Kraftwerk More Influential Than the Beatles

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jamo spingal, Jun 16, 2017.

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  1. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    Basically every artist signed under the GDR label Amiga Records could tour outside their country - allowed was other east block countries.
    But also there were a few exceptions where bands could do gigs in West Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, UK, Greece, etc.
    Even the Puhdys (East Germany's best known rock band) did an US promo tour in 1980 but nothing big happened there.
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
  2. You asked why I couldn't make sense of your previous post. Well primarily because it made about as much sense as this one..
     
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  3. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    Color me educated.
    I remember interviewing Boris Grebenshikov in the late 80s, the first artist from Russia allowed to tour the States. I assumed all the soviet countries were similar in that regard in the 70s.
    :tiphat:
     
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  4. bopdd

    bopdd Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    They're all good! But how about the one that was sampled on "Planet Rock"? Or the one sampled by Jay-Z? Or the one ripped off by Coldplay? How about the "Computer World" melody? Or "Metropolis"? I know your point has more do with what can be "covered without electronics" and what not, but that's not really how electronic music works in the first place--there's far more emphasis on texture and rhythm and synth-based melody than there is some sort of palpable verse/chorus/verse structure. The fact that Kraftwerk was able to arguably bridge a gap between straight pop and experimental electronic in the first place is remarkable and very much part of their legacy.

    Kraftwerk was far more creative and consistent than your remarks suggest. You're acting as if they just showed up and let the electronics do all the talking and it's simply not the case. Furthermore, they were at the apex of a much broader movement where legions of artists were finding ways to distinctly express themselves using synths and electronics. The idea that the work from those artists is less qualitative because it doesn't easily translate to the pop format is to miss the point right off the bat. It's like saying Mozart's Turkish March is garbage because you can't write a verse/chorus/verse around it, and hence The Beatles are indisputably more influential than Mozart for that reason alone (a topic for another time, I know). Bear in mind I've already attested that in my opinion The Beatles will be a cultural cornerstone for as long as mankind still celebrates culture--while Kraftwerk will likely be relegated to historical niche status--but that doesn't somehow negate Kraftwerk's influence at this very moment. Nor does your myopic opinion of what constitutes "good" music hold any weight when discussing influence in general, at least not as it pertains to electronic music. That said, there's no question that The Beatles outshine Kraftwerk for any number of reasons (in my opinion).
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
  5. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    Another one who has heard one Kraftwerk song gave his diatribe as to how The Beatles win. See a pattern yet?
     
  6. Absolutely.

    This is one thing that bears repeating. Kraftwerk are one of the most melodic groups you will ever hear. I hate to drag up that much misused apellation 'genius' but I think their use of electronics to construct melody comes pretty close. They have made some of the warmest, most humanising music of the last 30 years. Nothing cold about them AT ALL.
     
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  7. 200 Balloons

    200 Balloons Forum Resident

    It's absolutely how Kraftwerk used technology in the music they made. To me, it's clear as day when I hear a song like "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" by Wilco that I'm hearing Neu! and not Kraftwerk. Can and Neu! have far more in common with each other to my ears than either have with Kraftwerk.
     
  8. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    The Beatles and Kraftwerk? were part of the previous generation - original fans were Boomers. Boomer bands were the 70's and then new wave bands.
     
  9. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    It's a straw man argument

    A straw man is a common form of argument and is an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while refuting an argument that was not advanced by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man".
     
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  10. OldJohnRobertson

    OldJohnRobertson Martyr for Even Less

    Location:
    Fuquay-Varina, NC
    This entire thread is a gigantic $h1t show. That said...I’m sympathetic to the OP’s original point. Brian Eno once said of The Velvet Underground & Nico (I’m paraphrasing), "I think about 500 people bought that record but every one of them started a band." That’s exactly what Kraftwerk is to electronic music.
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2017
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  11. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    Not a band but Peter Green of the original Fleetwood Mac was. He wanted to jam, his first solo album End Of The Game was a result.
     
