Can
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=128772
Printed Date: November 29 2024 at 08:07
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Can
Posted By: jamessavik
Subject: Can
Date Posted: April 04 2022 at 21:45
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Can was a German experimental rock band formed in 1968. The band blended elements of psychedelic rock, funk and noise on influential albums such as Tago Mago(1971) and Future Days(1973). Despite being a German band, Can enjoyed international success and critical acclaim. Can has been influential with later groups. They may have been called progressive before progressive was cool Their album Future Days was particularly noteworthy as it made Rolling Stones 50 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time (2015) and several other prestigious best of lists. Official site: http://www.spoonrecords.com/" rel="nofollow - http://www.spoonrecords.com/ Can Future Days on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njuBve4IjLw" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njuBve4IjLw Can Tago Mago on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzm6DG_ezOg" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzm6DG_ezOg
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Replies:
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: April 04 2022 at 21:49
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http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=667" rel="nofollow - CAN discography and reviews (progarchives.com) ------------- 
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Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 00:55
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You're a couple days late for April Fools ------------- https://mirasnelder.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow - Freelance composer, accepting commissions | https://mirasnelder.bandcamp.com/album/altered-acuity" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp page |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 01:00
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I have found that over the years there seems to be quite a number of peeps who are unaware of PA being both a forum and a database. I’ve come across many forum folks who’d never ever seen the frontpage let alone any of the reviews…as well as frontpage peeps who know nothing about the wild mudwrestling on offer over the forum. ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 01:06
John Lydon writing I Hate on his Pink Floyd T-shirt (while he secretly still loved them)
tells you everyting about the status of ambitious rock had a few years
later. If you wanted to be cool in the late 70's you had to hide your
Yes and ELP-albums. Krautrock has grown in hipness for every decade that
has passed since Can's string of classic releases though. Perhaps that is what you are thinking about? Other than that, a great band - one of my personal favorites. I think even those who don't really like them are fully aware of their music and existence here on these boards.
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jamessavik wrote:Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 01:08
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I don't think they'd make it. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 05:01
I agree, but it's a newbie, let's give him a break, maybe he'll come around.
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Posted By: Necrotica
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 05:08
For sure. Gotta remember that not everyone here's a PA veteran, and I'd rather be inviting or welcoming to new members who want to explore the forums and discuss their tastes with others on the site
------------- Take me down, to the underground Won't you take me down, to the underground Why oh why, there is no light And if I can't sleep, can you hold my life https://www.youtube.com/@CocoonMasterBrendan-wh3sd |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 06:07
I was merely talking to the old members on here. I’m sorry if it sounded like I was giving the new guy a hard time. That was not my intention  ------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 06:20
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I was mainly responding to the idea that progressive somewhat started out as uncool before it eventually became cool - was I mean? |
Posted By: Necrotica
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 06:24
It's all good  I guess it was just a matter of making the new members feel welcome, especially if they're already prog fans as well  ------------- Take me down, to the underground Won't you take me down, to the underground Why oh why, there is no light And if I can't sleep, can you hold my life https://www.youtube.com/@CocoonMasterBrendan-wh3sd |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 06:49
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Welcome, James, and Saper, I wouldn't think anyone thought you were being rude. I have moved this to the Prog Bands Appreciation forum. No big deal with any error. I am an oldbie who has come to expect mistakes from myself (and more the older I get). Hopefully James enjoys the forum and hopefully comes to appreciate this diverse community. If not, that's okay too. I love Can, it's one of my favourite bands in and out of Prog Archives, and Krautrock is one of my favourite categories in PA. It has also been one of the most influential bands on many of my favourite modern bands -- Neu! (those Motorik beats and the like), Cluster, Harmonia and various Krautrock also have influenced much of my favourite music. This by Stereolab for instance (Metronomic Underground): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxknMTAoC8U" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxknMTAoC8U
