When I began buying music in the mid eighties, the received wisdom was that "Autobahn" represented the birth of Kraftwerk. To a certain extent the band continue to drive this perception by omitting their first three albums from concerts or when reissuing their back catalogue.
I can see why Ralf hides these albums away as their style doesn't fit the "Godfathers of Electronic Music/Techno" narrative. Yet, to a certain extent, "Autobahn" doesn't fit the story too well either. There is plenty of violin, organ, flute and twangy guitar alongside the sounds of the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey on this record. In fact, when I first bought "Autobahn" on CD I was so unimpressed by the presence of traditional instruments that that I took it back and changed it for something else.
Some years later I bough the album again and, whilst it will never be my favourite, I began to appreciate it much more. Today, I own an original UK pressing, the 2009 remastered edition and a version included in the box set "3-D (The Catalogue)". The first two of these records contain the original mix but the third is a live "reimagining". I'll play the original first.
A distant thud sounds as someone closes their front door before getting into their VW Beetle and driving away. A synthesised horn sounds and a vocoder announces that we are about to enter the autobahn. As things progress the melody and leitmotifs exchange places with vocals and sound effects intended to give the impression of a car journey. The guitar and flute on this twenty minute opus do stick out a bit, but it remains entertaining throughout its extended length.
On the other side, "Kometenmelodie 1" is a doleful and meandering tune played on a patch created using white noise. There is some piano interspersed with the synth noises but there isn't a lot of variation to warrant the six and a half minute run time. "Kometenmelodie 2" is a more upbeat and tuneful piece but today it sounds like the most dated track on here. "Mitternacht" is a darker and less melody driven piece that hints at things to come on future albums. "Morgenspaziergang" is an electro-acoustic piece featuring a melody played on the flute with accompaniment on piano. This last track is the least electronic on the album and my least favourite as a result.
The reimagined live "3-D" LP is a cleaner and more economical recording that dispenses with some of the more overindulgent elements of the title track and offers much better dynamics on the other cuts. Thankfully there is no trace of any traditional instruments on the new version and its reduced running time makes for a more satisfying listening experience. No doubt there are fans of the original that regard such views as heresy; but I didn't buy this album until it was almost twenty years old and it has always sounded old fashioned to me. 2/5
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