NEU! 75

I felt obligated to rate this higher because of the clout that Neu! generates in the critical space, but this one kinda put me to sleep. Idk, very vibey and spacey which is cool, but I need a little more energy out of my krautrock. Just not really my favorite, but certainly cool and worth the listen

Still fresh after almost 50 years. Neu! is a building block for so many of my favorite bands; I feel like if anything, their influence on psych/experimental music has only gotten stronger. Really have no complaints. This thing is phenomenal and covers so much ground.

I mostly appreciated how much of the groundwork of many of my favorite genres was laid down on this record, but was generally pretty fine with this album. It had a great vibe but didn’t really grab me in the way I was hoping. Still a fun listen, this is a very strong 3 from me.

Beautiful album. Leb’wohi was a little too atmospheric to the point of being dull, but everything else was excellent. Some tracks were punk, some were Kraftwerk jr in the best way possible, some were just pretty. Might not make the regular rotation but anyone with an appreciation of music can get something out of this

This was very reminiscent of Kraftwerk, and I have very similar opinions on both in that I'm very indifferent to them. Kraftwerk is slightly more interesting but both just feel like cutting edge 70s projects that other innovations in electronic and rock music have left behind. This album in particular sounds like a very prototypical version of 2000s radiohead where the building blocks are there but it hasn't been developed enough. I'm sure this was highly influential to German dance music or something in the same way Kraftwerk practically invented electronic/computer rock but I don't think it really holds up anymore. However, this made me go back and listen to man machine which I think I have a better appreciation for now; feels like the progenitor to all of 80s synth wave. Really liked the model off that album.

hero топ, остальное хз

Слушайте, нуууу... интересная история. Не совсем этого я ожидал. Наверное, краут-рок - это всё ещё очень широкое жанровое описание музыки. На первой половине был эмбиент в перемешку с дрим-попом. На второй же - уже какая-то более рокн-ролльная даже история, с непонятными иногда воплями вокалиста. Ну... такое. Ещё и ощущение, будто она вся написана под один и тот же паттерн ударных. Концептуально, но заёбывает что-то. Со второй половины E-Musik прикольное. Особенно когда начинает беспорядочно звук туда-сюда ходить под влиянием эффектов. Короче интересно, и даже слушать приятно.

J'ai l'impression de me trouver dans un film des années 80 – ce n'est pas désagréable du tout!

In between bouts of atmospheric repetition that lulls you to sleep, there’s a bit of fun energy here. But boy do you have to work for it. For a mostly instrumental album, I needed something a bit more involved to keep my interest. This one just wasn’t it for me.

Enchanting soundscapes made for quiet contemplation and moody night drives.

different. mostly instrumental tunes. honestly, most of it was very relaxing, almost to the point of being hypnotic.

This was trying to kill me. I was driving and it tried to lull me to sleep.

Nice background music. Just another “Why do I have to listen to it before I die”, though.

I'm more and more sure I don't like Krautrock

Interesting, not amazing. Had seen the cover before and expected more straight ahead krautrock rather than the folkier stuff it opened with.

so sick of these ambient noise albums. Who picks these for a top album?

Beautiful, long rock songs that would be perfect to listen to on a road trip. “Seeland” has that ‘driving through the country’ feel to it. The vocals on “Hero” are wild. I love the contrast between the soaring music and the crude wail of the singing.

I've been thinking a lot very recently about velocity in music and dynamics and tempi in music. For me I rarely write something that is thought of as a "fast" tempo but with "soft" velocities / dynamics. Almost like the two are inherently correlated and it's mandatory for them to match eachother. But it's not the case at all... you can have some softer parts and play them fast. Conversely, you can have harder parts and play them slower. This band does that right out of the gate, and it's a little weird to me but I like it. "Isi" sounds like a soundscape, like a track you would hear while watching the "TV Guide" channel late at night. It's got that Peanuts Christmas Piano sound but also, surprisingly- double bass drums? But the double bass is incredibly softly played (and recorded)? I love it. Very different. I enjoyed the meditative "Seeland". I liked the album. 3/5

Really enjoyed the first half as was falling asleep. Second half kept me awake.

Interesting album, relaxing and would fit well in today's charts

Ca fit vraiment avec le style et c,est quelque chose que j'ai décourt sur cette liste et que j'aime bien. Je ne sais pas si je vais en réécouté un jour, Kraftwerk etc. mais celui-ci est assez bien fait et pas trop long. Il n'y a pas d'inégalité dans les chansons et ca sonne tr`s bien. 4

An interesting mash of synth and prog. I’m still fairly new to Neu! and didn’t know what to expect, but found myself nodding along to most of this album as it hit some interesting and unexpected grooves. Hate to say it but the instrumentals mostly decimate the tracks with extended vocals, wish the whole thing was pure instrumental flow as that’s where the band seems to find its most inspired songwriting and overall synergy.

I really enjoyed this album of pleasant background music until we got to Hero. The vocals on that song were bad to my taste, and lucky me it was 7 minutes long!

really good listen, none of the songs scratched the mental itch for me though.

Five stars cause I fkn love saying KRAUTROK also the second half of this is much better than the first

One of the most beautiful albums I have listened to yet. This definitely gives a sense of tranquility while also being experimental. Highly recommended!

