Unterstützt die Wirtschaft - öfter mal Weihnachten

January 20, 2016 11:45 AM

Kraftwerk live in Soest, Winter 1970. This concert from "Youth Carousel" is the earliest existing concert recording from the pioneering electronic group out of Düsseldorf. The group was founded that year and is seen here with their original lineup.
posted by frimble (13 comments total)

Shortly before Michael Rother joined (there is a great recording of that line-up, too, which also sounds completely unlike the later, more commonly though-of Kraftwerk sound), and not long before he would leave with Klaus Dinger to form the radically different Neu!. The evolutionary speed, variety, and level of talent in the Krautrock pool is impressive even 40+ years out.
posted by ryanshepard at 11:57 AM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Those crowd-shots are amazing! The expressions: some look bored, some look stoned, some look like they are watching a classical recital, some look like they are in a rock concert, many are smoking.

Also, I was surprised at the instrument playing. The one Kraftwerk concert I went to (Seattle, ~2006) consisted of four people standing motionless on at podiums about 10 feet apart, potentially fiddling with the electronics in front of them. You wondered if they even needed to be present; for their encore they were replaced with four robot versions of themselves standing at the same podiums, continuing to 'play'. It was a great concert.
posted by el io at 12:05 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

There's also footage of Can, who was the headliner for this show.

It's fascinating to look at the long-haired, leather-jacketed Ralf and long-haired, paisley-clad Florian, and compare it to the popular image of Kraftwerk as well-groomed robots in crisp red shirts and black ties.

And, yes, the crowd shots are fascinating. In fairness to them, I'm a fan of this period of Kraftwerk (as well as their more famous electronic stuff), but the build-up in that first song goes on way too damn long.

Also, from the early Kraftwerk files, here's the Pre-Kraftwerk band Organisation performing "Ruckzuck", a song that would later appear on the first Kraftwerk album, and in the Soest set.
posted by SansPoint at 12:07 PM on January 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

the build-up in that first song goes on way too damn long

Then you may want to avoid the 40 minute live version of Autobahn (audio only) from Leverkusen on the 22th of April 1974.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:14 PM on January 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

filthy light thief Challenge Accepted. *saves to Instapaper*
posted by SansPoint at 12:16 PM on January 20, 2016

Damn, gone already!
posted by larrybob at 12:20 PM on January 20, 2016

Looks like maybe the Open Culture website link is gone, but the concert video is still on YouTube
posted by larrybob at 12:20 PM on January 20, 2016

Here's a copy of the concert video on YouTube.
posted by frimble at 12:23 PM on January 20, 2016

Mod note: Swapped out the link, carry on.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:29 PM on January 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Google cache of Open Culture page in case anyone wants to read their text.
posted by larrybob at 12:33 PM on January 20, 2016

Fantastic video...

There are two nice clips of the short-lived Florian Schneider/Michael Rother/Klaus Dinger lineup on German TV here and here.
posted by remembrancer at 12:35 PM on January 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

And here's a third video of the Schneider/Rother/Dinger lineup: "Rückstoss Gondoliere" (AKA "Vor Dem Blauen Bock" when it was slapped on as a bonus track for bootlegs of the Organisation album "Tone Float")
posted by SansPoint at 5:02 PM on January 20, 2016

the 40 minute live version of Autobahn (audio only) from Leverkusen on the 22th of April 1974.

Thanks so much for that!

Great listen!
posted by Mister Bijou at 1:50 AM on January 21, 2016