Can (band)
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Can (stylised as CAN) was a German experimental rock band formed in
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
in 1968 by
Holger Czukay Holger Schüring (24 March 1938 – 5 September 2017), known professionally as Holger Czukay (), was a German musician best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described as "successfully bridg ngthe gap between pop and the avant-g ...
(bass, tape editing), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). The group used several vocalists, most prominently the American Malcolm Mooney (1968–70) and the Japanese Damo Suzuki (1970–73). They have been widely hailed as pioneers of the German krautrock scene. Coming from backgrounds in the
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...
and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, Can blended elements of
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording te ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...
, and musique concrète on influential albums such as ''
Tago Mago ''Tago Mago'' is the second studio album by the German krautrock band Can, originally released as a double LP in August 1971 on the United Artists label. It was the band's first album to feature Damo Suzuki after the 1970 departure of previous vo ...
'' (1971), '' Ege Bamyasi'' (1972) and ''
Future Days ''Future Days'' is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock group Can, released in 1973. It was the last Can album to feature Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki, and sees the band exploring a more atmospheric sound than their previous ...
'' (1973). Can also had commercial success with singles such as " Spoon" (1971) and " I Want More" (1976) reaching national
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
charts. Their work has influenced rock,
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
, ambient, and electronic acts.


History


Origins: 1966–1968

The roots of Can can be traced back to Irmin Schmidt and a trip that he made to New York City in 1966. While Schmidt initially spent his time with
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...
musicians such as
Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, ...
, La Monte Young and
Terry Riley Terrence Mitchell "Terry" Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his music became notable for ...
, he was also eventually exposed to the world of
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
and Hotel Chelsea. In his own words, the trip "corrupted" him, sparking a fascination with the possibilities of rock music. Upon his return to
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
later that year, an inspired Schmidt formed a group with American avant-garde composer and flautist David C. Johnson and music teacher
Holger Czukay Holger Schüring (24 March 1938 – 5 September 2017), known professionally as Holger Czukay (), was a German musician best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described as "successfully bridg ngthe gap between pop and the avant-g ...
with the intention of exploring his newly broadened horizons. Up to that point, the inclinations of all three musicians had been exclusively avant-garde classical. In fact, both Schmidt and Czukay had directly studied under the influential composer
Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groundb ...
. Schmidt chose to play organ and piano, while Czukay played bass and was able to record their music with a basic two-track tape machine. The group was soon fleshed out by guitarist Michael Karoli, a 19-year-old pupil of Czukay, and drummer Jaki Liebezeit, who had grown disenchanted with his work in free jazz groups. As the group developed a more rock-oriented sound, a disappointed Johnson left the group at the end of 1968. The band used the names "Inner Space" and "the Can" before finally settling on Can, stylised in all caps. Mooney suggested the name due to its positive meanings in various languages. For example, in Turkish, a language much heard in Germany, "can" may mean, depending on the context, "life, soul, heart, spirit, beloved and vitality". Liebezeit later suggested the backformation acronym "
Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...
,
Anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
, Nihilism", after an English magazine claimed this was the intended meaning.


Early years: 1968–1970

Around September 1968, the band enlisted the creative, highly rhythmic, but unstable and often confrontational American vocalist Malcolm Mooney, a New York-based sculptor, with whom it recorded the material for an album, '' Prepared to Meet Thy Pnoom''. As "Inner Space", and with both Johnson and Mooney present, the band appeared briefly in the 1969 film '' Kamasutra: Vollendung der Liebe'' backing singer Margarete Juvan. Unable to find a recording company willing to release the album, the group continued its studio work until it had material for what became its first release, '' Monster Movie'' (1969). This album contained new versions of two songs previously recorded for ''Prepared to Meet Thy Pnoom'', "Father Cannot Yell" and "Outside My Door". Other material recorded around the same time was released in 1981 as '' Delay 1968''. Mooney's ranting vocals emphasized the music's sheer strangeness and hypnotic quality, which was influenced particularly by garage rock,
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording te ...
and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...
. Repetition was stressed on bass and drums, particularly on the track "
Yoo Doo Right "Yoo Doo Right" is a song on Can's 1969 debut album, '' Monster Movie'', which had been edited down from a six-hour improvisation to a mere twenty minutes. The song features a pounding, tribal-influenced rhythm section throughout, along with sing ...
", which had been edited down from a six-hour improvisation to take up a mere single side of vinyl. Liebezeit's tight but multifarious drumming was crucial in carrying the music. Mooney made his last recordings with Can in December 1969 before returning to America around the end of the year on a psychiatrist's advice, having been told that getting away from Can's chaotic music would be good for his mental health. The liner notes of the CD reissue of '' Monster Movie'' say that he suffered a nervous breakdown ("caught in a Can groove"), shouting "upstairs, downstairs" repeatedly. He was replaced in May 1970 by the more understated Kenji "Damo" Suzuki, a young Japanese traveler Czukay and Liebezeit found busking outside a
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...
café. Though he knew only a handful of guitar chords and improvised most of his lyrics (as opposed to committing them to paper), he was asked to perform with the band that night. The band's first record with Suzuki was ''
Soundtracks A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...
'' (1970), a compilation of music made for films that also contained two earlier tracks recorded with Mooney. Suzuki's lyrics were usually in English and sometimes in Japanese (for example, in "Oh Yeah" and "Doko E").


