Is this band worth it? I mean, I've heard they're revered in all indie circles as Velvet Underground-like, but is their stuff worth buying? And if so, what albums?

For some reason at every record shop I visit their stuff is 16 bucks.

Fuck that shit if it's not worth it.

Only if you like good music.

Can is one of my ten favorite bands. I'd say it's worth it.

Velvet Underground-like? Not so much. And that's a good thing.

Ege Bamayasi & Tago Mago are the only worthwhile releases from Can IMO.

The re-mix/tribute album Sacrilege is fucking awesome as well. Sonic Youth, UNKLE doing versions of Can songs... noice!

And Monster Movie and Future Days.

whoa....never even heard of that.

When I get some time freed up, I'll PM you guys a link.

Those first five albums of theirs are awesome.

And accept nothing other than the newly-remastered SACD hybrids. The sound quality on these things (standard CD audio - I don't have SACD equipment) is astounding.

I am not a fan. I fail to see the greatness in Tago Mago, and have had not desire to explore further.

I know they're not really comparable, but when I'm in the need for a "Krautrock" fix, I slap on Faust IV.

I like everything up through Soon Over Babaluma plus the rarities comp Unlimited Edition. Stay away from Landed and everything released after it.

I'd go in this order:

1. Ege Bamyasi
2. Tago Mago
3. Future Days
4. Monster Movie
5. Soundtracks
6. Soon Over Babaluma
7. Unlimited Edition

All of which have been released on SACD. As said above, DO NOT buy the old versions. The new ones are vastly superior, one of the best remastering jobs of any reissue I've heard.

A few things to keep in mind when approaching Can:

-Their best period was their trio of albums with Damo Suzuki, Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, and Future Days. Some other songs with him are on Soundtracks and Unlimited Edition.
-They're kinda jammy. Not bad jammy, though. No wanky solos (at least not until the later stuff), rather they work their way through a groove and develop it.
-The lyrics can be pretty silly. Nobody listens to Can for the lyrics.
-They're one of my 2 or 3 favorite bands ever.

If you want to try sampling a few songs first, look for "Vitamin C", "Paperhouse", "Mother Sky" (Calla does a good cover of this), "Sing Swan Song", "I'm So Green", "Moonshake", or "Mushroom".

More like Can't.

i've have these + soundtracks (which is really good too).
i love 'em, but could easily understand how they wouldn't be everyone's cup o' tea.

could i get in on this action?

I have a two-disk version of that.

Can > VU

I really don't see the two as comparable, though, perhaps I ought to revisit VU (by whom I don't own any albums)...

Just a warning: DO NOT buy any Can albums if you're expecting them to sound even remotely like the Velvet Underground. Can were an interesting band, and hugely influential in their own right, but they had very little to do with the rock tradition that the VU operated in.

I would like this, too.

And, yeah, Can sound nothing like VU although they were fans of the Velvets, and you can hear a VU influence in a few Can songs.

I say at least hear Tago Mago & Ege Bamyasi




It's hit & miss, the D+B remixes sound so dated & The Orb mix sounds too much like an Orb track (at a time they didn't sound that good). Sonic Youth's sounds like a B-side of Maxinquaye era Tricky. Carl Craig, UNKLE & whomever did the Sunroof mix of "Oh Yeah" done real good too.

Agreed. About the most they had in common is that they were both seminal.

Absolutely not for everyone, but it's fun to play for the unitiated. "What is he saying? This is 20 minutes long? 20 minutes of this?!"

Unofficial, un-professionally-conducted research (i.e. my observations from working in a record store) concludes that:

Can makes babies and little kids BOGGIE.

me too por favor.

i'd go with tago mago or future days.

do you can fans consider them an "album band"? i got an anthology and have a tough time listening to much at a time. is it a mistake to divorce their songs from their intended context?

Naw. If you don't like the compilation, you probably won't like the albums, neither.

Depends on which comp you have. I guess I would consider them an "album band", but you could pretty much form a solid opinion of them based on the songs in my above post.