The Man Machine

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

Listened to Die Mensch-Maschine, I just like this album just that little better in the original German, especially Das Model. I grew up with this music, my dad put this in my casette player when I was just 3 years old. And I enjoyed it back then and still do. Classic

Das hat mir sehr gut gefallen. schöne Techno-Hintergrundmusik. frühen Industrial, bevor es richtig heavy wurde. dies ist eine 3,5 und wird aufgerundet.

Honestly? Better than the last Kraftwerk album and much better than expected. Reminded me a lot of modern video game music, specifically Risk of Rain (which has an AMAZING soundtrack you should definitely look up). At less than 40 minutes, it does not overstay its welcome. 4 stars!

Wasn't a big fan of this when I first heard it (I still think they peaked on the previous album) but I appreciate it more these days. Although, having heard it in German this time, I think it probably works better in English.

3.5

I imagine this album would have been groundbreaking at the time with its use if synthesisers and drum machines. The music itself is pretty good too, you can hear the influences on the likes of Daft Punk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YCOT5LasKc That fucking skit is all I can think about while I was listening to this one. I liked it though.

A nice one! Better than I expected. This kind of genre is one that I appreciate but often have difficulty enjoying. However, the melodies here really worked for my ears.

I enjoyed it, got me going and lots of different sounds and that

Was fun to listen to, gets a bit repetitive though

Had to switch to the german version during The Model, just because it's too weird to hear it in english; but a classic album either way, far ahead of its time.

gud

This was weird, and I loved it. This music is very different from most things I have heard, and I really like it.

kind of like a daft punk precursor?

Great electronic album.

4.0

Original sparse synthwave. Maybe a little sparse but still hold up well against modern followers.

unexpected gem. Slightly dated, but still enjoy the sound.

Not only groundbreaking sound, at the time, but also music that's still very good today.

Kraftwerk has got some great beats. Awesome ride.

So influential, sounds like a score for a science fiction picture.

Big fan of the sound of this one. Atmospheric and slightly dystopian. Bring on more Kraftwerk!

WE ARE THE ROBOTS. This album is all angles and geometry. Metropolis sounds way ahead of its time. Goddamn that specific song has been copy pasted to a wide variety of success about a billion times. The album as a whole is a great showcase of this sound and style. The influence it has on electronic music is hard to overstate.

Musical pioneers! For todays standards it's a tad minimalistic and bare bones electronic music but for the time it released it's insane. Still a fantastic album. Fav tracks: The Robots, Spacelab, Neon Lights

Fun

big electronic fan, so hearing earlier stuff is fun, it's certainly more primitive but there's something kind of fun about that.

I enjoyed this one a lot - unique and true to itself. I can imagine how amazing it would have been when it was released in 1978, and still sounds fresh

Way, way better than Trans-Europe Express, which came out only a year earlier. Some of these tracks were one pounding baseline away from a Deadmou5 hit.

This was better than I expected. I really like the synthy instruments.

Yllättävän hyvää kamaa ollakseen näinkin pioneerikamaa. Kestänyt aikaa, vaikkakin kuulostaa kyllä retromenolta. Neon Lights oli vähän pitkäveteinen, mutta muuten vangitseva levy. Ekaa biisiä kuunnellessa meni hetken aikaa ihmetellessä, että mistä tää sävel on niin tuttu, että onko jossain myöhemmin samplattu vai muuten vain lainattu. Pähkäilyn jälkeen vastaus löytyi: We are the Robots -> Minä olen poro!

Levy lähti räväkästi liikkeelle coverilla Eläkeläisesten Humppaavasta Porosta. Myöhemmin levyllä tuli vastaan vielä Cardigans-coverikin. Kaikkea ne saksalaiset keksiikin. Onhan tämä kyllä todella klassisen tyylikästä menoa, jossa ehdottomasti less is more. Kraftwerk-tuntemukseni on aiemmin perustunut yksittäisiin biiseihin (joista toki merkittävä osa löytyi tältä levyltä), mutta hyvinhän tämä potkii myös albumimuodossa. Neljän tähden arvoinen iloinen jälleennäkeminen.

I couldn't name the title of any track by Kraftwerk, but I do like their music. This is my second Kraftwerk album to review on this list. The sounds that they were able to produce is interesting. I think that I can recognize when others are following Kraftwerk's style. "The Model" was my least favorite track, because of the vocals / spoken word. "Space Lab" and "Metropolis" were my favorite tracks. I'd probably listen to this album again (rounding up to 4 stars)

This album really surprised me. It's short, and I thought that Kraftwerk was a completely different type of music. I find this to be like a very downtempo Daft Punk sound.