Absolutely glorious. Why do I leave these albums unlistened to after discovering and loving one record by a band? I guess there's lots of examples where that would be a let down, but not here. The debut is fabulous of course and so is this. That beat in E-musik is just perfect. Drilled into my psyche. The ambient stuff is gorgeous. What's great about sticking a Krautrock album on is Spotify generally throws up a great load of stuff afterwards, there's so much wonderful stuff in the genre to discover, in many directions (obvs krautrock is a reductive term). Reminded me to go back to Harmonium, another project Rother was involved with, Deluxe is a cracker.

There’s something here, but I’m not sure what. I waited two days to rate it to see if anything stuck. It hasn’t.

Decent listen, hit and miss. Was good for passing time.

Human needs to be humble about their voice...would be a better album if stupid human voice is not involved. One star added for the first half.

Never listened to Neu before but really liked it. Rhythmically hypnotic and futuristic sounding even at nearly 50 years old.

This one surprised me. Somewhat dystopian and desolate it still packs a punch and I enjoyed it. Hero is a banger! I can definitely hear how this influenced Bowie. Solid album.

YAWN!

Genres: Krautrock, kosmische musik, experimental rock, psychedelic rock, proto-punk Formed: Düsseldorf, West German in 1971 Run time: 6 songs, 42 min, 45 sec Neu! consist of Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother, both former members of Kraftwerk. Thomas Dinger, and Hans Lampe both played on side 2 of the album. This is their third studio album. After a break from the group Rother and Dinger had diverged in musical direction. Side 1 caters for Rother's ambient taste. While side is a more aggressive, rock-influenced style with Dinger switching from Drums to Vocals and Thomas Dinger, and Hans Lampe both brought in to play drums. The album is not particularly popular. The most played track 1, “Isi” (an instrumental) having over 2.3M plays on Spotify. . Track 6, “After Eight” is the least played with just over 305k plays. It has a definite Punk vibe, which fits nicely with the timing of the album. The tracks all have German names, so I was surprised when the vocals were sung in English. I imagine side 1 being great for a chilled walk in the country, while side 2 would be great for driving at speed! Listen Again?: Yes and I’ll be trying their other albums. My Rating: ****

how bout neuoooo

Krautrock. Ni fu ni fa.

Mind blowing the progress

Up until the vocals entered the picture this struck me as something like the soundtrack of a Wim Wenders film... which is not at all a criticism or complaint. The vocal component really didn't add anything for me. Rather the opposite. I remain unable to fully get behind the Krautrock.

Big influence for some of my favorite bands

Cool background music I guess

Better than the other one. But again really long and no words but when he did sing it wasn’t very good

If you can’t sing, then maybe stick to instrumentals. The first couple songs were kind of nice until the guy started singing. It does not deserve a 3 or more. 2/5

Was an easy, albeit surprising, 5/5 until the last track. Now it's an easy 4/5.

NEU!? Don’t you mean: “NEIN!”? Unfortunately this German piece of krautrock history is excellent, so my otherwise well-thought-out joke falls flat. If we could only pretend “After Eight” wasn’t part of the album, NEU! 75 would be the flawless masterpiece it deserves to be.

Grote inspiratie voor The Sex Pistols, David Bowie, Sonic Youth en Radiohead blijkbaar. 3x achter elkaar gedraaid. Helemaal te gek!

Ik moet dit denk ik nog eens een keer luisteren. Hoorde wel erg toffe dingen maar moet het nog eens met meer aandacht tot me nemen. Vooralsnog een ruime 3.

Beetje wisselend van kwaliteit.

Wow. Interesting.

De ellos tengo el "Hallogallo" en mi lista de canciones que me gustan. Alguna dosis de rock progresivo de este Krautrock siempre puede ser interesante para mí, no me importa un tema que necesite 10 minutos o más para desarrollarse. De este 75 de NEU! ninguno dura tanto. "Seeland" tiene unos aires U2 por los que lo mismo habría que preguntar a la banda irlandesa. Las olas de "Leb' wohl" casi son más música Ambient que otra cosa, aunque la música Ambient en teoría no se inventó hasta 1978 con el disco de Brian Eno "Ambient Music for Airports". Luego parece que se anima, entiendo que es parte de la dualidad que tenían los discos de vinilo con su cara A y B.

While it is advertised, as a relative of Devo, I found it was an interesting exploration into early electronic music. It was slower building than other artists in the genre. I enjoyed it, though I didn’t find it a new gem.

Really good! I especially love the side 1 tracks. Standouts: Isi, Seeland, Leb' Wohl, Hero. Singles: -------------------- Isi (Failed to chart) 3.5

Beautifully produced with some interesting music concepts. But ultimately a boring listen all the way through, and after the first listen it became sort of a tiresome relisten.

I really liked this. It was fun and fresh sounding. I can see why this album inspired a lot of other artists.

Interesting but not my style

Pleasant surprise! Will add to my ambient options.

A good listen for work. Relatively wordless. Not 5 because its a little too fast paced.

Boring

that was fine ambient whatever music until dude started screaming incoherently toward the end there

This was intriguing. Had no prior knowledge of this music but somehow was surprised by the sound.

Perfectly pleasant to listen to, but why does it make this list?

Not sure what to think.. Average I guess

Top Three Songs: 1) Leb’ wohl 2) Seeland 3) Isi Bottom Three Songs: 1) E-Musik 2) After Eight 3) Hero

F**king love NEU!

good while working

What the fuck is Krautrock?

