Autobahn (album)

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Autobahn
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1974 (1974-11)
Studio
Genre
Length42:27[1]
LanguageGerman
LabelPhilips
Producer
Kraftwerk chronology
Ralf and Florian
(1973)
Autobahn
(1974)
Exceller 8
(1975)
Alternative cover
2009 remastered edition
Singles from Autobahn
  1. "Autobahn"
  2. "Kometenmelodie 2"

Autobahn is the fourth studio album by German

Kling Klang facility, but was predominantly made at Conny Plank's studio. Autobahn also includes lyrics and a new look for the group that was suggested by Emil Schult
, an associate of Schneider and Hütter.

Most of the album is taken up by the 22-minute "Autobahn", featuring lyrics by Schneider, Hütter, and Schult. The song was inspired by the group's joy of driving on Germany's autobahns, and recorded music that reflected a trip emulating the sounds of a vehicle. The album's release in West Germany saw little press attention. "Autobahn" was released as a single and received airplay at a Chicago radio station, leading it to spread across the United States. In 1975, the song became an international hit and Kraftwerk's first release of their music in the US. "Autobahn"'s success led to the band touring the United States with new member Karl Bartos, who replaced Röder, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom.

Initial reception to Autobahn was mixed; it received negative reviews from

Village Voice's critic Robert Christgau who felt the music was inferior to earlier electronic music from Wendy Carlos and Mike Oldfield. Other critics found the track "Autobahn" hypnotic and arresting for its imagery of driving on the autobahn. Critics from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Newsday included the album in their "Honorable Mentions" sections of their year-end lists. Later reception was unanimously enthusiastic; Simon Witter wrote in NME the album is of "enormous historical significance"[2] and Simon Reynolds said the album is where Kraftwerk's music really starts to matter. Musicians of the 1970s and 1980s, including David Bowie
, cited the album as a major influence.

Background and production

Prior to the release of Autobahn,

Morton Subotnik and Edgar Froese rather than the "monotonous pulse" of Autobahn.[6] Kraftwerk became more conscious of their visual image and, under the guidance of their associate Emil Schult, they began redesigning their look.[3] Schult, who had studied under Joseph Beuys, consulted the band on their themes and image. This led to Kraftwerk having small, carefully staged promotional images for the rest of their career.[3] In a 1975 interview published in Melody Maker, Karl Dallas noted Kraftwerk's music and look were "as far as you get from the Gothic romanticism of Tangerine Dream" and that "visually they also present a completely different image", comparing Tangerine Dream's Froese's "untidy red locks", and bandmates Peter Baumann's and Christopher Franke's "long, lank tresses".[7]

In early 1974, like their German contemporaries, Kraftwerk purchased a

Klaus Roeder on violin and guitar, and Wolfgang Flür on percussion.[11] Roeder, who was a member of Düsseldorf's music scene, had built an electronic violin that intrigued Schneider. Flür was an interior design student who had drummed for a Düsseldorf band called The Beathovens.[11] Flür stated he found initial jam sessions with the group somewhat strange but soon developed a rapport with his bandmates.[12] Conny Plank is credited as the engineer on the album but he had a key contribution to its sound.[13] Roeder later stated; "Plank played a decisive role. He mixed everything and assembled individual sounds into a whole. That was, I believe the last time that Conny did that. He then told me he did know what Kraftwerk would sound like when he was no longer there."[14][15]

Music

The Autobahn in Germany in 2007. Ralf Hütter stated the album was influenced by the excitement of driving on the autobahn.

In the book Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop, Carsten Brocker said with Autobahn, Kraftwerk completed the transition from their earlier style of experimental

electronic pop music.[14] The album was recorded primarily on synthesizer and drum machine, with occasional flute and guitar. Brocker commented on the group's simple melodies and harmonies suggest pop music.[14] According to Bartos, the group's change in style occurred because Hütter and Schneider came from a classical music background and they moved to pop music by adding lyrics because "There is no pop music without lyrics apparently".[14] The change in musical direction was influenced by Schult, who was not trained as a musician but has an ear for melody and chose effective parts of improvised sessions, and led Hütter and Schneider to explore by simplifying their own musical sessions.[13] There are very few vocals on Autobahn; critic Van Matre described the album as "simply an impression of the sounds and sensory perceptions of the road".[4]

