Autobahn (album)

Infobox Album |
Name = Autobahn


Type = studio
Artist = Kraftwerk
Released = 1974
Recorded = Germany, 1974
Genre = Electronic music
Synthpop
Length = 42:26
Label = Philips
flagicon|Germany flagicon|Argentina flagicon|Austria flagicon|Canada flagicon|France flagicon|Italy flagicon|Netherlands flagicon|Portugal flagicon|South Africa flagicon|South Korea

Vertigo
flagicon|United States flagicon|United Kingdom flagicon|Australia flagicon|New Zealand flagicon|Mexico flagicon|Brazil flagicon|Spain flagicon|Indonesia flagicon|Japan

Mercury flagicon|Greece
Producer = Conny Plank
Ralf Hütter
Florian Schneider
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Avjrvad1kv8wj link]
*"Q" Rating|4|5 [http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.artist.review&fixture_review=126695&fixture_artist=145614 October 2000]
*Robert Christgau (B-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=762&name=Kraftwerk link]
*"Rolling Stone" [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/190252?rnd=1124453927130&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1059 RS 189]
Last album = "Ralf und Florian"
(1973)
This album = "Autobahn"
(1974)
Next album = "Radio-Activity"
(1975)
Misc = Singles
Name = Autobahn
Type = studio
single 1 = Autobahn" b/w "Kometenmelodie 1
single 1 date = 1975, Vertigo 6147 012, UK
single 2 = Comet Melody 2" b/w "Kristallo
single 2 date = 1975, Vertigo 6147 015, UK
single 3 = Autobahn" b/w "Morgenspaziergang
single 3 date = 1975, Philips 6003 438, Germany
single 4 = Kometenmelodie 2" b/w "Mitternacht
single 4 date = 1975, Philips 6003 466, Germany

"Autobahn" (German for "freeway") is an album by Kraftwerk, released in 1974. The album’s 22-minute title track was edited to about 3 minutes for single release and reached #25 on the US Billboard charts, charting even higher around Europe, including #11 in the UK. This commercial success came after the band had released three highly experimental and purely instrumental albums.

"Autobahn" is not a completely electronic album, as violin, flute, and guitar are used along with synthesizers. The title track features both untreated and vocoded vocals; the remaining tracks are purely instrumental. Kraftwerk used a Minimoog, an ARP Odyssey, an EMS Synthi AKS and various devices of their own design and implementation, such as their famous electronic drums.

The title track is intended to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn: from the high-speed concentration on the fast lane, to tuning the car radio, to the monotony of a long trip. "Autobahn" is also the first of Kraftwerk’s concept albums of sorts, which they have done up to 2003.

The front cover of the original German edition was painted by Emil Schult, a long-time collaborator of Ralf and Florian, who also co-wrote the lyrics to the song "Autobahn". The version released in the UK on the Vertigo label in 1974 had a differently designed cover, produced by the label’s in-house marketing department.

Klaus Röder was not a member of the band for very long, and had left before the recording sessions were completed.
Wolfgang Flür’s face was added to the group photo on the back cover of the original LP (grafted onto Emil Schult’s body) at the last minute when it was decided that he would stay as a permanent member of the band.

Konrad Plank had reputedly played a large role in developing the Kraftwerk sound,cite book | last = Flür| first = Wolfgang | authorlink = Wolfgang Flür | title = Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot| publisher = Sanctuary Publishing | date = 2000-11-29 | id = ISBN 186074320X - "This was described in detail in this autobiography, where Flür describes many meetings with Plank at his home/studio, and how his input was allegedly later downplayed."] and much of the recording and all of the mixing of the work took place at his studio in Cologne. Plank's contribution to the sound was evident in comparing the album version of "Kometenmelodie" with the rare demo-quality single "Kohoutek-Kometenmelodie", recorded without his input.

Flür had played with the band since late in 1973, first appearing with them on a Berlin TV performance to promote their "Ralf und Florian" album. On that show, he debuted the band’s custom-built electronic percussion pads, and these feature heavily on the Autobahn album.

Although Philips Records and Vertigo Records were the original labels that released the album, it has been reissued multiple times in various regions by Mercury Records, EMI Records, Parlophone Records, Warner Bros. Records and Elektra Records. There are also several variations in the artwork of these reissues. Currently, the EMI Compact Disc edition is the one which remains in print; it is only available as an import in North America.

Track listing

Side one

# "Autobahn" ("Motorway") (Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Emil Schult) – 22:42

Side two

# "Kometenmelodie 1" ("Comet Melody 1") (Hütter, Schneider) – 6:26 (inspired by Comet Kohoutek)
# "Kometenmelodie 2" ("Comet Melody 2") (Hütter, Schneider) – 5:48
# "Mitternacht" ("Midnight") (Hütter, Schneider) – 3:43
# "Morgenspaziergang" ("Morning Walk") (Hütter, Schneider) – 4:04

Credits

* Ralf Hütter – vocals, keyboards and synthesizers.
* Florian Schneider – vocals, flute, keyboards and synthesizers.
* Klaus Röder – guitar, electric violin.
* Wolfgang Flür – electronic percussion.
* Konrad "Conny" Plank – sound engineer and producer.
* Emil Schult – cover design.

Equipment

*Minimoog
*ARP Odyssey (white-face)
*Customized Farfisa Rhythm Unit 10
*Vox Percussion King
*Farfisa Professional Piano
*EMS Synthi A
*Schulte Compact Phasing A
*Mutron Biphase
*& others

Release details

The originally released formats are shown below. These may differ from currently available versions.

References