We are the Robots!

Considering the year it was released, these tunes have a modern accessibility. Very enjoyable, repetitions and all

Vibey

gutted i didn't have to get on a train today as this is train music.

Sounds like it was recorded last year. Awesome.

The music is naive, and future is nothing like what they imagined, but still nice

We now know who Daft Punk learnt it off!

These guys are where it’s at. Pioneers of electronic music.

It's a wonderful album start to finish

Brilliant but wouldn’t listen to anything other than The Model again.

Werks for me

A little trippy but chill to listen to while working.

from the first second you can hear the typical kraftwerk sound for me its timeless

Really ahead of its time. You can see how contemporary artists were influenced by Kraftwerk just by listening.

Great. Can see it's influence everywhere.

Can definitely see the influence on a lot of modern music. Crazy it came out in 78. Not always a huge fan of the vocals though.

para ser del 78 es una pasada los mejores the model y neon lights y the man machine melodias chulas sonido chulo minimalista no se hace repetitivo la segunda mitad del disco mola mas uso del vocoder

- Cohesive album, a little slow to dance to. - synths are so clean they could have been made yesterday. Timeless. - Will listen to again but needs a specific mood.

64. Dusseldorf are meine. Faltava-me estes esta gente maravilhosa, o meu grupo preferido. As lágrimas correm-me ppppela cara abaixo. Depois dos canos ao Mundusweit, do Faust, adorar este kraftrock. Hoje vi estes homens fabulosos. Isto é isto isto é uma lição ali para os DJs parolos de todo o mundo. Estes homens hoje TOCARAM. Hoje houve falhas. Ali o Ralph fantástico a cantar as canções. Estou enternecido. Le Tour de France... tiri tiriri eu embalei o meu filho, o António, ao som do Trans-Europa Express tiri tiriri tiriri. Isto é fantástico, isto é o futuro. E o chique deste Cascais nunca mais, nunca mais haverá sangue em Cascais mas haverá sim esta eletrónica. É uma noite perfeita, eu hoje... hoje só me falta dar-lhe um beijo de cada lado. Du mach bin ich bin ich bin eine Dusseldorfer. Isto era uma das minhas bandas preferidas desde sempre, desde miúdo. NUNCA hoje era hoje era nós uns e os outros, les uns et les autres, antes de morrer ver o Kraftwerk e eles são perfeitos na estética tá fantastica não é tá lindíssimo e realmente dá 10-0 à parolice dos DJs internacionais os homens TOCAM MESMO LÁ HOUVE FALHAS eu vi as válvulas tchiqchoot chucachoochoo é eletrónica e é humano e é fantástico eles são... Tinham uma coisa que era um bocadinho esquisita que era "Mais vale energia atómica que nenhuma energia", não mas hoje puseram ali um Chernobyl a dizer que a nossa energia é esta e é a SIC tão mais umas beijocas e COVINHAS MotA: Spacelab "We're charging our battery and now we're full of energy"

Pretty funky

the first track sounds like stereotypical 80s music, which is impressive considering the album is from 1978 track 2 sounds like a movie soundtrack track 3's harmonic synth transition into a dance beat feels straight off the stranger things soundtrack the alternation between German and English vocals on tracks 4 and 5 especially the last track is chill. this album was ahead of its time in my ears.

Kraftwerk walked so Daft Punk could fly. This album is really good. Lack of singles is a lack of 5 stars, but regardless I love this.

wish I could give it a 4.5; the only thing that knocks it down to 4 is the repetitiveness *which* I know is kind of Kraftwerk's thing. I do like Computer World a bit better too.

I like this more than the other electronic stuff we’ve had so far. It because it’s so simple and melodic.

This album reminds me of driving through the Oxfordshire countryside. Class.

No es mi vibra pero está ok

amazing that 40 years later, you could recreate this album in Garage Band for your indie game soundtrack.

Apesar de que medio comprendo la importancia de Kraftwerk en la música electrónica, no me he logrado convencer de mi apreciación por su música. En simples palabras, me aburre. Aun así las primeras canciones son agradables y disfruté The model porque Ramastein hizo un covee de ella en alemán, así que la identifiqué de inmediato. Mood: robotina goes viral

Awesome minimalist electronic pop record. 2/3 years ahead of its time.

