MINIMUM MAXIMUM

I received this double DVD on Monday 5th November 2005, the release date in the UK. There are some points I would make about this live DVD that make it unusual: The quality - it sounds like a studio album. It's more of a study in their music than a catalogue of live tracks. It's a mixture of stage material and a close-up of the effects they use to project on the big screens they use during the gigs, and this is particularly effective during 'Autobahn' and 'Trans Europe Express', which are in my view, two of the most entertaining tracks on the whole DVD. 'Home Computer' is strange, as it uses blocky pixelised graphics as a representation of the band, and this almost works, although in my opinion, it should have been used more sparingly - it's almost as if the DVD player has gone haywire at some points. That aside, 'Minimum Maximum is all a Kraftwerk efficionado could hope for (I'm one!). Predictably, Kraftwerk move very little on the stage, so if you're new to them, don't expect fancy footwork a la Madonna / Robbie Williams, the most you'll see is some foot-tapping. The effects are brilliant though, and it all stands up very well. I went to see Kraftwerk live back in 1991 in London, and they have certainly taken the stage show forward a great deal since then. Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend this double DVD, and I have already played it a few times - it keeps calling to me from the DVD rack. Considering this is their first ever live DVD, it deserves full marks.