CAN

Wow!, what a fantastic DVD set it has everything a Can fan would want, three discs one mainly with a concert in 1972, the second one mainlya documentary and the third a music CD. The dvd's also have an interactive pc CDrom functions. Also their are loads of extras on each disc, a short and very humourous tribute by Brian Eno, individual interviews with the members. Short films with the members remastering specific Can tracks, you can sample the remastered tracks on the DVD. Their is the bands disography with photos of each CD, and a brief sample of one of the tracks on each respective album. The Can documentary shows Malcom Mooney and Damo Suzuki meeting each other for the first time! Mooney also described to an interviewer how Can music can send the singer mad. This DVD has absolutely everything you could want about Can, at a very reasonable price as well, which surprised me. You get inside the world of Can on this collection, their sense of humour their philosophy behind their music, where the music industry is directed today. Most of the interviews were done in 1999 before Michael Karoli passed away. Irmin Schmidt seems to be the bands chatterbox, but he also has a fantastic grasp of english, while Jacki Leibziet is both the most quiet and has a not so strong grasp of english. Holgar Czukay appears to be the bands resident eccentric, wearing white gloves during some of their 1970s concerts, and bizarre clothing today. Their is also footage of the band playing Vernal Equinox on a british music show, and also a disco hit they had on top of the pops. Their is a German music show in the 1970s comparing Can and other Krautrock groups to Pink Floyd which Can really did not like! There is footage of Can performing Paperhouse on some german music show. The live concert on disc one has a juggler performing while the band performs, which is a rather novel idea. Most of the performance is a mish mash of Can songs on a kind of extended jam, but they play a Bring Me Coffee or Tea and a short version of Halleluwah. Unfortunately there is no chapter skip on this concert as it is supposed to be seen as a one organic whole which matches Can's philosophy behind their music. My only reservation was a film with tecnoheads and electronica 'musicians' doing techno remixes of several Can songs, this made me feel like chucking up, but some people might like this.Other than that minor flaw this DVD pack has ereything and is essential, and perhaps the finest DVD set I have ever experienced, I only hope one day that Genesis while have a marvellous set like this. There is so much more I have not mention that is on this DVD set, it is choc full of extras, and is too good to be true! What more can I say go out and buy it!

Can - Can dvd (2005)

I was very excited to watch this dvd for the first time. I had bought the first five records of the band in a time span of two weeks and I was totally hypnotized by their amazing music. Can is one of the main early seventies Krautrock bands. The band its sound can be described as cultish krautrock with a lot of psycho-beat (repetitive catchy rhythms) with a lot of psychedelic and space influences and a very experimental mind-set. Can had it's own studio in which most of the recording and song-writing took place.

The dvd shows both material from the 'classic era' (1969-1974) and footage of the members in their currents musical projects. The dvd's main feature, Can-Free-Concert 1972, is a very very trippy experience. This one hour movie shows a lot of different settings, with as a main setting the concert footage of the Cologne Sporthalle. There's also a scene with the band playing with a little boy on drums (experimental..?) and some other studio- moments. The recording of the concert is mediocre, but it does give a good impression about what a freak-show this must have been. A very psychotic playing band, a juggler and some gymnastics all in one show.

Can doesn't play recognizable material, but improvises improvises the whole show. Some moments are very good, other are a bit boring. The overall experience is however quite bizarre, the mind-set of the band is very special and it gives me a certain 'no problem'- mood. Very interesting film, but not a great concert registration. I would only recommend this to fans of the band and the genre.

The documentaries on the dvd are often to boring to watch for me. The members in their modern projects of the 21th century are interviewed in uninteresting settings and there are no good questions from the interviewers. Sometimes it looks like a home-video affair. The music of 21th century Can isn't at all like the seventies psycho-beat era and it's quality is debatable. It's surely something I can live without and the cd included in this package isn't very essential either.

Conclusion. This is a dvd for real Can-fans and Krautrock listeners. It shows some nice freak-show material of the bands classic period and it surely helps to understand the music of Can presented on their lp's. I don't think this dvd is very essential and I would love to have seen more professional interviews about more interesting topics. I know the classic period of the band is long gone, but I don't think their current projects are that interesting. Three stars, but still a recommendation for the fans. If your new to the band I would recommend to listen to some of their records first.