Sin afán de poner en ridículo a pioneros tan reconocidos como Kraftwerk, quisiera decir que "The Robots" ahora suena un tanto risible, no estoy seguro de si en su momento también provocaba risa, y me parece que dentro del conjunto de las 6 canciones, desentona en una cierta forma que no puedo explicar del todo. En fin, que por lo demás, me suena muy bien, pero sobre todo porque amo los sintetizadores. Me gustó más de la 4 a la 6 que de la 1 a la 3. Todo es muy sampleable, yo digo y de repente se siente vibra darketona (?). Está padre. 8/10

Ekstremt sterk 4/5 her. Eneste som trekker ned er jo at det kan bli litt i overkant minimalistisk til tider. Tysk-versjon bedre enn engelsk, imo.

Cool and fun electronic dance music, very minimalistic

crazy this album was released in 1979. this is basically what Daft Punk is built on. i give it a 4/5 for sound and historical significance

Really quite liked this, should listen to more Kraftwerk

No sé, cómo que me gusta más de lo que quisiera que me gustara.

Forut for sin tid der altså...

Few lyrics, industrial, mechanical sounding. Reminds me of old school techno/ synth wave vibes, could be a soundtrack to a old video game.

Timeless classic

I liked it and I can see why Kraftwerk are considered The Godfather’s of this type of sound.

I really enjoyed this.

3.8

We are the robots- bloop, beep bop beep

Classic electronic album that you can feel the echoes of throughout modern music.

Welcome to Night City, 1977

Awesome.

Beautiful bass lows and soothing synths. Some songs went on a little too long. Favorite songs: The Robots, Spacelab

Best Kreftwerk album

l’album è interessante anche se non è il mio genere

Non proprio il mio genere però gli va riconosciuto che è un album pionieristico, 1978 ma suona come un album contemporaneo

hell yeah. the percussion/808s get a little stale, but the synths are sick. will revisit

Actually a halfway decent album. Robots absolutely slaps and will be on repeat for days in my head.

I understand why this is so highly rated. It set the stage for many later bands.

I listened to Autobahn almost a year ago, and I recall thinking it was more interesting than enjoyable. I checked today and saw that I gave it four stars. I was surprised as I thought I'd given it three. As I've recently recognized, not even halfway through this project, I am more critical of albums than I was back then. Listening to this today, I again thought it was more interesting as an artifact as opposed to an album I'd want to listen to again. It was more accessible than Autobahn, but I felt less of an "oh cool" while it was playing. That being said, I thought Spacelab and especially Neon Lights were pretty good and worth saving on a separate playlist.

Cool electronic, interesting sounds

I'm a big fan of Daft Punk and you can see where the roots of this music started here with German and Belgium electronic music - it was cool to see how far this goes back. Some of the melodies and drawn out songs lasting 7+ minutes again is classic DP so this album felt familiar although it was new.

Such a different album. It sounds like something out of Stranger Things. Definitely not bad music but a bit too electronic for me. Loved listening to it but probably not circling back again. Favorite song was The Robots.

weird but okei

i like kraftwerk. you can see how they were hugely influential, releases music and putting sounds to records that still sound fresh today. i was not familiar with this album. great for background or intense listening to find the subtle variations.

Arguably better than Autobahn, but still repetitive

Not my style but crazy what you can make music out of.

The nightmare is over. No more Kraftwerk. This was fine though.

we're the robots mentioned o.o I would like this more if it some of the songs weren't quite so long and repetitive

I wanted to like it more

Enjoy a bit Of German electronics on occasions, easy to listen to/too

Much better than the last Kraftwerk album I reviewed - Autobahn. This one was more melodic. Certainly a band who influenced many to come - especially The Revenge of the Nerds group.

didn't find it good enough for my music taste

unnecessarily long songs... but kinda rad for the late 70s

Not sure what I was expecting but definitely not that It’s definitely a lot better than the only other krautrock album we’ve had so far (Faust IV). It’s very much not abrasive and it’s pretty fascinating conceptually. Very strong themes and for something that came out in the 70s, very modern sounding. It does just sound pretty cool for the most part, think the minimal lyrical content works in its favor and lets you just kinda take in all the cool sounds they’re making Trying to express exactly what I didn’t like about this one, but I just don’t think it was particularly profound and from a musical standpoint I don’t think it was quite as absorbing as some people would say. I guess it’s more of a dance album or something, but I just didn’t really feel very strong emotions listening to this one I don’t know exactly whether this is one that pushed the envelope with this whole super electronic sound or if there were others before it, but I think it’s a cool sound even if I can only take it in small doses. This is like about the highest 3 I can give before it rolls over to a 4, but I have enough apathy towards this where a 3 only feels right

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

Day965 - who knew you could make a career out of beeps and boops. it’s been almost fifty years and they still seem way ahead of their time

I feel like, with my taste in music, Kraftwerk has been hyped up for me as like this foundational band that I need to get into. I get it, I get why this band is on the list, the shit they were doing in the 70s was super cool and unique and would lead to a lot of the shit I love. But man, I just thought this album was fine and okay and that's about it.