The building blocks of krautrock. Abrasive and forgettable.

Это лучший в их дискографии альбом. Если дебют построен на импровизации, и он довольно-таки непонятный в некоторых местах, второй кажется каким-то недоделанным, очень сырым, то третий... Очень свежо данная музыка слушается для середины 70-х, просто на одном дыхании. Тут нету песен лучше или хуже, круче или слабее, тут надо слушать всё! Один из лучших альбом в краут роке, и я его всем рекомендую.

I've listened to their debut before which was alright. This one was similarly alright. "Hero" let it down a bit, regardless of whether or not it was a catalyst for the punk invasion that was soon to follow. First track was the best, rest were pretty skippable but not offensive. 2.5*

The first two songs were 4/5. Relaxing atmospheric sounds. The other three songs weren’t bad, I’d give them a 3/5. If I could do half stars I’d give this a 3.5/5

Sounds like the soundtrack to a movie that I would fall asleep halfway through.

Garbage

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: After eight

I enjoyed this album more than I expected too. The opening, Isi, felt a bit adolescent to me, or maybe just unsophisticated compared to my last generated album which was straight electronica. But really this album goes on an interesting journey and all of it is pretty good. I think I'll even like Isi better on a second listen with the additional context. I do think this album belongs on this list and I'm happy to have heard it. I might check out some of their other work. 3.5 stars.

I listened to this last Friday and - if I'm being honest - can't remember a damn thing about it now that it's Monday. That's not typically a good sign.

Jeg kan dessverre ikke sammenligne med bestemors vulva, men jeg synes det manglet litt futt. Krysser fingrene for Kraftwerk i fremtiden!

The first has of that album had me wondering if I was listening to an generic White Noises To Fall Asleep To album

This was fascinating but confusing album. The first half is a mellow ambient sound like a mediation app would play for sleep sounds. Its a clear influence on electronica and is quite pleasant to listen to. The second half is more aggressive and clearly influential of punk. I'm not sure where I land on it as a whole album, but it was quite interesting.

Really liked how this started off with the first half as ambient music with Brian Eno vibes and then flipped to a Wire-esque art punk/proto punk sound. This is the kind of obscure diamond in the rough kind of album I was looking for from this list. It’s amazing also that this one is 50 years old and sounds like it just came out yesterday.

Not for me.

First few tracks pleasant ambient music, the second side slightly less so and Hero (a track wikipedia claims is influential) is just crap! Not a great album IMO

lightly repetitive background music with a small amount of dicking around- like if someone wanted to turn Tago Mago into into royalty-free music. like drinking a krautrock-flavored lacroix

2.5/5 Had to listen to it twice to even notice what was playing

Completely new to me, but this really was something!

Interesting sound but did not super enjoy it.

I've never even heard of these guys but I kinda dig this!

I really liked this one

Don't really get this at all.

Good music, not really feeling it currently though.

Hmm... I can definitely see why this is influential, being basically post-punk before the punk movement had even really fully taken off, but I find it mostly either boring or annoying, with only snippets of an enjoyable album peeking from behind. I could totally get why someone liked this, but not really for me.

OK Album

This is a weird one for me because I expected to enjoy the rock half more than the electronic half but I felt the rock songs were really poorly done, I know this is one of those proper “music nerd” albums but it’s just not for me. 3/5 though because the first half is cool.

Weird, eclectic, and yet interesting. Each song seems like a different genre. 3.5/5.

Meh.

Not at all what I thought I would get in this listen but I found it actually quite good. It's a bit background-y, for the most part, but a couple of livelier tunes are sprinkled in to spice it up nicely.

Second half much more listenable and lively than the first but still lacks edge

Another great album. I had never heard of Neu! The Wikipedia helps explain the bi-polar quality of this album. The two sides are very different, but I like both a lot. I may actually enjoy side one more, but that's from a perspective that's almost 50 years after the album was released. Given when it came out, side two is the more amazing side. It's punk rock a couple of years before punk rock! (For anyone that listened to this on Spotify, track down the last track, "After Eight". It's good.)

Damn these Krauts can rock. An album from the A and B side era that could have come out at any moment since. Both sides are excellent. The first is ambient before Eno and a pleasurable journey around some mellow melodies. The second half is edgier, rockier and disruptive to the point I almost got delirious with all those hard edged sounds.

3.5

sounded like wii music

pretty ok 3

It’s a vibe. I dunno if it’s good or not but it’s a vibe nonetheless. Opens with Wii Bowling music, ends with distorted mumbo jumbo. Sure, why not?

Actually beautiful! Loved this album. Worth a consideration on buying. 4/5

Since this was the 70's and this album was released on vinyl, I am assuming the first 3 songs were on side A and the remaining on side B. The switch from tranquil soundscapes to something more punk rock is a little jarring in the streaming age, but I have a feeling it worked well in the vinyl age. This feels very ahead of it's time I can se how this album would influence many musicians. The song Leb' wohl is so peaceful with its sounds of ocean waves and metronome. I feel like I could meditate to this.

Brilliant

Esperava mais para ampliar o gosto pelo Krautrock. Algumas faixas funcionam bem como ambient. As com vocal destoam.

