I suppose I must be an old-fashioned guy. Twenty years and more since they were first performing I’ve discovered and am enjoying the music of the german group Kraftwerk. Quite how I came to miss them at the time I don’t know. Drunk, sulking, pining after lost love, perhaps all three, who knows.

I certainly enjoyed the synthesised sound track of the film Clockwork Orange. So much I bought the LP which still remains among my collection of vinyl recordings untouched for 10 years or more.

While Kraftwerk use unconventional instruments like the vocoder, the orchestron and electronic drums their music is highly accessible with simply melodies and rhythms. As a native english speaker I find their german accents add to their appeal with that further layer of exoticism .

The track I want to share “pocket calculator” from the album Computer World demonstrates how they also manage to inject a certain humour into their performances.

Pocket Calculator

Last Sunday (Nov 15) tara and I drove over to Cambridge to watch the great Seasick Steve. Although I lived in Cambridge for three years back in the 1970s this was the first time I had been inside the Corn Exchange.

Hoping we would get a place with a clear view I took my little Canon Ixus 85IS. As it turned out our seats where right at the front of the balcony. A long way from the stage but a perfect view. And the little Canon has done a great job of recording the sound to a comfortable level. Live it was unbearably loud and poorly balanced.

Below is the result.
Diddly Bow

I Started Out With Nothing
http://www.mostly-harmless.me.uk/movies/nothin.flv

What can I say about these guys beyond “they’re fantastic”?

A bunch of great musicians fronted by Jack White of the White Stripes. It’s clear they have a wide knowledge of the best of music (Rock, Blues, Country etc.) from the last three or four decades. In their songs you can hear the influence of such greats as The Who, The Beatles, Queen, The Doors, The Rolling Stones and others. But while each of their songs contains stylistic nods and winks to their musical heroes they always manage to sound like themselves. Surely the mark of a great band.

In my opinion, they have n’t produced a single bad track so it’s hard to pick out a favourite to share. I’ve chosen “Top Yourself” from their second album “Consolers of the Lonely” which has an unusual combination of banjo picking and slide guitar.
Top-Yourself

Here’s one of my favourites:

It’s written and sung by Mark knoffler and can be heard on his album
The Rag Picker’s Dream.
A great one to sing when riding a motorbike.

It has a rather lengthy instrumental introduction. But it’s worth the wait.

coyote