The Man Machine

I imagine this process is like a crisis of faith for many people. You undertake hoping to find great music you've never heard of before or never given the attention it deserves, spoonfed by a guide you trust to know what you want better than you do. And so you set off with great expectation. You recognise a lot of names on the way, a melody you might have heard here and there over the years, but most of the albums you hear are right down the middle or slightly worse. You give them a 2 or 3 and move on, hoping the next one is the album you've been waiting for. When you do give an album a five star, it's because you know it already; you know the band, or even the album itself, well already and were quietly confident it would earn a 5 before you even hit play, but you think to yourself that elusive music you came here looking for is still out there, and you press on. Little speaks to you, perhaps a song here and there is worth revisiting, but what you came here for is still to be found. And then, there it is, something you've never listened to that's simply wonderful, that makes the 1 and 2 stars worth giving their day in court and the sea of okay 3 stars worth slogging through. You have been given your sign. The Man Machine is the sign for me. Like most people I knew Kraftwerk and I could name a few big songs like The Model and Autobahn, I knew the robot motif and could vaguely describe their sound, but I have never sought out or craved Kraftwerk before. This is the first five star I'm giving going to a band I wouldn't have predicted to get one. This album is just so much fun; the very modular and constant song design, every instrument sounding like it's covered in sci-fi chrome panelling, the almost-spoken words in many songs, the distortion in the sound. Superb theming and sound design backed up by beats that could only work and only come from a band like this. I can only imagine what it sounded like on release, when you didn't have access to such vast catalogues so easily. It must have sounded like this album came from another reality. Given The Man Machine is a relatively short album I even listened to the German album the following day as a point of comparison and to see if any songs suffered or benefitted from the language they were sung in (Neon Lights I think benefits from German but I like The Robots and The Model more in English) and I enjoyed that experience as much as the first less than 24 hours after first hearing the album. This is why we tackle this mammoth undertaking, for moments like this.

A real masterpiece by the pioneers of electronic music and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members. (Listened to it on vinyl)

A huge discovery. Always thought the singles I heard were a bit crap

It might've been revolutionary at the time, but I got really bored listening to it because the music is simple and not very catchy. I know there's better Kraftwerk out there.

It's a Kraftwerk album, hence, an automatic 5 stars. Additionally, they were the first to do a lot of things but not the first to write silly lyrics. So we can forgive them the latter thing.

Really enjoyed this. Especially impressive when you consider the early instruments they were working with.

There's a very eloquent review of this album by someone recently who said it's one of those rare records that makes the whole project worthwhile; one that provides the payoff for all those hours listening to albums you really would rather not be listening to. I read that review before I listened to this and it made me want to love it, in the same way watching an Attenborough documentary makes me want to tuck into a still-warm antelope and experience the same delight as the pride of lions. Sadly, in both cases (I would have to assume) even such priming is not enough to alter the reality: while The Machine is compellingly rhythmic, out-there and, dare I say it, fun in a German sort of way, it didn't evoke the same goosebumps as it did in the aforementioned reviewer. Not to worry, I've already had a few gems and I still have 800 to go.

Favourite: Spacelab Least Favourite: The Man Machine Rating: 9/10 Heard before: 0 Very good electronic album, no skips

it was ok, not really my thing

My favourite song from this album is Neon Lights. I really like the sounds and how stimulating it is for the brain but it's not quite my style. I can also perfectly picture what these songs would look like as shapes/colours. The songs go on for too long without lyrics for me to fully enjoy them, but perhaps that is a me problem. If a song from this were to play on my playlist, I wouldn't mind and would listen to the whole thing. The album has a lot of range but all tie together under a dystopian/futuristic feel. Somehow the Germans have perfectly created timeless music. Them Germans.

This was straight garbage an amalgamation of Apple alarm sounds mashed together, nails on a chalkboard never sounded so good. These songs seemingly went forever, and there was no difference between each song in my opinion.

My first thought was, why the heck would anyone choose to listen to a higher-pitched Apple alarm, lyrics a very repetitive, and there is more of an emphasis on the synth-ie sounds of the music and the beat. At times I felt like I was forcing myself to listen to video game background music in my free time, while I understand its influences in techno music of our day, not my jam, and I will probably not be listening to it again. Might grow on me over time, however... Overall 1/5

earned a star for beign releaesd on a certain somone's brithday earned another star for beign wayyy anhead of its time earned another when i finalyl undertsood it and i got up adn grooved to teh beats earned another star becuase i just realised this is first electronic album i have ever fully listened to im rpetty sure. and now my eyes hve now mbeen oipen. IMS SO EZXCITSED TO LISTENN TO MMOREEE!

