Autobahn

1001 Albums you must hear before you die (384 items)
list by Phil

2,020 Albums You Must Hear Before the World Ends (1748 items)
list by ToonHead2102

My Favorite Music Albums (142 items)
list by milica

100 Greatest Electronic Albums (100 items)
list by spiegel

Very Long Songs (10+ minutes) (197 items)
list by joshbakr

One of my favorite tracks is the epic 22+ minute track Autobahn and to me it sounds like this band had a lot of fun with making this track, which is why it's so long, they loved it so much and kept adding to it and played it live it seems. The use of horns sounds and the long key strokes to simulate cars passing by is about as genuis as their track Trans Europe Express. The does get a bit tiresome... read more

Description: Though they'd recorded three previous albums, Kraftwerk's modern pop legacy starts with the sounds of a few footsteps and a slamming car door--the beginning of a 22-minute musically impressionistic excursion down Germany's famed superhighway. An unexpected hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Autobahn's "fahren, fahren, fahren" refrain echoes "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys (just one of Kraftwerk's unlikely influences), while the entire concept recalls Brian Wilson's frustrated attempts at creating what he called "a pocket symphony." The rhythmic synth pulse that carries the title track will be fam
Though they'd recorded three previous albums, Kraftwerk's modern pop legacy starts with the sounds of a few footsteps and a slamming car door--the beginning of a 22-minute musically impressionistic excursion down Germany's famed superhighway. An unexpected hit on both sides of the Atlantic, Autobahn's "fahren, fahren, fahren" refrain echoes "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys (just one of Kraftwerk's unlikely influences), while the entire concept recalls Brian Wilson's frustrated attempts at creating what he called "a pocket symphony." The rhythmic synth pulse that carries the title track will be familiar to Kraftwerk admirers, while cofounder Florian Schneider's flute work and other more delicate melodic touches hearken back to the band's prog-rock foundations (as do the atmospheric "Kometenmelodie 1 & 2," "Mitternacht," and "Morgenspaziergang"). Kraftwerk's fascination with technology has been well documented, but the revelation of Autobahn is the playful human spirit behind the robots' masks. --Jerry McCulley

... (more) (less)