  12. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    If the original poster's intention was to bring attention to the accomplishments of Kraftwerk, while bringing up the self-esteem of their fans at the same time, I believe that this thread has gone a long ways towards that end. Well done.

    Kraftwerk has likely gained a handful of new fans in the process here - people who had maybe heard the name, but didn't know that the spelling was so artsy as to be unsearchable. Recognizing the faces of the band members and trying to pick out different eras from the sound and vision of the band will come with time. I'm sure of it.

    As far as elevating K-werk to near-Beatle levels of recognition and admiration - not only music industry-wide, but among the billions of music listeners who are hearing a byte or two of Kraftwerk's influence every time they turn on their computer or hear their phone ring - well, it's a long road ahead, but someone has to travel it.

    One day, perhaps, K-werk will be in the RnR HOF, along with their chief adversaries, The Beatles. No one will know who K-werk are, in general, but it won't matter. Cause we know, don't we.
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2017
  13. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    No, that was flatulence.
     
  14. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    Seriously though an electronica hall of fame would be good for those bands that aren't rock 'n roll. Kraftwerk to be among the inaugural inductees along with Eno Moroder and The Human League
     
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  15. Gavinyl

    Gavinyl Remembering Member

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    Last edited: Jun 20, 2017
  16. Summerisle

    Summerisle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    Can we just throw this thread in the bin?
     
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  17. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Well, Neu! were in Kraftwerk at one point. I think all three bands are related, early Kraftwerk definitely has a Can influence, Neu! is an offshoot of early Kraftwerk and a development of aspects of it. Kraftwerk diverged later on when they went all electronic.
     
  18. Echo

    Echo Forum Resident

    Common, I love this thread! Of course, there are silly remarks in it to find, but it's real fun to have endlessly attention to this great German band at conservative SHTV. By this thread I'm revisiting again all the albums of that band and I found a great amount of interesting, early video clips of Kraftwerk at YouTube. It's amazing how much that band was filmed and broadcasted from allready 1970!

    I'm also very interested to know if people here who were not familiair with Kraftwerk, tried out one or more of their songs... Especially from 1975 'till early '80s they were so great! (if not, try an old song like Die Roboter/The Robots, Das Model/The Model or Radioaktivität/Radioactivity. Someone asked what will Kraftwerk be without the use of electronics. Well, the answer is: their great melodies!!!

    So, please, listen with an open mind to one (or more) of their songs and come back with your feedback :)

     
  19. Echo

    Echo Forum Resident

    And here another great, very inventive song, Die Roboter. Take notice, much of the electronics were even invented by the band!

     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2017
  20. Echo

    Echo Forum Resident

    Another great melody!


    I was very surprised many American members didn't know Kraftwerk (besides maybe Autobahn), but will you not always recognise their songs? These are so many times being used for tv documentaries... You will always hear the song Radioactiviy when the news is about nuclear wastes or disasters. And you will often hear The Model (or the song Showroom Dummies) when the news is about fashion or fashion designers...

    So please, take a listen!
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2017
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  21. The_Windmill

    The_Windmill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
    Kraftwerk, definitely. They wore lipstick.
     
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  22. The_Windmill

    The_Windmill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
    Yeah, tell it to all those people who wrote instrumental music for ages and those who still do today.

    It is believed that religious dance could have been the first occurrence of some form of intentionally produced music, and it likely featured both rhythm and chant.
    Others suggested that singing evolved first, as a tool to impress the other sex.
    I don't think we'll never know but it's a fun theory nevertheless.
     
  23. Echo

    Echo Forum Resident

    Somewhere in Germany they teach the kids Kraftwerk. You cannot be young enough for learning for the future (despite the age of that song, haha)! :)

     
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  24. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    :love: Ah, "Radio-Aktivität". That album blew my mind when I was an 8-year-old kid. Still my favourite album along with "Mensch-Maschine".
     
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  25. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    :D

    Reminds me of the Señor Coconut version.

     
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