declining GDR for me, despite the historical dissonance. Lovely noises, pleasantly arranged what more could you want in an album

funkyyy and fun. definitely sounds like daft punk proto-type and more emphasis on creating a "robot" sound

This album is such a pleasant spin! And I can see how revolutionary Kraftwerk must've been back when they released albums. The futuristic sound, the cold machinelike vocals, the huge array of different electronic instruments, the lyrical themes, all very cool! There's an eerie vibe to the songs, but also a very upbeat one, some of the beats make you want to dance. Instrumentally this is very cool, the vocals don't stand out particularly, but then again, who knows if robots would be good singers? This is definitely an album I need more time with to unwrap all the musical details and layers! Key tracks: The Robots, Spacelab, The Model, Neon Lights 8,5 out of 10

Six Tracks Krafted in 1978 with German precision, humor and (what was at the time) modern synthesizers. Programmed Sonic Experiments in Popular Music — Robot Propulsion Laboratory Sequences Engineered for Aural Inspection whether it be in the Spacelab or Metropolis of your choice.

4 stars because Kraftwerk were so groundbreaking and influential, and it is a fun record, but I’d be lying if I said right now in 2023 I was blown away. The Robots is a fun intro, and the repetitive lyrics don’t bug me as much as they do on Spacelab. I think that one could use more of a switchup, which metropolis thankfully delivers. The Model is fun, but the vocals and lyrics don’t really do a ton for me. And I really like the last two songs, which add a bunch of different layers and variations,. Neon Lights is definitely my favorite track here. It’s the longest, but I think delivers the most over its runtime.

Hier alles gut

Fabulous. I really liked this. Not exactly listenable, but funny and weird and innovative.

Loved

listened to again truly revolutionary and while from the 70's somehow always sounds futuristic to me

This was another step forward for Kraftwerk

I was completely charmed by Autobahn when the album generator offered it to me last year. Loved it to bits. I find The Man Machine less delightful. Indeed my first listen I was disappointed. Feeling like they had earned another listen I did find quite a bit to like the second time through. The singing reminds me of that Icelandic group that should have won Eurovision the pandemic year. Goofy and also weirdly vulnerable. Anyway, not quite five stars this time but still a solid 4.

The layering of sound achieved here is still modern and fresh. Lots of artists still chasing and building on these ideas. I would LOVE to see this live; the light show/storyline would be insane. Super enjoyable, will listen many more times!

See I do enjoy Kraftwerk, but the repetition on this one is jarring to the point of irritation rarely heard before the invention of Cocomelon.

veryyyyyyy good

it's so much fun! and sounds like it came out yesterday. truly iconic

i like the idea more than the experience but it’s still pretty great

I was so excited to get this album this morning as I’ve never actually sat down and listened to it in full. You can hear the immense influence it has had on modern electronic, dance, and even pop music.

Perfect for building a bathroom

We Are the Robots and The Model are amazing songs, the rest is quite good too!

These guys definitely have their amazing, love-those-beats moments (The Robots, The Model, The Man-Machine which is my favorite) and then they have some so-so, been-there-done-that (Metropolis) or irritating (clicking in Spacelab) moments. I couldn't do Kratfwerk all day, but some of the quasi-electronic or mixes they inspired (I'm thinking 80's new wave) is really cool. This album is better more often than it's not.

A-puolen dystooppinen tunnelma on ihan timangia (5 tähteä), mutta kevyempi B-puoli on vähän, noh kevyempi (3 tähteä). Eli sanotaan 4/5. Upea bändi joka tapauksessa ja tuntuu kuulostavan vuosi vuodelta freesimmältä.

Legendaarinen bändi ja kyllä tämä myöhempikin tuotanto toimii. Suorastaan odottava tunnelma, sopii hyvin tähän aatonaattoon. 4/5.

As electronica goes, I found this quite a chill album and a good listen. First and last track were my favourites. Give this a 7.5/10.

Though I have never heard this album before, I heard so many bits of it from samples in modern music. Has stood the test of time.

Probably ahead of its time, wasn’t sure why it was on here until “the model” played. 3.75, but would be a 1 if it came out today

Solid - enjoyable to listen to

я твой слуга. я твой работник. крутой альбом, рад что я его услышал, но от предпоследней песни начал плавится мозг, ну в целом звучит как жесткий дафт панк на минималках.

