ILM Artist Poll No. 77 · CAN · Results Thread

that's the one I was forgetting!

Love that live youtube version that I linked to! Find it weird that the audience is so static though, I knew German are stoic (assuming they're a german audience) but it's ridiculous that there isn't at least one person head-nodding.

Yeah there isn't that many surprises in the top 10 at this point. Btw, in the count of the initial 6 ballots All Gates Open and I Want More were in the top 3!

That video is indeed awesome. "Oh Yeah" is my number two.

It's weird that people aren't dancing in the audience because most Can live videos I've seen have people convulsing, damn near speaking in tongues.

Oh Yeah swings.

Oh man, Bel Air was my #1. Until my last edit it was my #3 but then realized I couldn't think of a song that captured what I love about Can more than this one. Jaki's best performance?

Following up the only song in the top 10 that made it without a single number one vote. Can you guess which one is it?

Red Hot Indians!

I was gonna say Moonshake but it's definitely Red Hot Indians.

Yes, but my previous guess was so embarrassingly wrong I'm keeping schtum.

Spoon

Tom wins

http://i.imgur.com/1X0PnJ9.jpg
07. Spoon. 582 points, 25 votes.
From: Ege Bamyasi (1972)
https://youtu.be/3buYpfYRlaA

TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW TOO LOW

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/56/26/b5/5626b51fe25255d1a74c9e3e10f79677.jpg

Btw that live performance i funny, iirc this was a minor hit for them in Germany so you hear the crowd excited to recognize the song at the beginning and the band manages to throw an oddball by mixing it with a weird moonshake/spoon jam and the audience are left scratching their heads.

I think it's fair to say live versions of Spoon tended to deviate somewhat from the 7" single.

Why is that though? Did they hate the success the single had, did they just enjoy confusing people?

All of their live stuff is like that!

Their songs were largely improvisations

http://i.imgur.com/5PaeiAH.jpg
06. Moonshake. 628 points, 25 votes, 1 Nº1 vote.
From: Future Days (1973)
https://youtu.be/_ZUCxG3I01I

Often it's just that one note organ riff occasionally surfacing that marks out some 30 minute extemporisation as 'Spoon'.

two hits in a row

that's what i mean about the recorded version of Spoon being a template
(compared to what they would do with those elements in live versions/edits in other songs)

the album version i mean

The album version is an edit though, the original probably was 30 minutes long.

http://i.imgur.com/gjc4z9W.jpg
05. Vitamin C. 650 points, 23 votes, 1 Nº1 vote
From: Ege Bamyasi (1972)
https://youtu.be/QAhTMkXAPUk

I was the number one voter for this.

I regret nothing.

vitamin c was the first can song i ever heard (the kickoff track on a sweet mixtape from a friend), and when i tracked down ege bamyasi and heard pinch, one more night, and sing song swan along the way to vitamin c, i was hooked 4 lyfe

http://i.imgur.com/VUCFocd.jpg
04. Mushroom. 674 points, 27 votes, 1 Nº1 vote.
From: Tago Mago (1971)

Is Vitamin C the best-known Can track at present? I don't see another with more hits on Youtube, and it looks like lots of people have discovered it through Inherent Vice.

Mushroom was the first Can song I heard when I was like 13 and I was mind-blown. It wasn't until 3 years later that I found out that the 'grunge' song I was putting in those mix cd's for my friends wasn't actually from the early 90's but the early 70's.

Is Vitamin C the best-known Can track at present? I don't see another with more hits on Youtube, and it looks like lots of people have discovered it through Inherent Vice.

― jmm

At least in spotify it's their most listened song and by quite some margin.

1. Vitamin C - 3M
2. She Brings the Rain 760k
3. I'm so Green 740k

hmmm this'll be an interesting top three

btw i'm psyched everyone voted "efs no. 99 'CAN CAN'" as no. 1

"Paperhouse" was the first Can I ever listened to and was responsible for getting me into the band!

i am.. not really that big on mushroom tbh, i don't know why

The next song is the one with the most Nº1 votes (7 votes) so going by that ranking we can consider it your actual Nº1.

i am.. not really that big on mushroom tbh, i don't know why

― bagging area (map)

I actually don't like it anymore. It's weird that I heard it so young and relate it to the early 90's because I didn't know what to connect it to... nowadays it sounds like something from other band. Same with She Brings the Rain. It sounds out of place in my ears with the rest of their albums.

http://i.imgur.com/h0PDyIW.jpg
03. Mother Sky. 746 points, 27 votes, 7 Nº1 votes.
From: Soundtracks (1970)
https://youtu.be/VDBpZdQNp9E

weird, imo it's the most can thing in the world for the drums alone

did someone on the other thread describe "mother sky" as the ultimate can song? otm

I'm in agreement with the placing below the next two but what a tune.

I love it -- and Mushroom -- and think both are "ultimate Can songs" (along with the next couple of entries...)

Mushroom in particular tho -- what a weird combination of elements to turn into a great song. Like, why should a James Brown beat + spooky organ chords, drone-y guitar and flutes (!) = dark funk master jam?

Yes, point me on the direction of all these other groups who put out stuff like Mushroom.

weird, imo it's the most can thing in the world for the drums alone

― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson)

Ah yeah that drums on Mushroom are very CAN. But you know for someone with not that many musical knowledge they didn't sound precise to my ears but both vocals and drums sounded lo-fi... like the song is actually from that indie/slacker movement early to mid 90's a la Pavement. I now realize there's a huge difference but it still sounds very ahead of its time to me. Maybe it isn't the song that doesn't fit but that I didn't really start listening through their discography until my early 20's.

I didn't vote, but "Mushroom" and "Mother Sky" probably would have my top two.

Is Mother Sky the first motorik beat?

I remember, as a no-nothing youngster, John Peel playing "Mother Sky" and being amazed that the bass was on one note for all of the song.