NEU! 75
Neu!
1975
Album Summary
Neu! 75 is the third studio album by the krautrock band Neu!. It was recorded and mixed at Conny Plank's studio between December 1974 and January 1975. It was released in 1975 by Brain Records, and officially reissued on CD on 29 May 2001 by Astralwerks in the US and by Grönland Records in the UK.
WikipediaHave you ever been showering late at night with your grandmother and accidentally slipped over causing your face to press snugly against her vulva? This record felt like that wholesome family moment. Like a hugging embrace from an old friend...who's a massive racist.Like using a dildo for the first time, but it's a hand-me-down from your brother. Interesting, but perverse.
Fresh, bold, daring, expansive... and never dull. "Neu! 75" cements Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger as two of the coolest, most forward-thinkers in rock. There are just six tracks here, and each one of them is a fully realised sonic world, offering a unique view of this extraordinary band. It's a cross-roads of different styles at the midpoint of the 1970s, indicating the different routes popular music was about to split off into. We begin with "Isi" and "Seeland", two instrumentals that are calm in tone, with very simple repeated melodic figures on synth, piano and guitar. They're psychedelic leaning, with hints of early 70's space-rock, but nothing ever falls apart or loses control. The air is cool, detached, and utterly captivating: simplicity is key, a firm tonal centre is key, and a steady tempo is key. While these tracks still offer strong melodic hooks, they're perfect exercises in restraint. In fact, vocals don't enter the mix at all until some semi-spoken word declarations in "Leb' Wohl". This piece is so beautiful, so stirring in its two piano chords and the space it affords, that its nine minute length is not an issue. It's meditative and contemplative, and it feels like an early foray into ambient that Brian Eno would later capitalise upon. The second half is driven by more energy, heightened aggression. Klaus Dinger takes the lead. We get the jagged edges of punk (and even post-punk prior to punk) with its bellowed vocals and abrasive instrumentation. Really though, it's just a warm-up to the sublime proto-industrial "E-Musik", with its liberal use of flange and its propulsive, motorik beat so relentless it feels like it could be a drum machine, and finally the blistering hard-rock of "After Eight". By the time this closer hits (by Neu's standards, out-and-out anthemic punk) it feels like a full-blown catharsis. It's the moment everything comes together. There are so many highlights across the record, but my favourites per side are "Leb' Wohl" and "After Eight" (honorable mentions to "Isi" and "E. Musik") This album is just missing out on 5* owing to "Hero" and "Seeland" not being quite up to the same standards as the other tracks, but it's a 9/10 for sure. Very grateful to have been introduced to this album and it's absolutely one I'll be spending a lot of time with.
Another sort of "whatever" album. It's decent electronic rock to have on in the background, but it's entirely forgettable.
It feels like the building blocks for something, but not super exciting on its own.
This album is something! Given it was released in 1975, it is basically (correct me if I'm wrong) post-punk that was recorded before punk. Legit stuff that reminded me of some later records I sincerely love. Highlights: Hero and After Eight.
This, boys and girls, is why it's important to listen to an album all the way through before rating it. I was pleasantly surprised by the first three tracks of this six-track album. They're chill but interesting melodic soundscapes and they made a nice backdrop to my morning. Unfortunately, those first three tracks are followed by 20+ minutes of incoherent screaming and mind-numbingly repetitive drums that utterly tanked the album for me.
An interesting album, divided in two halves between a solid atmospheric electronica style and an electronic rock style. Both are really good halves, and are worth listening to even if you're not particularly into either genre.
I listened to this one with Julianne and it was incredibly soothing for the a side and a lot more engine like and moving on the b side. I loved the imagery that this was able to keep consistently in my head with its ambient passages and incredibly clever use of different tones
My husband described it as golfing music. I hate golfing. Still oddly pleasant to listen to this, though.
A good listen on the whole. Unfamiliar with Neu but enjoyed the techno/ambient flavour of this album, especially the hypnotic Seeland. Some elements of proto-punk here too - Hero has a feel of the Stranglers to it
J'ai pensé à détacher crisdusseld le temps d'écouter cet album originaire de sa terre natale et puis je me suis souvenu de l'ordure qu'il était.
Comme vous le savez tous, je me suis reveillé ce matin de très mauvaise humeur, la faute au service e-banking de ma banque UBS ayant décidé de ne pas fonctionner au moment exact où j'en ai besoin. Ce n'est certainement pas cette parodie musicale qui aura réussi à rehausser mon humeur, 45mn d'allemand se prennant pour des esthètes musicaux, qui ne proposent pourtant qu'une soupe de sons fort peu ragoutante. J'espère ne jamais vous retrouver dans ce génèrateur
Production: 17/20 Songwriting: 15/20 Innovation: 19/20 Bangers: 15/20 Emotional response: 18/29 =84 Wallop what a fucking cracker
NEU! is brilliant asf. Remains one of my top experimental electronic music artists from Germany.
bon descobriment... after eight es molt bona... la resta és molt tranqui.
Production: 17/20 Songwriting: 15/20 Innovation: 19/20 Bangers: 15/20 Emotional response: 18/29 =84 Wallop what a fucking cracker
A great experience, atmospheric at first and psychodelic during the second part of the album. Draws you into the music.