Hütter repeatedly described Kraftwerk's music as Industrielle Volksmusik (lit.'industrial folk music'), specifically referencing a modern version of German regional musical traditions rather than the industrial music sound of groups like Throbbing Gristle.[16] In Britain, electronic music was popularly known as "Doctor Who music", referencing the pioneering electronic soundtrack to the television series.[17] Hütter stated in 1975 Kraftwerk got the idea for the album by driving on the autobahn, stating it was an "exciting experience that makes you run through a huge variety of feelings. We tried to convey through music what it felt like."[18] Flür later described "Autobahn" as a journey from Düsseldorf to Hamburg, and said the route included musical pieces such as the industrial sounds of the Ruhr valley, the conveyor belts of the mining towns such as Bottrop and Castrop-Rauxel, and the rural Münster region, which is symbolized by the flute in the song.[19] Other sounds of road travel are heard throughout the song; according to Hütter, the group included "car sounds, horns, basic melodies and tuning motors. Adjusting the suspension and tyre pressure, rolling on the asphalt, that gliding sound—phhhwwtphhhwwt—when the wheels go onto those painted stripes. It's sound poetry, and also very dynamic."[18]

"Autobahn" was co-written by Schult, whom Hütter asked to write some lyrics.

kosmische" by Chris Power in Drowned in Sound.[25]

In the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Stephen Dalton called Autobahn "...a landmark in avant-garde pop minimalism".[26]

Release

Autobahn was released in Germany in November 1974[27] by Philips Records as the third of the group's three-album deal with the label.[28] The album was released in the United States in January 1975, and the group's first album to be released in the US.[29] Autobahn charted in the US for 22 weeks on Billboard's Top LPs and Tapes chart and peaked at number 5 on 3 May 1975.[30] In the UK, the album was released by Phonogram with a blue-and-white motorway logo rather than Schult's painted cover.[23] The UK cover became the default sleeve on later reissues.[23] Autobahn was digitally remastered for released on CD, LP and cassette in 1985.[28] In 2009, Kraftwerk remastered and released eight of their albums, including Autobahn, as part of a compilation called The Catalogue.[31]

A

Ralf and Florian (1973).[35] Philips released "Kometenmelodie 2" as the album's second single.[28]

Tour

At the end of 1974, Kraftwerk had a short tour in West Germany; where the group remained a quartet, retaining Wolfgang Flür and hiring

During the tour, the material consisted mostly of music from Autobahn and some of their earlier material. The group had difficulties with their initial road crew, who were fired and replaced during the American tour.

mains voltages between countries.[40]

Reception

Contemporaneous reviews

Contemporary ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Village VoiceC+[42]

According to Kraftwerk biographer Uwe Schütte, on its initial release in Germany, Autobahn was generally ignored by the mainstream German music press.[43] The group invited members of the German rock press to drive with them and played "Autobahn" from the car's speakers.[44] Schult recalled the general response from these journalists was an emphatic "So what!"[44] The only major publication that covered the album was the November 1974 issue of German magazine Sounds, in which reviewer Hans-Joachim Krüger called the album "varied, and above all entertaining jaunt which particularly impresses listeners wearing headphones".[43][45] In a review of a later Kraftwerk album, a reviewer credited as "N.N." said of Autobahn, "[S]omething like that doesn't even deserve to be released".[46][45] Flür said of the album's initial critical reception; "In Germany, artists are often not well regarded unless they've scored great achievements abroad" and "Our success in the US finally brought good headlines in the German newspapers".[23]

In 2013, Jude Rogers of The Observer called some English-language responses to the album xenophobic.[33] Rogers cited examples such as Barry Miles' live review of the band that was titled "This is what your fathers fought to save you from", and an interview between Hütter and Lester Bangs in which Bangs asked if Kraftwerk were "the final solution" for music.[33] When the NME printed Bangs' interview, a photograph of the group was superimposed over an image of a Nuremberg rally.[33] Among contemporaneous reviews, John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone gave the album a negative review, finding it not as good as the music of Wendy Carlos, who "hasn't been in the Top Ten in months and months".[47] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave the album a C+ rating, comparing it with the music of Mike Oldfield but said it was made "for unmitigated simpletons, sort of, and yet in my mitigated way I don't entirely disapprove".[42]

