The Man Machine

I was going to write this album off as "shprokets", but I ended up kind of liking it, especially the first track: The Robots. There are aspects of this sound that repeat in other bands I like, e.g. Air (which Spotify played right after this album ended).

More interesting as an archeological relic than actual songs. Barely squeaks across the line to 3 stars.

Oddly enough, this brought albums like Buddy Holly and Solomon Burke to mind - where I'm aware this was wildly ahead of its time, but struggle to be blown away in 2024 when this kind of music can be found in any futuristic (or, at this point, retro-futuristic) kind of media (kept thinking of Knight Rider listening to 'Metropolis'). Not bad, but nothing I think I'd come back to.

Kraftwerk really keyed it in for #7, refining their sound into the base of electronic music. Wild to think that this came out in 1978, it sounds like the "Hackerman" songs in 80's and 90's movies, in a good way

Mij kan dit keyboardgepingel al met al niet veel boeien. Alsof er iemand een potje Tetris zit te spelen. Het zal grensverleggend zijn geweest en anderen ideeën hebben gegeven, maar vraag niet van mij dat m'n hartje er sneller van moet kloppen.

Highlights are very cool. Favorite Song: Spacelab Least Favorite Song: Neon Lights

Not my cup of tea but I see the meaning of this milestone

A strong 3

tfw there is a spacelab

Fine. A bit nerdy

I think I appreciated it more than I enjoyed it. Maybe it just wore out its welcome, but the first half seemed stronger.

An album of two halves, 'The Man Machine' starts off with eccentric electronic grooves before descending into tedium through the back half. I didn't really dig the robot voice featuring early on but couldn't deny 'The Robots' is a catchy piece of techno. Similarly worming its way into my ears was 'Spacelab', a tranquil elevator music meets trance rave anthem that reminded me very fondly of Electric Light Orchestra. Unfortunately, the wheels start to fall off not long after 'Spacelab' concludes. 'Neon Lights', in particular, is nearly 9 minutes long. This in itself is no problem but the long build-up reaches a crescendo around the 5 minute mark and then spends the better part of 4 minutes just petering out. It doesn't hold the listener's attention nor introduce anything new, save for some digital sounding "woah-oh-ohs". 'The Model' is comparatively brief at under 4 minutes but to my ears doesn't mesh all that well with what came before or what was to come. Overall this is still a fairly enjoyable listen and a piece of music that had no shortage of influence on both synth-pop and more broadly speaking, electronic music. Overall Score: 6.3/10

It's clear why it's a classic, doesn't make for a particularly riveting listen in this day and age though.

Nice album. While the sound is consistent, I liked that the music was arranged in 6 songs instead of a dozen monotonous sequences. Other artists have copied this electronic style of music but Kraftwerk presents in a truly interesting,unique way.

This turned out to be a really fun and interesting listen. 36 minute run time is perfect.

Pretty good krautrock. Not as good as NEU, but competent, well produced and easy to listen to. Very good to have on in the background while working.

Kraftwerk is a band I like, but after three plays, this album wasn't up to their best. The best track here is 'The Model', and the rest seems a bit like filler.

Lush and pretty early synth pop music. B

Revolutionary electronic but gets boring sometimes. Trans Europe express us the better albums of theirs 7.8/10

Great sound

Anothwr band I know I’m supposed to love and who are supposed to be so influential but their albums too often slip into the background. Maybe that’s the point- they are supposed to be hypnotic like modern day electronica. A few tracks get like old Nintendo game soundtracks which isn’t a bad thing. I did enjoy some of it and it did feel tongue in cheek a lot of the time. Need a deeper dive or somebody to explain why they were so revolutionary as I can’t see it yet.

Significantly better than Autobahn

So far seems lik the least compelling Kraftwerk-related project we've had on the list. That this is from 1978 makes the bland 90s-00s electronic on here more inexcusable. We probably have one of those up next again. like a solid 2.5, upped to 3 stars for originality. star debt will be paid by the post-1978 bleep bloop albums.