German or English… gotta be German Lovely clean bleepy bloopy plinky plonkiness. The Model/Das Modell certifiable banger but I already knew that. Worth listening to the Big Black cover of it as well. Whole thing is well ahead of the 80s curve. Even from my very surface level listening/appreciation of them over the years (heard maybe autobahn before as well?), hard to overstate how crucial Kraftwerk were to the evolution of the use of synth, 4 stars almost for that alone

Didn’t hate it as much as I expected too, really didn’t like trans europa express when that came up on the am top 100 2.5

I don't get it. The music is so repetitive and boring that I must be missing something. I kept waiting for something to grab me and mostly just zoned out. Maybe this was a new exciting thing back in the day, but for todays listen it's terrible.

I have never really sat and listened to Kraftwerk, which should be punishable by death considering I was in a '90s Industrial Band, lol. It's kinda funny how these are really pretend robots songs, lol. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This was really groundbreaking stuff at the time I imagine. The songs are minimalist but fun. "Neon Lights" is excellent. Great stuff and I will revisit.

had higher hopes for this

I started listening to this out of the speaker of my phone. "The Robots" comes out like the device is speaking for itself, no help from human creators.

Tysk 70-talls tekno kan jeg sette pris på. Litt monotont i lengden, 3 av 5

This is the second Kraftwerk album I’ve gotten in 3 days & while it’s not bad I’m kind of over the genre I think I like this one a little more than Autobahn

Even though it's not my cup of tea you can tell that they put a lot of love into these compositions. Writing a song is hard let alone a fully instrumental synthetic song. they were honestly both ahead and behind the times. If I had to I would've placed this as either an 80s band or an 80s revival album made for stranger things in the 2010s

Doesn’t do much in its 36 minute runtime

chill

The most accessible Kraftwerk album, “the Model” even sounds reminiscent of an actual pop song. Ultimately, it doesn’t break as much ground as previous work, so falls just short of being their best album.

not my jam, but impressive for the time

If Autobahn laid the foundation for synthpop in 1974, Kraftwerk cemented the idea of electronic music in pop culture with The Man Machine in 1978. Using instruments of their own design, Kraftwerk created austere but starkly beautiful soundscapes that are still impressive to this day. By stripping down the long set pieces of Autobahn and refining their use of harmonies in the subsequent albums Radioactivity and Trans-Europe Express, the West German outfit were primed to release one of the most influential albums of all time. Their use of vocoders and performance art to create the illusion of robots performing the music was prophetic and furthered their influence, inspiring artists who would find great success in the next decade and beyond - Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, OMD, The Pet Shop Boys, and every other artist who used a synthesizer to make pop music (whether they realized it or not). If none of that makes much sense to you, I'll put it like this: Kraftwerk are The Beatles of electronic music. They didn't invent it, but they perfected it, and The Man Machine is their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

This is #day813 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my second Kraftwerk record on the list. Now, these guys practically laid the foundations for modern electronic music. What else is there to add? "The Model" is, of course, a timeless piece. It was a pleasure to revisit it. Otherwise, this is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day814.

Enjoyment: 5/10 Replayability: 5/10 Cohesion: 6/10 Flow/Pacing: 6/10 Artistic Merit: 5/10 Weighted Average: 5.25/10 Review: This is an odd one. I went into it with low expectations because I'm not a fan of krautrock, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I dig the synths, but it can get repetitive at times, like in the title track. Overall, average. Liked Song(s): Spacelab, Metropolis Disliked Song(s): The Man Machine Recommend? Maybe Heard Before? No

Better than Autobahn but cruel to give me Kraftwerk back to back

Interesting.

Pretty boring

Another 3/5 A couple of good songs but a bit too simple for me. Almost comical in the german techno stereotype. But again. Formative.

Entertaining pioneering electronica record. You can tell how influential these sounds were to the rest of the genre just by listening to the first few songs.

Always thrilled to have a day like this, where I get an album I’ve never listened to and it actually blows me away. This was really, really cool. I’m not a massive fan of electronic music, but I really enjoyed listening to this. Also this might be one of the most German albums ever

Long, repetitive and neverending. Quite basic sounding and boring. Sounds like an oversimplified Final Fantasy 7 soundtrack. I would've liked some variation but it's the same all the way through. The Model does stands out though. 2/5

A good intro song, sounds like a danceclub that RoboCop would walk through before he starts blasting. The whole album sounds like something you would listen to while driving around a futuristic city.

