270 Hello Kraftwerk - Autobahn

Chart  entered : 10  May  1975

Chart  peak : 11

Number  of  hits  : 10

The  surprise  hit  single  of  1975  and  certainly  the  most  epochal; music  would  never  be  the  same  again  once  these  guys  went  overground.

The  band  themselves  certainly  saw  this  single,  and  the  LP  it  was  culled  from,  as  a  new  beginning; no  band  has  been  less  keen  on  people  exploring  their  earlier  work. The  three  previous  Kraftwerk  LPs  haven't  been  officially  available  for  decades - Florian  Schneider  was  fond  of  dismissing  them  as  "archaeology"  and  though  Ralf  Hutter  suggested   in  2006  that  they  might  finally  be  re-released   with  the  band's  blessing  we're  still  waiting. Without  youtube   I  wouldn't  be  able  to  write  this  post.  On  one  level  it  did  offer  some  consumer    protection  ; not  everyone  who  bought  "The  Model"  would  appreciate  their  earlier  material  but  I  suspect  that  isn't  the  real  reason, more  like  bloody-minded  control  freakery. It's  not  as  if  there  any  Laughing  Gnome - style  embarrassments  lurking  there.

Kraftwerk  started  to  germinate  when  organist  Ralf  Hutter  and  flautist  Florian  Schneider, both  born  just  after  the  war  , met  at   a  prestigious  musical  college  in  Dusseldorf. They  both  joined  a  band  called  Organisation  alongside  three  other  students  and  managed  to  interest  RCA  in  signing  them. They  released  one  album  "Tone  Float"  in  1969  which, not  being  under  the  band's  full  control, can  be found  on  Spotify. It's  hard  work. The  20  minute  title  track  takes  up  the  whole  of  side  one  and  is  a  percussion-heavy  stoner  jam  with  no  recognisable  rhythm  or  melody; the  shorter  tracks  on  side  two  aren't  any  easier  although  at  least  the  title  of  "Rhythm  Salad"  gives  you  some  warning  what  to  expect. As  a  reference  point  it's  related  to  early  post-Syd  Pink  Floyd  but  taken  much  further. Interestingly  Ralf  doesn't  have  a  composer  credit  for  any  of  it.

The  band  broke  up  when  the  album  didn't  sell  but  Ralf  and  Florian  continued  to  work  together  now  under  their  preferred  name  of  Kraftwerk  ( literally  "power  station" ).  The  line-up  fluctuated  over  the  next  few  years; there  was  even  a  brief  period  in  1971  when  Ralf  left  the  band  to pursue  architectural  studies  though  he's  present  on  all  the  albums.

Their   first   eponymous  LP   came  out  in  1970. It  comprised  two  instrumentals  on  each  side . Andreas  Hohmann   provided  the  drumming  on  Side  One  while  Klaus  Dinger  , later  of  Neu did  the  business  on  Side  Two. The  percussive  drive  at  the  start  and  end  of  opening  track  "Ruckzuck"  promises  something  more  purposeful  but  then  you  get  lost  in  the  boring  drones  of  "Stratovarius"  and  "Megaherz" . However  "Von  Himmel  Hoch"  is  something  different ; even without  lyrics  it's  clear  the  track  is  about  the  terrifying  bombardment  of  the  German  cities  in  the  last  years  of  World  War  Two  and  the  track  with  its  weird.  inhuman,  electronic  noises  popping  up  seemingly  at  random  and  powerful  bursts  of  Cozy  Powell  like  drumming   effectively  evokes  the  terror  and  confusion  of  an  air  raid.

When  Ralf  rejoined  Florian  they  set  to  work  on  "Kraftwerk  2"  which  doesn't  feature  any  other  musician,  relying  on  preset  rhythms  for  the  beat  where  necessary. In  that  sense  it's  inching  a  bit  closer  to  their  trademark  sound. The  17 minute  "Kling  Klang"  introduces  a  warmer  less  abrasive  feel  though  it  still  studiously  avoids  any  melody. Everything  else  is  beatless  and   experimental, ( with  guitar  surprisingly  prominent )  playing  around  with  sound  rather  than  constructing  a  coherent  piece  of  music.

"Ralf  und  Florian"  from  1973  was  again  recorded  as  a  duo.  Synthesisers  are  much  more  prominent  and  it's  a  lot  easier  on  the  ear  although  actual  tunes  are  still  absent. As  the  album  was  moderately  successful  in  Germany  the  duo  had  to  do  some  promotional  chores  and  recruited  Wolfgang  Flur  , a  dark-haired  handsome  drummer  who  could  have  been  the  band's  pin-up  if  they'd  needed  one.

And  so  we  come  to  "Autobahn". It's  a  much-condensed   version  of    the   22  minute  title   track  on  their  breakthrough  1974  album  released  in  November  1974. The  brilliantly realised  idea  was  to  replicate  a  car  journey  on  a  German  motorway  with  ignition  noises, passing  cars  and  going  under  bridges  while  a  stately  tune  played  on  the  radio. It  was  also  Kraftwerk's  first  "song"  with  a  minimal  lyric  that  referenced  the  Beach  Boys's  Fun  Fun  Fun   with  affectionate  cheek  ( this  has  been  disputed  by  Wolfgang  but  since  he  didn't  actually  feature  on  the  track  he  may  not  have  been  in  a  position  to  know ) .. The  album  version  has  some  guitar  and  flute  in  one  passage  but  this  wasn't  included  on  the  single. It  was  far  from  being  the  first  single  to  use  a  synth - Chicory  Tip's  risible  but  surprisingly  durable  Son  Of  My  Father  was  a  number  one  in  1972  for  instance - but  Kraftwerk  were  the  first  successful  group  to  embrace  an  all-electronic  sound. Even  their  immediate  disciples  Ultravox,  OMD  and  the  Oakey-led  Human  League  had  at  least  one  conventional  instrument  on  most  of  their  records.  

Conventional  wisdom  says  this  was  a  hit  after  their  appearance, now  augmented  by  an  extra    percussionist  Karl  Bartos  ,on  Tomorrow's  World  ( ironically  a  programme  which  derived  much  of  its  irritated  audience  through  immediately  preceding  Top  of  the  Pops  on  a  Thursday ) . I  can't  find  the  date  of  that  broadcast  so  I  can't  verify  or  deny  the  claim  but  as  the  song  was  a  big  hit  internationally  ( including  reaching  number  25  in  the  US )  it's  doubtful  it  needed  Raymond  Baxter's  endorsement.