In one of the slightly skewed (therefore not parallel) universes they might be considered mediocre to middling.
29 March 2014
Eric olthwaite
With respect, the only universe in which they are mediocre to middling is a universe that makes no sense. A mesmerising band, Can. The only problem I have with them is which track to pick as a Desert Island Disc. Today, it would be Yoo Doo Right.
29 March 2014
that’s enough cow/mooing references – ed
That only pre-supposes that a universe (and indeed all who sail in it) are required to make sense.
30 March 2014
neilthechimp
Vitamin C has remained on my Spotify playlist since day 1 of it’s creation. You wouldn’t know this but that’s pretty high praise as I’m fickle by my own admission.
I love the TOTP footage and you can almost hear the production room trying to work out what the fuck to do with the video. “Err, ok guys, these whacky specimens are from Germany and there’s a synthesiser so let’s cut really quickly from camera to camera on my signal. And 3, 2, 1, GO CRAZY!!!”
Lovely stuff.
30 March 2014
Daryl
The drumming of Jaki Liebezeit on the 18 minute Halleluwah. Unbelievable.
30 March 2014
marginalised mooing
Have just returned from a weekend at the Hartlepool Marina. Not many people know that there are really two Hartlepools – West Hartlepool, which is what most people reckon to be the town of Hartlepool today but there is also the original Hartlepool known as The Headland which is about two miles away and ten years behind the rest of Hartlepool. A lot of this music has only just reached there and they don’t appear too fond of it. Wouldn’t be advisable for Neil the Chimp to visit – in fact anyone with more than a couple of days facial growth may be at risk.
30 March 2014
Poolio
Electro-Jazz-Kraut-Rock – ja ja, mein artfenkel geschlafen…
31 March 2014
Poolio
…that should read “erdferkel” (german for aardvark…)
31 March 2014
Gordo
I seem to recall Nigel saying in an interview that he once mistakenly thought that there was a Can tribute band called Can’t
31 March 2014
Martin Davies/’muffa’.
Holy shiiit!: This is Shirley not the same ‘Can’ that produced the excellent ‘Tago Mago’ is it? (Yes it is!) Them and ‘Amon Duul 11’ were the lords of ‘Kraut Rock’ in the early 1970s, but this ‘middle of the road’ drivel is totally unrepresentative. Maybe I’m being ‘irked, ..as a purist'(?) but thank God I missed this when it came out. Let the boys play weird, substantive, imaginative rock I say and ‘bollocks to bubblegum’.
Hey, we’ve all got our favourite and least favourite Can songs, personally i really like I Want More. If you’re a “If it’s not Damo then it’s not Can” Can fan then you deserve irking.
1 April 2014
Eric Olthwaite
I certainly don’t think that ‘if it’s not Damo it’s not Can’, but the Mooney/Damo years (68-74) are surely their golden period. I don’t really listen to the records after Soon Over Babaluma very much these days. There’s nowt wrong with I Want More but it isn’t nearly as good as the earlier stuff is it?
1 April 2014
Dr Desperate
@Daryl John Lydon agrees with you on Jaki Liebezeit’s drumming on ‘Halleluhwah’ in this 1977 Capital Radio interview with Tommy Vance (1:30): “He’s just…good!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y92X6qb1FYY (He can probably be excused for calling it ‘Hallelujah’, as the original UK pressing of ‘Tago Mago’ misprinted the title on both label and sleeve.)
3 April 2014
Martin Davies/’muffa’.
Yeh, appropriate (‘April Fools’ Day’) choice(s) Eric. The current ‘option’ is like hearing and watching Edgar Broughton and/or Napalm Death play ‘How much is that doggy in the window’: Incongruent. Unfulfilled potential indeed. Be true to yourself.
3 June 2014
peter mcornithologist
Holger bought me a cup of coffee at Cologne zoo in 1983.
8 September 2014
peter mcornithologist
Following the tragically early death of Michael Karoli, a certain Julian Cope wrote a tribute which in my humble opinion summed up the mans unique style. I am old enough and hence fortunate enough to have seen Can live countless times. I for one, do not think that they ever truly captured the magic on vinyl.
3 October 2014
peter mcornithologist
To all who have expressed admiration for this band,especially the drumming of Jaki,may I suggest the John Peel Sessions 1973-75.The drumming on Tony Wanna Go is a miraculous. @ Marginalised Mooing.I find your comments about my home town a little insulting and rest assured Neil the Chimp would discover hospitality along with Can and Half Man Half Biscuit lovers.We would advise him to give The Marina a miss.
27 October 2014
acidic regulator
A onetime bridge partner of mine was raised in Norton-on-Tees, a few hundred yards from where I’d been to school in the late 50s. We played in a Congress at Droitwich in the 70s or early 80s, and had dinner with a couple of guys we knew from our home club in Coventry. During the course of it, they revealed that they were from HartlePool.
