SOON OVER BABALUMA

Soon Over Babaluma is certainly not one of the easier Can albums to get into. Damo Suzuki had left the band, taking with him the more directly expressive and emotional part of the Can. So even for a seasoned Krautoneer, it takes a while to get into the more subdued and subtly layered music on this album.

The first 3 tracks are still fairly accessible. With their short running time, catchy vocals and mesmerizing beauty, Dizzy Dizzy and Come Sta are immediate winners. Splash shifts a level higher in terms of accessibilty. The music is looser, fully improvised and jazzy.

The remaining half of the album poses the real challenge. Chain Reaction left me completely untouched for years, not sounding like much more then a jumble of wild ideas with few flashes of inspiration. The first half of Quantum Physics didn't strike me as any better. Only the second half of that song had more immediate appeal to me due to the ambient avant-garde noise and subtle percussion. But after a year of exploring improvised and avant music I find both to be brilliant.

As usual the conclusion is to never give up on an album, certainly not on a good one, and especially so where it concerns music that you fail to 'get' or understand. The problem was me, not the music.