Glorious. Stands up brilliantly today which is rare for something electronic from the 70s. Clean, austere, clinical but warm...if I was being very picky I'd say the tracks get a little repetitive over 6 minutes, but the quality of each song is still there. I was lucky enough to see them live earlier this year, and I think they played every track from this. Debating a 4 as it's not quite as technicolour as modern electronic music, and then I imagined listening to the whole list chronologically and imagined how mindblowing this would be coming after Elton John or CSNY. A middling 5, then.

y no lyrics? if i wanted random notes i can go on youtube

Sicherlich seiner Zeit voraus aber halt nicht mein Fall und meine Musik.

beep boop bop boop, beep boop boop bop! This was probably so innovative at a time but I can't do this man it doesn't feel good on the ears. only 36 minutes long but felt longer. I'm glad daft punk was born out of this some time in the future but this shall be left as an ugly stepping stone we leave in the past.

very funky album but not something id listen to often. However i appreciate the significance this album has 5/10

Favorite Song: Metropolis Least Favorite: Spacelab

Can imagine dancing to this with my kid in the future!

i think this is a you had to be there one. like teaching kids about the cold war. just seems like there's no war at all im sure theres a there there, but it's beyond me. i like my satire at least a little bit remarkable

TL;DR: German weirdos invent synth-pop with compelling results. BEFORE: I have this on CD somewhere and was lucky enough to see these guys live a few years ago and they played most of these tracks. Should be fun. AFTER: It really is incredible how good this sounds given its age. While there was always a lot of focus on Kraftwerk's technical innovation (and rightly so), this is also a really strong collection of compositions. Vangelis was taking notes. There is so much modern music buried in the DNA of this album - not just the obvious (synth pop, house, techno, trance) but the way in which synthesized sound is used and manipulated in service of a huge range of modern music. HIGHLIGHTS: The Robots is both chipper and sinister, which always seemed to be Kraftwerk's default (but not only) mode. Spacelab sounds like the soundtrack to a thousand half-forgotten futuristic TV shows. Metropolis's minor arpeggios and swelling bass falls somewhere between trance and the Blade Runner soundtrack. The Model splits the difference between funny and weird, the instrumental a quantized pastiche of dance music. Neon Lights is more languid, 9 minutes long with bouncy keys reminiscent of Erasure. The Man-Machine like a mantra shifting up and down keys. LOWLIGHTS: Not really. This music might sound a bit old-fashioned or new-agey if you're not used to it, but it really is fantastic - best enjoyed on a loud-ass sound system although I had to make do with headphones. VERDICT: 5 stars.

I’m really not sure how to rank this one. Decades of head of its time? Yes. One I want to listen to again and again? No. I appreciate this album for what it is, absolutely, but I also can’t really give it higher than a 3. If this allowed .5, it would be a 3.5/5, but as is, 3/5

beep boop music makes my heart go boom boom This is their best album for me, unmatched for cunty german vibes

I can understand the impact it had at its time, but I would not listen again. Neon Lights is good, but i feel like it drags out for too long

Okay super cool I like the whole robotic Germain aspect and some of the sounds were cool as, just not consistent for my bland ears

I like the pop sounds on Computer World better than the offerings here, but long form songs like Neon Lights still sound amazing. When modern folks want "analog" electronics, these are the sounds they are after.

Simply one of the best electronica albums made. They did so much for establishing what would come later, and this, while brief, slaps very hard. Strong beats, clear themes, not too long, just a great listen.

Tof om naar te luisteren - hun meest gekende hits

Zalig om op te werken

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/kraftwerk/die-mensch-maschine/ Like many Kraftwerk albums, it's fun, but remains too repetitive to stay interesting for a full album. I really like Kraftwerk, but in doses.

Not my thing but decent for background music.

🤖 WE ARE THE ROBOTS 🤖 Kraftwerk sind ausgezeichnet. 5/5 Sterne

I wasn't sure what to expect here but it wasn't this. May have been revolutionary, but it is a little too simple for my taste. The grooves are okay, but it's not dance-able, not sing-able. I guess it's enjoyable enough for studying.

Meh

No please not more

I hate Kraftwerk. So irritating. I'll give it a 2 only because I'm told so often that they're influential that I suppose it must be true.

This is the sound I associate with Krautrock, for better or worse. It's pretty pleasant.

I understand that this album lead to the electronic music we know. And I like electronic music. But not one song on this album is going to be a song that I want to come back to, because there is so much better electronic music made afterwards. They are Germans also so they’re grandfathers may have been nazis

I really enjoyed this

I was familiar with Metropolis and The Model and like both of them. It is interesting to hear the beginning of electronic music, which at the time, was done with analog synths. This isn't an album that I'm going to jam to regularly, but if a Kraftwerk song comes on, I can listen to it. It's pleasant.

Bleh

I enjoyed this album. A little different than what I would choose to play in my day-to-day life, but it was fun, reminded me of Cool Math Games, and led me to imagine a fun little robot dancing in a secret agent cartoon from the 90s. I would give this album a 3/5.

Favorite track(s): Die Roboter, Spacelab, Das Model, Neonlicht, Die Mensch-Maschine Possibly one of the most secretly influential bands of all time. Few people will ever be able to say they ushered in a new age of music. Only to be heard in the original German. Heard before Previous rating: 9/10

Certainly a blueprint for future bands. This is 80s synth and a fine example, though it was in the late 70s and ahead of that wave. Could be released today.