After Malcolm and I left that Chinese, “Who’d have thought they were a pair of monkey-hangers?” Fortunately, there was a lamppost on which we could support ourselves while we recovered our composure.
@@NeilTheChimp, be warned!
28 October 2014
Mr X
The Stone Roses admitted “Fool’s Gold” was based on Can’s “I’m So Green” off “Ege Bamyasi”.
20 May 2015
peter mcornithologist
David Niven was a fan.
26 May 2015
wobbly jelly
Also inspired the great fall song “I am Damo Suzuki”
16 July 2015
toastkid
My favourite Can story involves original vocalist Malcolm Mooney having a drug induced breakdown on stage during a gig, which consisted of him manically (maniacally?) screaming “UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS” repeatedly until hospitalized and sedated. He never played with the band again, i think his doctor recommended he quit.
17 July 2015
peter mcornithologist
There is the tale that Jaki Liebezeit learned several ” secret rhythms” from a Cuban musician who practiced Santeria. Supposedly, the Cuban was executed on stage because he had dared to play the rhythms outside of sacred ceremonies.
17 July 2015
Peter Mcornithologist
Damo Suzuki left Can when he became a Jehovahs Witness. (q.v.) Musically invisible for a decade . Hard to ascertain but it appears he returned to music when he became normal again.
4 July 2016
Peter Mcornithologist
The lad in the above video who is not Michael Karoli may be Tim Hardin. If I was a carpenter I still wouldn’t have a job in this vicinity.
8 July 2016
Peter Mcornithologist
Never been a lad who had idols . Jaki Liebetzeit died recently .
17 February 2017
Peter Mcornithologist
Saddened to hear that Holger Czukay died recently .
Wing Commander Winthrop
Nothing at all ,im afraid!
29 March 2014
what a friend we have in moo cows
In one of the slightly skewed (therefore not parallel) universes they might be considered mediocre to middling.
29 March 2014
Eric olthwaite
With respect, the only universe in which they are mediocre to middling is a universe that makes no sense. A mesmerising band, Can. The only problem I have with them is which track to pick as a Desert Island Disc. Today, it would be Yoo Doo Right.
29 March 2014
that’s enough cow/mooing references – ed
That only pre-supposes that a universe (and indeed all who sail in it) are required to make sense.
30 March 2014
neilthechimp
Vitamin C has remained on my Spotify playlist since day 1 of it’s creation. You wouldn’t know this but that’s pretty high praise as I’m fickle by my own admission.
I love the TOTP footage and you can almost hear the production room trying to work out what the fuck to do with the video. “Err, ok guys, these whacky specimens are from Germany and there’s a synthesiser so let’s cut really quickly from camera to camera on my signal. And 3, 2, 1, GO CRAZY!!!”
Lovely stuff.
30 March 2014
Daryl
The drumming of Jaki Liebezeit on the 18 minute Halleluwah. Unbelievable.
30 March 2014
marginalised mooing
Have just returned from a weekend at the Hartlepool Marina. Not many people know that there are really two Hartlepools – West Hartlepool, which is what most people reckon to be the town of Hartlepool today but there is also the original Hartlepool known as The Headland which is about two miles away and ten years behind the rest of Hartlepool. A lot of this music has only just reached there and they don’t appear too fond of it. Wouldn’t be advisable for Neil the Chimp to visit – in fact anyone with more than a couple of days facial growth may be at risk.
30 March 2014
Poolio
Electro-Jazz-Kraut-Rock – ja ja, mein artfenkel geschlafen…
31 March 2014
Poolio
…that should read “erdferkel” (german for aardvark…)
31 March 2014
Gordo
I seem to recall Nigel saying in an interview that he once mistakenly thought that there was a Can tribute band called Can’t
31 March 2014
Martin Davies/’muffa’.
Holy shiiit!: This is Shirley not the same ‘Can’ that produced the excellent ‘Tago Mago’ is it? (Yes it is!) Them and ‘Amon Duul 11’ were the lords of ‘Kraut Rock’ in the early 1970s, but this ‘middle of the road’ drivel is totally unrepresentative. Maybe I’m being ‘irked, ..as a purist'(?) but thank God I missed this when it came out. Let the boys play weird, substantive, imaginative rock I say and ‘bollocks to bubblegum’.
1 April 2014
Eric Olthwaite
Agreed Martin, ‘I Want More’ isn’t really representative. CTSO – could we impose on you to replace the tube link above with something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a1NhRbNJ_Y or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dZbAFmnRVA ? If you did, we’d go around telling everyone how lovely you are.
