Album of the Week #27: "Tago Mago" by Can

John · 01-02-2007 2:21am #1

One of the best albums ever. Not many albums can be summed up by just one word but this is transcendental. Honestly, hearing this the first time was almost life changing. Amazing, amazing collection of songs.

catch--22 · 01-02-2007 9:25am

Sounds great! Love seeing albums here that I haven't heard before! I shall buy this over the weekend!

Dennis the Stone · 02-02-2007 2:46pm

finally this is here.. what an amazing album, I'll never forget the first time I heard it. The first four songs all in a row, I don't think I have ever known any other album with four songs of that quality right in a row. Halleluhwah is unreal, I think Paperhouse is my favourite, it just explodes into action. And Oh Yeah is creepily hypnotic; i love the atmospheric sounds at the start of it

Lunar Junkie · 02-02-2007 6:48pm

Yeah, it's great... I was amazed when I read how they wrote\recorded these songs (i.e. recording hours of live improvisation straight onto two-track tape, then editing the best sections into the finished songs). You have to admit though, "Aumgn" and (to a lesser extent) Peking Oh are pretty hard work.. I think this band also contains my favourite rock drummer - the loose-limbed jazz inflections combined with the relentless Krautrock stamina is hard to beat!

John · 02-02-2007 6:50pm

It takes a couple of listens to get into those two all right but I still think they're fantastic. I've spent many happy hours practising guitar to this album, such a great album to jam to.

nlgbbbblth · 04-02-2007 1:02am

My favourite Can LP.

Every time I listen to it, I hear something new.

pig on the wing · 05-02-2007 9:58pm

how many people voted for this?

John · 05-02-2007 10:45pm

The album of the week isn't chosen on votes so I haven't a clue. It's albums worthy of discussion that are chosen.

Léan · 06-02-2007 10:55am

Goddamnit I love Can

. Tago Mago is a superb album. It really is one of my favourites of all time.

I strongly recommend the two disc (25 year?) Anthology if you can get your hands on it. It's class.

That drumming is just unreal too. An all-round brilliant band. I can't sing their praises enough, I love them

John · 06-02-2007 10:53pm

I'm listening to this now (currently on "Oh Yeah") and I have to say I love the way the album flows. Each track merges into the next one beautifully which is some achievement considering (as Lunar Junkie pointed out above) that the album was essentially hours and hours of jamming recorded onto two tracks. The momentum keeps pulling you along and along until they finally throw that curveball, "Aumgn". I have to say though, I can't always listen to the second half of the album, it is intense and I need to be ready for it.

Anyway, I just found this on YouTube, it's ****ing brilliant! Paperhouse live on German TV

Dennis the Stone · 07-02-2007 11:36am

isn't Damo's crazy dance deadly!

John · 07-02-2007 8:39pm

Damo is deadly full stop!

nlgbbbblth · 10-02-2007 4:47pm

anyone get the Can DVD?

Dennis the Stone · 10-02-2007 7:33pm

nlgbbbblth wrote:

anyone get the Can DVD?

**** it, where would you get that? the spoon records site?

By the way, has anyone ever heard some of Holger Czukay's stuff? Some of it is really good, he does minimal stuff with samples and radio snippets..

Try his album from 1969 with Rolf Dammers, Canaxis.

The first song on it is like classical orchestration and guitar and it features some weird chanting from Vietnamese boat women recorded during the war, it's definitely the creepiest thing I've ever heard, I wouldn't recommend listening to it with the lights off. Excellent though. And his song, Persian Love, it's awesome

nlgbbbblth · 11-02-2007 12:36am

Kemos wrote:

**** it, where would you get that? the spoon records site?

amazon have it £13.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Can/dp/B000BSQR2G/sr=1-1/qid=1171154215/ref=pd_bowtega_1/026-0759811-7418044?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

it was dead cheap on CD Wow for a while.

Haven't a Clue · 16-02-2007 8:27pm

Erm, any chance of a new album of the week? Or are we leaving it to a monthly basis now?

Dennis the Stone · 17-02-2007 12:52pm

wish it could stay Tago Mago week forever

scop · 17-02-2007 1:47pm

It would be cool to see a new one. I just got into this album of the week deal. A great idea, but now that I've gotten into that album I'm itching for me ideas from you guys!

John · 17-02-2007 11:10pm

Sorry, I've been busy. Put some suggestions up in the suggestions thread and I'll change it tomorrow night.

bowsie casey · 23-02-2007 12:22pm

SWEEEEEET !!!

I bought this based on the glowing reviews above and have not been disappointed ! While I haven't yet been able to get into the second half of the album, the first four songs alone are enough to buy this album for. I love the energy, and it has that laid-back jam feel to it.

What would be your recommendation for a next CAN album for a new fan ?

John · 24-02-2007 4:47pm

Any of the first four are brilliant so:
Monster Movie
Soundtracks
Ege Bamyasi

These don't go in for as much weirdness as Tago Mago, more straightforward rocking like the first few tracks on TM. My two favourite Can songs are on Soundtracks: "Soul Desert" and "Mother Sky". "Mother Sky" is about 15 minutes of krautrock heaven, just tight grooves and rhythms as the guitar and vocals dance around the speakers. Beautiful stuff!

Album of the Week #27: "Tago Mago" by Can

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