Radio-Activity

Radio-Activity
Studio album by Kraftwerk
Released	October 1975 (1975-10)
Studio	Kling Klang (Düsseldorf, West Germany)
Genre	Electronic experimental pop[1] avant-garde[2]
Length	37:38
Label	Kling Klang EMI Capitol
Producer	Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk chronology
Exceller 8 (1974) Radio-Activity (1975) Trans-Europe Express (1977)
2009 remastered edition
Singles from Radio-Activity
"Radioactivity" Released: 1976

Radio-Activity (German title: Radio-Aktivität) is the fifth studio album by German

Following the success of its 1974 predecessor Autobahn, an album based on Germany's eponymous motorway network,^[4] Kraftwerk embarked on a tour of the United States with the "classic" lineup of the band formed by Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Karl Bartos—who joined in February 1975—and Wolfgang Flür in April and May 1975.^[5]

Album title

Radio-Activity's album title displays Kraftwerk's typical deadpan humour, being a

The album was recorded in Kling Klang Studio, Düsseldorf,^[4] and it was self-produced by Hütter and Schneider.^{[citation needed]} It was their first purely electronic album,^[7] and the first one to be performed by the "classic" band line-up.^[5] Karl and Wolfgang worked on electronic percussion.^[10] LP liner notes state music and production was by Hütter and Schneider, with Emil Schult collaborating on lyrics. For this album, the band had decided to record some vocals in English and Schult's command of the language after studying for a while in the United States was better than Hutter's or Schneider's. Tim Barr pointed out the impact his experiences had in the United States on his ability to speak the language and in more subtle ways as well.^[11] Schult also designed the artwork, which was based on a late-1930s 'Deutscher Kleinempfänger' radio.^[12]

The overture instrumental piece "Geiger Counter" used Geiger counter beats based on musique concrète.^[13] The album featured use of the distinctive Vako Orchestron keyboard to provide vocal choir on title track.^[14] "Antenna" used an echo chamber effect, and Hütter's Farfisa electronic piano was used on "Transistor".^[12] For the recording, extensive use was made of the vocoder.^{[citation needed]}

Release and promotion

In September 1975, the band toured the UK, playing 17 shows in England.^[5] By 1975, Hütter and Schneider's previous publishing deals with Capriccio Music and Star Musik Studio of Hamburg had expired. The compositions on Radio-Activity were published by their own newly set up Kling Klang Verlag music publishing company, giving them greater financial control over the use of songwriting output. Also, the album was the first to bear the fruit of Kling Klang as an established vanity label under the group's new licensing deal with EMI.^{[citation needed]}

Radio-Activity was released in October 1975. For their promotion, their record company sent them to a "real Atomkraftwerk" to take promotional photos. In these photos, the group was dressed in white protective suits and anti-radiation boots on their shoes.^[4] The album reached No. 59 on the Canadian charts in February 1976.^[15] The title track "Radioactivity" was released as a single in May 1976 and became a hit in France, selling 500,000 copies,^[4] and Belgium in the charts.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Drowned in Sound	8/10[16]
The Guardian	[17]
The Irish Times	[18]
Mojo	[19]
Q	[20]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[21]
Select	4/5[22]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	9/10[23]
Uncut	[24]

Radio-Activity was released to mixed reviews, with