This is much better than I anticipated. Some really good songs.

Surgiendo cómo una sátira hacia la propaganda soviética y como una crítica hacia el comportamiento humano de seguir las masas cual máquinas, el séptimo álbum de Kraftwerk abarca de lleno el synth pop y gran cantidad de electrónica. La banda logró que cuarenta y cinco años después, siga sonando vanguardista y moderno. El concepto es claro y también ha envejecido bien, la idea de que los hombres actúen como máquinas con actitudes hacia la sociedad, o cómo robots trabajando mecánicamente y sin discernir. A cuarenta años de su lanzamiento, la utopía a la que se hace referencia en el álbum se hace realidad cuando el tema "The Robots" es tocada por cuatro robots simulando a los integrantes de la banda y cumpliendo algo imposible para el año 1978. Haciendo énfasis en su sonido, tiene una producción muy cuidada por parte de la banda alemana. Poniendo cada sonido en su lugar y siendo bastante adictiva su escucha, hace que vayas introduciéndote un poco más cada vez que reproduzcas este increíble álbum.

This was on constant replay at a point in the early 80s for me. I was SUCH a synth nerd. Still am, I guess...

Really like what they do, this album is a great example.

I like this album a lot more than “Trans-Europe Express.” The songs have more energy and while they’re definitely still repetitive, they’re paced well. The music develops in satisfying ways and kept my interest. The production is fantastic - very crisp, clean and polished. They must have been meticulous in the studio. Sometimes that kind of production can drain the soul out of the music. Not here. There’s a lot of emotion in the music! I love the rubber band synths on the first two minutes of “Neon Lights.” The album has some nice, playful touches like that. Wow — “Neon Lights” really builds into a stunning song! That melody (is it a processed voice? a synth?) is beautiful. The beat on “The Man Machine” slaps!

Wir sind die Roboter 🤖

p397. 1978. 4 stars Would be 5 stars just for its influence on most of the early 1980s synth bands and 90s electro/trance. Even without that it still sounds great. One point docked for most of the tracks outstaying their welcome.

Not as iconic or joyful as Trans Europa Express but still a lovely time. Always bears repeating that it is ridiculously impressive how far ahead of their time Kraftwerk were

As soon as you hear it you know the artist, nothing like it even after all this time, 30 mins of madness and I loved it

C’est pas tout extraordinaire, c’est un peu cliché par bout (The Robots), mais j’ai vraiment adoré la pièce The Man Machine.

This is at its best when it stays experimental and atmospheric; the more poppy cuts fall a bit flat. Still, the sheer fact that this came out in 1978 is insane!

Cold, calculated, erotic.

Hier gibt's bestimmt der Vorgänger von heutiger Synthwave. Sehr ähnliche Stimmung, obwohl die Texte und Sounds in 2022 etwa veraltet sind. Ganz nicht so schlimm, und mit 36min auch frisch zum Ende geblieben. 4/5.

For the entirety of the first track I wondered why something felt off. Took a break, realized it was the english version, changed to german and immediately felt at home.

my kinda stuff

Favorite Kraftwerk album for sure. Robots and Model are so good.

Superb. Excellent representation of Kraftwerk's music, every track is a classic.

At times the lyrics made me laugh but overall this was enjoyable and a good return to album listening., very good to clean the house to 7/10

Fantastic. Simple, effective, really enjoyable.

Sounds really modern for being made in the late 70s. It's clear to see why Kraftwerk were so influential and this must have been a trip in the 70s.

I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this one. But it hit the right spots between harder techno and industrial I find very unpleasant and electronic ambient I usually find unimpressive and irrelevant. I can hear the influences on some of the better synth-pop acts that might have taken this album as a starting point and traded in some of the high-quality instrumentals for catchy pop hooks.

bleep bloop, a new era of electronic music arrived, in which Kraftwerk played a huge role. While discovering the possibilities of electronic technology, they still manage to keep a certain elegance in the songs.

This is a lovely, gentle piece of work which must have been groundbreaking at the time. I'd listen to this again. 36 minutes long - albums used to be short enough to enjoy them.

