CAN

The music on the album is the unmistakable sound of Can. Repetitive rythm figures and melodies and a jamming and generally adventurous approach to playing music. It´s mostly instrumental but several of the tracks feature minimalistic type vocal lines delivered in a sedated sounding vocal style. While the basis in the music is the same as when the band started out, the band´s music has become more accessible over the years and that trend continues on "Flow Motion". Tracks like "I Want More" and "Babylonian Pearl" both have "hit" potential to my ears and are among the band´s most simple and accessible material. That doesn´t mean that "Flow Motion" isn´t an experimental rock album though. The band have opted to include quite a few musical influences in the music in their never ending quest for trying out new things. This time around off beat reggae rythms are a dominant part of the album´s sound. When they mix that influence with a country music sounding violin in "Laugh Until You Cry", that´s when things really take off into space.

The album features a pleasant sounding organic sound production that suits the music well, and paired with the excellent musicianship and the at times interesting songwriting, "Flow Motion" is a relatively good quality release. It´s not an album that blows my socks off, but it´s an enjoyable listening experience and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

Damo had just walked... but was on the LP... at The Olympia they had stapled dozens if not hundreds of records sleeves in the foyer... Impressive display... The theatre was replete with Katmandu returners who knew how to stoke a fire if you catch my smokey drift... Hair, Afghan sheepkins and patchuli on the air Still young i was smitten and to this day Can is King; Long live Can...

The title says it all : Future Days; looking ahead, birdsong, heartsong, uplifting... everything gonna be A-Ok... ask the Katmandu guys in the theatre... all will be fine ... just had the 60s... seventies in progress; twin spectre of Ron and Maggie a yet unformed nightmare for a distant nebula called Earth...

Right now smoke joy Kat-mandu... On the first track Karoli's Kalifornia glass-needle guitar lancinates around in your brain like a pleasure machine... and Damo muffled voice promises you something about future days; Jaki keeps count on the drums... the beat accountant no calculator could ever defeat... Optimism properly defined in 9:32 minutes...

The second cut "Spray" is all water and bubbles; a track for a frogman or maybe one to listen to in the bath with a snorkel... Irmin on the farfisa blowing raspberries underwater... avant-garde man !... and Jaki as the doorman... making sure.

Then we have "Moonshake"... like Autobahn but on the moon... driving down with Damo singing in a coupe with the roof peeled back This here is optimism to the power of 72... Again it had that California by the Rhine vibe... we are going ahead and the sun is shining...

Bel Air is actually in California so nothing hidden here; we know where we are and we are here for almost 20 minutes and it is beautiful soft and sunny... Farfisa galore and an oneiric sense of drift..

Is Future better than Tago Mago than Soundtracks than Ege? No. Is it as good? Emphatically yes... One of the most intricate and musically evolved members of the multifaceted hydra called Krautrock Can was here at their best...

Future days i have no qualms giving a 5 to i would a six or a 7 if i could; it is their best album as much as the 2 or 3 before and the 2 after... heyday music by a band at their peak..

I wish i could sit in that theatre for ever....

It's not like you'll recognize instantly tracks that came from such and such classic album either. Most of it is barren enough, but the Mooney-era stuff has a few bright moments that approach the shoulder height of the music that's featured on Monster Movie, Soundtracks, but nothing of the quality of Delay 68 (originally released in 82). Clearly the better disc of this boxset in terms of album-worthy material.The Suzuki-era stuff is unfortunately not really up to par with the Tago-Bamyasi albums, though it's still quite nice, but they'd only be good bonus tracks when sized up against the original albums' music. The notable exception to that comment being the lengthy Neighbourhood Whore, where Liebezit's wind instruments are enthralling. Unfortunately much of that second disc is not meeting the same level, some of it being almost ambient mumbo. We all know that Can's music became somewhat softer around the Soon Over Babaluma and their later albums, but that's not to say that these later tapes are of more exploitable quality from what one can hear in that third disc. Actually that third disc is the weaker one of the three, as a knowledgeable Can expert would easily guess, and you find much from the Traffic (Reebop and Rosko) connection of 77-78.

Despite the dramatic cuts (something like 90%), the least we can assume from what was held back for this boxset is that the average quality of these tapes were either unusable or of no interest whatsoever. Don't get me wrong here, the unconditional Can fans will most likely find their happiness in this release; but if you're a more casual fan and you like some more musical meat to sink your teeth into, you'd better seriously investigate the contents before shelling out the dough. Some uberfans will disagree vehemently, but this set is not essential at all.

Disc one begins with "Jynx" an over 16 minute track from 1975. It's fairly experimental for about 2 minutes then they eventually get into this groove. Some nice guitar after 5 minutes. A calm around 11 minutes with spacey keys as they continue to jam. "Dizzy Dizzy" also from 1975 has this steady beat with the organ and guitar standing out. Vocals 3 1/2 minutes in but they are brief. "Vernal Equinox" is from the exact same concert as the previous track. Piano to start then drums take over followed by guitar. Great sound 10 minutes in as the drums pound and the guitar grinds away.

"Fizz" from 1977 is trippy but then starts to build but settles back just as fast. "Yoo Doo Right" from 1975 has some vocals from Damo but they are surprisingly brief. It does pick up and the guitar is making lots of noise. "Cascade Waltz" is easily my least favourite but it's only 5 minutes long. Recorded in 1977 this comes across as lightweight and somewhat whimsical.

