CAN....S and D?

It starts getting good from Soundtracks on. Future Days is simply awesome.

The whole disco period is ok, if you're a big Can fan, but I wouldn't start there (although I love Holger Czukay's "Movies" album).

What I've heard of Ege Bamyasi and Tago Mago sounded appealing, especially the former.

anyway, my favorite is still probably future days although everything they did has moments.

Destroy: _Out of Reach_, which the band hated so much it's never been reissued, and with good reason.

Tons of Can threads so might as well revive this one for this link -- Irwin Schmidt on food, music and democracy:

http://thequietus.com/articles/00813-irmin-schmidt-of-can-on-food-and-cooking-plus-a-recipe-tip

I know it's not meant to be any good, but the completist in me needs to buy a copy of 'Out Of Reach' - are any of the CD versions better or worse than others in terms of sound quality? I've read that, since it's been disowned and not officially reissued, the CD versions often come from poorly done vinyl transfers.
Any tips for which of the grey-area CD versions to try and locate?

Thanks

If there's a Can forum or similar where such a question might also have been answered by knowledgeable geeks then please point me that way too.

I dont know about sound quality, but there are several different versions floating around - at least in Europe. The one released by Audelic contains Out Of Reach and the self titled album and is pretty cheap, there should be also a more recent version from Cleopatra (!) that according our supplier's database should be easily available.

Thanks Marco. I didn't think to check for standardly available copies, assuming that the grey-area aspect would write them off, but I think I see the copy you mention, thought the UK distributor for Cleopatra isn't entirely clear and we definitely don't deal with whoever Synergie are ourselves. I'll try to see if maybe Cargo, F-Minor or PHD have it on their books.

I think that all these versions are basically non-legit.
I saw the Cleopatra version is available through Bertus, a big Dutch supplier: I'm pretty sure all good UK distributors work with them.

Cheers, that will probably help to know. If I can get it through the shop that's a bonus as I have a lot of left over holiday pay to write off.

add to search: the peel sessions - "Up the Bakerloo Line w/Annie" sounds like an acid trip. in a good way

I found it on a mp3 blog a few nights ago, Haven't listend to it yet.... not actually sure I want to. nothing worse than a bad album by a favourite band.

Oh, I know it's not meant to be good. I want it purely for completeness reasons.

Is it 'bad'?

Or just 'bad by their standards'?

It is truly and definitely BAD: the eponymous album has more than a couple of good moments, but Out Of Reach is pretty indefensible.
That said, I'm the proud owner of a copy exactly for the same reasons of Krakow. :)
The BBC album, instead, is marvellous and a fascinating glimpse into the band's compositional methods.

The best things on it are the Rosko Gee songs

Anyone else think "Inner Space" is under-rated? I'm not sure it's up there with the canonical records, but it's close IMO.

first time I've heard the recorded version of this track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxFYCE6VIt4&feature=related

delay is ok... "the thief" is a banger

Is Cannibalism worth bothering with? The remix of Yoo Doo Right sounds like warmed-over trip hop to me...

you mean Sacriliege? the Cannabalism albums are just compilations

Cannibalism 2 has a few of my fave Can moments (the crazy/fun Mother Upduff is supposedly a true story; Turtles Have Short Legs one of damo's best vocals; Shikiku Maru Ten also excellent wierdness)
the first Cannibalism is less essential if you already have the early Can records but there's a few different mixes iirc.
and yeah, Sacrilege had a couple pieces i liked but i only recall the Sonic youth one right now....

cannibalism ii's just such a great listen - it's edited together so well, the first clutch of songs p much sync up & match jaki's drums up iirc.

