Can

The names Holger Czukay, Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit and Irmin Schmidt should be as ubiquitous as Paul, John, George and Ringo (Ok, maybe not Ringo). In 1968 these four musical geniuses formed Can, the Greatest Band of All Time.

Can are a musical genre unto themselves, and the only vaguely accurate description I can muster for them is a cross between The Velvet Underground and Miles Davis (see jazz rock fusion album Bitches Brew). You can hear elements of their sound in most music that has followed, from Talking Heads to Pavement.

I was tempted to make this a complete retrospective, but then anyone who has heard of Can probably own everything by them already (or should do), and any newcomers might find too much material a bit overwhelming. I think their music rewards repeat listens, and each album should be given time to be appreciated as a whole.

Plus I’m lazy.

So here are two tracks from two of my favourite albums, one featuring original vocalist Malcom Mooney, the other Damo Suzuki. Hopefully they give a nice overview of the band.

MP3 Can – Yoo Doo Right (expired)

From the debut album Monster Movie, this is the legendary 20 minute epic (condensed from a 12 hour improv session) that hints at what Can would later be capable of. Here we have Malcom Mooney on vocals, with a raw sound unique to Monster Movie in the Can discography. Mooney would later have a nervous break down (on stage, no less, constantly repeating the phrase “upstairs, downstairs”) and be replaced by the (in my opinion, superior) vocalist Damo Suzuki. This is still one of my favourite Can songs, with its rich layered textures making the seemingly simple arrangement sound better with every listen.

MP3 Can – Vitamin C (expired)

Pitchfork called this the finest funk song ever to come out of Europe, and I would be inclined to agree (had I any knowledge of funk music). Still, its a great song from Ege Bamyasi, arguably Cans finest album. Quite an achievement considering Irmin and Damo used to play chess obsessively during the studio sessions, giving them little time to record, and resulting in a lack of material for the album. Rest assured, this is an absolute gem, and still sounds more modern than anything released today – despite being recorded in 1972. Incidentally, even though Damo was a somewhat more stable vocalist than Malcom, he would later leave the band to become a Jehova’s Witness.

Can disbanded in 1979, meaning I will never get the chance to see them live. Which is even more of a shame than you think – legend has it that during live shows drummer Jaki could mysteriously focus his cyclical playing style onto certain members of the audience – and make them vomit. Classic!