Middle years: 1971–1973

The next few years saw Can release its most acclaimed works. While its earlier recordings tended to be at least loosely based on traditional song structures, on its mid-career albums the band reverted to an extremely fluid improvisational style. The double album ''
Tago Mago ''Tago Mago'' is the second studio album by the German krautrock band Can, originally released as a double LP in August 1971 on the United Artists label. It was the band's first album to feature Damo Suzuki after the 1970 departure of previous vo ...
'' (1971) is often seen as groundbreaking, influential and deeply unconventional, based on intensely rhythmic jazz-inspired drumming, improvised guitar and keyboard soloing (frequently intertwining), tape edits as composition, and Suzuki's idiosyncratic vocalisms. Czukay said it "was an attempt in achieving a mystery musical world from light to darkness and return." In 1971 the band composed the music for the three-part German-language television crime miniseries ''Das Messer'' ("The Knife"), directed by
Rolf von Sydow Rolf von Sydow (18 June 1924 – 16 June 2019) was a German film director and author. Life Von Sydow worked as a film director in Germany. He married on three occasions. As an author, Sydow wrote several books and audible books. Works by Syd ...
. The track " Spoon" was used as the theme song and, released as a single, reached number 6 in the German singles chart. ''Tago Mago'' was followed in 1972 by '' Ege Bamyasi'', a more accessible but still avant-garde record which featured "Spoon" and the catchy "
Vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) ...
". Czukay said, "We could achieve an excellent dry and ambient sound... 'Ege Bamyasi''reflects the group being in a lighter mood." It was followed by ''
Future Days ''Future Days'' is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock group Can, released in 1973. It was the last Can album to feature Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki, and sees the band exploring a more atmospheric sound than their previous ...
'' in 1973, an early example of
ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It ...
that also includes the pop song " Moonshake". Czukay said, "'Bel Air'
he 20-minute track that takes up all of side two on the original ''Future Days'' LP He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
showed Can in a state of being an electric symphony group performing a peaceful though sometimes dramatic landscape painting." Suzuki left soon after the recording of ''Future Days'' to marry his German girlfriend, and become a Jehovah's Witness. Vocals were taken over by Karoli and Schmidt, but after Suzuki's departure, fewer of Can's tracks featured vocals, as the band experimented with the ambient music it had begun with ''Future Days''.