My twin three-year-olds are obsessed with the song Robots. Any time I put on any song, there’s a good chance they will yell “CAN YOU PLAY ROBOTS”. When they hear the first synth hit, they tense up, ready to run in circles, pumping their arms and screaming. Whenever they see a fan, they stick their faces right in front of it and say “WE ARE THE ROBOTS”. I have heard Robots ten thousand times. Yesterday I heard it four times. Once for this project. Three times on their request. Every day, Robots. Good album though. Not the coolest Kraftwerk, but still good.

who daft punk thinks they are

Classic electronic music that I have listened to before and will listen to again. Not something where I would listen to their albums front to back but I do have a few song on different playlists.

Always down for some Kraftwerk, these guys are wacky. "The Robots" goes stupid hard. Lost me a little as it went on but still a good time overall. Favorite tracks: The Robots, The Model. Album art: Anything red/white/black is always a hit with me. Cool font, design is minimal graphics but color scheme saves it. 3.5/5

6/10. Too underwhelming for my taste. :)

Sounds like it should be in a sci-fi movie. Not entertaining to me.

Kraftwerk really is just a lot of fun, definitely the best as far as electronica goes. I think I liked this one a little more that "Trans Europe Express" but I also knew what to expect going in, which helped.

It's very different, and I didn't hate it. Didn't love it either.

This is a band I had heard of, but had never actually listened to. This is probably the widest gap I've had so far between how much I thought I would like something and how much I actually did. For some reason, I thought they were an industrial act. I blame German stereotypes a bit. Specifically American German stereotypes, because damn, they're specific and revisionist, and it all depends on the year it is now and the year their grandparents (or parents) told them they moved. That aside, I liked it. It's a record that is trying to experiment with new tools, and it succeeds, for the most part. They're messing with instrumentation in a way that is still trying to connect with listeners. It seems like the target audience for most "experimental" albums is an academic board, musicians, or engineers. This is the first one that feels like it still wants a regular person to have the chance to like it.

I hate Electronica in general, but I found this one tolerable, even enjoyable at times

Fine-ish. It is good but not something I'd listen to regularly

Beep booping German robots back in the 70s. Crazy to hear the now familiar techno synth and realize where it has come from.

A little repetitive but still enjoyable.

Impressed by the complexity solid 3/5 stars

robot noises :)

Another one of these albums? I guess. 2.5.

I'm trying to imagine hearing this in 1978. I wonder if DEVO heard them. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

I like The Robots; I kind of like Spacelab, The Model

Bee boo boo bop boo boo bop.

Neon lights was cool and I can see how this album was revolutionary for the time it was produced, I can also see how lots of bands from Joy Division to Bowie as well as other experimental/ electronic/ punk/pop music was inspired by them.

Happy to have been exposed to this album.

So clean. So efficient. So Teutonic. So pulsey. So bleepy. And a bit Jean-Michel Jarrey. It must have been absolute hell to program all those loops, thumps and squiggles into a coherent whole in 1978. Thank Gott they persisted and birthed the next four decades of techno, culminating in the Flight of the Conchords parody/tribute of Die Roboter. The loop is complete. For the full retro-futuristic effect I highly recommend listening to the German version. So viel Spaß!

3 - Kicks off with Robots which was actually my least favourite, something about it sounded cheesy, almost like a parody. Thought the album generally went better as it went along/I got into the flow. This kind of stuff isn't always my thing but I'm sure this was revolutionary when it came out. Still sounds pretty fun and fresh to a degree.

I get that tons of amazing bands, and even whole genres like EDM, look to Kraftwerk as the Big Bang inflection point for much that has come following their rise in the 70s, but I just don’t find this truly engaging.

Glad that at least one Kraftwerk album is on this list. Not because that I am particularly a big fan but because they and a few other contemporaries actually brought something new to music at that time. It was bound to happen with the advancement in technology and synthesizer‘s that this type of music would take hold and become a big part of the music scene and still is. As a big Keith Emerson fan I did love his use of the Moog Synthesizer but this was restricted to the odd solo or extra texture to his virtuoso keyboard playing along with other instruments. Synthesizer music only was a big step change. I was excited by this at the time but my interest was mainly towards Gary Numan and what he was doing. I knew Kraftwerk existed but never really got into them enough to buy any albums. Listening to this album today was pleasant enough for the first few tracks but it quickly became monotonous. I found the melodies were very simple and repetitive to the extent that they began to jarr. I do like some of the modern day electronic artists in particular if they on the ambient side such as those by Brian Eno. Maybe Eno type music exists thanks to albums like this one so my rating reflects that and the fact that Kraftwerk were very unique. 3/5 21/9/24

Interesting album

This list seems obsessed at times with early German techno. It's just not my jam. This was... fine, but I'll be happy never listening to it again.

