Can may not have sold millions of albums and kept their name, yet they continue to have a tremendous effect on modern music. Artists ranging from John Lydon and Unknown Mortal Orchestra all credit them as sources of inspiration.
This live album showcases the band’s hypnotic grooves. Additionally, Czukay’s bass playing strategy of repeatedly repeating a few notes highlights his skills as a bassist as well as Karoli’s beat poetry and Schmidt’s church keyboard improvisations.
Origins
Although Can is one of the more well-known bands to grace music magazine covers and be revered as an essential member of krautrock, there’s still much to be discovered in their massive recorded catalog. A testament to Can’s unique musical perspective that it continues to challenge listeners’ preconceptions about what constitutes “music” and improvisation today.
Can was never really a rock band in the traditional sense. Instead, they were more of an ensemble of musicians – bassist Holger Czukay and drummer Michael Karoli were classical music students of avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen’s avant garde compositions, guitarist Irmin Schmidt played jazz and drummer Jaki Liebezeit loved James Brown’s early funk — who came together through jam sessions to form what would eventually become Monster Movie album in 1969.
Can’s first album, 1975’s Can, showed what would become their signature style: an experimental blend of Krautrock, funk and psychedelic rock that relied heavily on repetition and long improvisations (their 20-minute track “Yoo Doo Right” was originally composed over six hours), as well as vocalist Malcolm Mooney’s stream-of-consciousness rants; Can dubbed this approach their “Signature Sound.”
Mooney left Can on advice of his psychiatrist in order to pursue a more stable lifestyle, replacing him with Kenji Suzuki, a Japanese traveller and busker who became their new lead vocalist and pianist. Suzuki proved an ideal choice; his calm delivery gave an otherwise chaotic album structure stability while his low-key, supple voice provided contrast against Czukay and Schmidt’s chaotic playing. Anyone wanting an introduction to Can should read David Stubbs’ Future Days: A History of Can, though some readers might find his writing too travelogue-esque at times.
Early years
Can’s members had little prior rock music experience when they met for the first time at Irmin Schmidt’s Cologne apartment in 1968. Bassist Holger Czukay, flute player David Johnson and drummer Jaki Liebezeit had all been classical teachers; keyboardist Schmidt had studied avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen; while guitarist Michael Karoli had experience in jazz bands.
The band quickly found a rehearsal space in an old castle outside of town and began exploring rock music, drawing inspiration from Steve Reich, Terry Riley and La Monte Young along the way. Their initial jam sessions were recorded onto cassette tape with the name Prehistoric Future as they developed.
By 1971’s Tago Mago album, CAN had found their rhythmic groove and started producing some of their most recognisable tunes. Original singer Malcolm Mooney left and was replaced by Kenji “Damo” Suzuki – an eccentric Japanese traveller who knew only a few chords of guitar but sang without structure (and without lyrics written out for him by the group).
Soon Over Babaluma saw the band use a 16-track machine which allowed for individual parts to be cut separately, making editing chaotic improvisations into songs easier but also creating individual competitive perfectionism within each member of the group. They began using natural sounds such as waves crashing on “Moonshake.”
Ege Bamyasi showcases Can at their tightest and most focused, showing some of their greatest ideas while giving listeners the impression of chaos and disorientation. The album dabbles in everything from psychedelic funk to heady art-pop drift – but what really stands out here is their final track – “Vitamin C.” Many listeners remain baffled even today!
Flow Motion
Can was an experimental band with an intimate quality; their members held strong roots in classical and jazz music traditions; Holger Czukay was an instructor of classical music (and studied under avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen), guitarist Michael Karoli was well versed in jazz bands while drummer Jaki Liebezeit had years of club circuit experience under his belt.
As they left Can for the first time after releasing Unlimited Edition in 1976, drummer Jaki Liebezeit and bassist Michael Karoli had never recorded anything commercially successful before Flow Motion, when released. They managed a hit single with “I Want More”, appearing on Top of the Pops show as well. While Tago Mago may feature expansive experimental sounds, Flow Motion features tighter song structures while still offering some experimental flair.