Later years: 1974–1979

'' Soon Over Babaluma'' from 1974 continued in the ambient style of ''
Future Days ''Future Days'' is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock group Can, released in 1973. It was the last Can album to feature Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki, and sees the band exploring a more atmospheric sound than their previous ...
'', but with some of the abrasive edge of ''
Tago Mago ''Tago Mago'' is the second studio album by the German krautrock band Can, originally released as a double LP in August 1971 on the United Artists label. It was the band's first album to feature Damo Suzuki after the 1970 departure of previous vo ...
'' and '' Ege Bamyasi''. In 1975, Can signed with
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...
in the UK and EMI/Harvest in Germany, appearing the same year on BBC's '' Old Grey Whistle Test'' in a memorable performance of ''Vernal Equinox'' in which Schmidt played one keyboard section with a series of rapid karate chops. Shortly after the appearance Schmidt suffered a broken leg which led to cancellation of the band's UK tour. The later albums '' Landed'' (1975) and ''
Flow Motion ''Flow Motion'' is the seventh studio album by German rock band Can. It was released in October 1976 and features the UK hit single " I Want More". Recording and production Recording sessions for what would become ''Flow Motion'' began at Can' ...
'' (1976) saw Can moving toward a somewhat more conventional style as its recording technology improved. The disco single " I Want More" from ''Flow Motion'' became its only hit record outside Germany. Co-written by live sound mixer Peter Gilmour, it reached No 26 in the UK charts in October 1976, which prompted an appearance on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'', where Czukay performed with a double bass. In 1977 Can was joined by former
Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...
bassist
Rosko Gee Rosko Gee is a Jamaican bassist, who has played with the English band Traffic on their albums '' When the Eagle Flies'' (1974) and ''The Last Great Traffic Jam'' (2005); with Go featuring Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve, Klau ...
and percussionist
Rebop Kwaku Baah Anthony "Rebop" Kwaku Baah (13 February 1944 – 12 January 1983) was a Ghanaian percussionist who worked with the 1970s rock groups Traffic and Can. Biography Baah was born on 13 February 1944, in Konongo, Gold Coast. In 1969, Baah perfor ...
, both of whom provided vocals, appearing on the albums '' Saw Delight'' (1977), '' Out of Reach'' (1978) and '' Can'' (1979). During this period Czukay was pushed to the fringes of the group's activity due to disagreements about the band's creative direction and his failure as a bass guitarist to keep up with the growth of the other musicians. Bass guitar was something Czukay had "taken up almost by default" and he readily admitted his limitations on the instrument. After Gee joined Can, Czukay made sounds using
shortwave radios Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
, Morse code keys,
tape recorder An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...
s and other sundry objects. He left Can in late 1977 and did not appear on the albums ''Out of Reach'' or ''Can'', although he was involved with production work for the latter album. The band seemed to be in a hiatus shortly afterwards, but reunions have taken place on several occasions since.


After the split and reunion

Since the split, all the former members have been involved in musical projects, often as session musicians for other artists. In 1986 they briefly reformed, with original vocalist Mooney, to record ''
Rite Time ''Rite Time'' is the eleventh and final studio album by the German rock band Can. It is considered a reunion album because of the time elapsed since the band's previous album, '' Can'', which had been released in 1979. The album consists of se ...
'' (released in 1989). There was a further reunion in 1991 by Karoli, Liebezeit, Mooney and Schmidt to record a track for the Wim Wenders film ''
Until the End of the World ''Until the End of the World'' (german: Bis ans Ende der Welt; french: Jusqu'au bout du monde) is a 1991 science fiction adventure drama film directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Set at the turn of the millennium in the shadow of a world- ...
'' and in August 1999 by Karoli, Liebezeit and Schmidt with
Jono Podmore Kumo is a British musician and composer, the pseudonym of Jono Podmore who was born in 1965. Biography Kumo came into existence in 1994 when composer, producer, engineer and arranger Jono Podmore began work at Watershed Studios, London and with ...
to record a cover of "
The Third Man Theme "The Third Man Theme" (also written "3rd Man Theme" and known as "The Harry Lime Theme") is an instrumental written and performed by Anton Karas for the soundtrack to the 1949 film ''The Third Man''. Background ''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British ...
" for Grönland Records' compilation album ''Pop 2000''. In 1999 the four core members of Can, Karoli, Liebezeit, Schmidt and Czukay, performed live at the same show, although playing separately with their current solo projects (Sofortkontakt, Club Off Chaos, Kumo and U-She respectively). Can have since been the subject of numerous compilations, live albums and samples. In 2004, the band began a series of Super Audio CD remasters of its back catalog, which were finished in 2006. Michael Karoli died of cancer on 17 November 2001; Jaki Liebezeit died of pneumonia on 22 January 2017, and Czukay died of natural causes on 5 September 2017, thus leaving Irmin Schmidt as the sole surviving consistent member of the group.


