Can HHV Records 30 Items

Psychedelic Wonders from Cologne

Can’s origin actually lies in jazz and classical avant-garde, but the quintet, based in Cologne, revolutionized experimental rock in the 1970s – with rhythms and arrangements that ultimately laid the foundation for Krautrock and influenced bands like The Fall and the Red Hot Chili Peppers on an international level. Rock music works beyond the same old song structures – Irmin Schmidt is considered the initiator of the band, and following his studies at the Cologne University of Music, he traveled to New York City to explore the local scene. For the pianist, a new horizon unfolded: back in Cologne, he, along with Holger Czukay, Michael Karoli, and Jaki Liebezeit, formed a band that aimed to explore the experimental. With Malcolm Mooney on vocals, a first album was created at the end of 1968. In the spirit of the Velvet Underground, it was so loud and unconventional that no label wanted to take it – the recordings were only released over ten years later under the name Delay 1968. With Monster Movie in the following year, another attempt was made, with the band sometimes recording hours-long jam sessions and then shortening the tapes to an acceptable length – sometimes producing psychedelic wonders like the 20-minute Yoo Doo Right.

The Impulsive Krautrock Pioneers

However, at this time, singer Mooney was struggling with his own psyche: the American returned to the USA, and was replaced by street musician Damo Suzuki. Suzuki, from Japan, was invited by Liebezeit and Czukay after a spontaneous encounter in Cologne to play live with them on the same evening. The chemistry was right – Suzuki joined the band, with lyrics mostly freely associated, in Japanese and German. Can compiled several tracks they contributed to films on their record Soundtracks, and Suzuki’s sometimes restrained, sometimes impulsive vocals completed the sound that made the band known in the coming years. With masterful albums like Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, and Future Days, the quirky quintet wrote Krautrock history in the 1970s. Here, extensive garage jams met psychedelic funk elements, and jazz influences appeared again and again. With various hit singles like Spoon, Vitamin C, and Moonshake, Can also made waves in the German mainstream over the years – the fact that they could effortlessly combine pop elements with the psychedelic remained unquestionable. In 1973, Suzuki finally left the band. Instead of looking for a replacement on vocals, Can now focused more on instrumental aspects – and even landed a hit in the UK with I Want More.

Disco Tones and Binaural Records

In the search for ever-new innovations, the group tried ambient rock on Soon Over Babaluma in 1974, while Flow Motion in 1976 introduced disco tones. However, the growing technical possibilities in the recording studio were also utilized by the Krautrock pioneers: the album Saw Delight, for example, was recorded binaurally – sounding as if the listener is in the same room as the band. Before the release of their self-titled album, Can declared itself dissolved – it took a whole ten years for another, final album to appear. Rite Time surprised with the renewed presence of their original singer Malcolm Mooney, who enveloped the songs in a timeless garment. And although Can have never achieved great international breakthrough, their influence extends into various genres and styles to this day – artists like Brian Eno, Radiohead, and The Jesus and Mary Chain all have acknowledged the influence of the German band. Their impulsive energy has played a key role, according to Irmin Schmidt: “That spontaneity was in the air back then. That power to create madness out of nothing.” A madness that has endured over the decades