At this point, Can and his band began exploring rhythms from all around the world while drawing influence from funk, reggae, and disco – three styles which would come to dominate American musical culture by the mid 1970s – as Can was at the forefront of their exploration.
“Babylonian Pearl,” featuring Karoli on Mediterranean baglama and singing about his passion, as well as “Cascade Waltz,” are among the more noteworthy tracks from Can’s Flow Motion album. Additionally, Flow Motion shows Can at their most relaxing with ambient washes and subtle shuffling beats reminiscent of Future Days; further demonstrating why this work deserves greater recognition than it often receives.
Future Days
After the psychedelic experiments of Monster Movie and Soundtracks, Can began exploring more ambient, atmospheric sounds with Future Days. Damo Suzuki left shortly thereafter. Future Days marked the first in what would become known as Can’s “classic years”, providing the foundation for their mesmerizing yet thought-provoking music style.
“Spray,” the opening track on their latest record, taps into their signature oceanic vibe established through previous albums. Jaki Liebezeit’s mesmerizing drumming is perfectly complimented by Irmin Schmidt’s emotive layers of keys which perfectly synchronise with Jaki Liebezeit’s rhythms and Jaki Liebezeit’s drumming; all while being balanced out by Can’s creative use of unconventional song structures. Although rather long running time-wise, “Spray” never becomes tiresome or boring; rather, testament to Can’s mastery over unconventional song structures which never become tedious or boring even when exposed.
At this point in their career, Ege Bamyasi marked an unparalleled commercial and critical success for the band. Critics lauded it as being important and groundbreaking – garnering rave reviews both critical and popular reception.
No matter the success of Ege Bamyasi and Future Days, the band still felt the urge to experiment more and explore uncharted territories. Thus their next album Soon Over Babaluma (1974) was considered by many their finest work thus far.
Can continued their avant-garde exploration following Michael Karoli’s death with new bassist Rosko Gee and percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah. They released several experimental albums during this decade incorporating elements from jazz, dance and disco into their unique sound; although these later works didn’t receive as much critical acclaim as previous classics, Can is widely considered to be an influential and important group.
Cannibalism
Can was beginning to feel confident enough in themselves as an artistic entity when Ege Bamyasi was released. They relocated their studio, known as Inner Space Studio, from Weilerswist near Cologne in Germany to begin work on Future Days album.
Can was inspired by legendary jazz producer Teo Macero (Miles Davis’ producer on iconic albums Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way), using techniques of tape splicing and editing to weave together improvisational studio jams that eventually turned into songs. This process became the cornerstone of their sound – both experimental yet seamless at once!
After Future Days, Can’s original vocalist Damo Suzuki left to become a Jehovah Witness and marry his German girlfriend; bassist Michael Karoli and drummer Hans-Joachim Rosko took over vocal duties; the music became even more intense without vocal centre, while Can experimented with electronic ambient sounds inspired by longwave radio broadcasts as well as other instruments capable of being electronically altered.
Karoli’s blues harmonica sound stood out on this album, featuring mournful notes accompanied by funky bass lines and bursts of church keyboards before culminating with vocals that seemed pulled straight out of thin air – creating an unusual genre mashup Can excelled at.
By 1986, Can had released several live albums and some archival material and still enjoyed success on college and alternative radio stations. Their final studio release wasn’t quite as powerful as earlier recordings but did feature some gems; Can had gradually eased off on their sound with age and there were subtle concessions to new wave concepts on songs like “Spoon.” But this album served as an excellent farewell and fitting conclusion to a pioneering group that inspired post-punk, punk, new wave, psychedelic, ambient bands like Flaming Lips, The Jesus and Mary Chain John Lydon Public Image Ltd This Heat and Radiohead among many others.