The Unsung Heroes of Krautrock: The Neu! Vinyl Box Set

By Emily Carney

I guess this story begins with Kraftwerk, where a lot of musical stories begin—and end. I’ve been obsessed with Kraftwerk since I was a kid—I can remember having the Bavarian picnic scene from Trans-Europa Express on my wall for years—but I hadn’t heard their “Krautrock” efforts until quite recently (well, in the last decade). After getting into the first two Kraftwerk records, I became curious about Neu!, who actually began as an offshoot of Kraftwerk circa 1971.

The Kraftwerk “Krautrock” years (1970 to 1973-ish) bore some similarities to their better-known music in that the songs were highly structured, tight, and cyclical as all hell. So, I went scouring local record stores for Neu! releases, and I found Neu! ’75 (released in—you guessed it—1975, the same year Kraftwerk’s Radioactivity came out).

Instantly my mind was completely blown: while a lot of the songs resembled Kraftwerk-ian soundscapes (the cyclical, mechanical beats), there was a much greater “rock” sensibility to the tracks, courtesy of guitarist Michael Rother. The screams and caterwauling on the song “Hero” could have been transported via some time machine from 1977.

It was similar to when I heard Serge Gainsbourg for the first time; listening to Melody Nelson, I could hear from where bands like Air and Zero 7 had copied their whole musical aesthetic. Now, listening to Neu!, I could hear a great deal of (including but not limited to): Sex Pistols, Public Image Ltd., Gang of Four, David Bowie’s “Berlin trilogy,” and maybe even some misguided 1990s bands trying to sound like Neu! (I won’t mention them by name).

I was amazed at how cool, atmospheric, and inventive they could make the 4/4 beat sound (called “motorik” by music journalists, although Neu! member Klaus Dinger preferred the term “Apache beat”). The music was “ambient” at times: droning, but not in the dreaded way which makes the listener pass out from boredom (the “ambient” tag can be a cross to bear).

Another instant obsession started . . . however, despite Neu! being as obviously influential as they were, the band never reached the heights of commercial fame that Kraftwerk achieved. The band split several times, with member Klaus Dinger forming another combo (a very good one, I might add) called La Düsseldorf.

This year, a treat was released for Neu! completists: a vinyl box set which contains a book replete with never-released photos, the three original 1970s albums, a 1972 live set (which must be heard; it’s amazing and undated), and a 1986 comeback album, which is an attempt to be more “commercially oriented,” with interesting results.

The book from the box set contains pictures from Stephan Plank, the son of Conny Plank (Neu!’s producer, and the man who also produced tunes like Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn,” Ultravox’s “Vienna,” and all of the DAF albums). It’s poignant to see the band in their original form, with Klaus Dinger, Thomas Dinger, and Michael Rother, given that in the last decade both Klaus and Thomas both have died (Klaus passed away suddenly in 2008). This box set, then, is a testament to their continued influence and the continued quality of the music, and for being more than 30 years old, none of these albums have aged a bit.

The Neu! retrospective vinyl box set was released in May from Grönland Records; song samples and further information can be found at the Neu! website. In the notes on the site, Michael Rother makes it abundantly clear that despite the sudden death of Klaus Dinger, his musical and visual ideas were very much alive in terms of finishing up the box set.

It is an effort that Klaus would be proud of—and Neu! fans will certainly be excited to have the ultimate testament to a band who, while never becoming universally famous, certainly have been “heard” in their own way.

A recent press release states:

Inspired by revisiting these records, Rother has invited a group of musicians to visit the NEU! universe with him for a series of select live performances. As Hallogallo 2010, Michael Rother and friends Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and Aaron Mullan (Tall Firs) will play music by NEU!, as well as selections from Rother’s work with Harmonia and his solo albums. In addition to the free show at the Lincoln Center, Hallogallo 2010 have added shows in Philadelphia, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, and Mexico, and they will also play ATP NY. Rother and friends will kick off these shows with an intimate performance at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. The full schedule is below.

Hallogallo 2010 Tour Dates
Wed. Aug. 4: Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s—Michael Rother and Freunde
Fri. Aug. 6: New York, NY @ Lincoln Center—FREE
Sun. Aug. 8: Philadelphia, PA @ International House of Philadelphia
Fri. Aug. 27: Mexico City, Mexico @ Polyforum Cultura Siqueiros
Sat. Aug. 28: Guadalajara, Mexico @ Laboratorio en Arte Variedades (LARVA)
Sat. Sep. 4: Monticello, NY @ ATP NY
Sat. Sep. 7: Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center for the Arts
Wed. Sep. 8: Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Fri. Sep. 10: Detroit, MI @ MOCA