Solo works

Holger Czukay recorded several ambient albums and collaborated with David Sylvian among others. Jaki Liebezeit played extensively with bassists Jah Wobble and Bill Laswell, with a drum ensemble called Drums off Chaos and in 2005 with Datenverarbeiter on the online album ''Givt''. Michael Karoli recorded a reggae album with Polly Eltes before his death, and Irmin Schmidt has begun working with drummer Martin Atkins, producing a remix for the industrial band
The Damage Manual The Damage Manual was an industrial supergroup formed in 2000. It featured Martin Atkins on drums and loops, Chris Connelly on vocals, Geordie Walker on guitar and Jah Wobble on bass. A second lineup saw Steven Seibold of the band Hate Dept ...
and a cover of "Banging the Door" for a Public Image Ltd tribute album, both released on Atkins' label, Invisible Records. Karoli formed Sofortkontakt! for the Can reunion shows in 1999 with Mark Spybey, who had previously been associated with Dead Voices on Air,
Zoviet France Zoviet France (also known as :$OVIET:FRANCE:, Soviet France, :Zoviet-France: and latterly usually written as :zoviet*france:) are a music group from Newcastle upon Tyne in north east England. While often dissonant and made of industrial text ...
,
Reformed Faction Reformed Faction is a musical group formed in 2005 by three former members of Zoviet France: Andy Eardley, Mark Spybey and Robin Storey. The band's original name was The Reformed Faction of Soviet France. They played one concert, in Vienna ...
and Download. The band also featured Alexander Schoenert, Felix Guttierez of Jelly Planet, Thomas Hopf and Mandjao Fati. Karoli also performed on numerous occasions with Damo Suzuki's Network. Damo Suzuki returned to music in 1983 and since then he has been playing live improvisational shows around the world with local musicians and members of touring bands at various points, sometimes issuing live albums. Malcolm Mooney recorded an album as singer for the band Tenth Planet in 1998. Rosko Gee has been the bassist in the live band on
Harald Schmidt Harald Franz Schmidt (born 18 August 1957) is a German actor, comedian, television presenter and writer best known as the host of two popular German late-night shows. Early and private life A son of refugees who fled from Sudetenland (now C ...
's TV show in Germany since 1995. Rebop Kwaku Baah died in 1983 following a brain hemorrhage.


Archive releases

Can released a compilation album ''Limited Edition'' in 1974, and expanded it to a double album '' Unlimited Edition'' in 1976 from their unreleased studio recordings. '' Delay 1968'', released in 1981, was a compilation of unreleased 1968–1969 recordings. ''Cannibalism 2'', a compilation album of album and single material, also included one unreleased song, "Melting Away", from the 1960s. In 1995 '' The Peel Sessions'' was released, a compilation of Can recordings at the BBC. In 1999 ''Can Box'' was released, with a Can video documentary, a concert recording from 1972 and a double live CD compiled by Michael Karoli and later released separately as '' Can Live Music (Live 1971–1977)''. Unreleased live music of Can have been also released on the 40th Anniversary Edition of ''
Tago Mago ''Tago Mago'' is the second studio album by the German krautrock band Can, originally released as a double LP in August 1971 on the United Artists label. It was the band's first album to feature Damo Suzuki after the 1970 departure of previous vo ...
'' in 2011 and 17 LP collection box ''Can'' in 2014. '' The Lost Tapes'', released in 2012, was overseen by Irmin Schmidt and Daniel Miller, compiled by Schmidt and
Jono Podmore Kumo is a British musician and composer, the pseudonym of Jono Podmore who was born in 1965. Biography Kumo came into existence in 1994 when composer, producer, engineer and arranger Jono Podmore began work at Watershed Studios, London and with ...
, and edited by Podmore.