I liked this album. To make this chill music in 75 without getting wankery with the guitar is pretty respectable. This was nice. 5/5
A krautrock classic! I have listened before and loved it. Listening again, I still love it. This albums comes at the end of their relatively short stint in the 70's, forming in 1970 and releasing this as their last official album in, well, 1975. This finality was due to differences between the duo of NEU! that could not be reconciled. As such, this is widely know as a fantastic "double album" with side 1 being completely by Rother and side 2 being only Dinger. Rother's side is noticeably more calm, entrancing listeners with ambient bits while keeping that classic steady Motorik beat. This is my favorite side of the 2, but side 2 is still worth exploring. A much more punk-influenced edge on the sound, still with the Motorik beat driving it. Dinger decidedly makes his side a wake-up from Rother's side, a stark contrast for listeners who had got up to flip the record over just a few seconds ago. The only major low point for the album is near the end of E-Musik where Dinger slows everything down. It just doesn't work as well in comparison to side 1, and ultimately takes away from the upbeat precedent set by the rest of side 2. Other than that, this is a wonderful album. Well-worth the listen. Loved it!
Yeah, this one's very sick. A blend of experimental soundscapes and hard rocking that never felt stale at any point. Favorites: Isi, Seeland, Hero,E-Musik
Kolejna niemiecka pozycja w tym tygodniu, ale nie jest to jedyna rzecz laczaca ten album z kraftwerkiem, oba zespoly nagrywaly z legendarnym w tamtych czasach Connym Plankiem, ktory byl chocby jedna z osob stojacych za sukcesem autobahna, tym razem trafilo na hardy kraut, wiec blizej mainstreamowym gatunkom muzycznym eksperymentalnie progresywnemu rokowaniu, ale jednak jest w tym cos o wiele bardziej czarujacego i tajemnicznego, bo jednak jest to muzyka z starego kontynentu, ktora jednak byla influencyjna na tak mainstreamowych tworcow tego okresu jak chocby pan Bowie i jego trylogia berlinska, gleboko czerpiaca z dorobku takich zespolow jak neu, nawet tytul srodkowego albumiku trylogii berlinskiej nawiazuje do openingowego traka b sajda dzisiejszej plyty, wiec neu!'75 jak sam tytul wskazuje wydanego w 75, 42 minuty, 6 trakow i idealna rownowana pomiedzy strona a i b, prawdziwy muzyczny jin i jang, pierwsza strona spokojna, niekiedy nawet melancholijna przez te deszczowe brzmienia oraz motyw przewodni calego nagrania, wiec rozlaki, bo otwierajacy isi, to zdrobnienie od izabeli, kolejny na plejliscie utwor seeland, wiec calkiem samotlumaczacy, jako kraina do ktorej iza pojechala, a zamykajacy pierwsza czesc leb' wohl na polski oznacza zegnanko, druga czesc rowniez zawiera slady tego motywu juz w samym hero, ktory jest najbardziej lirycznym trakiem calej plyty jest wspomniany wyjazd do norwegii jakiegos skarbeczka, ale to jak obie strony sie roznia jest czyms pieknym, hero nie ma w sobie nic z ambientowego grania do ktorych przez pierwsze dwadziescia minut czlowiek sie przyzwyczail, a atakuje ostrymi gitarami dzwiekami, ktore sa w pewnym sensie petane przez lagodne synthy, dodatkowo drumsy, ktore graja pierwszo planowa role na drugiej stronie, dodatkowo wokale ktore rowniez biora z zaskoczenia, a przypominaja jak cos co mozna bylo uslyszec pozniej u sex pistolsow czy stogesow, wiec proto punk kipi z drugiej strony tego materialu, oczywiscie liryka po anglinsku jak przystalo na jakosciowego krauta, ktory sluchany byl globalnie, a nie tylko lokalnie, na plejke wrzuce openingowe utwory obu stron zeby podkreslic dualizm tej plyty nawet na plejce, jesli mialyby grac po sobie oba traki, ale cala plyta leci na poleczke spotifajowa, bo album nagrany z zamyslem zeby przesluchac od poczatku do konca zeby poczuc roznice jak roznorakie oblicza moze posiadac jeden material, a nadal trzymac sie jednego konceptu
Another aural dreamscape. I haven't listened to much Krautrock apart from Can and Kraftwerk so was really surprised as how much Neu!'s sound is echoed in newer acts. They really reminded me of Stereolad who obviously are influenced by them which was great by me. I also picked parallels with Suicide and am curious as to who influenced who or if they hit their sounds independently. Either way, I love this and will be listening to it a lot more
Love this album. Is kind of one mood broken into lots of different moods, starting with the soaring Isi. It helps that I played it on a Monday morning as I sat down to start work. You can see why / how Bowie was so inspired by this band.
Krautrock with ambient tendencies? That's my jam! ✌️ I could happily listen to this looped all day. Fave track - "Seeland" maybe? But this is an album album, and should be listened to straight through...