I love it. I'm not really familiar with any NEU! material that came later, but this seems like a perfect ending to their original trilogy of albums with the A side expanding on what was and the B side showcasing what could/might be. The proto-punk of "Hero" seems jarring at first but it's anchored in its depths by a groove that feels quite at place with all that came before. The whole album still gets better every time for me. There are a couple of brief vocals I find myself at odds with on the A-side, otherwise, this is nearly a perfect album for me.

Not much to say, but love where this goes, great album for ambient sound and texture

Spotify didn't have 'After Eight' available, sadly. Overall it was good, Neu! would fit right in with the indie scene of today, but I'm a baby and songs longer than like 5 minutes (that aren't by Meat Loaf) test my attention span.

Some nice atmospheric music in the first part, 2nd part was ok.

Nothing I wanted to hear again but I will give it points because it was ahead of its time for its sound.

This was surprisingly pleasant and innovative stuff!

Didn’t actually finish the album but the first part had very cool slow piano, not what I expected at all

Elske krautrock

some of the songs have weird backing vocals that are not suitable for sleeping cool though

One of the best and most seminal krautrock albums. Motorik for days.

Krautrock is something that’s never really triggered anything with me, not sure why, I think mainly due to how non-descript it all is. Each track blends into the other to such a degree that it’s indiscernible the differences. However, this was pleasant enough. The bar is that I wouldn’t actively seek it out, but also wouldn’t switch it off if it was on. Take that as you will. Standard three star review.

I think actually I just don't like krautrock that much. does some cool stuff but it's just not for me. I don't think I would ever really come back and listen to this again. best tracks: hero, isi, e-musik

Not for me.

Fav tracks: Isi, E-musik

Score: 70 Album Art: 60 This is pretty good rock music for 1972. Lots of great ambient sounds in the background of the songs. Sometimes they go on for a little too long but not the point of irritation, they are still nice to listen to. Not sure why the last track isn't on Spotify but it is worth listening to. Fav tracks: Seeland and Hero No least favorites

A mix between white noise soundscapes and German Mick Jagger yelling. It starts off a real snoozefest in the first half - calming, instrumental, drone music if you like that stuff... THEN he starts mumbling secret messages into the microphone while ocean sounds play in the background...THEN the beat kicks up and he starts yelling like a freak while playing punk rock... THEN it turns into Silent Hill on the PS1... THEN I had to go to Youtube to listen to the last song, and it's back to The German Rolling Stones. I actually liked the second half. 2.5/5

It was alright. First half nearly put me to sleep while driving though.

2.5 stars

Olen jostain syystä tyytyväinen siitä, että olen kuunnellut tämän. Albumi ei kuitenkaan ole kovinkaan kummoinen. Tykkään tavasta, jolla tunne on olemassa tällä musiikilla, se on rauhoittavaa ja pakottavaa. Jotenkin paljon kiinnostavampaa kuin the Sonicsin ensimmäinen albumi joka oli ilmeisesti myös proto-punkkia. LCD soundsystem tulee mieleen varsinkin Hero biisissä. Harmittaa ettei Murphy huuda näin paljoa, saisi laajemman skaalan tunnetta kuin se laiskan lörpsökkä laulanta, joka artistista myös toki.

Interesting but I did not like it enough to buy it.

Disco pausado, relajado, con reminiscencias de los 70. Un tanto de la época. Fácil de escuchar, pero no destaca especialmente

Enjoyed this. Great music to work to...

Album sperimentale, niente di così brutto, niente di così bello

3.5, had its moments but no Kraftwerk

I really liked the first three songs - they were so calm and I felt like I could fall asleep to them. It lost me a bit in the second half though.

I'm confused.... what is their sound.... oh they're a German group, ah right, that explains it. You either love it or hate it, and i hate punk and post punk, and moreso German interpretation of punk and post punk... so you can guess where this is going. It opened well with isi, quite liked that track... and then I was transcended into a sea of tranquility in the relaxation room at the Spa... and then a blast of post punk guitar and smash smash drum rhyrhm woke me up again... tbh not the worst album I've ever heard, but I sure won't be listening to it again, it's just so inconsistent swing in sounds for each track.

Interesting

Could listen to this all day! There's a sound here that's been an influence to a lot of other bands, including my fav The War On Drugs!

para mimir

Weird elevator music

It's very lush. It's very cool.

Sin más. No creo que quiera volver a escucharlo. Krautrock, kosmische musik, experimental rock, psychedelic rock, proto-punk

Boring AF

Good to listen to in the background. I thought the first half was really beautiful and interesting and the second half was not as good.

Some of these songs were really interesting. It's labeled as an electronic album, but I could hear some rock in there too. Pretty cool album for 1975 though. Feels ahead of its time. Nice album to wrap up the week.

