SOUNDTRACKS

Can's 'Soundtracks' is a collection of songs and themes recorded for German b-movies probably no-one here ever saw. It is a collection of sorts and is therefor not always seen as a 'proper' album, though it actually works quite well as a bridge between the debut and 'Tago Mago', featuring both Malcolm Mooney (on 'Soul Desert' and 'She Brings the Rain') and Damo Suzuki. On 'Soundtrack' the band - known for its psychedelic jammy explorations - shows how it could actually write some well-composed melodic tracks with the instrumental 'Deadlock', the belated sixties psychedelic song 'Tango Whiskyman' and the beautiful (both rhythmically and melodically) 'Don't Turn the Light on'. 'Soul Desert' is a heavy psych / psychobeat song with just one theme and great frantic vocals by Mooney. 'Mother Sky' is a fifteen minute cut improvisational song and is perhaps one of the best psychobeat recordings ever made. Its rare to hear a band play such totally bad-ass rock that evokes movies such as Lockstock and Two Smoking Barrels. The shrieking guitar Michael Karoli hits your nerves with a saw, whilst Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit play some of the fasted hypnotic beats ever recorded. Damo Suzuki also shines with his drugged-out performance, adding even more personality to the sound. The final song 'She Brings the Rain' is a very catchy jazz-pop song without drums. I've heard it pop up here an there and I guess the song must have had some succes in the charts. For me the is a raw classic of krautrock music and must-have album for fans of the band.