Standard old-school electronic tunes

It’s ok

Interesting instrumentation

Classic.

I can see this being influential. I think i heard the police song invisible sun on one of these. Definatley not bad but won’t come back to this.

So tinny! But still listenable. Wouldn't seek it, but it's OK

no private session used for Spotify. Catchy electronic tunes, not really my thing, but I can see why folks are into it. I don't know if I would ever find myself in a place where I think I need to put it on, though.

a good album - but not my style. The Model was good !

непонятный жанр) чтобы входить в электронную нирвану?

Ah what I can say. I actually have such a soft spot for Kraftwerk, despite my tendencies. The model is a great song, pioneers of their field.

2,5

Early house music is cool but not that cool

While initially a lot of the concepts for each songs start out fun and engaging, I find that they quickly become repetitive or annoying. While some tracks hold my attention and I can enjoy, others simply overstay their welcome. If the songs were shorter, and perhaps there were more of them, I would think much higher of this project. Despite these complaints, these songs sound like an acid trip and definitely have some soul behind them. Great music to study or work out too, due to its almost monotonous nature.

I listened to the 2009 remastered, and it sounds fantastic. I can't imagine hearing this when it was released; it must have sounded so futuristic, and it certainly influenced electronic music for years to come. It's not the type of album I'd play regularly, but it was a fun listen. My least favorite track was The Model. It really took me out of the rest of the album for some reason. I genuinely really love Neon Lights. That will go into my playlist for sure.

I know these guys only by reputation and came into this kind of expecting to hate it. It's still not my style, and I probably won't put it on again. But it's actually alright. It's nice as background music, and they actually do some interesting stuff. I liked the mostly instrumental pieces (e.g. "Spacelab" + "Metropolis") quite a bit better than the vocal-oriented pieces, which are a little cheesy. The do a nice job of developing themes, it's like very solid nuts-and-bolts composition. But just much too light and sparse for my taste. There's a reason why so much of pop music is focused on a talented solo instrumentalist, usually a singer.

Not gonna lie, after about the first 30 seconds of the first track I thought I would dread this. However, after the 36-minute album was finished, I was actually pleasantly surprised. It's a little odd don't get me wrong, but it did make me feel like I was in an early 80s cyber-spy thriller. If you're here for the lyrics, this won't be for you, but the beats and the electronic hooks are catchy. This was a perfect listen for me to focus on work, and Kraftwerk will now be in my "lock in" rotation. Notable Tracks: - The Robots - Spacelab - The Man Machine 5/10

extremely 80s pretty cool sounding.

Not as strong as Autobahn, but good enough to return to.

Bem legal, inovador demais pra época. Ouviria fácil.

Not 100% my thing, but surprisingly enjoyable.

Lemppari: Metropolis Vähiten lemppari: The Robots

German techno is so weird but the model is such a tune

Well! This was an interesting one! Upon beginning to listen, I immediately didn’t like it! The usual electronic synth nonsense people tried to pass as music, but is just garbage! But the more I listened, the more I enjoyed it. Then song 4 hit and I realised that I’d heard this band before! Song 5 was also great and before I knew it I was listening to the album again! I shouldn’t be so judgemental!

I felt like this was kind of mid music to dissociate to. I probably won't come back to this.

A very different sound when it came out. 3*

Interesting electronic album. The Model was really catchy.

Kind of interesting for 70’s electronica but not worth a revisit

On sitä mitä lupaa eli suoraviivaista konemusaa 70-luvulta. Vilpitöntä hieman kieronlaisella omalla tavallaan. Robots kyllä kantaa levyn, vaikka tulee heti alussa, hyvä loppua kohti kuulijansa helpommalla päästävä kokonaisuus on luotu.