It's a bit of a classic. But not really my bag.

This album is almost as old as I am but it really doesn't sound it. The influence that Kraftwerk had can't be understated. And this is not just a historical relic but still very listenable. I'd heard the robots and the model before but the rest were new to me. A good listen.

Always been a Kraftwerk fan. This is right up my alley.

1978, eh? They really did invent a lot of the 80s with this one, it feels like! Fave track - "The Robots", but I like the album as one big thing...

It's just incredible how this still sounds like it could have been releasef just couple years ago. This shows how influential it has been and it must have been mental to hear in the 70's. Great sound.

The Man Machine is an amazingly contradictory album, serious and silly in turns while maintaining an air of sophistication. The synthesizers create an atmosphere that can be either oppressive or fun. A wonderful listen. Standout songs are The Model and Metropolis.

Enjoyed: yes Listens: 4, 3 English edition and 1 German Something quite hypnotic about this one. It feels so simple and yet album just feels like a 36 minute trip. This would be a very high 4 star. I'm sure after a few more listens it could have breached 5

Super fun. Never listened before, but would definitely listen again. I had heard a cover version of The Model by Big Black that I've been listening to for years.

I find it interesting when a group/album had a massive influence on what followed but the effort itself doesn't hold up or sounds dated because of what evolved as a result of its influence. That's not the case with The Man Machine—it remains super listenable and enjoyable. It was fun to revisit. I don't know a lot about the members of Kraftwerk, but I never got the sense from the music they were pretentious—just nerds who made cool electronic tracks. And if they were assholes I don't really want to know about it.

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Spacelab (2) 2 - Metropolis (3) 3 - Neon Lights (5)

cool tunes, if a bit frantic.

Pretty incredible album. Sweet grooves and a nice flow to it. Can’t believe this was made almost 50 years ago and can definitely hear the influence it caused with synth pop and new wave later on. 7/10

This is one of those albums that sounds okay on it's own, but whose real merit lies in its influence. You can here the synthpop sound clearly for the first time in this album. Artists like Gary Numan and the Human League were clearly listening to this. So much changed in electronic music after this album that it's hard to understate its important. It sounds good too 4/5

To be honest, this is the last Kraftwerk album that I can get on with as a whole. I think it's a bit weaker than everything they have made before this. I guess Computer World (the album after this) may be the last "good Kraftwerk" but I haven't listened to it in forever. It overall feels like it's not saying much as an album, there's not really a new statement going on here.

Liked this more than Trans-Europe Express. I found it really interesting though I'm unsure if I'll ever return to Kraftwerk. As a piece of art ahead of its time it was definitely an experience, hence the high rating.

Kraftwerk kick ass, but my problem is that I never know how to talk about them. This is good, but that’s all I’ve got. B

The Model is a mediocre song that drags this otherwise excellent album down a little bit. The krautrock era in Germany in the 70s was one of the high points for music in the 20th century, and Kraftwerk were one of the bands at the forefront. While I don't rank this album nearly as high as Autobahn, it's still absolutely fantastic.

Electronic synth-pop at its trippiest and most danceable. Is it man or is it machine? It's somewhere in the middle I guess.

Entiendo que puede ser una genialidad lograr esta música en 1978 pero no creo que sea para mi. Metropolis me gustó y Neon Lights excepto por lo larga. Las demás estuvieron soportables. Lo que debo reconocer es que bandas como Daft Punk, Capital Cities y un centenar más pueden encontrar raíces en este disco. Me gustó un 2.5, su importancia me parece que es de 4 o de 5. Merece un 4 a mi parecer aunque no sea de mi total agrado.

Hard to believe how old this album is considering how many synthwave albums there are now. Great sound.

Awesome

Pretty cool...

