Can
The Lost Tapes

As far as the world of rock is concerned, Can has always been one (or maybe even two) steps ahead in the years they were experimenting. Major players in that movement we call Kraut rock, but still relevant to all of rock in general, they never shied away from exploring various sounds, rhythms, and even lyrics; each member of the group, if not ending up in some psychiatric hospital, also embarked on a solo career, achieving good results, like bassist Czukay and his albums considered very avant-garde for the time. Thus we find ourselves with a quintet of perfectly integrated elements, both with the first singer (perhaps a little too much...) and with the second, who, having an impressive musical background and an innate passion for experimentation, have left us with a good amount of unreleased material in the albums released so far. But this is not the usual album of unreleased tracks and b-sides, perhaps of poor quality, but rather 3 CDs totaling more than three hours of music. Three hours composed of actual songs, improvisations, and even tracks taken from live performances.

The first CD opens with "Millionenspiel," an instrumental track seasoned with the typical sounds of the German band, an obsessive bass line, and a metronomic Liebezit who never misses a beat. The following "Waiting for the Streetcar" may be one of the reasons why Malcoom Mooney ended up in the loony bin, more than ten minutes of repeating this phrase while the band dives into pure and healthy rock with guitarist Karoli's solos in the foreground. "Evening all Day" is a very beautiful track, almost ambient, something that had not yet been heard in their repertoire. "Deadly Doris" is perhaps the most normal track on the CD, while "Grablau" is a collection of experiments, some more dictated by electronics, others by the usual Liezebit's rhythm that delights us very much. These are the Can we want to hear on this album, those of the purest and freest experimentation. "When Darkness Comes" is a lament at the arrival of darkness, something dark along with "Blind Mirror Surf," the latter quite eerie and twisted. "Oscura Primavera" says it all in the title, a sort of melancholy pervades the subconscious well aware that it is spring and that it should be a celebration. Closes "Bubble Rap" with Suzuki on vocals and a compelling tempo. As a first CD, we are already very satisfied.

The second CD is characterized by some not-so-exciting tracks like "Desert," "True Story," or "The Agreement," but it is compensated by the tribal opening "Your Friendly Neighbourhood Whore," a live version of "Spoon" over 16 minutes long, the funk-like "Midnight Sky," and the already heard sounds on "Ege Bamyasi" from "Dead Pidgeon Suite." Also beautiful "Abra Cada Braxas" which highlights Suzuki's voice and "A Swan is Born" which refers to "Sing Swan Song." Then in the concluding "The Loop" appears an acoustic guitar, never heard in one of their tracks. Something new even by just adding one more instrument. The second CD is also good.

The third CD opens with "Godzilla Fragment" and its electronoise, continuing with Karoli's solos in "On The Way To Mother Sky," an electronic "Midnight Men" straight from Schimdt's keyboards and also garnished with a pure jazz-style solo by Liezebeit. Beautiful "trippy" "Network of Foam," "Messer, Scissor..." is absolutely hypnotic and "Barnacles" is disco funk(?!)."EFS 108" is a horse pulling a carriage, it could have been easily omitted, "Private Nocturnal" is very melancholic and could be introduced as a track in a soundtrack for a drama film, the following "Alice" always re-proposes such a theme and in fact, was put as a track in a Wenders film. Closing with two live tracks that are "Mushroom" and "One More Saturday Night." Fungus is even unrecognizable, while Another Saturday Night maintains the original sound of the record. The third CD is slightly below the first two. But that's fair...

Final conclusions: three and a half hours of great Music and composition with its highs and lows (certainly more highs) and that will still satisfy the ears of fans. And if you are not fans, just by asking yourself which other band has produced so much (and well) material that hasn't been included in the official albums, you will understand the magnificence of this band.