Can | Artist
Can was a German experimental Kosmiche rock band formed 1968 in Cologne, West Germany, by core members Holger Czukay (bass, tapes), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar, violin, vocals), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). Englishman Malcolm Mooney was the first vocalist and he sung on their excellent debut album Monster Movie from 1969. Japanese avant-garde musician Damo Suzuki then became vocalist between 1970-73 and sung on their four masterpiece albums of that period: Soundtracks, Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi and Future Days. Coming from backgrounds in the avant-garde and jazz, the members of Can blended elements of psychedelic rock, fun and noise on influential early albums. Can also had occasional commercial success, with singles such as "Spoon" and "I Want More" reaching national singles charts. They have been widely hailed as pioneers of the German krautrock scene, and a considerable influence on subsequent rock, post-rock, ambient and electronic music. The band released a total of thirteen studio albums plus live albums, EPs and singles. Much of their non-album studio and live work has also been collected in various excellent archive releases. Outstanding studio albums include Monster Movie, Soundtracks, Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, Future Days, Soon Over Babaluma, Delay 1968, Music Live 1971-77 and two superb archival releases; The Peel Sessions (1995) and The Lost Tapes (2012). The 2017 compilation album The Singles is also excellent. The roots of Can can be traced back to Irmin Schmidt and a trip that he made to New York City in 1966. While Schmidt initially spent his time with avant-garde musicians such as Steve Reich, La Monte Young and Terry Riley, he was also eventually exposed to the world of Andy Warhol and the Chelsea Hotel. In his own words, the trip "corrupted" him, sparking a fascination with the possibilities of rock music. All of the individual members of Can have also released various solo works.
Artist Website: spoonrecords.com
Featured Albums: Can
Related Artists: Irmin Schmidt, Holger Czukay, The Inner Space
Video Clips: Spoon, Mother Sky, Moonshake