Kraftwerk c’esti vraiment trop bon. Tous les albums sur cette liste sans exception. 4.75

5/19/2022 - ALBUM #112 Today's Album: "The Man-Machine" by Kraftwerk - Holy fuck this album is really great and so ahead of its time! Coming out near the tail end of the 70s, this album feels ahead of the game not only for it's new wave and synth-wave aesthetics that the 80s would be full of, but it honestly still holds up incredibly well for today's standards. It essentially plays sort of like a Daft Punk album, with a lot of looping synth lines with occasional vocals with a European accent. However this album really feels so much more organic than those pieces, with a lot of building synth chords that sound great together and almost feel like they're being played over and over instead of being looped. There are points on the record where the synths build really beautiful soundscapes that are almost psychedelic and there are others where it's very dance focused and beat-driven. The track The Model is the most popular on the track list, and although I think it's a really great pop tune, it feels pretty standard and uninteresting when compared to tracks like Spacelab and Neon Lights, the latter of which is mostly a really groovy instrumental synth passage after the main verses are out of the way. I really like the lyricism whenever it pops up and I really like how the vocals don't overstay their welcome (which is really nice considering the accent makes the vocals just seem a little bit off). The theme of man and machine becoming closer and closer together is really well laid out despite how few words are said and the aesthetic of the album lends itself well to this concept. The production feels top notch and it really lets the synths shine when they're layered over each other or playing off of each other in an interesting way. Overall, this album is absolutely stellar and it just amazes me to no end how ahead of it's time and advanced it was given it came out in 1978. Give this one a listen if you really like 80s synths, groovy beats, synth psychedelia like Pink Floyd and Alan Parson's Project, or simply just want to be amazed for 36 minutes. Highlights: The Robots, Spacelab, Metropolis, The Model, Neon Lights, The Man Machine Score: 8/10 Synth-wave perfected before it even began

Some crazy sounds happening here. I really dig the different sounds between songs. Could definitely see myself listening again.

So influential, masters of the '70s

I enjoyed this. Really threw me back to junior high, when the band was just starting out. Inventive & fun. Added.

This is one that really grows on you. 4

Það er bjartara og léttara yfir þessari en Trans-Europa Express, og talsvert retró appeal. Helst síðasta (og titillagið) sem mér finnst bara la la.

- surprisingly emotional - not surprisingly catchy songs - i am probably voting for them more as an band (as influencers), not just for this one album, whch is btw very pleasant electro for me

So very Euro beats. Love the German robot voice just saying the song title occasionally in a few. Definitely impressive for the time it came out, and has since been really expanded on.

Mi piace molto il sound molto sintetico, fantascientifico quasi. Un bel trip

oh, was this album COOL. this album is so influential and sounds nothing like was created before 1978! it's such an interesting listen, to hear what kraftwerk created with electronic music. more than that, including themes to create a concept album! fantastic. it was a great background listen because of all the instrumentals and minimal lyrics. but even when you pay attention to the songs (and aren't multi-tasking like i usually do!), it's fantastic. what an enjoyable listen. side note: the german version of "the model" ("das model") is far superior--check it out on the german version of their 2017 catalogue release. actually, it's great to listen to this album in german!

Legendary group, definitely as inspiring as The Beatles when you look at their influence on modern music, maybe even more so. Crazy to think this was taking place in the 70s. Normally these albums are only 3 stars for me, but the flawless production for the time and composition really deserves an extra star.

Synth-Pop, done 70's style. Having listened to plenty of synth-pop, techno, or other varieties of EDM from artists from the 90's onward, it's so interesting to reach back into the origins of this genre and hear the music that would clearly serve as a blueprint for so many artists to come. I'm not a big fan of synth or electronic-heavy music as a general rule, but this album has its own unique charm that's hard to deny. The minimalistic lyrics allow the band's highly experimental yet richly melodic compositions to take centre stage, and they're all worth a listen.

Really impressive considering this was bleeding-edge technology at the time. Even if it was made today, it would still be impressive! Very good working music with lots of replay-ability.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The robots, The model

True pioneers.

This album transported me INTO the computer.

After Florian Schneider died a couple of years back I explored Kraftwerk's catalogue and a bit and became quite fond of them. They clearly influenced loads of artists (how did I not notice the Daft Punk resemblance until now?) but their particular retro-futuristic quirks still sound unique. This being their seventh album means it can't have been as revolutionary as the earlier stuff, but it's more refined, contains a few of their biggest hits, and still sounds way ahead of its time.

Some interesting beats although much of it sounded like the soundtrack to automation videos