CONCERT CLASSICS

This truly is a classic, i was not there ofc, but it feels like it. The makers of this record have been clever enuff to "waste" som plastic on long gaps between the tracks, and thats so cool with this band, because they are so mythic now, but here there is still something of the personas that comes thru, greatversions, escpecially autobahn, that is a little over exposed, but it really shines here. One cool thing is that u have a rather loud phaser pulsating over the whole album. All kraftwerk album are great, and this is a livething, but its easily the best live kraftwerk i've heard, and i got some "classic" bootlegs, and speak of bootlegs, this is good sounding too.

I discovered this live album not long ago and it is truly a gem. Recorded during the Autobahn tour of 1975, it looks like a bootleg but seems strangely official. The four tracks are decently recorded but the sound producer could have shortened the gap between them, which can last several minutes.

Kometenmelodie sounds nearly like a different track, it seems that the two first tracks of face B of Autobahn were merged in one. A sort of xylophone has been added and the result works very well.

Klinglang is maybe the best piece of the album, even if the 'klingklang' sound at the beginning of the studio track has disappeared, consequently the live version is much shorter, about 8 minutes. Again, the track doesn't look at all like the studio version. Now, the main attraction of the piece is a very addictive electronic xylophone solo, played all along the 8 minutes.

Autobahn and Tanzmusik are more faithful to the original than the two other tracks. But I also found the second part of Autobahn more catchy than the studio version as the keyboards sound stronger.

After listening this album, I just regret that Kraftwerk didn't make more improvised music, for which they seemed to have a real talent, whereas their studio records - especially after Radio-Activity - sound a bit too much 'clinical' and cold.

Considering that this album sounds better to me than everything made by Kraftwerk in studio, I give a five stars rating.

I do not see why this record is not more famous, but I am sure that every Kraftwerk and electronic music fan should really enjoy this fantastic album.

It looks like a throwaway bootleg, and certainly isn't endorsed by either Ralf or Florian. But this belated live album is pure gold to fans of classic Kraftwerk, offering a rare glimpse at an era unrepresented elsewhere in their official discography, early in the band's electro-pop puberty after the success of the 1974 "Autobahn" album.

The packaging is sketchy, with inaccurate credits, misnamed track titles, and no information about the gig itself (May 1975 in Denver, according to my research). And the band photos shown on the album cover and CD image are all wrong, dating from years later in their career. But the audio quality is better than expected: a soundboard rip, I'm guessing, complete with stray feedback, long silences between songs (several minutes in one instance), and a curious phasing sound in the background throughout the entire concert.

The tunes depart significantly from their studio models, too. "Kling Klang" (not "Morgenspaziergang, Part 1", as it's listed on the cover) is really a new melody altogether, improvised on the spot, and miles away from the immaculate laptop extravaganzas of later concerts. At one point Ralf Hütter actually apologizes for the delay caused by a malfunctioning drum machine.

But the occasional performance goof and technical faux-pas have the not unwelcome side effect of humanizing the budding man-machines on stage. In Middle America circa 1975 the band was little more than a funny German novelty act, still performing on homemade instruments built from tin foil and household glue. This was Kraftwerk playing music instead of merely programming it, and their growing pains only make the show more appealing.