Everything is not a taste

Neu-Neu 75-1975
Krautrock, electronic, ambient, experimental.


















Happy Labor day y'all, I'm still not clear about what its actually celebrating here but hey its a day off work.
To you on this day I present to you the 3rd album by Neu!(pronounced noy), Neu! 75. This album is perhaps considered there masterpiece along with their original self titled effort.
Neu! consisted of Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger who had left Kraftwerk in 1971 to create a new sound. The sound was highly inventive and with the so called "Motorik" sound being birthed on "Hallogallo" and "Negativland"from there self titled it went on to influence there old band mates in Kraftwerk.
75 comes at the crossroads in the stylistic nature of the band, with Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger starting to assert there now differing view on the music. Preceding this albums release Rother had worked with another kraut band Cluster to form the "super group" Harmonia. Harmonia's tone of ambient repetitive electronics was contrasted by Dinger's evolving sound which was leaning much more to rock, a compromise was found by splitting the album in two, including Dinger's brother Thomas on guitar and Hans Lampe to play drums on the 2nd half. The album clearly reflects this divergence of taste.

The album opener "Isi" is a wonderfully melodic Rother song that creates images of the musical equivalent of flying. The other two Rother inspired songs also make up the 1st half of the album, "Seeland" and "Leb' Wohl"(meaning farewell). Both songs, but especially "Leb' Wohl" are really beautiful ambient creations.

The second side kicks of with "Hero", this side is Dinger's, a much more upbeat affair which is reminiscent of proto punk and is said to have inspired John Lyndon of The Sex pistols,(an unfortunate consequence) but Neu! are of course much better than punk ever was/is. The song works brilliantly for me, the controlled Neu! sound is contrasted perfectly by Dinger's deranged slurred vocals, this song describes the album extremely well. The second Dinger song is the 8 minute epic "E-Music" an overtly repetitive track that reminds me a lot of their debut/signature sound. The album closer "After Eight" is seemingly a remix/continuation of Hero.

The album is excellent, I'll also so post their debut and 2nd album which both rank along side this. Neu! may be an acquired taste and many listens are needed to fully appreciate this album. True inovators who are often overshadowed by the "mother" band Kraftwerk, Neu!'s sound is one which is solely theirs which although influential can easily stand its ground against anything similar since.
jamscoopa


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Scaruffi