CAN ANTHOLOGY

It's testimony to Prog Archives' generous spirit that Can's collected works (and hundreds of other Krautrock artifacts) are included in the site. For this music is as different from the 'Look at me, I'm a virtuoso!' excursions by the likes of Keith Emerson or Chris Squire as it is possible to get. Indeed, it is claimed (in the Rough Guide to Rock, no less!) that in any given Can composition bassist Holger Czukay simply keeps repeating the same two notes over and over again. I haven't checked if this is true, but it certainly seems that way, and yet his bass playing is delightful. In fact, all of the pieces in this collection are immensely lovable.

Let me come clean: this is the only Can album I possess, and I've never heard any other. Still, Prog Archives experts seem to agree this double CD is a decent representation of the band's career, so I've got no qualms about recommending it to you.

There are two reasons why I've decided to award this album five stars. First of all, I really love this music. It was recommended to me by one of my best friends, it's full of variety, and whenever I put it on, I feel great. Secondly, the more I play this, the more I'm amazed by its historic significance. If Can had been a British or a North American band, you'd see their name in poll after poll of the most influential rock bands ever. No doubt about it. Listen to this music, and track after track (most of the material was recorded BEFORE 1975!) will remind you of Bowie's LOW, of the Talking Heads' REMAIN IN LIGHT (minus the hysterical vocals), of New Order, David Sylvian etc. ... all the way up to present-day bands like Gorillaz.

I recently read an article which gave the impression David Byrne and Peter Gabriel invented so-called World Music, but that's nonsense, because Can were at it at least a full decade earlier, using African rhythms and Middle Eastern harmonies with grace and total ease. (Of course you could maintain that 'World Music' started more than two thousand years ago, when both China and Europe were transformed by string instruments which originated in the Middle East.)

This collection is full of gently undulating melodies, weird nursery rhymes, irresistible grooves and comic recitations... On the second disc, there's even a brief parody of Japanese noh theatre chanting. Altogether, it's unmistakably a masterpiece.

CAN's CONDENSED SOUP

Anthology is a two-disc collection of Can's groundbreaking music, whose early experimental Rock music in the 1970's was highly influential on many bands that followed. The music is not presented in strict chronological order, but rather split between early-period and latter day between two discs. The first disc contains selections from what many fans consider their musical peak (early to mid-70's), while the second covers the remainder of their career.

If Anthology has a fault is that it is very difficult to get the true experience of the individual albums from the selections contained here. Can was very much an album's band, because it is in its albums that the music could really stretch into trance-like meditations or driving percussive workouts (oftentimes surpassing ten minutes or approaching nearly twenty). Anthology compromises successfully by making edits that are easily presentable to the first-time listener, and to ensure that the listener is presented with as broad an overview as possible by leaving room from other tracks. ("Halleluwah" for example, is a third of its original length, while "Yoo Doo Right" seems to be the exception to this edit rule).

The booklet inside is several pages thick and includes many band photos from the various line-ups of Can's personnel, as well as promotional graphics. Two notable inclusions is a recent photo of former Can vocalists Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki together in the same shot, and a bizarre ad for the Saw Delight album. The liner notes have a casual air about it, and even gives mention to Out of Reach, the one Can album completely disowned by the band and not represented on this collection.

My recommendation is for the Can-curious to start here. I know many Can fans would recommend trying Tago Mago, Future Days, or Soon Over Babaluma first, but with Anthology you will also get the best cuts from latter-day Can albums that, while also enjoyable, slowly shifts into more conventional music styles. However you approach Can its gonna be a weird, wild trip. Highly recommended.

(text copied from my Amazon review)

Well like some of you i'm not really into songs so much as I am into albums. So anthologies or "Best Of" recordings aren't that appealing to me. Heck I have an I-Pod that I got a year and half ago still in it's box. One day i'll get around to that but that's just my mind-set I guess. There are some advantages to owning this two disc anthology because i'm not a completist so most of disc two is new to me. Also the info in the liner notes is so comprehensive, i'm very impressed. All the albums are listed with pictures of the corresponding covers and song titles. Lots of pictures including a priceless one of Damo and Malcom together smiling for the camera. Okay Malcom isn't smiling (haha). There's a little blurb on each album and inside where the song titles are for this two disc affair they even tell us what album each track comes from. Man for someone new to the band this would be all so invaluable.

Disc one is filled with their more well known numbers as we get music from "Monster Movie" straight through to "Soon Over Babaluma" but skipping "Future Days" which appears on disc two. I wouldn't even know where to start or end in picking my favourites from this bunch. Classic stuff.

Disc two begins with a track from "Can Delay" and it's a good one in "Uphill" with Malcom on vocals. "Mother Upduff" is next and I love this one too. This song and the four to follow are from "Unlimited Edition". One song from "Landed" followed by two from "Future Days" in the title track and "Moonshake". We get two tracks from "Flow Motion" , "Saw Delight" and "Rite Time" with the latter one having Malcom back on vocals. One from "Can" and it ends with a song from a soundtrack.

So we get about 2 1/2 hours of CAN music that spans their careers plus lots of good information and pictures. A low 4 stars for me but it's worth the rating.