Fantastic album! Great music to just sit back and reflect. Any album that features waves crashing can do this for you. The order of tracks was very well done as they flow into each other pretty seamlessly and build to a climactic ending. For example, first couple track have no lyrics. Then the middle tracks featured just small little pieces of vocals here and there. And then the back half showcase the vocals pretty heavily. I also really dig how the opener sounded like something you’d hear on Rainbow Road in Mario Kart. This is definitely one I’ll be running back in the future
Four stars and a half An all-time classic of krautrock / komische As is usually the case with those five-stars albums, I won't write a full-blown review about this particular record, because others have already written wonderful stuff about it and there's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. It's just a gem. Go and listen to it a.s.a.p. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 917 (including this one) Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 43 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 22 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 19
Back half was slightly less engaging than the first but man this was a trip. Great.
motorik - probably the most consistently german of the german proto techno mid 70s scene
As great as ever - very essential album, just like its two predecessors (I assume the first album is in the list as well but the second one should be too on basis of its first half).
This is a fascinating album. Musically adventurous, but also with just the right amount of restraint. The resulting songs are really listenable, never grating, always a little surprising. I love that there's a more ambient, organic sounding side and then a noisier, more mechanical side. The contrast is mind blowing, but in the best way. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Leb' Wohl, Hero, After Eight, Seeland, E. Musik, Isi
OK, so while I didn't actually listen to this today, I know that this is a brilliant album. Neu! took the foundations of krautrock and built a template for electronica, punk, post punk and so much more. Cracking stuff!
i love weird albums and this was weird, but the vibes were really good.
I’m a little embarrassed by how much I enjoyed this album. But a bunch of German dudes making space sounds was a great time
What a sublime album. Thoroughly enjoyed the soundscapes of the first three tracks. I then also enjoyed the harder punk-ish last three. It didn't quite ease the transition which is probably my only major complaint with this album. Although this on vinyl I'd guess they're on different sides and the transition wouldn't be as clear as Spotify. Good track count and record length perfect 5/5
Really enjoyed this - especially Isi, E-Musik and After Eight. Lovely to have on in the background too - a bit like Autobahn.
Listens: 2 Enjoyed: yeah Very relaxing - can't fault it at all tbh. First track feels like a The Sims loading screen so I'm fully here for that
Loved this. I don't usually go for Krautrock, but this is great. Could listen to it all day - brilliant as ambient music.
Notes - Krautrock legends Neu’s 3rd album - Split in half because the 2 members of the band wanted different things out of their sound - First half is more melodic and ambient, second half is more rock - Driving bass and drums with repetitive guitar/synth parts - Love the use of rain and wind sounds across the album - I like that its in 2 distinct moods - But there are enough common elements that it still sounds cohesive - Really good “getting shit done” music Fav - hero - Love the vocals on here, kinda sounds like the guy from the Jesus lizard Least fav - After eight - Sounds like hero but less good 5/5
Har bara lyssnat på NEU! lite sporadiskt tidigare, men denna platta är ju alldeles fantastisk.
10/10 I listened to there first three albums and loved their third (this one) the most but all were a 10/10 super fun electronic/psych-roch
Tanvi: Liked it Rajiv: I listened to half and it was fine. Will listen later
I liked this one a lot. It was some chilled-out ambient rock if that's a thing. Will look to it if I just want some quiet goodness in the background. favorite song, probably Isi because it really set the tone, 6/8 my kind of music.
This is the best old album I’ve never heard of that I’ve discovered in years. First half is total John Carpenter and second half is just cool late 70s style punk.
Cool instruments, different sounds. Great change from a norm. Can see how this album influenced others in the 70s
honestly really good to do work to. each song is so different from each other/has a different vibe but is really consistent in its energy so you can still focus but vibe with the change of pace
The exclamation point threw me off -- I was expecting some euro-centric electro-pop. But this is super chill and really surprisingly good.
Somewhat relaxing ambient first side that mixes electronic sounds with sounds of nature in some songs. Side two starts with a more rock type sound with drum/guitar sounds. Almost a more punk sounds with 'Hero'.
I really enjoy this kind of krautrock. I preferred the instrumental songs much more to the ones with vocals though.
Every time I listen to Krautrock, I think I need to listen to more of it. It's amazing how such an obscure sub genre had the influence it did on the future of rock.
Never heard this before but really liked! The two "sides" of this record are so different but both were good.
What a little gem! Coming across albums like this that I’d never heard before is what makes rating this list so exciting for me. Most of the time I’m either broadening my listening vocabulary by way of expanding on bands I already know or landing on albums I’d never heard of from artists as equally unknown to myself. I mean who the hell is ‘Neu!’?? Well I can tell you they made at least one terrific album...this one. Track 3, Leb’ wohl, is a beautiful piece of music that transports you away to another place and time. The piano playing reminding you to take everything in and enjoy it in that moment. There are only 7 tracks but each one has a story and that story is up to you to decide. Give it a listen and allow your mind to roam free.... 4 Stars!
Jedan od najbolji Krautrock albuma. Odličan od početka do kraja, kad imam fazu Krautrocka, ovo je među prvim albumima koji si pustim.