3. KraftwerkComputer World
Kraftwerk were one of the first bands that I really got into as a teenager and again, this was not rock’n’roll. It’s kinda rock’n’roll because there’s a very classic sensibility to what they’re doing – and, of course, there are a great number of other influences – but when I first got into them it was so not rock’n’roll. It has fantastic electronic sounds and production and it was great as a teenager listening to this with headphones on in my parents’ house.
I love the completeness of the project. Thematically, it works as whole. It wasn’t just the songs and the sounds and the lyrics and the themes but also the look. It was a complete statement. It was kinda science fiction and that appealed to me. Radioactivity is another favourite of mine but Computer World, from start to finish, is just an incredible album. It’s so beautiful. And such an incredibly funky record. There are many great Kraftwerk records but for me this is the most perfect. From start to finish not a bum note.
They recently played eight nights at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and nobody could get a ticket! I was one of the many that could not get in. I’ve seen them in the past and it was great but I would’ve loved to have seen them back in the day. I had some bootlegs of shows from the 70s and 80s and I’d try to imagine what would it be like to see these guys live? But yeah, it’s a great record.