Nerokas toteutus, ainutlaatuinen sinkku - mutta hetkinen, oliko tässä vain kolme biisiä? Voisin vannoa, että Eurooppa-levyllä oli neljä. Tunnelmakaan ei ole tällä kertaa yhtä pysäyttävä - vai onko kysymys vain siitä, kumman kuulin ensin?

Good example of an album that was likely innovative at the time, but sounds very dated after 45 years.

Vibey - great album just to zone out and chill. Love the tension throughout, a testament to not needing the nauseating peak gluttony of modern EDM

This was so much better than I was expecting-- some of their work has a little too much Kraft cheesiness for me. You sort of have to figure out that there will be one or more Kraftwerk albums buried in this list and it did not disappoint. All the weird robotic electronica you could want packed into a single old school album. I'm a fan.

Interesting, a bit comical. I don’t know if I would listen again.

Mids

Fun fun fun on the man machine

Reading about this before I listened, I fully expected to hate it. I'm not sure I'd listen to it again as it's definitely not my ideal genre, but I enjoyed it way more than expected. I'd give it 3.5 if possible, but I'll round down to three simply because I can't imagine myself listening to it again

Moderately interesting techno

Didn't mind this. Better than the other one.

I liked this as background music, but it's not captivating enough to make me want to hear any of these songs on the reg

The beeps and boops are great! I could do without the singing.

Don't hate it ..but have to be in the mood

Not a fan

A tough listen. Appreciate their pioneering spirit though

Interesting album for sure. 1970's electronic is certainly interesting.

Erste Hälfte klingt als hätte der Songwriter von "Tequila" den Soundtrack, zum Menschheit ausrotten, für die Terminatoren geschrieben. Zweite Hälfte solide

Respekt for indflydelsen på musikhistorie, må have lydt crazy i 1978. Bliver lidt for repetitivt til min smag og lyder også ret outdated i 2024

Det er vel meget fint for hvad det er. Synes det er lidt meget af det samme hihi - 3/5

Ég er ekki mikið fyrir raftónlist en þegar ég er fyrir raftónlist þá er það nokkuð líklegt að ég setji Kraftwerk á og þarna eru slagarar sem ég þekki vel til og raula með vélmennarödd við. Ég mun samt ekki setja þetta á fóninn held ég en þetta er ekki rusl. Meðalplata kannski en væri örugglega frábær plata fyrir meiri raftónlistaraðdáendur

I'm sure very influential but this is museum music. In other words, music that you'd want to see immortalized in a museum for electronic music but not music you'd actually listen to in the real world. Still good

It was fun, quite weird

The range is amazing for the limited number of sounds available. You could spend months putting this together … or maybe just hours. It’s impossible to tell. And that is the genius of it.

Listened to this before and I know it's pretty high regarded....I quite like it, but I think it falls into the category of "really innovative even it was released, but not so interesting 40 years later". Reminds me of flight of the conchords too (I assume they were parodying this). Good, but not quite my thing. Think it it was the year it was released I would be much more impressed. 3.5

This is a band who I have heard described as legendary, countless times. They are mentioned as influences in interviews by nearly every band I've ever loved. I love the experimental nature of what they are doing. I can only assume this was pretty "out there" when released in '78, and it's undeniable that it influenced music across many genres as well as defining some of its own. With all that being said... I just don't enjoy listening to it. It's cold. It's lifeless. It's mechanical. It sounds like a mathematical property because sentient and "wrote" a few songs. Great dance music if that's your thing, but it's not mine. Not bad for background music, or if you want to score a nostalgia-dripping, 1980's themed, children's horror/sci-fi television show.

No a bad album, probably would be great as background music for studying or working at a computer. I’m not a huge electronic music fan so it doesn’t move the dial much for me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to someone playing this album.

This was pretty good, a little sparse as you would expect. Overall a good album to have on in the background as I work..

3.3 Perfect if you want to feel a sense of intergalactic doom while doing work. Fave songs: the model

Pretty catchy. I don't really have much to say about this album. 6/10 Would I listen again? It would be pretty good background music.