My experience of Kraftwerk is limited; Dad like them and listened to the Autobahn album all the time but, apart from "The Model", I've only ever heard bits and pieces of various songs. Considering my refreshed yet fractured relationship with this genre of music, it will be interesting to see how much of it I can enjoy. It's clear from the sound and vocals in "Die Roboter" where Daft Punk got some heavy inspiration from. To have this kind of music exist in 1978 is beyond fathomable; it's pioneering to say the least. As for whether or not it was enjoyable still up for debate. I think if it wasn't for me pre-existing love for Daft Punk I might not have enjoyed it as much as I did. "Spacelab" continues this trend of showcasing more Daft Punk inspiration, as well as other electronic artists that came after them. The sinister notes supported by the consistent drum beat and theremin notes made this one more enjoyable for me than the previous track. Already, I am kind of lost with how to pick apart each track, as there are no instrumental performances to pick up on, nor are their any raw vocals to listen in to either. This is very much going to be a love it or hate it kind of review, track by track. So whatever is mentioned was enjoyed, whatever isn't I'd sooner forget: "Das Model" and "Neonlicht"

3eme album après ‘Autobahn’ et Trans europe express’ notés 3/5 et 4/5. Ce nouvel album m’a moins intéressé que TEE, il contient un peu trop de ‘chant’ trafiqué qui n’apporte pas grand chose. Je le réécouterais probablement mais sans plus. =>3/5

Surprisingly listenable for a pure electronic record. There’s some bops on here

fine

Good at the time? Sure. Good now? Not so much. Maybe The Model i could listen to for fun and i would say is a semi decent song, the rest is too bare for me to enjoy. Thanks for the invention of the synth though.

good

Interesting album. 3stars for being interesting

7/10 Decent album, enjoyed it

Very sterile

Fun album to listen to - this is the kind of stuff I like for focus sessions at work.

The more I do this, the more I wonder what the actual qualifications were to make the list for 1001 Albums. And I'm not questioning whether there's an audience for this, I know there is, but you'd think any album on this list would have more of an impact. That said, I do enjoy it. It's retrowave before retrowave was a thing. And for its time, I'm sure it was groundbreaking. Unfortunately, this entire album only hits the bar of "I wouldn't object if it was already being played, but I'm not gonna pull it to listen to myself."

This was a fun listen. I think I was expecting this to bring a little more of a Devo vibe, and while that was present here and there, The Man Machine felt more of a frontrunner to the electronic/techno music that came to be in the 80s and especially 90s. Lots of drawn-out songs with little elements slowly being added and building on top of each other, yet still oddly minimalist. I liked this, but truth be told, I think I would have liked it more had it gone over a little more to the Devo side.

Lots of beeps and - you're not gonna believe this - boops. All vibes. A nice listen, and very cool for its time, though the individual songs didn't really stick with me.

We only have 1001 artists and not many of those deserve more than one album. Kraftwerk is borderline. 2.5 rounded up till I work it out.

Great for it's historical value. Don't wish to listen to again

I can only hear Flight of the Conchords singing “the humans are dead” on the opening track. Sorry, it’s locked in. After that it’s cool mechanized smoothness that sounds great as a kind of white noise. I don’t dislike this music, it just has no meaning to it.

sounds like kraftwerk. didn't move me

Never been big into electronic music but I do love some Ladytron and can see the ancestry here. The songs feel simple musically, and aren’t atmospheric enough to really lose yourself in them. It seems more like they’re reveling in the technological marvel of it all. I did find “Neon Lights” beautiful though.

The godfathers of twiddling. As a historical landmark of a record and for the song the model its worth listening to. More than once though?

I liked this way more than I thought I would as I disliked their Train album. I very much would love to see the movie that could accompany this music. That sounds like it is from 80s but it's from 70s? It sounds like what people think music will sound like NOW back THEN. Their lyrics are far too on the nose for my liking, which comes off as comical at times due to the stereotype of Germans being literal & more serious. You can just tell they are German. They should stick to the robot voices. 3

I don't know why, but I always thought they were a 90s/early 2000s band. Just makes all of this that much more impressive. Damn.

soundtrack to the ai takeover

Solid 3*, some tracks saved it, this is best enjoyed not listening too closely or you’ll find it boring.

