I head to the record store today to maybe get a copy of the Dylan Carlson solo record when lo and behold they had almost all of the recent Can reissues on Spoon. I'm rebuilding my collection anyway and need to replace these so I grabbed MM, ST, TM and EB all for under twenty bucks each. So stoked.

Another vote for Soundtracks. Maybe it's because it was my introduction? And don't discount The Lost Tapes just because it's "outtakes". Their outtakes are way better than most recorded music.

I think the first Can record i got was Soon Over Babaluma. I either bought it used at a record store in Mt. Prospect, or else got it in a treasure trove of records some abandoned at an apartment building my father managed at the time (1973 or 1974, maybe 1975). That treasure trove also included the first Stooges album, Vanilla Fudge, Mountain, and the MC5.I still really like Babaluma, it has a nice almost Latin feel to it. I think Tago Mago is my favorite, but really, any of the first 4 or 5 records they did could be in the top spot.

Ege Bamyesi would be the first I'd recommend to someone just getting into them, then go to Tago Mago, then Soundtracks. After that, get Future Days, The Lost Tapes and go from there into the rest.

cjh wrote:This has been on YouTube for six months but hasn't been widely circulated, excerpts from the same show (Mother Sky) have been around but I've never seen the whole thing. There's a great live version of a stripped down/embryonic Paperhouse towards the end. The whole thing is solid gold.phpBB [media]Whoa, this looks to be from the same concert where an early Kraftwerk were playing as well. What a line-up, Can and Kraftwerk in one evening. Compare the right side of the stage with this: phpBB [media]

Soundtracks would almost certainly have been the most consistent Can record ever (well, I should specify conventionally consistent) if they'd used something other than "Soul Desert" for one of the two Mooney songs. "Thief" would have been great music in a movie, besides being one of the most despairing, brilliant songs I've ever heard.If you want an indisputably awesome Can experience but don't have much time, or much patience at that time besides nice bite-size chunks, Soundtracks should be your go-to.

Man, Future Days was such an eye-opener for me. That was living in Chicago from 2001--2006.

DregsInTheCrowd wrote:tmidgett wrote:I've been apprised that this is a perverse choice, but Soundtracks is my favorite.Man, you have many hours of getting your mind blown ahead of you.Last year you ranked this at the top of a Can list I'd asked you for, and that got me listening to Can in a whole new way. So thanks for that, it is now one of my two or three favorite Cans. Possibly the best?I might have to bother you for more lists of records some time.'Sweet!Major wrote:Another vote for Soundtracks. Maybe it's because it was my introduction? And don't discount The Lost Tapes just because it's "outtakes". Their outtakes are way better than most recorded music.Lost Tapes is, literally, amazing. So hard to believe they made that much great music that didn't even make any kind of cut.Angus Jung wrote:Soundtracks is a good starter Can record because both Mooney and Suzuki are on it.Key point!Maybe that's why it's my favorite. I don't have to pick.

I think choosing Soundtracks or Monster Movie as favorites is more than reasonable. The first half of Tago Mago perhaps outshines those earlier two but then the album is weakened by Aumgn and Peking O. Soup on Ege is pretty annoying too. However, the run of albums Monster Movie through Future Days is pretty much unbeatable overall.Jaki Liebezeit is my favorite drummer.

Yes, I think Ege is a better record. Tago would have made a great single album. A band that so often operates in a seemingly spontaneous fashion like Can will inevitably put out some rubbish, but their successes far outstrip their failures.