Bill Provick of the

The Leader-Post said Autobahn was Kraftwerk's "most ambitious and coherent [album] to date", and that the track "Autobahn" is repetitive due to its running time but added; "the effect is deliberate and the periodic familiarly of the Autobahn's scenery keeps the work together as a whole. It's really quite fascinating and offers a new dimension to most our musical lives."[49] Van Matre described the title track as "an impression of the sounds and sensory perceptions of the road, at times nerve-wracking, at times as repetitious as the center dividing strip, but chiefly hypnotic"; and called the track "by far the finest and most accessible thing on the album".[4] Van Matre also said the remaining tracks on the album are "more experimental, less catchy – but it makes the whole thing worthwhile".[4] Some critics such as Gerry Baker of Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Wayne Robins of Newsday included the album in their honorable mentions on their lists of the best albums of 1975.[50][51]

Retrospective reviews

Retrospective ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Drowned in Sound9/10[25]
The Irish Times[52]
Mojo[53]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[54]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[55]
Uncut[56]

In 1985, Simon Witter wrote in the NME Autobahn is not as strong as Kraftwerk's four subsequent albums but that it has "enormous historical significance".[2] Witter said; "In the glam era of glitter and guitars, Kraftwerk were four besuited squares playing keyboards", and that the group was "Mentally and sonically decades ahead of their contemporaries", noting their unique rhythms, textures and melodies.[2] Simon Reynolds wrote in the Spin Alternative Record Guide (1995); "Esoterics will claim they prefer the first three albums: they're excellent, but truthfully Autobahn is when Kraftwerk's muzak-of-the-sphere starts to matter".[57] Reynolds said the title track "sounds like a pastoral symphony, even as it hymns the exhilaration of cruising down the freeway".[57]

David Cavanagh gave the 2009 remaster of Autobahn a five-star rating in Uncut, saying the title track is its main attraction and called the tracks "freckled with warmth: sunny vocal harmonies ("...mit Glitzerstrahl"), a carefree flute solo (Schneider) and clever modulations (denoting gear-changes) to break the tension", Cavanagh called the remastering of the album a fiasco, and said it is worse than the compact discs previously released by EMI.[56] Mat Snow wrote in Mojo the album is a "pop landmark" and a "blueprint for their entire enterprise".[53] Tom Ewing of Pitchfork commented positively on the album in their review of The Catalogue, noting tracks on the album are a showcase for Kraftwerk's "gift for simple, wistful melodies" but said the themes explored on the album were done better on Trans-Europe Express.[58] Other later album reviews, such as a four-star rating from The Irish Times and a three-and-a-half star rating in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, were generally positive with no specific details on Autobahn [54] Christgau upgraded his initial ranking of C+ for Autobahn to a B−.[42]

Legacy

Four figured in shadow on a stage behind a screen projecting the autobahn album cover from the reissue behind them.
Kraftwerk performing "Autobahn" in 2013

Kraftwerk later signed with EMI to establish the Kling Klang company.

Pathé-Marconi in France.[28] Kraftwerk followed-up Autobahn with Radio-Activity, which was released in 1975.[59] Kraftwerk did not repeat the high sales of Autobahn on any subsequent album in the 1970s but were one of the most commercially successful groups in their style, selling well throughout Europe.[60] Hütter and Schneider later dismissed Kraftwerk's earlier music; according to Hütter, Autobahn was "really the first", and Schneider called the earlier music "history, archaeology".[61]
Autobahn was Conny Plank's final work with Kraftwerk.
Devo, as well as German groups such as Neu! and DAF.[28][62]

In his review of Sequencer (1976) by

Arthur Baker first heard Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" when working at record store in high school; he later used the melody of the group's songs for "Planet Rock" for Afrika Bambaataa.[65]

According to

kosmische records."[68] In 2014, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a diverse collection to represent historically significant recordings that reflect the changing climate of music through the decades.[69]

Track listing

Side B
No.TitleLength
2."Kometenmelodie 1" ("Comet Melody 1")5:44
3."Kometenmelodie 2" ("Comet Melody 2")6:20
4."Mitternacht" ("Midnight")4:40
5."Morgenspaziergang" ("Morning Walk")4:00
Total length:42:27

Credits

Credits adapted from the original album label.[71]

Kraftwerk

Additional personal


The 1985 re-release added:[72]

The 2009 remaster contained further changes and additions:[73]

  • Ralf Hütter – voice, electronics, synthesizer, organ, piano, guitar,
    electronic drums
    , artwork reconstruction.
  • Florian Schneider – voice, vocoder, electronics, synthesizer, flute, electronic drums
  • Wolfgang Flür – electronic drums on "Kometenmelodie 1–2"
  • Klaus Röder – electric violin on "Mitternacht"
  • Johann Zambryski – artwork reconstruction

