Radio-Activity

: "For other uses of "Radio activity" and "radioactivity", see Radioactive (disambiguation)".

Infobox Album |
Name = Radio-Activity


Type = studio
Artist = Kraftwerk
Released = December 1975
Recorded = Kling Klang Studio, Düsseldorf
Genre = Electronic music
Synthpop
Length = 37:38
Label = Kling Klang
EMI
Capitol
Producer = Ralf Hütter
Florian Schneider
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=A5kqag4fttvoz link]
* "Q" Rating|3|5 [http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.review.redirect&fixture_review=125902&resource=125902&fixture_artist=145614 March 1995]
*"Rolling Stone" (mixed) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kraftwerk/albums/album/91608/review/6067422/radioactivity link]
Last album = "Autobahn"
(1974)
This album = "Radio-Activity"
(1975)
Next album = "Trans-Europe Express"
(1977)
Misc = Singles
Name = Radio-Activity
Type = studio
single 1 = Radioactivity" b/w "Antenna
single 1 date = 1976, Capitol CL15853, UK
single 2 = Radioaktivität" b/w "Antenne
single 2 date = 1976, Kling Klang 1C00682119, Germany
single 3 =
single 3 date =
single 4 =
single 4 date =

"Radio-Activity" is a 1975 concept album by Kraftwerk. It was also released under the German name of "Radio-Aktivität". Unlike Kraftwerk's later albums, which featured language-specific lyrics, only the titles differ between the English and German editions.

The hyphenated album title displays Kraftwerk's typical deadpan humour, being a pun on the twin themes of the songs, half being about radioactivity and the other half about activity on the radio. More word plays are evident in the track listing: the cleverly titled "Ohm Sweet Ohm", and "Radio Stars", which as a title could refer to pop stars, but upon listening is revealed to be about quasars and pulsars.

This was the first Kraftwerk album to be entirely self-produced by Hütter & Schneider in their Kling Klang studio, and the first one to be performed by the "classic" Hütter/Schneider/Bartos/Flür line-up. All the music was written by Hütter/Schneider, with Emil Schult collaborating on lyrics. Schult also designed the artwork – a modified illustration of a late-1930s 'Deutscher Kleinempfänger' radio.

It was the first Kraftwerk album to feature use of the distinctive Vako Orchestron keyboard (choir, string and organ sounds), which the group had purchased on their recent US "Autobahn" tour. The band's custom-built electronic percussion also featured heavily in the sound, and extensive use was made of the vocoder. The usual synthesizers were present (including Minimoog and ARP Odyssey), and Ralf's Farfisa electronic piano made a return on "Transistor". For the first time the group did not use flute, violin or guitars.

By 1975, Hütter and Schneider's previous publishing deals with Capriccio Music and Star Musik Studio of Hamburg had expired. The compositions on "Radio-Activity" were published by their own newly set up "Kling Klang Verlag" music publishing company, giving them greater financial control over the use of songwriting output. Also, the album was the first to bear the fruit of Kling Klang as an established vanity label under the group's new licensing deal with EMI. The album reached #59 in Canada, in February 1976.

The title track "Radioactivity" was released as a single, and became a hit in France after it was used as the theme to a popular music show. The song was later re-recorded by Kraftwerk for their 1991 album "The Mix". It was further remixed, for subsequent single release, by William Orbit and François Kevorkian.

Track listing

(English release titles / German release titles)

ide one

#"Geiger Counter" / "Geigerzähler" – 1:07
#"Radioactivity" / "Radioaktivität" – 6:42
#"Radioland" / "Radioland" – 5:50
#"Airwaves" / "Ätherwellen" – 4:40
#"Intermission" / "Sendepause" – 0:39
#"News" / "Nachrichten" – 1:17

2 - 4 written by Hütter/Schneider/Schult
1, 5 & 6 written by Hütter/Schneider

ide two

#"The Voice of Energy" / "Die Stimme der Energie" – 0:55
#"Antenna" / "Antenne" – 3:43
#"Radio Stars" / "Radio Sterne" – 3:35
#"Uranium" / "Uran" – 1:26
#"Transistor" / "Transistor" – 2:15
#"Ohm sweet Ohm" / "Ohm sweet Ohm" – 5:39

1 - 4 written by Hütter/Schneider/Schult
5 & 6 written by Hütter/Schneider

Equipment

* Roland RE-201 Space Echo
* ARP Odyssey
* Moog Minimoog
* Farfisa Rhythm Unit 10
* EMS Synthi A
* Oscilloscope
* Vako Orchestron

Credits

* Ralf Hütter – vocals, keyboards and synthesizers.
* Florian Schneider – vocals, keyboards and synthesizers.
* Karl Bartos – electronic percussion.
* Wolfgang Flür – electronic percussion.
* Peter Bollig – technical engineer.
* Walter Quintus – sound engineer.
* Robert Franke – photography.
* Emil Schult – graphic design.

Release details

The original releases of each format are shown below. These may differ from currently available versions.