Krautrock. Seems a bit derogatory, no? Apparently it's a broad term for German experimental/psych rock bands that incorporated different electronic and ambient elements. Can is in that group, and after Tago Mago last week, I've got an appetite for "kosmische musik"--yes, I am going to distance myself from the other genre label as it was invented by none other than the English as a "humorous umbrella category" that many artists underneath that umbrella didn't appreciate. Let's do better. Never heard Neu, they (at least on this album) lean into the low-key/ambient side of things, which isn't a bad thing at all. Only six tracks and an average runtime of about seven minutes. I was hoping I'd pull more out of here to save, but the double-edged sword of ambient stuff like this is that it inevitably transports and I have a harder time grasping tracks as it's one long odyssey. Still, this is a good one. I look forward to some other kosmische stuff, maybe Kraftwerk? Favorite tracks: Seeland, E-Musik. Album art: NEU! What else am I supposed to say about this? 3.5/5

Favourites: -ISI -Hero I don't really like just instrumental music, but the ones that had some lyrics where kinda good

The first half was chill and the second half finished with a more frantic energy. I liked the buildup of this one, definitely ahead of its time. E-Music was my favourite but I really enjoyed this whole album. Can see myself returning to this one, another great new discovery from this project. 4 stars

Me gustó

Tal vez si se le preguntara a Neu! por sus influencias, las negarían todas. Pero se puede trazar un camino, tan ligero como el aire, que -como dice chusen- arranca desde el impresionismo francés, pasa por The Velvet Underground y los atraviesa a ellos. Lo fundamental de esta música es, precisamente, su delgadez, su fisonomía maleable; como si no proviniera de ningún tiempo y no habitara en ningún espacio. La Historia, en el disco, parece pasar por el costado. Los sonidos aparecen, desaparecen y vuelven a aparecer, con una cadencia blanquecina, y su estatuto es el de la fugacidad. Así, parece que esta música solo existe para ella, a pesar de que tanto detrás como delante tiene un sendero, al cual ella cierra los ojos.

Disco pre-Neue Deutsche Welle, un movimiento q me gusta mucho, y de la misma época que Kraftwerk. Tiene bastante sinte y es algo más psicodélico que Kraftwerk. Siento que es el disco perfecto para escuchar mientras uno va pisteando por la ruta con su auto... al menos la primera mitad, despues se va medio al choto con la experimentación y el rock en mi opinión. También le noto (y ahora estoy hablando x hablar) algo de impresionismo frances en el piano, y siento como q hay una influencia importante de eso en "Leb Wohl". Como dije antes, me gusta mucho este género, pero se va al re carajo con "Hero", siento que si quiero escuchar algo como esa canción, pongo un Iggy Pop o un Bowie. 6/10

me gusto no entendi mucho el concepto siento pero me gusto hallo susi guten morgen komm wir spielen komm komm komm

I have mixed feelings, I was originally pleasantly surprised, I really like "Leb Wohl" because of how lovely it sounded, the "Hero" came on and it got weird, very weird

It had my attention from the very start. I was curious about it and I felt very satisfied at the end. Will be listening to a lot more Neu!

Last song wasn't available but this was pretty good. First half was pleasant ambient, second half more rock.

pianon pimputusesque style album. menee biisistä toiseen = mahtava konsepti. tuo hero kappale keskellä vähänä kakka vaikka ok biisi .. meikä poika vähän skippaili kahden minuutin cooldowneja pitemmpien kappaleiden loppuun ei nyt ehkö ollut paras kuuntelukerta kelpo teos kiinnostava varsinkin aikakautensa takia e-musik

Loved this, already in my frequent circulation list having listened to it quite a bit since Friday. Love that whole simple repetitive beat sound with lots of layers over the top. It must’ve sounded like the future listening to this for the first time back in the mid 70s. Never realised they were originally in Kraftwerk, surely making them some of the most influential musicians going. If 4.5 existed I’d give it that - loses 0.5 pt after it slightly loses its way in the middle

This went by really quickly and didn't leave much of an impression, I think lots of the sounds reminded me of BBC educational programmes/look around you? Not much like kraftwerk so I'd clearly not understood krautrock before. Yeah it was alright.

Unfortunately bland. Too much like background music.

Enjoyed the first 2 tracks but mostly because its inoffensive background music. The rest of the album was shite.

Quite enjoyed this for the most part.... Think I preferred the first 3 songs to the rest. The more atmospheric ones were better then the punky ones imo. Without those songs I probably would've given it a 4. Still enjoyed it though Bet this was pretty innovative in 1975. Very public service broadcastingy again

Weird in a good way. Not good enough to enjoy however

Banger

pretty good, enjoyed the sound!

Very chillax (!) with one head banger track (?)

A relaxing morning listen. Not bad at all.

First three tracks were a snoozer, last three were more interesting.

Nice background music. 1001 albums you want to hear in an elevator or Dr’s waiting room.

The last Krautrock album was solid, this one not so much. Not bad, I could see listening cases, but overall not for me. I guess I'm glad to have become aware of the genre.

Is the term 'krautrock' acceptable in 2023? Either way, this is a fine example of it (or whatever term we should be using). Driving futurescapes of tracks with a few mellower, ambient moments. Great to run to and think of concrete skyscrapers and monorails. Apparently the two band leaders each had different philosophies for this album, so split it down the middle, with one taking side A and the other side B. Frankly, I didn't notice any great difference. Maybe the second half was a little more crunchy and rocky, but I liked both. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Isi Date listened: 22/01/23

post psychedelic atmospheric early punk tycho + sex pistols

Giorgio Moroder meets Mike Oldfield.

FWIW, I don't see the change as such between Side A and Side B. A distinction without a difference, thankfully?

I actually liked a lot of slow minimal ambient stuff. With the right singer it could’ve been really cool. Didn’t like the more conventional rock songs with lyrics as much. 2.5- 3

I don’t think krautrock is for me. Maybe this album is important somehow but i found it incredibly boring

I forgot I was listening to an album multiple times. Then something would happen and it would scare me. The last song was especially creepy. Karl, we can add Krautrock to our podcast.

