622 Can - Ege Bamyasi (1972)

 622 Can - Ege Bamyasi (1972)

Studio Album - Krautrock


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About the Act:

Can were an experimental Rock Band from Germany, part of the Krautrock scene, but more internationally successful than most. They had a block of existence from 1968-79 and then occasional short reunions since. They blended together elements of Jazz, Funk, Avant Garde, Psychedelia, Noise Rock and Music Concrete, and were hugely influential. They have created 12 studio albums.

About the Album:

This was the band's third studio album, and was recorded in a converted theatre. The title is Turkish for Aegean Okra. 

My History with this Album:

I acquired an extensive collection of Krautrock a few years ago, and this was part of it. I don't remember it particularly though.

Review:

My explorations in an around the Prog Rock world have caused me to dip my toe in Krautrock sometimes. It can be a little off-putting at times, partly because some of it is quite unusual. This is probably less so than some. 

Musically - well let's start by throwing some words in: Psychedelic, Space Rock, Funk, Improvisation. I don't know how much help any of that is to you in getting an idea here. It's quite laid-back and has a very "live" feel to it. The norm is longish tracks with evolving passages that float into each other. The drumbeats are quite complex, and are the main source of funkiness. One track is in 7/8. It has this rolling on through quality that is the heart of space rock, but also of funk, and which was adopted by electronic music: dance, hip-hop, rave, ambient, dub and so on about 10 years after this. I'm sorry, I'm getting a bit music history here, but these are the roots of disco. Not that this sounds like disco, far from it. It's more mellow than that. Interestingly, the first track, "Pinch" is particularly funk-like in quality, and the lyrics are spoken. It's not quite rap, but it leans that way.

Vocally, there are words, I cannot really remember them. It's about sound and feeling really. The singer, Damo Suzuki, is a bit of a character at times. I think the thing I enjoyed most was the drumming. The drummer has this great, silky touch, both technical, but with feeling too. It makes an excellent underpinning for the music.

So I liked it. It's a bit trippy, and I enjoy that sometimes. Like quite a bit of the stuff it foreshadows, it works better as atmosphere than as a strong focus of the attention. It has an innocence to it that is refreshing. 

7.3/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1MLxE2czxo5A9OVZ2m8FV3

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4BDEDF78BE90CDCB

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ege_Bamyas%C4%B1



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