Kraftwerk, the wilderness years. They’d had the surprise hit with Autobahn in 1974, and it wouldn’t be until 1981 that the rest of the world would catch up with Ralf and Florian’s brand of electronic Krautrock.
So this album sits between the initial awareness and superstardom of Kraftwerk. It starts with Europe Endless, a combination of keyboard synthesiser, electronic percussion and voice synthesiser, trademark of Kraftwerk, without being particularly exceptional, however the slower Sprechgesang of The Hall Of Mirrors is a haunting piece. I can’t claim to be mad on Showroom Dummies, but it’s followed by the magnificent Trans-Europe Express pulling out of the station, a grandiose piece spanning 12 minutes. Frank Schubert/ Endless Endless is a gentle comedown after the title track. Many cite this as their finest, but I don’t see that. It feels transitional between the experimental Autobahn and the more assured Man Machine.
3* - a solid Kraftwerk album, but not my favourite
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