This was the first album on which Kraftwerk truly relinquished their art-rock sensibilities and gave in to their innate sense of pop. The naive fumbling of the previous album "Radioactivity" is replaced with a polished perfection that is much more appealing.
Whilst this record wasn't a massive commercial success when it was released, the musical ripples it created are still being felt today. There's no doubt this album represents a milestone in electronic music and is a cultural icon.
The album starts with "Europe Endless" which conjurors up images of parks, hotels and palaces fleetingly glimpsed through the window of a train as it shuttles between cities like Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zürich and Rome. When I first heard it, this song sounded very exotic as my world was much more parochial and introverted in my youth. Unfortunately the idea of frictionless travel across Europe is once again a pipe dream for those of us living in the UK, but at least I can now say Europe's promenades and avenues no longer feel like another world.
Another remarkable aspect of this first song is that it demonstrates the presence of sequencers in the Kling Klang studio. By 1977 Kraftwerk were using a prototype Synthanorma SQ312 and it clearly lent a new dynamic to the sound of this record. The synth patches this machine drives are nearly always perfect and effects are applied sympathetically. Unlike previous albums, even the vocals are clear and generally in tune.
The second track is "The Hall of Mirrors" which has a much slower pace but is no less atmospheric. This is one of few tracks where I prefer the German language version as the phrasing seems to fit slightly better. As I listen to "Showroom Dummies" I can't help but think it sounds like prototype reggaeton. Who knows, maybe the influence of this record is truly that broad. Personally I'm not totally enamoured with this song as the stuttering rhythm is too dominant and it becomes a little annoying; even if the melody is very good.
On the second side of the disc we encounter the iconic leitmotif of the title track and its two subsequent movements "Metal on Metal" and "Abzug". Once again I am drawn to the German language versions of these tracks as they sound more aggressive and the vocoder work is more impressive as a result. Whilst there is no doubt this track is iconic, dare I suggest it becomes a little repetitive and runs out of steam towards the end of "Abzug"?
"Franz Schubert" is a variation on the theme of "Europe Endless" that meanders along quite inoffensively until it is drawn to a close by the "Endless Endless" coda. I like this album and nobody can deny the impact it continues to have as it finds new listeners. But "Trans Europe Express" isn't perfect and there was even better to come from the Godfathers of Techno. 4/5
