Kraftwerk : Song by Song

[Toby]

Kraftwerk 1

Ruckzuck



Released - Dec 1 1970 on Phillips

Composed By – Florian Schneider-Esleben*, Ralf Hütter
Cover – Ralf Hütter
Drums – Andreas Hohmann (tracks: A1, A2), Klaus Dinger (tracks: B2)
Engineer [Assistant] – Klaus Löhmer
Flute, Violin, Percussion [Electric] – Florian Schneider-Esleben*
Organ, Synthesizer [Tubon] – Ralf Hütter
Photography By – Bernhard + Hilla Becher*
Producer – Kraftwerk
Producer, Engineer – Conrad Plank*


The beginning. You can hear Hutter and Schneider's previous incarnation "Organisation" from 1968 in this flute-driven jam, but there's no real hit of anything that they would do in the future here apart from perhaps those pastoral-sounding synth washes from Ralf. They did play Ruckzuck for a period of time live up until 1975, but there's this 1970 version too, although note Klaus Dinger on drums compared to the recorded version with Andreas Hohmann.

[C.]

My fave Kraftwerk stuff. Folk influences, but a pretty original mix of 'new sounds' and 'old sounds'.

There's a colour live clip of this one somewhere which is great.

[ConnyOlivetti]

My fave Kraftwerk stuff. Folk influences, but a pretty original mix of 'new sounds' and 'old sounds'.

There's a colour live clip of this one somewhere which is great.

this one?

[soundchaser]

Yes, absolutely brilliant, of course.

You can hear all manner of later things going on here.

It’s like an early Trans Europe Express.

[Toby]

It’s like an early Trans Europe Express.

That's interesting - I hadn't considered that at all.

[Toby]

There's also this version from 1971, although note that Ralf had briefly left the band to be replaced by Michael Rother. Here's a pre-Neu!



Elements of this would make their way into the Ralf & Florian album from 1973.

[Darkness_Fish]

Quite possibly my favourite Kraftwerk tune. I don't rate the rest of their material from around this time as highly as some of the other Krautrock monsters, but there's something about the added dynamism of Ralf's flute there.

[ConnyOlivetti]

Quite possibly my favourite Kraftwerk tune. I don't rate the rest of their material from around this time as highly as some of the other Krautrock monsters, but there's something about the added dynamism of Ralf's flute there.

Ralf flute?

[Darkness_Fish]

Quite possibly my favourite Kraftwerk tune. I don't rate the rest of their material from around this time as highly as some of the other Krautrock monsters, but there's something about the added dynamism of Ralf's flute there.

Ralf flute?

Just showing off my in-depth knowledge of Kraftwerk there. I guess you didn't know he used to wear a Florian mask in the early days...

[Quaco]

I was wondering how you were going to get out of that nerd trap.

[ConnyOlivetti]

Quite possibly my favourite Kraftwerk tune. I don't rate the rest of their material from around this time as highly as some of the other Krautrock monsters, but there's something about the added dynamism of Ralf's flute there.

Ralf flute?

Just showing off my in-depth knowledge of Kraftwerk there. I guess you didn't know he used to wear a Florian mask in the early days...

[never/ever]

This one is great- just like the live clip of Tanzmusik, very original stuff.

[Toby]

Stratovarius

Taking their influence from Stockhausen, under whom they had studied a couple of years earlier, Hutter and Schneider tackle the more extreme edge of electronic music ideas such as musique concrete before launching into what surely would become the Neu! sound for Dinger and Rother (even though neither appear on this particular recorded version), although note the frequent change of rhythms. It all points to a very fluid scene in Dusseldorf with inter-changeable members and a search for a particular sound.

This version on TV looks like Dinger on drums though.

[Toby]

Megaherz

My favourite track on the album. Some of that glorious pastoral flute-driven sound that they would evoke again on Ralf & Florian in Tongebirge and Autobahn, and perhaps traces of Radioactivity too in the washes of static at the beginning. Here Kraftwerk echo close Plank allies Cluster more.

[Toby]

Von Himmel Hoch

"From heaven above" - a subversive twist on Luther turned into a tone poem about bombers with Klaus Dinger coming in on drums.

[never/ever]

Jeez, this album just screams to be re-released.

Megahertz is classic.

[ConnyOlivetti]

Jeez, this album just screams to be re-released.

Time will tell, or not!

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news ... t-20150826

"Q: What's the story with the reissues of the first three Kraftwerk albums, before Autobahn? When will they be released?

RH: They are from another early phase of our work [before] Kling Klang Studios. Maybe when we have time one day, we'll release those, but so far we haven't found the time."

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news ... m-for-2010

"Hutter says he also plans to upgrade the three Kraftwerk albums that preceded "Autobahn," though he won't predict a timetable for those. "When I find the time and go through the archives again, we'll do those also in a new format," he promises."

[Toby]

Kraftwerk 2

Credits

Engineer [Tontechnik] – Conrad Plank*
Flute, Violin, Guitar, Electronics [Mischpult > Mixing Console], Bells [Glocken] – Florian Schneider
Music By, Photography By, Design [Cover] – Florian Schneider-Esleben*, Ralf Hütter
Organ, Electric Piano, Bass Guitar, Electronic Drums [Rhythmusmaschine], Bells [Glocken], Accordion [Harmonika] – Ralf Hütter
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By – Conrad Plank*, Florian Schneider-Esleben*, Ralf Hütter
Notes
First release comes in foldout cover. The cone is printed with fluorescent green ink on smooth (but unlaminated) white cardboard.

Produced, recorded and mixed 26.9. - 1.10.1971 at Star Musik Studio (Ralf Arnie), Hamburg.
All titles: Ralf Arnie Musikedition


Released Jan 1972



KlingKlang

The drum machines make their first appearance as Kraftwerk make a definitive split from Dinger and Rother in the latter half of 1971 to pursue their own project.

[Toby]

[Toby]

Atem