Even in the late 1970s John Lydon was open about his love for various acts we call progressive. Can, Captain Beefheart, Peter Hammill, David Bowie, Third Ear Band, Magma, Kate Bush Here is one link, but I have seen various albums list of his (good taste per my tastes): http://www.fodderstompf.com/ARCHIVES/REVIEWS%202/capital77.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.fodderstompf.com/ARCHIVES/REVIEWS%202/capital77.html He has called on Van der Graaf Generator, Magma and Captain Beefheart as influences, and I expect Can too, and Tago Mago was one of his all-time favourite albums. Also other people such as Lou Reed that I consider progressive. I hear a Can (and Neu! and others) influence in various post-punk artists as well as similarities. I think PiL (Lydon's post Sex Pistols band) was pretty progressive/ experimental, and I hear the Krautrock similarities in Public Image Ltd's Metal Box (good album I think). ------------- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4IKuxIZkenfvukL_Y8VBqzK" rel="nofollow - Duos for fave acts |
Posted By: jamessavik
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 08:47
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Back in the day, everyone around me was listening to Lynard Skinyard, Van Halen and Kiss. Not horrible. I could appreciate... several of their songs.  My tastes were more eclectic for a 14-year-old. I was listening to Yes, ELP and Pink Floyd. I was considered that weird kid. Growing up in Mississippi, I suppose I was. Prog wasn't that popular in rural Mississippi. It wasn't what most people were listening too. I blame short attention spans and low IQs. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. The reason I suggested Can was I searched for it, didn't find it and knew it belonged here. It is one of those odd bands that weird kid listened to on vinyl, wore out and eventually replaced with CD. Having grown up around rednecks (and possibly contracted a few of their traits), I've got a thick skin. My neck isn't red. My hair is too long. Peace Prog Bros. -James |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 09:16
Hi Not sure how to react to this, but it's possible that what Guld says is probably right. But my issue is, when we look at PA, from all ends, not just the Forums, then we have something different. Most Bios are so simplified as to be thought of as not very good. Some Bios need to show the band's diversity in their "role" when it comes to their music ... for example ... ITCOTCK is a perfect snapshot of the late 60's in London, and I think it was very intentional only for Robert Fripp, likely, make a decision for the 2nd album that nothing would be as clear and obvious and a bit more out there and less visible in its "ideas" which just about became what KC was about since then. AND, he has been like that since then even to this day, and not a whole lot of the work is explained or discussed! The other thing, is how we are adding new bands to the lists, and sometimes I think the main reason is to ensure that we do it first BEFORE WIKI gets a hold of it. And WIKI, is often really out of it when it comes to someone being in charge to ensure that it compiles things correctly and properly, and though PA makes sure that the Bios and Info is OK'd before posting, sometimes it is really poor and not well versed, specially when it comes to music that is related to the social/political moments at the time ... and sadly, a lot of American bands from the late 60's are not considered valuable members of the "progressive" mold, because they did not have their roots in London, and things like The Doors are grossly left behind, and they deserve to be considered next to the top 5 more often than not. Their output is very good, and better than most copycat bands that we added to the numbers. This information, the time and place, needs to be with the group's bio, otherwise, it all seems like just a bunch of songs that don't mean poop, and most of them never even got close to the top ten! And bands like Chicago, take a massive hit on this, when they had more "withitness" than most of the top 5 bands listed, specially in their first 4 or 5 albums! CAN did with something like TAGO MAGO, pretty much what a lot of theater and film were doing in Europe ... wide open improvisations, and some of them turned into something that sounded really good and right to our ears ... even if we can't relate or wonder about the god barking! But, sadly, the one thing that SONG FANS don't want to know about is the meaning and history of a lot of this stuff. And while I don't think that PA should be the scion that makes sure that we have all the information right, at least an effort to show how a band or two came about in their time and place, which was not just about two or three musician friends more often than not! There was a lot more meaning to it all!
------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 09:32
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Woefully underappreciated on this site. Only one album with an aggregate rating of over 4.00? Tago Mago is in the top 100 albums of all time on RYM. -------------  https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 10:07
I wrote
Btw: I once heard a DJ playing Mother Sky and that was my "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life"-moment
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 10:13
Embarrassingly underappreciated on this site.......The controlled insanity of CAN is brilliant!!! This album kicked my a$$ when I first heard it, honestly took me years to really understand them. But once I got it, I jumped in feet first and I'm still in the pool. -------------   
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 10:33
I don't think so, I've seen Can get nothing but respect here on PA. "Embarrassingly underappreciated"?!