Somehow

Poppig och melodiös. 3.5 av 5.

pretty chill industrialy and electric album, invented it basically lol

5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background

Yeaaa

def dated but i fw it. can't imagine how crazy it would've been to hear this in 1978. like imagine being an american who only listens to rock and folk, maybe a bit of jazz here and there and then you record store imports this and you hear Die Roboter for the first. sound dumb asf nowaday but that shit was probably mind blowing.

It's fine, like all kraftwerk I'd happily have it on in the background

I'll let it slide that the album is too short. 6 perfect songs, any one of the can work as a hit single. The music is foundational, a timeless album that pretty much establishes the importance of the connection of men and technology. Rarely an artist can give you an album as perfect as this.

Бля это угарная хуйня, но тогда это воспринималось как вау , а сейчас смешно

Electronic to its core. Berlin Underground vibes.

was actually surprisingly fun

Synth pop perfection

Several people remarked that this was their best album, and to the extent of my knowledge, I agree. It's better than Trans-Europe Express that I gave a very rare 1, better than the Kraftwerk-adjacent Neu! 75, which almost earned one, and it's better than Autobahn, which I've heard but I haven't reviewed for this project yet. I still don't like it. The sound is basic, the musicianship pedestrian to my ears. I acknowledge the influences and even hear them in albums I do like. I just don't like listening to the originals at all.

I’d started this off with an off-topic rave about their earlier album “Ralf und Florian,” which if you could find a copy easily would be my contribution to the user list. But that’s beside the point, because what I’m listening to here is “The Man Machine,” which came out 5 years later and is also pretty fun, with Kraftwerk’s usual simple melodies and layered electronic effects. I’ve always liked the tracks from this album that you hear more often on the radio, especially “Neon Lights,” which is well worth being nearly 9 minutes long with the way the melody keeps repeating again and again at the end. This whole thing is fun; German electronic weirdness for the win.

Good, obviously innovative for the time.

I am under the impression that there will be other Kraftwerk albums on this list. Sonically, this album was great, very cold and minimal and robotic, and you can see the influence on many acts today. It's got great melodic pieces and vocoder phrasing. I am in awe if the album was purely made on large analog synthesizers and large modules. I think this type of work that goes into an album should definitely be acknowledged. All in all, taking in the influence this band has passed down as well as the catchiness of it all, I am thinking somewhere in the high 3.6s - I'm rounding up to a 4/5

Roboticka pohodicka

Absolutely awful.

Perfect music for when 2 characters in a dystopian sci-fi world are having a strange neon drink at a loud club. Otherwise, awful.

I loved Robots and Spacelab but fell off the wagon over the next few songs. Could've been a 5, ends up being a rounded up 4.

This album is pure noise (complementary). It's fun in a way that I was not expecting from an album whose premise seems to hinge on the idea of being robots. Easy five-star album right here.

It's not terrible but I don't remember anything from it a few minutes after finishing it.

3.5

I really like this album a good bit but I think most of my appreciation is more of its placement in music history it's definitely to me almost like the last link before you get to synth pop. It's still more atmospheric and artsy , but it's also at times hooky. I can see where Andy Fletcher and David Ball would build in more pure pop realm from this album. (8.5) ★★★★

A classic of electronic music. 4 stars

I thought Trans-Europe Express was pretty good, but I couldn't get into this one. "The Model" was okay and "Neon Lights" had some moments despite being too long. Didn't like the synth sounds much. 2.5 stars.

Starts quite strong with the ‘blip bloop we are the robots’ song. And of course The Model is a total smash, eventually becoming a UK number one. And Spacelab’s got some cool cartoon sounds like Care Bears teleporting somewhere, probably space. The other 3 tracks here suffer in comparison on account of being insanely more repetitive. Daft Punk Around The World has got nothing on this. A mixed mensch-machine bag.

Gran álbum, no conocía nada de su sonido, pero me llevé una grata sorpresa. Álbum que volvería a escuchar varias veces sin ningún tipo de dudas.Groove y melodías imposibles de sacarse de la cabeza.

Not bad but a little out there for me

Not fully my vibe, but I appreciate it for what it is :)

Holy shit this was so epic. Based off what I’ve seen about this band, they may be even more influential to electronic music than zeppelin was to heavy rock. Genuinely crazy how ahead of its time this record sounds. You could tell me this came out in any year ever and I’d not bat an eye. But the 70’s bro? And better yet, one of my favorite years of all time. What’s so unique here is while it sounds hella synthetic, it STILL captures some sort of warmth. It’s not sterile. There’s heart in it, it feels romantic, there’s melody, etc. which is what I find lacking in the 80’s onwards with similar music. Somebody should’ve got these guys with John Carpenter.