A band I'd never really heard before, but I absolutely loved it.

A bit nothingy. Good nothing, mind. A decent record.

Not a fan. First songs function well as background music and fade away quickly since there is nothing really interesting happening. The last songs, on the other hand, stay in the foreground but in a bad way. Just a bunch of noise.

Cool use of phasing. Both halves being two mini-albums probably works even better on vinyl.

Boring

This album starts very chill, gets a bit annoying halfway and ends chill again.

Bit of an odd one. Very decent background album

Unexpectedly enjoyable

Old

good enough in the background but didn't manage to hold my attention.

This is sublime music to work to.

Krautrock always sounds better when you're travelling. Having missed listening to this album the other day, I decided to listen on my train journey into Bristol. It was getting dark, the evening felt brooding. The first track accompanied the walk down to the station; second track the train was delayed; third still waiting; fourth and fifth were the train journey itself; and the sixth was the walk from the station to the pub. Overall, turns out it was quite a fitting album for my journey. Enjoyed it. All that said, I'd expect listening in a different environment I would have scored it less.

3+

A pinnacle of krautrock, featuring 6 great extended tracks. The first half is bright, calming, and atmospheric. You can hear the influence it would have on Eno and the development of ambient music. The spacey synths are very Eno-esque. We see a shift in the 2nd half to something faster, harder, and reminiscent of the works of post-punk artists like The Fall. I'm personally a huge fan of "Hero". The vocalist still feels like an accessory to the spacey guitar and the signature motorik beat. Despite being 42 minutes, it really flies by.

Background music, quite good

Delightful! We love underground basement vibes

Interesting album. Certainly doesn’t sound like it’s almost 50 years old. I can see how this was influential. At the end of the day, I don’t necessarily need to listen to it again. For me, it doesn’t go at the top of a list, but I recognize what I’m listening to.

no tengo idea que pretendía

It's like a perfect blend of garage rock and prog. Krautrock (of Kossmischemisik to be PC) is fun. It can kind of blend in a bit after a while, even as it attempts to be abrasive, but it's a great introduction to what is a fun and exciting subgenre. Can are miles better though, and what I'd go to for a hot of this.

Couple alright songs but a weird album to put in the punk genre

Electrónica, ambiente.

Wow, what a great listen. Some parts feel like I’m listening to a John Carpenter Escape from New York track, others feel more punk like The Stranglers… just great. 4! T3B 1. Hero 2. Seeland 3. Leb’Wohl

Great instrumental.

I liked the first part, the nature sounds were a nice touch. It was soothing and mellowing in a new age sort of way. Then it became loud and raucous. I did not appreciate the contrast too much.

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

I didn't know what to expect here but this seemed really ahead of its time. Enjoyed

Radiohead vibes before Radiohead existed.

Ambient and atmospheric at start. A lot of similarities with other krautrock bands I've listened to before. The second half has more tempo and the song Hero is more in line with proto punk. Krautrock isn't really my thing but I get why this is a good album and the production is great.

Interesting

It appears that the canonical lens to listen to this album through is that of two halves. The angle works well enough, but the band also makes a first-rate piece of interleaving work. The energy doesn't feel at all disconnected from the ambient bits. Every krautrock album needs a distinguishing mark, and I found this one's in the opening piano work. Wish that had stuck around more enduringly, perhaps as a subway to the texture.

None for me, thanks. Way too boring and repetitive.

This was strange, but I kinda liked it. It was like a cross between prog rock, punk, and stripped down electro a la Kraftwerk. I'd probably listen to a couple of tracks again. 2.5 stars (wish this thing had half stars for rating).

A magical little record. “Cosmic music” is spot on. Both halves are chock full of interesting ideas and transportive passages, albeit in be very different ways. Worthy of some repeat listening.

Very chill but I don't really care for it all that much.

Super

Har bara lyssnat på NEU! lite sporadiskt tidigare, men denna platta är ju alldeles fantastisk.

Pretty sick! Listened to it twice and I’m listening to it right now.

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

Nice soundscape, quite pink floyd-y but nice and snappy, liked how it built up over the course of the album. You can hear the Kraftwerk in there too. Great friday morning listen.

First song didn’t catch me

snooze

Etwas plätscheriger Krautrock. Hero kann ich beim besten Willen nichts abgewinnen. ISI gefällt mir noch am besten. Gute zwei.

Melkosta päristelyä. Aikaansa edellä. Hyvää krauttia! 4/5

Tää on kova! Vitosta hipoo.

Tykkäsin kyllä tästä. Mukavan seesteistä menoa monessa biisissä. 4/5

Loved this. I don't usually go for Krautrock, but this is great. Could listen to it all day - brilliant as ambient music.

Catchy tunes

Smoothness

Nice and chill

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

My husband described it as golfing music. I hate golfing. Still oddly pleasant to listen to this, though.

I didn't expect krautrock and protopunk to work so well together. It's like chicken nuggets dipped in maple syrup - surprisingly delicious.

Really chill and laidback Krautrock. It doesn't really have anything particularly noteworthy, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

I get that it’s ahead of it’s time but ambient proto-post-punk just isn’t anything I want to listen to.

