Product Description

THE MAN-MACHINE and its predecessor, 1977's TRANS-EUROPE EXPRESS, deserve their exalted position in the pantheon of modern music, if only for their importance in shaping the future development of hip-hop and dance music. The concept behindThe Man-Machine took Kraftwerk's mechanistic vision of humanity to its logical extreme, but the music within captured the group at their most engagingly melodic. Instantly memorable, "The Model" reached number 1 in the UK singles chart three years later, and proved to be a direct inspiration for the wave of gloomy electronic bands that quickly followed. However, none of them ever came close to grasping the subtle human touch that lay behind Kraftwerk's faceless exterior.

Track Listing

1. Robots
2. Spacelab
3. Metropolis
4. Model
5. Neon Lights
6. Man Machine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10108 in Music
• Released on: 2003-01-17
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Mechanical Soul
Robots Spacelab Metropolis Model Neon Lights Man Machine

Some albums open up entire vistas, suggesting not only new approaches but new musical visions. While Trans-Europe Express outlined the general approach, The Man Machine is perhaps the ultimate expression of the synthesis of man and machine that underlay Kraftwerk's approach. The voice, which was so open and optimistic in "Europe Endless" in TEE is now processed and digitised from the off, in the opener "Robots". It's a remarkable song which feels that it had to be made by someone eventually. It's both cold and mechanistic, and oddly funky and touching - I love it when they say "We are programmed just to do / Anything you want us to".

Whereas previous Kraftwerk album had featured a smidgeon of authentic instrumentation, every sound on this album is digitised. There is a sterile, cold, dispassionate splendour to the sound. On "Spacelab" this works well in evoking the cold vacuum of space, while "Neon Lights" has a wonderful (undigitised) lyric celebrating the lights of the city, and has a coda pulsing with rhythms suggesting the richness of life in the urban environment. Kraftwerk's best known song "The Model" may seem out of character with the rest of the album, being a straightforward pop song (still in the digital style) with a wry lyric on fame and celebrity, but the apparent indifference and underlying humanity fits in in with the rest of the album.

The influence of this album on modern music cannot possibly be overestimated. Electronica, synth-pop, dance music, all took their genesis from Kraftwerk. But like The Beatles, not only were Kraftwerk the first to do what they did, they were the best at it. They are the Year 0 of electronic music and this album is their finest, most completely realised vision.

As near perfect.............
I don't particularly like it when someone tells me an album is seminal, but given the debt thousands of artists owe to Kraftwerk, and this album in particular, I think the word seminal is appropriate. So there, Seminal!I bought this album 29 yrs ago,and got it on Cd recently,it still strikes me as one of the finest electronic albums ever.Kraftwerks precision, both musically and lyrically is clear, and their relevance is perhaps more so today,given the advances in technology. They are obsessed with the relationships we have with technology and robots in particular.The music on each track builds,layer upon layer, so that seemingly out of synch rhythms gradually come togethor beautifully. And whilst they seem to strive for that ultra cool,distant feel their music is decidedly human.Kraftwerk built their own instruments,and produced a wonderfull, methodical and as near perfect an album as I have heard.Still good to dance to!!

A couple of highlights
Robots and Metropolis are great, electronic tracks but overall found this a little tame compared with Trans Europe Express, and the more conventional pop 'songs' aren't really to my taste. For me, Kraftwerk's strengths are words and music rather than melodic songs.