Music


Style

Holger Czukay Holger Schüring (24 March 1938 – 5 September 2017), known professionally as Holger Czukay (), was a German musician best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described as "successfully bridg ngthe gap between pop and the avant-g ...
and Irmin Schmidt were both pupils of
Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groundb ...
, and Can inherited a strong grounding in his musical theory; the latter was trained as a classical pianist, while Michael Karoli was a pupil of
Holger Czukay Holger Schüring (24 March 1938 – 5 September 2017), known professionally as Holger Czukay (), was a German musician best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described as "successfully bridg ngthe gap between pop and the avant-g ...
and brought the influence of gypsy music through his
esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...
studies. Drummer Jaki Liebezeit had strong
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
leanings. The band's sound was originally intended to be based on the sound of ethnic music, so when the band decided to pick up the garage rock sound, original member David Johnson left. This world music trend was later exemplified on albums such as '' Ege Bamyasi'' (the name meaning " Aegean okra" in Turkish), ''
Future Days ''Future Days'' is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock group Can, released in 1973. It was the last Can album to feature Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki, and sees the band exploring a more atmospheric sound than their previous ...
'' and '' Saw Delight'', and by incorporating new band members with different nationalities. A series of tracks on Can albums, known as "Ethnological Forgery Series", abbreviated to "E.F.S", demonstrated the band's ability to successfully recreate ethnic-sounding music. They constructed their music largely through collective spontaneous composition, sampling themselves in the studio and editing down the results; bassist and chief engineer Czukay referred to Can's live and studio performances as "instant compositions". The band's early rock influences include
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and The Velvet Underground as well as Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone and
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...
. The band have admitted that the beginning of Can's "Father Cannot Yell" was inspired by the Velvet Underground's " European Son". Malcolm Mooney's voice has been compared to that of
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...
(an acknowledged hero of the band members) and their early style, rooted in psychedelic music, drew comparisons with
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
. Czukay's extensive editing has occasionally been compared to the late-'60s music of trumpeter
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
(such as '' In a Silent Way'' and ''
Bitches Brew ''Bitches Brew'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City and released on March 30, 1970 by Columbia Records. It mark ...
''): Can and Davis both would record long groove-intensive improvisations, then edit the best bits together for their albums. Czukay and
Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' ''Bitches Brew'', and ...
(Davis's producer and editor) both had roots in the '' musique concrète'' of the 1940s and '50s. Irmin Schmidt stated in a discussion with Michael Karoli in 1996 concerning the various citations of influences upon their music: "You know, it's funny that in spite of all the supposed influences on us that have been written about, the one overriding influence has never been mentioned: Michael von Biel." Damo Suzuki was a very different singer from Mooney, with a multilingual (he claimed to sing in "the language of the Stone Age") and often inscrutable vocal style. With Suzuki, the band made their most critically and commercially successful albums. The rhythm section's work on ''Tago Mago'' has been especially praised: one critic writes that much of the album is based on "long improvisations built around hypnotic rhythm patterns"; another writes that "
Halleluhwah "Halleluwah" (alternatively titled "Halleluhwah" on some post-1989 releases) is a song by the krautrock band Can, from their 1971 album ''Tago Mago''. The track, which originally took up a whole side of long-playing vinyl record, lasts for 18 mi ...
" finds them "pounding out a monster trance/funk beat".


Legacy and influence

The Lumerians and Happy Mondays have cited Can as an influence. Critic Simon Reynolds wrote that "Can's pan-global avant-funk anticipated many of the moves made by sampladelic dance genres like
trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...
, ethnotechno and ambient jungle."
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop a ...
made a short film in tribute to Can, while John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared at the Echo Awards ceremony, at which Can were awarded the most prestigious music award in Germany, to pay tribute to guitarist Michael Karoli.
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...
covered Can's song "The Thief" frequently in the early 2000s, and cited them as an influence on their 2000 album '' Kid A''. Mark E. Smith of the Fall paid tribute to Suzuki with the track "
I Am Damo Suzuki "I Am Damo Suzuki" is a song by the English Post-punk band The Fall released on their 1985 album ''This Nation's Saving Grace'' . It was written in tribute to the Japanese expat vocalist Damo Suzuki of the Krautrock group Can, whom Fall vocali ...
" on the 1985 album '' This Nation's Saving Grace''. The Jesus and Mary Chain covered "Mushroom" live in the mid-1980s.
Mark Hollis Mark David Hollis (4 January 1955 – February 2019) was an English musician and singer-songwriter. He achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s as the co-founder, lead singer and principal songwriter of the band ...
of Talk Talk had mentioned Can several times as an influence for their later albums, ''
Spirit of Eden ''Spirit of Eden'' is the fourth studio album by English band Talk Talk, released in 1988 on Parlophone Records. The songs were written by vocalist Mark Hollis and producer Tim Friese-Greene and the album was compiled from a lengthy recording ...
'' and ''
Laughing Stock ''Laughing Stock'' is the fifth and final studio album by English band Talk Talk, released in 1991. Following their previous release ''Spirit of Eden'' (1988), bassist Paul Webb left the group, which reduced Talk Talk to the duo of singer/mult ...
''. At least five notable bands have named themselves in tribute to Can:
the Mooney Suzuki The Mooney Suzuki is an American garage rock band that formed in New York City in 1996. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Sammy James, Jr., guitarist Graham Tyler, bassist John Paul Ribas and drummer Will Rockwell-Scott, the band has ...
for Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki; the
indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produ ...
band Spoon after the hit " Spoon"; the electronic band Egebamyasi, formed by Scottish musician Mr Egg in 1984, after Can's album '' Ege Bamyasi''; Hunters & Collectors after a song on the '' Landed'' album; and Moonshake, named for a track on ''
Future Days ''Future Days'' is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock group Can, released in 1973. It was the last Can album to feature Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki, and sees the band exploring a more atmospheric sound than their previous ...
'', and formed by ex-Wolfhounds frontman David Callahan. The Scottish writer
Alan Warner Alan Warner (born 1964) is a Scottish novelist who grew up in Connel, near Oban. His notable novels include ''Morvern Callar'' and ''The Sopranos'' – the latter being the inspiration for the play '' Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour'' and its ...
has written two novels in tribute to two different Can members (''
Morvern Callar ''Morvern Callar'' is a 1995 experimental novel by Scottish author Alan Warner. Published as his first novel, its first-person narrative—written in a Scottish dialect—explores the life and interests of the titular character following the sud ...
'' to Holger Czukay and '' The Man Who Walks'' to Michael Karoli respectively). The ''
Sacrilege Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...
'' remix album features remixes of Can tracks by artists who were influenced by Can, including Sonic Youth and U.N.K.L.E. Their ethnomusicological tendencies pre-date the craze for world music in the 1980s. While not nearly as influential on electronic music as
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize t ...
, they were important early pioneers of
ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It ...
, along with Tangerine Dream and the aforementioned band. Many groups working in the post-rock genre can look to Can as an influence as part of the larger krautrock scene, as can
New Prog Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initi ...
bands such as The Mars Volta. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' called the group a "pioneering space rock band".
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
has sampled "Sing Swan Song" on his song "Drunk & Hot Girls" from his 2007 album ''
Graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...
''. The UK band
Loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...
was deeply influenced by Can for their repetitive polyrhythmic style, covering Can's "Mother Sky" on their ''Fade Out'' album. The Yugoslav progressive/psychedelic rock band Igra Staklenih Perli, heavily influenced by Can, on their self-titled debut album released the song "Pečurka" ("Mushroom") as a tribute to Can. The band is name-checked as a formative influence in LCD Soundsystem's debut single " Losing My Edge". Oasis' 2008 single " The Shock of the Lightning" was inspired by Can and Neu!.