 That's very harsh TBH. |
Posted By: nick_h_nz
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 11:03
I’m not sure if it’s harsh, but even if so, it’s still true. Even if I’ve also seen Can get nothing but respect here, that doesn’t mean they can’t also be underappreciated - and I too think they are underappreciated. ------------- https://tinyurl.com/nickhnz-tpa" rel="nofollow - Reviewer for The Progressive Aspect |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 11:11
he said "embarrassingly underappreciated" which is an exaggeration. it puts a very negative connotation in his statement.
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Posted By: nick_h_nz
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 11:14
I think it’s neither an exaggeration, nor negative. Embarrassingly has no negative connotation to me. Now if he had said “stupidly unappreciated”, or similar, that would be a different story. ------------- https://tinyurl.com/nickhnz-tpa" rel="nofollow - Reviewer for The Progressive Aspect |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 11:16
Really? Because it seems like he's shaming the rest of us.
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Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 11:54
| BTW, this thread needs to be either moved to prog music lounge, if we think it deserves further discussion or be closed because, obviously, Can's been long time on PA. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 12:35
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I moved this to the Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation forum before I posted in this topic earlier today. I left the move notification, the icon (that is the default) and if in mobile mode then it still appears in the Suggest New Bands forum like it is in that forum despite the move. I will remove the move notification if that is causing issues. As for Can, I too have thought of it as underappreciated at this site, especially when going by the ratings (as Silly Puppy had referred to). This site does seem to tend to favour -- as was mentioned in a Swans poll I did and Swans plays with those Can and Krautrock type grooves -- old school symphonic prog and neo-prog... I might put it as the more melodic forms of Prog tend to be more appreciated than the more experimental acts. A lot of people dislike kinds of repetition and certain hypnotic qualities in mudic. Can is very hip these days in certain music circles, and it is highly influential. Regarding the ratings, Can commonly is divisive. Looking at the ratings and reviews of Tago Mago which many consider to be a masterpiece (I do) one can see the diversity of opinions. Perhaps it should go without saying that everything that I really appreciate that others do not hold in such high regard is grossly underappreciated by those not me. ;) (J/k) ------------- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4IKuxIZkenfvukL_Y8VBqzK" rel="nofollow - Duos for fave acts |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 14:40
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Can's more recent archival releases, particularly the live albums from Stuttgart and Brighton, seem to have been largely overlooked on PA, so maybe a thread like this is appropriate. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: Jacob Schoolcraft
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 15:19
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I first heard Can in 74'. I did some backtrack and collected their earlier releases. I found them to be a little insane because I had never heard anyone like them. That's probably typical of a 17 year old. As time progressed I was lucky to find reviews of their albums and some history on the band. I found their history fascinating. I discovered them late in the game and the following year they released Soon Over Babaluma which I wore out the grooves on the record. Decades later I discovered that a certain percentage of people disliked their later releases such as Saw Delight, Flow Motion, etc...but I liked those albums and I particularly liked an album on the Harvest label simply titled Can. It featured a kind of Space Rock or Punk version of "Can Can" which was a type of traditional dance ..but Can's version was fantastic |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 15:39
That would be incorrect, my post is not directed at anyone specifically. By me using that term, I meant it more that people may not know their importance to the whole progressive rock/rock in general scene. It would be very respectful and honest if someone said ....."I'm embarrassed to say I don't know CAN very well or their importance to this music scene..." Carry on..... CAN rules, all others druul!! -------------
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Posted By: jamessavik
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 16:45
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How I discovered Can In the 70s my family would drive into Jackson, Mississippi on weekends to shop at a big store on highway 80. It was a big, day long event not to be missed. Just around the corner from the strip mall was Be-Bop Record Shop- a haven of rock in a sea of country & western, blue-grass and gospel. While my parents were doing their thing, I would go to the record store where the staff would play albums. It was on one of those trips in 1976 I heard my first Can album: Tago Mago. I was intrigued by the sound and bought a copy. I got Future Days on a later trip. None of my friends had ever heard of Can. If they listened to it, they would admit it was good. If it wasn't something popular all the kids listened to, too many of them were afraid to be different. I, on the other hand, excelled at different. If you follow the crowd, you all end up in the same place. I dislike crowds. They're too crowded.
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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: April 05 2022 at 17:45
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Some here appreciate Can. They do normally well when they appear in polls, at least that. What is too little known is the vast array of solo works, some of which are every bit as innovative as Can's best material. Who hasn't done so should give Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt, Jaki, Damo (both with with various collaborators) and Michael's stuff a chance! Holger Czukay's Movies (its more recent release is called Movie!) is not only a treasure trove of ideas and surprises, also it has Jaki on drums (any album with him is worthwhile for his drumming alone and there are *lots*) and contributions from the other Can members.