Some songs can be a little repetitive but overall the album was nice to listen to.

You know, robot music

The Robots - 3 Spacelab - 3 Metropolis - 3 The Model - 3 Neon Lights - 2.5 The Man Machine - 2.5 Wish 2.5 was an option. The music is fine. Not painful, but not enjoyable.

The Machine Man by Kraftwerk Tuesday 6/11/2024 10:51 S Tier————————— Spacelab The Robots A Tier————————— Metropolis B Tier————————— Neon Lights The Man Machine The Model

I'm sure this was cool and novel once, but now it feels like a subpar electronica album.

I didn’t like this as much as Autobahn. I guess this was more concept-y comparatively.

pretty but repetitive

I was pretty bored with the repetitive nature of this, but I do recognize the significance and influence to everything from later electronica bands in general and the use of synth mixed in smaller doses in the 80’s new wave and beyond.

Look, I get it. This is one of those bands that you’re supposed to put on a pedestal. I can appreciate their innovation but don’t personally find it all that listenable. And you just know these guys inspired some of the shittiest bands you’ve ever heard.

It’s like electronic Rammstein. Cool. My neighbor across the street is from Düsseldorf so gonna see if he knows these guys. Was def interesting but not something I’m dying to listen to. 2.75

I'm not a huge fan of beeps and boops music, but this one feels more influential than others we've had thus far. Literally the first track I was like, "this sounds like Get Innocuous! by LCD Soundsystem." Not sure if Kraftwek were actually credited on that track, but c'mon man, it was directly lifted by LCD. I assume the dudes of Daft Punk are huge fans, which also kinda explains the whole robot thing. Some tracks kind of remind me of the Blade Runner score and of course Tron. Haven't seen either in forever, but that's the vibe/feel I'm getting. This is also a great album to get soon after that Heaven 17 mess... one sounds dated, crappy, and irrelevant. Yes, you can tell this is of another time, but it also somehow still works today and you can hear influences everywhere. Despite all that, to my ears this doesn't rise to the level of a great album. Good for what it is, but not incredible. 3.25/5

She's Glen Hoddle and she's looooking good. 3rd Kraftwerk album already, this list has a lot of albums from the same artists. OK this is Kraftwerk goes pop. Catchy and still sounding like nothing else but influencing everyone. Sehr gut.

Cool, though redundant.

For 1978 it's boundary pushing music. For 2024 it's like a child's toy keyboard.

Just.

6.5/10

This one started off a bit cheesy but it got really good as it went on. I enjoyed this, 3.5.

Krautrock at its finest. 3.5 stars

You're alright in my book, Kraftwerk. A sort of adorableness to their earnestness

I am not a man-machine, nor do I have any desire to be

DOITSU NO KAGAKU WA SEKAI ICHI

01001001 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110011 01110100 00100000 01100001 01100011 01100011 01101111 01101101 01110000 01101100 01101001 01110011 01101000 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101110 01111001 00100000 01001011 01110010 01100001 01100110 01110100 01110111 01101111 01110010 01101011 00100000 01100001 01101100 01100010 01110101 01101101 01110011 00100000 01101111 01101110 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00101110 3/5

It's easy to hear the significant influence that this album has had on subsequent generations of artists. However, it probably suffers the same fate as other great works that have been copied to the point of cliche: without considering the influence, the album doesn't have much individual staying power. Perhaps it's the consistent obscurity that Kraftwerk has had beyond name recognition (read: I don't know of any individual Kraftwerk songs that are certified bangers), but this album is more criterion than icon.

Very enjoyable beeps and boops and doesn't outstay it's welcome. Medium 3.

Seminal band, always wanted to try them. It's fine. Obviously foundational to later bands (electronic like Daft Punk, and not like Teleman) as well as contemporaries (Sparks), but too minimalist to hold up.