Improvisation, recording and live shows

Much of Can's music was based on free improvisation and then edited for the studio albums. For example, when preparing a soundtrack, only Irmin Schmidt would view the film and then give the rest of the band a general description of the scenes they would be scoring. This assisted in the improvised soundtrack being successful both inside and outside the film's context. Can's live shows often melded spontaneous improvisation of this kind with songs appearing on their albums. The track "Colchester Finale", appearing on the '' Can Live'' album, incorporates portions of "
Halleluhwah "Halleluwah" (alternatively titled "Halleluhwah" on some post-1989 releases) is a song by the krautrock band Can, from their 1971 album ''Tago Mago''. The track, which originally took up a whole side of long-playing vinyl record, lasts for 18 mi ...
" into a composition lasting over half an hour. Early concerts found Mooney and Suzuki often able to shock audiences. The actor David Niven was asked by Czukay what he had thought of a concert, Niven replied: "It was great, but I didn't know it was music." After the departure of Suzuki, the music grew in intensity without a vocal centre. The band maintained their ability to collectively improvise with or without central themes for hours at a time (their longest performance, in Berlin, lasted over six hours), resulting in a large archive of performances. Can made attempts to find a new vocalist after the departure of Damo Suzuki, although no one quite fit the position. In 1975, folk singer
Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk music, folk and blues music, blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including "If I Were a Carpenter (song), ...
took the lead vocal spot and played guitar with Can for one song, at two gigs, performing his own "
The Lady Came From Baltimore "The Lady Came from Baltimore" (sometimes shown as "Lady Came from Baltimore") is a song written by American singer-songwriter Tim Hardin, who recorded and released it as a track on his album ''Tim Hardin 2'' in 1967. The song was inspired by Har ...
". Malaysian vocalist Thaiga Raj Raja Ratnam played six dates with the band between January and March 1976. Another temporary vocalist, Englishman Michael Cousins, toured with Can from March (France) to April (Germany) 1976.


