NEU! '75

An amazing masterpiece of Krautrock, absolutely essential. To a strictly symphonic prog listener a lot of the music may sound repetitive but in the right light this album is a flawless masterpiece, by the german duo Dinger and Rother. The music on this album I'd describe as kind of ambient punk, as if Mike Oldfield and Steve Hackett had joined the Sex Pistols, beautiful and full of soul yet rough and raw. This album does not feel as if it was written in the 1970s but more of an avantgarde work that anticipated new wave and 90s alternative and today's post rock. To this very day this album feels fresh and full of energy. This has no complex jazz elements just atmospheric rock, with sounds such as waves and rain that give it that relaxing touch and allows many of the songs to seemlessly flow in and out of each other, it allows the listener to 'dream' into the next track.The first track Isi sounds similar to the Cure, I wouldn't be surprised if Robert Smith listened to these guys. The song has a great rocking ambient feel with simple but very effective drumming and excellent keyboards, full of soul and delightful to the ear, with soaring abient guitars both fresh and simple yet etherial at the same time. Perfect 5/5 The second piece Seeland, is a slow gentle, sleepy piece, clicking percussion with beautiful ambience and gentle guitar, a repeated line that just works so well. With keyboard noises that give the song a spacy feel another gem. 5/5 Track 3 Leb' Wohl, has the sounds of waves to start with and flows gently forward with a soothing piano tune, a restful whispering almost narrative vocals I do believe in german I could be wrong. This piece will really relax you, it is so gentle and pieceful a delight to listen to, its as if the singer is trying to hipnotise you to sleep.5/5 Hero is a real rocking gem with punkish sounding growling singing, yet beautiful soothing guitar, it sounds similar to U2's beautiful day. Ugly singing (I mean it in a good way) counteracted with gret ambient rocking feel it really works. I'm sure these guys also influenced U2.So raw and ugly yet absolutely beautiful and atmospheric and dreamy, I don't know how these guys thought it up.5/5

The next track E-Musik, has an awesome bass sound that is distorted it sounds a lot like the dostortion the Cure would use years later on the song Primary, with flowing guitars that kind of remind me of Steve Hacketts work with Genesis. You really have to allow this song to flow on in the backround rather than listen to it hard like you would to a Symphonic piece.An the odd little keyboard touch. Another great atmospheric piece, it ends with windy noise, let it play around you don't try and study it hard.5/5 The final track After Eight like the previously mentioned track Hero has those ugly vocals and rocking spacy atmospheric guitars, and the beautiful backing vocals in key parts, angery and ugly and devine and angelic at the same time. 5/5

As the artwork displays, Neu! is about simplicity, yet it is so orginal and fresh a difunat prcursor to punk and new wave and in some ways made that music redundant, If people though that Tales from Topographic Oceans was too much, and that the industry needed a shake up with more rawness and dirctness, then they sadly overlooked this piece as an answer. To me this album did more for the industry than The Sex Pistols. This album is a masterpiece and should be apprecited by all music lovers, if you are looking for something simple, sober, raw and direct but yet with dvine beauty and will sooth you then look no further than Neu!75.