KAMASUTRA - VOLLENDUNG DER LIEBE (WITH INNER SPACE PRODUCTION)

This album should maybe better count as a Can album. It was recorded in 1968. Inner Space Productions was an earlier name Can gave themselves, however the album was released only in 2009 with Irmin's name on it. It is a soundtrack commissioned by Irmin for a German erotic film; this was how Can earned money in those days.

Irmin may deserve to have his name in big letters on the album as he is credited as composer, but there is much improvisation on it, so the other Can members didn't just execute compositions here.

The music was recorded before Can's official debut Monster Movie, probably about the same time as the later released Delay 1968, which also has David C. Johnson on it (as opposed to Monster Movie). Malcolm Mooney appears only on one track (another version of this one is on Delay 1968), and there is another one with vocals by Margarete Juvan, which I find quite charming; it reminds me of the more melodic style that Amon Düül II shows on many tracks after 1972. There are many short tracks, some more and some less interesting (it's a soundtrack in the first place), some using Indian and middle eastern influences, hinting at Can's strong interest for music from all over the world. The music doesn't yet have the relentless hypnotic qualities Can became famous for, but it is quite interesting how Jaki, Michael, and Holger find their style here; on some tracks their characteristics are very clear, on some others they play relaxed psychedelic music with some jazz and blues influences. There is hardly any keyboard on this album, however I have read somewhere that Irmin mainly plays guitar here - try telling his parts apart from Michael's! In fact much is done with two guitars at the same time, quite certainly not done both by Michael.

Overall I find the album pretty interesting, not only as a document of early Can, even though the individual tracks are a bit hit and miss, some could have done with more elaboration. Chances are at the time they didn't find this worthwhile to release, but of course the standard of their regular albums is very high from Monster Movie onwards, so there is still some fun to be had with what they didn't consider of top quality. There is a good variety in the various tracks, and some very relaxed meditative quality in the music, and if you can get around the at times a bit amateurish sound, this is a very nice listen. 3.6 stars, 4 stars are generous but 3 are not enough.