Autobahn (album)



         


Autobahn
LP by Kraftwerk
Released 1974
Recorded ???
Genre Electronic
Length 42 min 27 s
Record label Philips (Rereleased on EMI Electrola)
Producer Conrad Plank
Professional reviews
Allmusic.com 5 stars out of 5
Robert Christgau Grade: B-
Q 4 stars out of 5
Kraftwerk Chronology
Ralf und Florian
(1973)
Autobahn
(1974)
Radioactivity
(1975)


Autobahn by Kraftwerk, released 1974, is considered one of the most pivotal albums in music history. The 22-minute single (curtailed to around 3 minutes for radio) went to #25 on the US Billboard charts and charted even higher around Europe. The album is often credited for bringing electronic music to the public for the first time. However, it is not a completely electronic album, as violin, flute, and guitar were also used with synthesizers. Kraftwerk used a Minimoog as one of their synthesizers, which were known to cost as much as a Volkswagen at that time. Kraftwerk would lose the rest of the non-electronic instruments for their next album, Radio-activity. The title track was used to capture the feelings of driving on the Autobahn. From the high-speed concentration of the fast lane, to the tuning of the car radio, to the monotony of a long trip, the song captures it all. Autobahn is also the first of Kraftwerk's concept albums, in which they have done upto 2003. The cover was painted by long-time friend of Ralf and Florian and artist, Emil Schult.

[Top]

Track listing

[Top]

Personnel






  View Live Article   This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License