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

PREFS: TOUT MOINS PREF: RIEN

Pretty bad, but 3 I think

Kinda ethereal and mostly instrumental. Nothing special.

Fajne

4.25

I think this was the first NEU! album I ever heard and it was one that I bought outright on a whim without hearing first. Just pre-internet faith in a record being good based on the reputation of the person making the recommendation. A certain mood, good for a rainy fall day but also with enough pulse to work or study too. Sometimes I get a little distracted during the ocean waves and wander off but the album closes strong. Not ground-breaking by the time I heard it, but good enough to return to frequently and give it 5 stars on a generous day.

Relaxing but still meta. Lowers the heart rate a bit eh Nolan? Nolan: Yuh

second time i listened to this album and i liked it a lot better

Woooooo

Das war.... sehr angenehm? Das Album kannte ich ja gar nicht, die Band hatte ich nie gehört, aber es fühlte sich als ob ich Besuch von einem alten Freund hatte. Langsam und dynamisch, relativ stonermäßiger Rhythmus. 4/5.

Makes me feel like I'm being held against my will in a dark empty room, with nothing but this playing in the background. Like I'm a 10 year old girl, bored out of my mind while waiting for my mom to withdraw money in the bank or something. Like I'm being forced to sit through a 10-hour meeting at work. Or like I'm getting 2 root canals done at once. That's what this feels like.

This - the last Neu! release is really two sides of a coin. Side A is very typical of the first few Neu! releases. Side B stretches out a bit more. Both styles work. In both cases, there is a layered, hypnotic effect that was ahead of its time and hugely influential. Perhaps this was their last true release because they had nowhere else to go.

Not really sure what category this falls in, but to me it's innocuous backrgound music at most.

Background music. Taking up space on this list.

Wow, what can I say to this... it's something. Description of cosmic music fits, but not in the best of ways. Not for me

Really enjoyed this - especially Isi, E-Musik and After Eight. Lovely to have on in the background too - a bit like Autobahn.

Very good 3.5

Not what I expected out of Krautrock. Very dreamlike. Very good.

More mellow than I was expecting. Nice

Wasn't expecting this kind of sound, really nice ambient chill record. Very fitting for this list.

Decent but repetitive.

Hard to know what to think about his album on one listen. It for sure needs multiple listenings to grasp it. Seems pretty great on the surface and I think it would only improve on multiple listenings.

As I proved couple times on this list already, I'm not a big fan of krautrock, or the German alternative scene from 70s and 80s. It usually feels like experimental use of synthesisers without much content behind it, all form or structure without plot. It feels different on this album, NEU! '75. I have a feeling this record is a missing link between traditional rock and electronic music and krautrock itself. Although there is still plenty of room for experimental passages of ambient electronics, especially on Side A of the album, the other side has thematically ventured into a completely new territory - krautrock with a big ROCK part. I was very positively surprised by the song "Hero", opening the second part of NEU!'75. The use of double drums playing the same beat, plus a slightly aggressive vocal by Klaus Dinger, together with his electric guitar and electronic sounds in the background, give a totally unique, but authentic feel. The track somehow takes the punk, or even hard rock into the future (at the time). I have read that this song has inspired many bands and singers to experiment with their sound more, and I am not surprised, this really feels like a small stepping stone in those genres. Overall, the album is very interesting, although the difference between both sides seem a little bit off - in the end its just two completely different half-albums, with not much in common. But the innovative approach of the second part deserves a higher grade and more recognition than it has now.

Great stuff, prog rock at its best.

I listened while walking home. Peaceful for a period of time.

Very interesting contrast in styles. The first half is ambient Krautrock which abruptly morphs into the German Rolling Stones. Very odd. The reviews seem to be equally polarised between 1s and 5s. I normally love these albums but this left me cold.

First and likely only listen. Nothing I would recommend.

Going in blind again, let's goooooo. Are you telling me this isn't Kraftwerk? First track, this is pretty odd. It seems like every instrument is playing a slightly different genre. I accidentally (oops!) looked at the "fans also like" and saw CAN, so I feel like I should be enjoying this more than I am. Like, it's fine, but I have to be in a mood for music this ambient and passive. The clock sound on Leb Wohl is kind of pleasant. So far, this is the best song on the album. Very ethereal. Wait, bro what the FUCK why was shuffle on? IDK what I listened to second, then. Just went back to Seeland. This one definitely has a more interesting sound than Isi and whatever I listened to second. Hero is way more active, and it has actual vocals, neat. Good lord this shit is repetitive. E-Musik is starting off interesting enough, but I have low hopes. Just like I figured, more droning, boring, repetitive shit. I'm really trying to give this a fair shake, but damn. Whoaaaaaa the end of E-Musik was on an episode of Off The Air I think. As soon as After Eight started, I pulled up the lyrics. Guess what? Repetitive AF. I really just think this is some avant-garde BS that I'm not high enough to enjoy.

Nice music

Das ist gut. Had spotify recommend Neu! to me before but this album was better than what was suggested then. Few reviews saying Leb Wohl is the best track but i thought it was the weakest. Other reviews giving it a 1 due to the first few tracks conning them into thinking it's a chill out album then Hero rocks up and fucks it hahaha. I thought Hero was decent, fuck the press - you're god damn right. That's punk right there Deerhunter you stupid bastards.