Disc two has only three tracks on it including the almost 40 minute opener "Colchestor Finale" from 1972. Lots of jamming here and check out the guitar after 10 minutes. It calms down and vocals arrive before 15 minutes. Insanity late to end it. "Kata Kong" from 1975 is a trippy, underground sounding tune while the closer "Spoon" from 1972 is uptempo with a beat and vocals as the crowd cheers.

CAN was a band who flew by the seat of their pants never knowing in what direction each concert would take them as they loved to improvize and make music based on their surroundings at the time. A low 4 stars but a piece of CAN history that many a fanboy would call essential.

"Up The Bakerloo Line With Anne" is the almost 19 minute opener with Damo on vocals.This is from February of 1973. A beat with vocals kicks in just before a minute as bass and guitar help out as well. It settles back just before 5 minutes. Guitar and drums to the fore around 7 minutes. Check out Damo a minute later ! They continue to jam the rest of the way. "Return To BB City" and the next track are from October of 1974. Atmosphere to start as different sounds come and go. I'm surprised at how spacey and atmospheric this is as Schmidt works his magic. "Tape Kebab" has this relaxed beat with laid back guitar. The sound becomes fuller. I really like this. An electronic sounding beat after 6 minutes joins in. Karoli starts to rip it up after 7 minutes. Great track !

"Tony Wanna Go" is from January of 1974 and is the second longest track at 14 1/2 minutes. A relaxed beat with guitar leads as spacey sounds sweep through. The guitar and beat become more prominant as they continue to jam. "Geheim (Half Past One)" is a re-worked version of "Half Past One" from "Landed". This and the final track are from May of 1975. We get reserved vocals from Karoli as intricate sounds including xylophone-like sounds come and go. "Mighty Girl" has this piano led intro. This is CAN ?! Guitar joins in as well.

Without question a must for CAN fans although right now this is a tough one to track down.

By the way this 3 disc set is held in a 10 by 10 inch case about the same size as those that held those tape reels. The book inside is as big and full of great info and pictures. They decided once they got it somewhat organised to listen carefully to each piece of music at least 4 times to determine what was of the highest quality and what would be sent back to the vaults. One thing Irmin says that all of the band members of CAN have in common is an unsentimental ability to judge in cold blood what's good and what isn't. Nostalgic emotions were not a part of the final decision. I had heard long before I got my box-set that the music here was as good as CAN's best and I can attest that this isn't hype. These guys have chosen songs that in their opinion are worthy of being placed beside their best. So out of 50 hours of tapes we get almost 3 1/2 hours of music over 3 discs. The music isn't laid out chronologially although the one thing they did do was make the first disc up to and including song 4 of the second disc all Malcom Moody stuff, while the rest is with Damo.

I like the story in the liner notes of when Malcom joined the band for the first times in a castle outside of Colgne made available by a friend of Irmins. "Malcom arrived expecting to find an artists' studio; instead he would seize the microphone and push CAN-virtuoso players...into fiercely new areas with the sheer force of his voice". "Holger recalls his delight and shook at this powerful new element." The first piece they recorded was "Father Cannot Yell" which turned out to be completely different than what Holger thought it would be with Malcom on board. This was new music and the band knew it. Malcom became close with Jaki right away as they formed a close bond. Malcom says "The thing i liked about Jaki was that he wasn't set on any particular genre, he could accomplish things by listening to himself. He was able to carry a rhythm until it came back over itself. The band's components of Folk, Rock, Electronic, Classical and Jazz drumming, made for an interesting mix, and I had a rhythmic quality that went well with the music we did."

Okay i'll mention some highlights for me from each disc. Disc One's "Waiting For A Streetcar" is like hearing Malcom on a loop. He repeats that line a thousand times it seems as that beat is also repeated relentlessly. I love the info in the liner notes that tells us that CAN would play in the castle I mentioned earlier often at events. Anyway Malcom loved to take an actual event or person and incorporate it into the song like someone waiting for a taxi or someone named Doiris and use words related to that and repeat them over and over (haha). "Dealdly Doris" must have been hot. This is catchy with vocals. Too much ! "Graublau" is a 17 minute sountrack that is just killer ! An incredible beat this one. "Bubble Rap" has that familiar raw sounding guitar from Karolli and is the only exception of Damo being on the first disc. Just an amazing jam.

Disc Two's "True Story" is so funny with Malcom basically telling a story and it's like being at a party listening to someone who is really stoned make up this hilarious story. So funny ! "Oooh to have those juices" oh man this is good. "Spoon (Live)" is a 17 minute jam with Damo. "Abra Cada Braxas" was a spontaneous creation live on stage and man this sounds fantastic with that beat and atmosphere.

Disc Three's "Godzilla Fragment" is live and quite powerful. A definite highlight for me. "On The Way To Mother Sky" is a fragment from the track "Mother Sky" and check out the organ late. "Barnacles" is a live improv that might be my favourite track on this whole set. This is jazzy at first with prominant bass, electric piano and drums. I like when the guitar comes in and grinds away. Amazing track ! "One More Saturday Night" is live with a beat, electric piano and guitar standing out early then the vocals arrive. Love this !

Well I tried to give just my top 10 tracks but I think I did eleven. Easily the best release of 2012 for me.

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.