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Posted By: nick_h_nz
Date Posted: April 06 2022 at 00:19
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I definitely need to do more of this, as so far I have only investigated Holger Czukay’s solo work, although I have heard the odd collaboration with Damo (but that is more because of who he was collaborating with). Perhaps you could give me, and others who are interested, a starter album for each member’s solo career? I definitely agree that Movies is a fantastic place to start with Holger. It’s probably my favourite of his solo albums. ------------- https://tinyurl.com/nickhnz-tpa" rel="nofollow - Reviewer for The Progressive Aspect |
Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: April 06 2022 at 14:18
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Irmin Schmidt has many facets. Toy Planet (with Bruno Spoerri) is an excellent electronic album (with saxophone!). Axolotl Eyes (with Kumo) is probably my favourite, There's great stuff all over the place on the many Filmmusik (soundtracks) albums. It's hard to recommend anything specific as there's so much, and most of it is a mixed bag as he has done lots of small themes for TV shows and the like. Much of this doesn't fill a whole album on its own, so they're pieced together in a somewhat random fashion. Michael Karoli's Deluge album with Polly Eltes may take some getting used to, but should appeal to a Can fan. I didn't like it much for some time but it has won me over. Jaki Liebezeit has done so many things... One I love is Secret Rhythms 3 with Burnt Friedman. In fact his later work is very consistent for me, I can basically buy any album and enjoy it, although the variety is probably not quite enough to buy, say, 10 of them.. The Snake Charmer EP of Holger with Jah Wobble, The Edge, and Jaki on two tracks is something special. Damo... well, I have seen a number of live shows with him from around 1985 (he has a habit to turn up in a place and play live with some local musicians), and two of them were stunning. Unfortunately I haven't found an album yet that reached that quality level. He can be quite hit and miss but he is invincible on a really good day. If anyone can point me to a recording where he's at his best, I'm all ears.
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Posted By: Guy Guden
Date Posted: April 07 2022 at 03:37
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"YOU MAKE ME NERVOUS" by Irmin Schmidt from his FILMMUSIK series is one of my most favourite songs, & a regular sonic intervention on SPACE PIRATE RADIO. if I hadn't seen DEEP END in a Santa Barbara theatre & later again in a Drive-In in the earliest of 1970's onwards, I would have never discovered music by "Cat Stevens & The Can." by 1973, the world had changed for this old soul. ------------- https://twitch.tv/guygudenspacepirateradio |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: April 07 2022 at 03:44
Those are two highly excellent albums that any fan of Can need to have. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Jacob Schoolcraft
Date Posted: May 01 2022 at 19:15
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Can were (for me), a different approach to Space Rock entirely. When I discovered Can...I had already been listening to stuff like..Ummagumma, The Body Geesin/Waters, The Residents, Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, Ashra Tempel, and Klaus Schulze. Can felt a bit strange and disturbing at times, but truly fascinating and interesting. There were so many interesting aspects to their sound. It could be dark sounding and experimental at times and it produced that class of dark music you'd hear on Tangerine Dream Zeit..or even Atem..but it was often surrounded with percussion. Although that one particular section of Cutaway lures a person in and causes them to dream of Space and the greatest feeling is to hear that section of Cutaway when you're gazing at the nightsky. So Can did in fact produce that atmospheric quality. The introduction of "Future Days" and sections of "Belair " are truly strange and in a world of their own. "Chain Reaction" is rhythmical, but the keyboards are not. Instead they are atmospheric throughout the piece which creates a unique vibe or impression. This was an important part of Can's sound. The drums and or percussion are busy..but the other instruments are creating soundscapes. "Quantum Physics " produces dark and dreamy soundscapes that I believe I heard in the music of Jeff Grienke during the mid 80s. Can actually had a unique sound when they used sustaining keyboard sounds and chords of dissonance. Different from Tangerine Dream and Ashra Temple. I played their albums frequently on a windy and cloudy day ..or I made it a point to. Hooking up the stereo on the screened patio and stepping outside to feel the wind while listening to their music. ..which had a strange affect on me. |