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine.
  2. ^ a b c Witter 1985.
  3. ^ a b c Schütte 2020, p. 42.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Van Matre 1975.
  5. ^ Schütte 2020, p. 60.
  6. ^ Hooker 1975.
  7. ^ Dallas 1975.
  8. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 52.
  9. ^ McNiece 2021.
  10. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 54.
  11. ^ a b c Bussy 2004, p. 56.
  12. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 57.
  13. ^ a b Brocker 2011, p. 103.
  14. ^ a b c d Brocker 2011, p. 104.
  15. ^ Brocker 2011, p. 105.
  16. ^ Schütte 2017, p. 86.
  17. ^ Thompson 1995, p. 19.
  18. ^ a b c Dalton 2004.
  19. ^ Schütte 2020, p. 55.
  20. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 55-56.
  21. ^ a b Barton 1975.
  22. ^ Witter 1991.
  23. ^ a b c d e Dalton 2016a, p. 4.
  24. ^ Dalton 2016b.
  25. ^ a b Power 2009.
  26. ^ Dalton, Stephen (2005). "Kraftwerk - Autobahn". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 318.
  27. ^ Schütte 2020, p. 63.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g Bussy 2004, p. 69.
  29. ^ Hunt 1975, p. 66.
  30. ^ "Kraftwerk". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  31. ^ Breihan 2009.
  32. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 61.
  33. ^ a b c d Rogers 2013.
  34. ^ Hunt 1975, p. 67.
  35. ^ a b Hooker 1976.
  36. ^ a b Bussy 2004, p. 63.
  37. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 64.
  38. ^ a b Bussy 2004, p. 65.
  39. ^ Schütte 2020, p. 72.
  40. ^ a b Bussy 2004, p. 66.
  41. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 67.
  42. ^ a b c Christgau 1975.
  43. ^ a b Schütte 2020, p. 64.
  44. ^ a b Bussy 2004, p. 58.
  45. ^ a b Schütte 2020, p. 298.
  46. ^ Schütte 2020, p. 65.
  47. ^ Mendelsohn 1975.
  48. ^ a b Provick 1975.
  49. ^ Deane 1975.
  50. ^ Barker 1975.
  51. ^ Robins 1975.
  52. ^ Clayton-Lea 2009.
  53. ^ a b Snow 2009.
  54. ^ a b Coleman & Randall 2004, pp. 468–69.
  55. ^ Reynolds 1995, p. 215.
  56. ^ a b Cavanagh.
  57. ^ a b Reynolds 1995, p. 216.
  58. ^ Ewing 2009.
  59. ^ Schütte 2020, p. 76.
  60. ^ Walker 1978.
  61. ^ Hemingway 2003.
  62. ^ Bussy 2004, p. 70.
  63. ^ Chapman 2015, p. 124.
  64. ^ Dalton 2016b, p. 5.
  65. ^ Toop 2000, p. 115.
  66. ^ a b Bussy 2004, p. 62.
  67. ^ Calder 1977.
  68. . Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  69. ^ Larsen 2014.
  70. ^ Autobahn (Vinyl sticker). Mercury Records. 1974. SRM-1-1154.
  71. ^ Autobahn (Album back cover). Mercury Records. 1974. SRM-1-1154.
  72. ^ Autobahn (Vinyl side B label). EMI-Parlophone. 1985. AUTO 1/EJ 24 0070 1B.
  73. ^ Autobahn (Booklet notes). Mute Records. 2009. CDSTUMM303.
  74. .
  75. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3949a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  76. ^
    GfK Entertainment Charts
    . Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  77. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kraftwerk – Autobahn" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  78. ^ "Charts.nz – Kraftwerk – Autobahn". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  79. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  80. ^ "Kraftwerk Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  81. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kraftwerk – Autobahn". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  82. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kraftwerk – Autobahn". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  83. ^ "French album certifications – Kraftwerk – Autobahn" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 25 February 2024. Select KRAFTWERK and click OK. 
  84. ^ "British album certifications – Kraftwerk – Autobahn". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  85. ^ "RPM Top 100 of 1975 – December 27, 1975" (PDF).
  86. GfK Entertainment. Archived
    from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  87. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1975". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.

Sources

External links