I never tried Cannibalism 1 since I have all the albums, plus I hate how "Yoo Doo Right" is the only full length piece there. Cannibalism 2 seems good but if you have Radio Waves and Unlimited Edition then it's kinda superfluous. Cannibalism 3 is a collection of solo material and it's actually pretty entertaining (though disappointing if you're expecting a lot of great instrumental stuff). As for the remix collection, I really thought it was a big wasted opportunity, you'll probably wind up liking 1-2 of the remixes and find the others a waste of time

Ah yes, sorry, I do mean Sacrilege. It's the 3p mix of Yoo Doo Right that didn't sound too great to me, some of the other remixers might do a better job though.

tbh that Yoo Doo Right mix was really the only thing on there I liked, so yeah. the other remixers don't do a great job either

I liked Bruce Gilbert's mix for being barking mad, the rest, as someone said, is "not my tea"

I need to check out Cannibalism 2

the eponymous album has more than a couple of good moments

lol rev introduced me in the outloud room to the awesomeness that is "Aspectacle"

I like the edits on Cannibalism 1 when I'm in the mood for a peak-period Can mixtape. Sometimes I only need 8 minutes of Halleluwah!

yeah I'm not on board with all those who say it got "ruined" with an edit. it's not like it's "Close to the Edge" or "Supper's Ready" or anything! still, no idea why "Yoo Doo Right" survives intact

I got so used to the shorter "Mother Sky", the proper one seemed un-naturally elongated in places (i.e. bits obviously repeated)

yeh i knew Cannibalism first, the longer versions seemed weird when i finally heard them. and the longer versions are already edits of much longer jams!

that said, "halleluwah" definitely kicks it in its 18 minute version
"augmn" could be shorter though

has there been any discussion about the supposed box set anywhere?

this sounds pretty rad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u4CtYbTT2-Y

from Can: The Lost Tapes

ha, it sounds like the music for "Italian Spiderman" - guessing that's a super-early cut?

super excited about this release. let's hope the next step is a decent sounding live recording!!

yeah it def has an earlier feel.
don't have to wait for a decent sounding live recording -- check this one: http://ow.ly/9XyYa

i'll have to grab that when i get home. i love the idea of live Can but that Live Box and the new Tago Mago bonus tracks just have so much tape hiss; could probably compress them to 64 kbps and not hear a difference

thanks tyler will grab that, there were some great boots on mutant sounds a year or two ago too

yeahhh, i think i got some of those - Future Days Past Nights? The 1973 show might not blow your mind in terms of sound quality (it's pretty good), but the performance is otherworldly.

thaaaaaaaaank yoooooooooooou

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgt2ZGZn9mg

dudes rock

that clip unfortunately cuts off Leo talking about his character's love for Steely Dan's "Dirty Work"... he listened to it over and over again.

vmic for Anderson’s self-mockery via that character (not that the song is bad, whereas liking it in self-pity is risible, cf Tony Soprano)

warming to Del Toro since he reps the late period Can.

the connoisseurs choice.

All gates open for the sensei

Speaking of late period Can, struck again this weekend by how great Inner Space/CAN is. Yes, it peters out at the end, but that first half is fantastic.

I think the way it ends is funny

Was my first Can album and I still think All Gates Open is a top Can song.

im curious for dan or any other can man DJs out there...is the Can singles collection on vinyl a worthy purchase...for the purposes of DJing with vinyl...or better to just get the albums ? I have the CDs of these albums already & try to only buy vinyl I would DJ with, not for 'home listening' but I'm curious about the functional use of the singles collection on say a big system.

oh I dunno, I rarely DJ on big enough systems for anything to matter and regularly mix crappy files with better files and vinyl. I like playing off vinyl because it's easier for me to flip through my records and reorganize them on the fly and people find it really cool looking. The first edit I ever made was Vitamin C to extend the intro to make it easier to mix with, but I probably still just play off a copy of Ege Bamyasi I "borrowed" from a friend 20 years ago. He can have it back if he ever asks.

I have a reissue of I Want More with Aspectable but never really play that.

I also have an early 80s Cherry Red 12" of Turtles Have Short Legs with Moonshake and One More Night, I probably play that more often but not usually prime dance time.