1 April 2014
Toastkid
Hey, we’ve all got our favourite and least favourite Can songs, personally i really like I Want More. If you’re a “If it’s not Damo then it’s not Can” Can fan then you deserve irking.
1 April 2014
Eric Olthwaite
I certainly don’t think that ‘if it’s not Damo it’s not Can’, but the Mooney/Damo years (68-74) are surely their golden period. I don’t really listen to the records after Soon Over Babaluma very much these days. There’s nowt wrong with I Want More but it isn’t nearly as good as the earlier stuff is it?
1 April 2014
Dr Desperate
@Daryl John Lydon agrees with you on Jaki Liebezeit’s drumming on ‘Halleluhwah’ in this 1977 Capital Radio interview with Tommy Vance (1:30): “He’s just…good!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y92X6qb1FYY
(He can probably be excused for calling it ‘Hallelujah’, as the original UK pressing of ‘Tago Mago’ misprinted the title on both label and sleeve.)
3 April 2014
Martin Davies/’muffa’.
Yeh, appropriate (‘April Fools’ Day’) choice(s) Eric. The current ‘option’ is like hearing and watching Edgar Broughton and/or Napalm Death play ‘How much is that doggy in the window’: Incongruent. Unfulfilled potential indeed. Be true to yourself.
3 June 2014
peter mcornithologist
Holger bought me a cup of coffee at Cologne zoo in 1983.
8 September 2014
peter mcornithologist
Following the tragically early death of Michael Karoli, a certain Julian Cope wrote a tribute which in my humble opinion summed up the mans unique style. I am old enough and hence fortunate enough to have seen Can live countless times. I for one, do not think that they ever truly captured the magic on vinyl.
3 October 2014
peter mcornithologist
To all who have expressed admiration for this band,especially the drumming of Jaki,may I suggest the John Peel Sessions 1973-75.The drumming on Tony Wanna Go is a miraculous.
@ Marginalised Mooing.I find your comments about my home town a little insulting and rest assured Neil the Chimp would discover hospitality along with Can and Half Man Half Biscuit lovers.We would advise him to give The Marina a miss.
27 October 2014
acidic regulator
A onetime bridge partner of mine was raised in Norton-on-Tees, a few hundred yards from where I’d been to school in the late 50s. We played in a Congress at Droitwich in the 70s or early 80s, and had dinner with a couple of guys we knew from our home club in Coventry. During the course of it, they revealed that they were from HartlePool.
After Malcolm and I left that Chinese, “Who’d have thought they were a pair of monkey-hangers?” Fortunately, there was a lamppost on which we could support ourselves while we recovered our composure.
@@NeilTheChimp, be warned!
28 October 2014
Mr X
The Stone Roses admitted “Fool’s Gold” was based on Can’s “I’m So Green” off “Ege Bamyasi”.
20 May 2015
peter mcornithologist
David Niven was a fan.
26 May 2015
wobbly jelly
Also inspired the great fall song “I am Damo Suzuki”
16 July 2015
toastkid
My favourite Can story involves original vocalist Malcolm Mooney having a drug induced breakdown on stage during a gig, which consisted of him manically (maniacally?) screaming “UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS” repeatedly until hospitalized and sedated. He never played with the band again, i think his doctor recommended he quit.
17 July 2015
peter mcornithologist
There is the tale that Jaki Liebezeit learned several ” secret rhythms” from a Cuban musician who practiced Santeria. Supposedly, the Cuban was executed on stage because he had dared to play the rhythms outside of sacred ceremonies.
17 July 2015
Peter Mcornithologist
Damo Suzuki left Can when he became a Jehovahs Witness. (q.v.) Musically invisible for a decade . Hard to ascertain but it appears he returned to music when he became normal again.
4 July 2016
Peter Mcornithologist
The lad in the above video who is not Michael Karoli may be Tim Hardin. If I was a carpenter I still wouldn’t have a job in this vicinity.
8 July 2016
Peter Mcornithologist
Never been a lad who had idols . Jaki Liebetzeit died recently .
17 February 2017
Peter Mcornithologist
Saddened to hear that Holger Czukay died recently .
7 September 2017
transit full of keith
This interview with Can’s Irmin Schmidt is worth a read: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/may/31/i-grew-up-in-total-ruins-irmin-schmidt-of-can-on-lsd-mourning-and-musical-adventures
John Lydon, apparently, applied for Damo Suzuki’s old job when the Sex Pistols split up
31 May 2018
peter mcornithologist
Thanks Mr Keith .Mark E Smith cuddles Irmin ? Rightly so
17 July 2018
dr desperate
Mr Keith’s ma playing with Fall frontman? (4,1,5)
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mark_e_smith_555962
17 July 2018