(off track comment:I knew I had missed a Kraftwerk album on this 1001 journey, and was driving so I couldn't recall which album. This will be my second from them, and the first was pretty robotic--which I get is by design,but I mean industrial/factory robots. I accidentally guessed it was Computer World, which I started and it had a lot more life in it.... hopefully this one is closer to that than The TransEurope Express) So this album is probably in the middle between the two mentioned above. Coincidentally that follows release order, so apparently they get better as they go on. This album also stood out for having the silly german dorky stereotype, which is a good thing. Kind of a shorter album, but pretty good. Favorite track "The Model" 3/5

I was in a bit of a daze all day and this didn't get me out of it. I barely know what to review this as. If it blended so well due to the design of it all, this is really impressive, but I have no idea how much of that vibe came from my listening state.

It's not really "listen to for fun" music, though there is something in it that draws you to it. Better for a sweaty dance floor at 1 am than for a living room couch at 1 pm. I like The Model but overall the songs go on way too long.

I imagine how amazing Kraftwerk must have sounded when these sorts of effects weren’t a proper music genre, and the idea of humans making music as robots is an interesting one. Still, it’s not quite for me, but I liked The Model and Neon Lights.

Im deutschen Original definitiv ein super Album. In der englischen Version funktioniert es für mich nicht gleich gut.

Pretty all right not great not bad

Wow wild to have this type of music in the 70s. Didn't even know there were groups like this. No particular favorite song. Added to my Spotify library.

super cool!

I had mixed feelings about this album. On the one hand, I appreciate the ground-breaking work they did for the electronica genre, but on the other hand I think that because they were basically the father of the genre it almost feels like a parody of itself at this point because it's so influential and is indirectly referenced through so much of modern content. I really enjoyed the instrumental/musical side of this album, but where it lost me was the lyrics because they felt really dated. With themes like "metropolis" "neon" and "robots" that were probably really futuristic at the time, now they are just commonplace and what we view as people from the 60's and 70's as thinking the future would be like.

01000011 01001111 01001111 01001100

This was kind of an interesting one. No doubt I have heard of Kraftwerk but never actually sat down and listened to one of their albums. Some of these sounds seem almost cartoonishly cliché at this point, but they would have been new and exciting when this album came out. Then the album keeps going and it actually is pretty interesting once you get past the initial impression.

Better than I expected

Sometimes music can just be something to listen to, not worry too much about, enjoy the sound, the rhythms, the little melodies, the chord changes. Just listening with no effort expected on the listener's part. Light entertainment for your amusement.

Officially 3, but adding a 0.5 in my heart for being short.

For early electronic music this is pretty good!

Must have sounded like it came from the future, but is now so old that it sounds a little dated. A record that has been so influential it sounds like a bunch of other stuff, but it came before pretty much all of it! Not my favourite genre, I prefer analogue instruments and especially value physical drums, but enjoyable and innovative

Better than Autobahn. I can respect it.

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

Techno pop.

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

Props for pioneering.

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

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

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

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

Almost goofy

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

Interesting album that sounds like the foundation of electronic music

Liked it a lot better than the last inr

Weird, but good. But weird

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

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

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

Must have been dope for the people in the 70s

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cool and pretty easy to listen to just not super memorable

German Tomorrowland ambient music

proto - daft punk-y

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

J: 3; N: 4 Fav: The Model

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

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

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

Repetitive

7.1/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

Better than the Europe express one

60

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

crazy voor die tijd maar heel repetitive

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

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

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

Was ok. Had loose Daft Punk vibes but nothing amazing

Quite good

Demasiado conceptual

I kinda remembered this as being better.

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

Kraftwerk walked so Daft could run. Fun

Nice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pretty interesting sound.

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

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

Dit doet me terugdenken aan mijn synthesizer periode. Cool!

gammelt elektronisk, konceptuelt, holder stadig

Crawled so daft punk could walk

Way more fahn than the Autobahn

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

Good. Sunday morning chill listening perhaps

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

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

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

did not understand really

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

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

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

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

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

Decent

Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

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

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

Okayish weird industrial

Electronic Soundtrackish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chillig

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

Great!

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

Fun

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

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

Not bad but repetitive

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

Robot city be praised

Meio mecânico Interessante

Rrrobaht

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

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

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

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

Extra star for the very nice Neon Lights

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

Wow, things happens and some sweet sounds.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I was somewhat into this one.

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

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

good length spacelab

Meh mostly boring 2.5

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

electric fun