For DJ’ing purposes, Singles is kind of cumbersome as it’s a triple 12”, so it takes up space that could be used for more records. You would need the singles collection to get “Turtles Have Short Legs” and “Silent Night”, so even if you have the other albums, it’s still worth picking up. However, some of the tracks are indifferently mastered from original singles, so you’re not getting an across the board great sounding album, and a big system may make these flaws more noticeable.

no you just need this ;)

https://www.discogs.com/release/2084676-Can-Radio-Waves

hah I've often wondered about getting the Can singles comp for that same reason. but I've got all the records so whatever. I play 'em quite a bit at DJ gigs too, not only do their grooves mix in well with other stuff they're also very well liked by pretty much every crowd I've ever played, so many random people seem to know the band and those that don't sometimes ask what it is. and then are shocked to find out they're from the 70s!

amusingly I met someone at the record shop the other day who was really into later day Can. says he gets the appeal of the early records but Saw Delight was his favorite. even defended Out of Reach, which I'm listening to now...its definitely not as good as Saw Delight or Inner Space but it's halfway decent. people complain about "Like Inobe God" a lot but I find it kind of hilarious. another thing that maybe would be received differently if it wasn't the almighty Can. what really shocks me about the record is that it came only 5 years after Future Days. bands just moved a lot faster in those days!!

yeah inner space/can is absolutely peak for the first five tracks (which is, like, almost all of the album)

...then the Can Can arrives and its as goofy as socks 'n' Birkenstocks.

I never really got into the late albums but didn’t find any of them a complete waste of time. Rite Time still seems to be the black sheep of the catalog but I like it.

It's OK.

I dont think Rite Time is very good but it is at least really strange. it's so drenched in reverb and all the pretty moments are trampled over by Malcolm, who sings more like Wesley Willis than his prior self. the single version of "Hoolah Hoolah" that incorporates part of "Spoon" is so much fun.

I've always wondered how those last three 70s albums (Saw Delight, Out of Reach, Inner Space) would be received if they'd changed the band name. Because this isn't like Yes rotating out keyboard players, on those records it sounds like Can is the backing band for Reebop and Rosko.

It's great for a DJ set for "Turtles Have Short Legs" alone. I was skeptical of the edits but they work. It's a good time (obviously).

i don't think i'd listened to Can/Inner Space in probably 20 years that i'd completely forgotten how hilarious those last 3 tracks were. it's an absolutely great album and then the band just purposefully farts in your face at the end.

Count me among those who think Saw Delight is top tier Can

Same.
Saw Delight is Remain in Light 3 years early!

always thought "Sunshine Day and Night" in particular felt like something they'd do if Byrne lost his voice or something

I dont consider it a top tier record for two records - first, "Don't Say No" is lame, and second the record sounds kinda stuffy to me, it's got very little punch to it, which is odd considering how crisp their previous records are

but its def very good

Don't Say No would be fine if they hadn't already written Moonshake.

i probably play "animal waves" more than any long Can jam these days

I like Rosko Gee's bass playing, easily one of the best things about Traffic's "When the Eagle Flies". Actually Reebop was always good in Traffic too.

Jaki's playing on Animal Waves is worth the 15 minutes alone. I also love the sampling throughout the record. Surely Holger was one of the first to ever do something like that? This was several years before My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. I guess Silver Apples did something similar in their first record.

people had been experimenting with tape collages for a while, Holger himself made the Canaxis LP in 1968 with Rolf Dammers.
for me the first really successful one is Vladimir Ussachevsky's "Wireless Fantasy", blending electicity sounds with samples from shortwave radio broadcasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOD_O5SfZHw

in the "pop" context, I've always though Silver Apples use on "Program" was incredibly ahead of it's time.

(xp) Holger did study with Stockhausen after all.

John Cage made pieces incorporating live radio in 1956: https://simpleharmonicmotion.org/john-cages-radio-music/

I wonder how heavy that wire recorder was that Halim El-Dabh was lugging around Cairo in the 1940s, I've never seen a picture of it