I need to stop reading the wiki because I’ve gone in expecting the world seeing NME give this a 10/10. I enjoyed the album like but feel I need to listen to it with headphones. My rating could easily be higher but I’m not listening to it again because Arctic Monkeys just released ‘The Car’ so I don’t have the fucking time

A predominantly instrumental album by Neu, however nonetheless a decent listen. The contrasting styles of the two halves of the album weren't too conflicting and overall complemented each other well. Best: Hero Worst: Leb' Wohl

So peaceful in the first half, then the vocals of the second half lost me a bit

Merci d'être passés

un joli début (quel est le fil conducteur ?)

Geil.

Music in the form of Getty stock images. You could paste a lot of this into an advert or presentation without anyone noticing.

Not a bad listen but it would have been nice with some vocals.

Lekker album om naar te luisteren, was erg verrassend….

rock that didn't really vibe for me

very good, close to 5

%/& noise

3.5. An intriguing album that sounds fresh almost 50 years on. Some interesting tracks that sound like soundtracks. Unfortunately several of the tracks feel like filler. Standouts: Seeland, E-Musik.

I enjoyed the first few tracks and can only imagine how cool it was back in the mid 1970s. The back half, not so mucb

The album is almost entirely just instruments. Very little lyrics, but when there were lyrics they were not good. The album is only 42 minutes and 6 songs, so all of the songs are too long. Overall it was just ok. The songs did not go anywhere. It is best describe it as punk rock.

Interesting. very very interesting

Pretty ambient music for side one then fairly unfocused “punky” rock music, although E-Music was quite good. I think I can hear influence on Stereolab.

Sounds like it was recorded when synths were tens of thousands of dollars. Definite Epcot Center or Boston Museum of Science Commercial vibes to the synth patches. Much too dated sounding to become a part of my regular rotation.

Super cool

it's fine.

I don’t remember if this was good or bad, so it probably wasn’t great.

Old electronic music has such a cozy feel.

Yet another illustration of why I absolutely adore this whole 1001 Albums project. I'd never heard of this band nor heard any of their music, and without this project, it's a near certainty I never would have. I am glad I did. This album is fantastic! Incredible that it was made in '75. If you played it for me and told me it was just recently recorded and released, I'd have believed it. Their compositional and arranging skills are excellent, and I love the way they performed and recorded their tracks. Some beautiful piano work on some of the pieces. Lovely and understated. For a rock/pop group to show that kind of intelligent restraint, especially in the mid-70s when so much music was rockin' so hard (which I also love, but that was the common trend), this is refreshing. And when they kick into the rock high gear mode for the second side of the album, they cut some real solid tracks in that style, too. I can hear how they influenced quite a lot of bands that followed. I will come back to this album and I must explore the rest of their catalog. Thank you, 1001 Albums Project!

Liked it. Had a good vibe

Definitely not something I would choose to listen to, but I found the first 65% of the album good ambient noise to work to. It did get a little distracting towards the end but I did enjoy how many of the songs built.

Very atmospheric. I'm not a fan of really ambient music like this. Even playing in the background it doesn't improve anything I am doing so I don't see the point. This one was totally lost on me.

Cool and pleasant. Alternatively meditative and (lightly) energizing. Best songs: “ISI,” “Seeland” “Leb Wohl” and “E-Musik." More satisfying than Kraftwerk, but not without clunkers, such as "Hero," the grating vocals of which breaks the proto spa-chill effect.

Kinda just alright. I think I enjoyed the first half of ambient songs over the alternative rock of the second. None of it too bad but none of it amazing. 6/10

This krautrock stuff is not too bad. Hadn't heard of this genre before I got the Faust album earlier, and I definitely enjoy it. Kinda chill and spacey. Feels pretty advanced for 1975. 4 stars.

Very prog rock. Gotta be in the right mood but good.

I've visited this album many times over the years, but I tend to stick with the first two tracks (which are wonderfully executed examples of tasteful minimalist rock). The rest of the record doesn't cut it for me: I could do without the weird, silly hippy whispering in 'Leb'Wohl'. The rocker tracks on side two are a bit bland (even though they inspired David Bowie to write his \"Heroes\" album).

Sleepy kraut rock. This was gonna be a 3 but then the vocals came in and legit made me want to take a nap.

Quintessential Krautrock! Enjoyed this as background music, but won't enter my regular listening rotation.

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Many different sounds, similar vibe, had nice flow start to finish. Gonna check em out a lil more.

I was confused by this album. The rhythm seemed to be all over the place. Maybe it was a case of the wrong place wrong time. I’ll listen to it again in the future. 2.5 / 5

Really interesting album and was perfect to grade papers to.

This is another one of those albums where I feel if I "got it"" I would have liked it better. But as it is it wasn't for me...the music was fine, if all over the place, but I just don't get why I needed to listen to this

There wasn't anything interesting about this. It was just noise to me.

What a weird album. To me this was more of a musical score album than anything else, which isn’t a bad thing, it just wasn’t what I expected as a Krautrock album. A lot of it was quite pretty, although repetitive

Instrumental songs were great background music. Stick to instrumentals...

Not a bad little krautrock album

Not bad

The names Gepetto and Cornelius never really took off. At least not in the United States. Neither did this album. I can take some responsibility since I refused to name my children Gepetto or Cornelius or even NEU!

3/4