Band members

* Michael Karoli – guitar, vocals, violin (1968–1979, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1999; died 2001) * Jaki Liebezeit – drums, percussion (1968–1979, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1999; died 2017) * Irmin Schmidt – keyboards, vocals (1968–1979, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1999) *
Holger Czukay Holger Schüring (24 March 1938 – 5 September 2017), known professionally as Holger Czukay (), was a German musician best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described as "successfully bridg ngthe gap between pop and the avant-g ...
– bass, sound engineer, electronics, vocals, French horn (1968–1977, 1986, 1988; died 2017) * David C. Johnson – reeds, winds, electronics and tape manipulation (1968) * Malcolm Mooney – vocals (1968–1970, 1986-1988, 1991) * Damo Suzuki – vocals (1970–1973) *
Rosko Gee Rosko Gee is a Jamaican bassist, who has played with the English band Traffic on their albums '' When the Eagle Flies'' (1974) and ''The Last Great Traffic Jam'' (2005); with Go featuring Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve, Klau ...
– bass, vocals (1977–1979) *
Rebop Kwaku Baah Anthony "Rebop" Kwaku Baah (13 February 1944 – 12 January 1983) was a Ghanaian percussionist who worked with the 1970s rock groups Traffic and Can. Biography Baah was born on 13 February 1944, in Konongo, Gold Coast. In 1969, Baah perfor ...
– percussion, vocals (1977–1979; died 1983) Additional collaborators *Manni Löhe – vocals, percussion and flute (1968) * Duncan Fallowell – lyrics (1974) *
René Tinner René Tinner (born February 18, 1953, in St. Gallen) is a Swiss recording engineer and producer, who has produced over 200 studio records and numerous live performances. Career Tinner began his career as the audio engineer of the German roc ...
– recording engineer (1973–1979, 1986, 1991) *Olaf Kübler of Amon Düül – tenor saxophone (1975) *
Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk music, folk and blues music, blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including "If I Were a Carpenter (song), ...
– vocals & guitar (November 1975) (died 1980) *Thaiga Raj Raja Ratnam – vocals (January–March 1976) *Michael Cousins – vocals (March–April 1976) *Peter Gilmour – lyrics, live sound mixing (later 1970s) *
Jono Podmore Kumo is a British musician and composer, the pseudonym of Jono Podmore who was born in 1965. Biography Kumo came into existence in 1994 when composer, producer, engineer and arranger Jono Podmore began work at Watershed Studios, London and with ...
– recording engineer, bass (1999), soundprocessing and editing engineer (1999, 2003, 2011–2012) Timeline ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1968 till:01/01/2000 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:01/01/1968 ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:01/01/1970 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Wind value:gray(0.5) legend:Wind_instruments id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars,_violin id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Perc value:claret legend:Percussion id:Sound value:lavender legend:Sound_manipulation id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 LineData = layer:back color:studio at:15/08/1969 at:15/09/1970 at:15/02/1971 at:15/11/1972 at:15/08/1973 at:15/11/1974 at:15/09/1975 at:15/10/1976 at:15/03/1977 at:15/07/1978 at:15/07/1979 at:15/10/1989 BarData = bar:Malc text:"Malcolm Mooney" bar:Damo text:"Damo Suzuki" bar:Dave text:"David C. Johnson" bar:Mike text:"Michael Karoli" bar:Ir text:"Irmin Schmidt" bar:Cz text:"Holger Czukay" bar:Gee text:"Rosko Gee" bar:Jaki text:"Jaki Liebezeit " bar:Bop text:"Rebop Kwaku Baah" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Malc from:01/08/1968 till:01/01/1970 color:Vocals bar:Malc from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Vocals bar:Malc from:01/09/1991 till:30/09/1991 color:Vocals bar:Mike from:start till:01/09/1979 color:Guitar bar:Mike from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Guitar bar:Mike from:01/09/1991 till:30/09/1991 color:Guitar bar:Mike from:01/08/1999 till:30/08/1999 color:Guitar bar:Ir from:start till:01/09/1979 color:Keys bar:Ir from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Keys bar:Ir from:01/09/1991 till:30/09/1991 color:Keys bar:Ir from:01/08/1999 till:30/08/1999 color:Keys bar:Jaki from:start till:01/09/1979 color:Drums bar:Jaki from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Drums bar:Jaki from:01/09/1991 till:30/09/1991 color:Drums bar:Jaki from:01/08/1999 till:30/08/1999 color:Drums bar:Cz from:start till:01/10/1976 color:Bass bar:Cz from:01/10/1976 till:01/12/1977 color:Sound bar:Cz from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Bass bar:Gee from:01/10/1976 till:01/09/1979 color:Bass bar:Bop from:01/03/1977 till:01/09/1979 color:Perc bar:Dave from:start till:01/12/1968 color:Wind bar:Damo from:01/04/1970 till:01/10/1973 color:Vocals width:7 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Cz from:start till:01/10/1976 color:Sound bar:Cz from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Sound width:5 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Cz from:start till:01/08/1968 color:Wind bar:Cz from:01/01/1970 till:01/04/1970 color:Wind bar:Cz from:01/10/1973 till:01/10/1976 color:Wind width:3 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Mike from:start till:01/08/1968 color:Vocals bar:Mike from:01/01/1970 till:01/04/1970 color:Vocals bar:Mike from:01/10/1973 till:01/09/1979 color:Vocals bar:Mike from:01/08/1999 till:30/08/1999 color:Vocals bar:Ir from:start till:01/08/1968 color:Vocals bar:Ir from:01/01/1970 till:01/04/1970 color:Vocals bar:Ir from:01/10/1973 till:01/09/1979 color:Vocals bar:Ir from:01/08/1999 till:30/08/1999 color:Vocals bar:Cz from:start till:01/08/1968 color:Vocals bar:Cz from:01/01/1970 till:01/04/1970 color:Vocals bar:Cz from:01/10/1973 till:01/10/1976 color:Vocals bar:Cz from:01/08/1968 till:01/01/1970 color:Wind bar:Cz from:01/04/1970 till:01/10/1973 color:Wind bar:Cz from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Wind bar:Jaki from:start till:01/03/1977 color:Perc bar:Jaki from:01/12/1986 till:30/12/1986 color:Perc bar:Jaki from:01/09/1991 till:30/09/1991 color:Perc bar:Jaki from:01/08/1999 till:30/08/1999 color:Perc bar:Gee from:01/10/1976 till:01/09/1979 color:Vocals bar:Bop from:01/03/1977 till:01/09/1979 color:Vocals bar:Dave from:start till:01/12/1968 color:Sound