Kraftwerk. Opening track starts and this album just sounds simple and mundane. From ‘the robots’ to ‘metropolis’ just sounds the same with a different words. ‘The model’ gives us a bit more variety and more of a vocal. Then ‘neon lights’ kicks in and the sound just seems to have been upped a level, the track really hitting new boundaries it seems, a beautiful piece of music that flows and evokes emotions and is a real pleasure to listen too. Before ‘the man machine’ drops back down to a mundane level. All that been said if I was in 1978 and heard this album for the first time it would just be wild to comprehend what I was listening to. Untrabox, dead or alive, human league etc etc obviously took notes from Kraftwerk as young ones though! Best track- ‘neon lights’ a 10/10 track. Worst track- ‘the man machine’ 7.5/10 but really difficult to work out how to score!

très rigolo en vrai. le côté historique est fou mais je sais pas si j’apprécie dans une écoute daily pour autant.

Loved the robo-electro grooves. Late 70s disco hidden inside a gleaming cold metallic automaton.

Pretty cool futuristic stuff for the late 70s. I would love to hear “The Model” make a comeback.

I listened with my spouse who doesn't tolerate strange like I do. At the end I said "there is 30 minutes you'll never get back" to which she replied "I don't want it back." Harsh. I kinda liked it, can't believe they were bringing it like this in the 70s. Hat tip to Nick and his laser noises while playing hockey.

I don't know how to feel about this. I don't really like this kind of music, but it's got a groove for sure. The first song reminded me so much of Flight of the Conchords they had to have been heavily inspired by this. I went back and forth between a 1 and like 3.5 but I'm gonna settle on a 3.

Decent album of cool retro futuristic space electronica I enjoyed. saved 1, shelved 2 of 6.

Short and snappy!!

I liked it and can see the great influence they had on all my favorite New Wave groups.

Repetitive but groovy at points. Daft punk like but with less variety

Neon Lights

Might be the most German thing I’ve ever heard. Clearly an influence on Daft Punk, I get it.

Always inventive, creative and experimental these fellas are. Love the discovery process for them, creating such unique sounds using electronic equipment that now fits in the palm of our hands. Their compositions and sequencing is always an adventure and I love listening to what they create. Kraftwerk are always interesting.

Había escuchado el nombre pero no conocía la música. Una vaina rarísima. Pronto historia de la electrónica

knew this one not in the mod for a relisten

Honestly, enjoyed it, but its not something I see myself wanting to listen to again. Appreciate the influence though and some really interesting sounds

Great background music!

I walked back into my room after smoking a bowl and thought I left a video game playing. This is dope! And for 1978? Man Machine is straight up a beat, and also a really niche Juicy J sample (among others I’m sure). Shabazz Palaces bit the melody for Quazarz Born On a Gangster Star from The Model lol. Big fan of this song and how it has lyrics about things besides being robots and machines… although maybe you could find a connection between a model (THE model…) and a machine. Metropolis is great. You kind of have to look past everything bordering on sounding like NES music. Wikipedia tells me that there’s an element of satire to the album, which I like hearing. I think if it was 4 dead serious German dudes accidentally laying the groundwork for techno then it would be too silly to take seriously… ironically enough. I watched a live performance of The Robots and these guys are just ridiculous. Neon Lights is a nice little song; feels more like a normal ass song than a robot experiment. I like the guitar-esque plucks from the synth, although the chords are a little silly. The synth breakdown in the middle started fun but 2 minutes in it gets a little grating; very loud… Update it’s been 3 minutes and I’m over it, way too repetitive and the vox synth that comes in doesn’t make it any more interesting. Outro isn’t bad Man Machine is awesome, the breakdown and its funky sounds is so fun (oooh the arp), the drums groove hard as fuck, and the synth isn't obnoxious! Probably my favorite. Metropolis is like... a foray into 90's VGM - thi is the track I thought was a video game. Sounds like System Shock 2, the swelling synths after the hook sound superb. I wrote more but it got deleted. Spacelab is ok but gets old. Favorite: The Man Machine Lest Favorite: Neon Lights Shoutout: The Model 7 very torn between 3 and 4 stars but i'm gonna lean to 3 because i just don't see myself going back to them a lot, playing it in the car, etc.

What are the odd of getting two Kraftwerk albums back to back - doesn’t seem very random! This one wasn’t as good as the other album - it was find but the whole robot, space theme grew old quickly.

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.

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.

Enjoyed this one, though it's probably good that it's short.

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

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

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.

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!

Hard to hear now how innovative it was because it was so influential that it sounds became normal

Fine background noise to a sci fi based automation sim.