The difference between the tracks is very obvious: the A-side is a melody that stands the test of time very well, whereas the B-side sounds odd and experimental. A single like this doesn't pop up very often and it may be one of the biggest catches of this London shopping spree.
My collection: 7" single no. 7390
Found: Reckless Records, London, 20 October 2024
Tracks: 'Kometenmelodie 2' / 'Vom Himmel hoch'
Of course, there is always the internet. I found a copy on Discogs.com recently for a price actually lower than a magazine would have cost me. I can live without the magazine, but I really needed to have this single! The B-side has a simple etching of 'Kraftwerk' and the number 1 through 8. The version of 'Die Roboter' comes from the album 3-D Der Katalog, a box set that I still need to buy. There is always something to hunt down!
My collection: 7" single no. 7384
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 October 2024
Tracks: 'Die Roboter'
'Pocket calculator' reached number 39 in the UK singles chart during a six week chart run in May and June 1981. At the same time, the album 'Computer world', from which this single was taken, reached number 15 in the albums chart in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 7087
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2023
Tracks: 'Pocket calculator' / 'Dentaku'
'Showroom dummies' was taken from the band's album 'Trans-Europe Express'. The single was originally released on 14 September 1977, but this UK pressing comes from 1981. It comes with a remix of 'Numbers', taken from the album 'Computer World', on the B-side.
My collection: 7" single no. 7079
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Showroom dummies' / 'Numbers (re-mix)'
Anyway, I found this copy of 'Taschenrechner' for a reasonable price, and it made me happy because it is one of my favourite Kraftwerk tracks. The English version is pretty great too - but this single only features the German and Japanese versions. Still, a great catch!
My collection: 7" single no. 7013
Found: Bennies Fifties, received 18 August 2023
Tracks: 'Taschenrechner' / 'Dentaku'
The single contains a new edit of 'Tour de France', which does not appear on the single 'Tour de France' which I bought 14 years ago and which was released 40 years ago. The B-side is, unfortunately, empty.
My collection: 7" single no. 7007
Found: Eckert, Hbf Landau (Germany)
Tracks: 'Tour de France'
Imagine my surprise when I actually found it in my mailbox today! Well, I'm happy that it finally worked. And the single itself is a beauty: pressed on yellow vinyl, and with just one track - the B-side is empty. I would think this will be a collector's item in due time.
My collection: 7" single no. 6564
Found: Musikexpress website, received 8 December 2021
Cost: €10 (with magazine)
Tracks: 'Heimcomputer'
At a time when nuclear facilities are again messing up the environment, it's time to listen to Kraftwerk's timeless 'Radioactivity' again. That song is quite alarming, despite their clean and tidy way of mixing words with music.
Hard to believe, but although Kraftwerk's 'The model' has become some sort of Eighties classic, the track was actually released in 1978. It just goes to show how ahead of their time the German perfectionists were even in the beginning of their career. The German version of 'The model' was called 'Das Model', and was released in Germany with the English version on the B-side.
The cycling mania of some of the band members of Kraftwerk has been well documented. Ralf Hütter and Fritz Hilpert have been known to take part in cycling events. The track was originally recorded with the intention of being included on the subsequently abandoned album 'Techno pop'.
Released as the first single from their 1991 remix album 'The Mix', Kraftwerk's 'The Robots' was a big success in the UK, peaking at number 20. 'The robots', remixed by the band, was originally released in 1978 as a single from their seventh album 'Man machine'.
Perhaps Kraftwerk's best known track, 'Autobahn' is an ode to the German expressways. The track is intended to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn: from the high-speed concentration on the fast lane, to tuning the car radio, to the monotony of a long trip. For the single version, the original 22 minute track was edited down to a mere three minutes.
Taken from their album 'Electric cafe', 'The telephone call' followed up 'Musique non stop'. The track appeared on side two of the album, which meant that it had a more conventional pop song structure. 'The telephone call' is notable for being the first and only Kraftwerk song to feature Karl Bartos on lead vocals.
In 1986, Kraftwerk released the album 'Electric cafe', an album that took the band almost half a decade to produce. Work is said to have begun on the album as early as 1982. 'Musique non stop' was one of three tracks that took up the 'A' side of the album. 'Boing Boom Tschak', 'Techno pop' and 'Musique Non Stop' were all similar in atmosphere and instrumentation. 'Musique non stop' was remixed and edited for the single version, and two different edits appear on the single.
The original single of 'Radioactivity' was released in 1976. In 1991, Kraftwerk released the album 'The mix', which contained remixed versions of some of their most popular tracks. The album included a remix of 'Radioactivity'. For the single, 'Radioactivity' was remixed by François Kevorkian and William Orbit.
If you should define the German group Kraftwerk with one song, this would be the one. They are known for their electronic, mechanical-sounding, almost inhuman music, but this track is proof that they were definitely capable of writing a melodic popsong.
'Radioactivity is in the air for you and me'. The seemingly soulless, mechanic music by Kraftwerk has always had intriguing lyrics. I don't mean 'Mensch / Natur / Technik' of their infamous track 'Expo 2000', of course, but their earlier work. It's hard to believe when you hear 'Radioactivity' that it was released in 1976.