Discography

*'' Monster Movie'' (1969) *''
Tago Mago ''Tago Mago'' is the second studio album by the German krautrock band Can, originally released as a double LP in August 1971 on the United Artists label. It was the band's first album to feature Damo Suzuki after the 1970 departure of previous vo ...
'' (1971) *'' Ege Bamyasi'' (1972) *''
Future Days ''Future Days'' is the fourth studio album by the German experimental rock group Can, released in 1973. It was the last Can album to feature Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki, and sees the band exploring a more atmospheric sound than their previous ...
'' (1973) *'' Soon Over Babaluma'' (1974) *'' Landed'' (1975) *''
Flow Motion ''Flow Motion'' is the seventh studio album by German rock band Can. It was released in October 1976 and features the UK hit single " I Want More". Recording and production Recording sessions for what would become ''Flow Motion'' began at Can' ...
'' (1976) *'' Saw Delight'' (1977) *'' Out of Reach'' (1978) *'' Can'' (1979) *''
Rite Time ''Rite Time'' is the eleventh and final studio album by the German rock band Can. It is considered a reunion album because of the time elapsed since the band's previous album, '' Can'', which had been released in 1979. The album consists of se ...
'' (1989)


Videography

*'' Romantic Warriors IV: Krautrock'' (2019)


References


Works cited

*


Bibliography

* * Bussy, Pascal and Andy Hall. ''The Can Book''. Saf Publishing, 1989. * Bussy, Pascal. ''Kraftwerk: Man, Machine and Music''. SAF Publishing, 2005. * ''The New Musical Express Book of Rock'', Star Books, 1975, . * ''Rock: The Rough Guide'' (2nd edition). Penguin, 1999. * Strong, Martin C. ''Great Rock Discography''. (5th edition), MOJO Books, 2000. * Stubbs, David. ''Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany''. Faber & Faber Rock Music, 2014. *


External links


Official website (Spoonrecords.com)

Biography at Mute Records
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Can Krautrock musical groups Free improvisation ensembles Ambient music groups German art rock groups German experimental rock groups Mute Records artists Musical groups established in 1968 Musical groups disestablished in 1999 1968 establishments in West Germany 1999 disestablishments in Germany Musical groups from Cologne German progressive rock groups German experimental musical groups German psychedelic rock music groups Liberty Records artists United Artists Records artists Virgin Records artists Harvest Records artists Restless Records artists