| | Kraftwerk Autobahn CD - Import Kraftwerk Discography of CDs
 (9 Customer Reviews)
Though they'd recorded three previous albums, Kraftwerk's modern pop legacy starts with the sounds of a few footsteps and a slamming car door--the beginning of a 22-minute musically impressionistic excursion down Germany's famed superhighway. An unexpected hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Autobahn's "fahren, fahren, fahren" refrain echoes "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys (just one of Kraftwerk's unlikely influences), while the entire concept recalls Brian Wilson's frustrated attempts at creating what he called "a pocket symphony." The rhythmic synth pulse that carries the title track will be familiar to Kraftwerk admirers, while cofounder Florian Schneider's flute work and other more delicate melodic touches hearken back to the band's prog-rock foundations (as do the atmospheric "Kometenmelodie 1 & 2," "Mitternacht," and "Morgenspaziergang"). Kraftwerk's fascination with technology has been well documented, but the revelation of Autobahn is the playful human spirit behind the robots' masks.
Germanic in approach and delivery, this record gets under the skin and infuriates as you find yourself compelled to hum the melodies. A significant record in the development of electronic music, and not to be confused with other "kraut rock" efforts from the school of mid-70s prog, this is the album from which countless bands borrowed riffs--passages of the Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, and New Order are to be found among the five lengthy tracks. Don't be fooled: Kraftwerk were there at least five years in advance. Great for driving on the motorway in Europe, incidentally!
Spin (p.87) - "[The album] buoys jolly German-language lyrics over humming synths and creates the sound of the future."
Spin (9/01, p.134) - Included in Spin's "5 Essential Krautrock Records" - "...A quick confection about zooming along the expressways of Germany....they'd discovered the joy of mechanical repetition..."
Q (10/95, p.141) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...23 minutes of synthetically simulated road miles, with several fascinating segments and hauntingly lovely tunes....A remarkable journey--and one that needs to be heard on headphones..."
Q (Magazine) (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "From 1974 to the early '80s, they were so ahead of the field as to appear almost superhuman, as instantly proved by the epic title track of 'Autobahn'..." Kraftwerk Autobahn Songs | 1. | Autobahn - (German) |
| 2. | Kometenmelodie 1 |
| 3. | Kometenmelodie 2 |
| 4. | Mitternacht |
| 5. | Morgenspaziergang |
|
Purchase Autobahn CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Trans-Siberian Orchestra Night Castle CDs (2009)
Autobahn album
 $11.35   
NIGHT CASTLE appears just in time for the big 2009 holiday season but don't be fooled: this isn't a Christmas album, even if it's sonically indistinguishable from Trans-Siberian Orchestra's other seasonal releases, and the fact that it's been dubbed "Capra-esque" certainly brings it within the realm of the season. NIGHT CASTLE brims with all the drama, pomp, and circumstance of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's other records but channeling these traits through a newly created narrative does have the effect of hearing it in a somewhat new light, shifting the focus entirely to the band's attack, not melody. Still, there's not that much new here -- and the coda of seasonal covers, including the first sober version of "Nutrocker" ever cut, doesn't do much to break that spell. But for those already enchanted by the Orchestra, this will continue to enthrall.
Night Castle appears just in time for the big 2009 holiday season but don't be fooled: this isn't a Christmas ...
| | Bob Dylan Christmas In The Heart CD (2009)
Autobahn CD music
$12.85  
After the initial shock ...
| | W A S P Babylon CD (2009) (Import) United Kingdom
Autobahn music CDs
$15.45
| | Alice in Chains - Unplugged DVD (1996)
Autobahn songs
 $9.69 
| | Trans-Siberian Orchestra Beethoven's Last Night CD (2000)
Autobahn album
$11.69
| | Pink Martini Splendor In The Grass CD (2009) Digipak
Autobahn CD music
$13.39
Pink Martini follow the around-the-world-in-a-dozen-songs thrills of HEY EUGENE! with SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS, a mellower, simpler set of small pleasures. These are relative terms, however; the group's music is still well-traveled, with China Forbes singing in five languages (English, Spanish, Neapolitan, French, and Italian) instead of the six or so on EUGENE!. However, Pink Martini opt for a more unified sound here, one ...
| | Stacey Pullen DJ Kicks CD (1996) (Import) Germany
Autobahn music CDs
$13.69
| | Sniff N The Tears Games Up CD (1980)
Autobahn songs
$11.65
| | Strife Angermeans CD (2001)
Autobahn album
$12.59 
It was a retirement that would have made Michael Jordan proud. Only two years after deciding to break up, disillusioned with the hardcore scene they decided was stagnant, Strife reunited for some benefit concerts in early 2000 and the members found that the missing spark that had led to the band's untimely demise had returned. This is the first disc for the band since the re-formation, and it's obvious from the first listen that the spark grew into a raging inferno once rediscovered. Always unafraid to mix metallic sensibilities into their sound, that side of the group is explored even further on Angermeans. The appropriately monikered opener, "Rise Again," suggests the ripping riffery of Cro-Mags' "Death Camps," while the likes of "Life Stained Red" and "Stripped Away" could be mistaken for a Slayer outtake. ...
| | Arnie Lawrence Renewal CD (1981)
Autobahn CD music
$11.09
Arnie Lawrence worked with a host of jazz all-stars prior to the making of this 1981 studio session for Palo Alto, but the saxophonist has made relatively few recordings as a leader and, evidently, none since this album. Primarily playing alto sax, he makes a delayed entrance following a long introduction to "Lover Man" by pianist Ram ...
| | Jack Logan Nature's Assembly Line CD (2005)
Autobahn music CDs
$13.25
I can't help but wonder -- how did Robert Pollard become the grand poobah of lo-fi pop songwriting while Jack Logan has been around? Like Pollard, Logan has mastered the art of writing hooky, memorable songs, and can do so at the drop of a hat, but unlike Pollard, Logan's lyrics usually make sense, and there's a solid regular-guy vibe to Logan's work that tends to buffer the edges of his intelligence and sharp wit. Nature's Assembly Line was created by ...
| | Statues Aux CD (2005)
Autobahn songs
$12.49
|
|
|
2940 
fun fun auto
