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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCANGerman avant-garde electronic rock band formed '68 in Cologne: Irmin Schmidt (b 29 May 1937), keyboards; Holger Czukay, bass, electronics (b 24 March 1938; d 5 September 2017); Michael Karoli, guitar, violin; Jaki Liebezeit, drums, reeds (b 26 May 1938, d 22 January 2017); last three also on vocals. First LP Monster Movie Made In A Castle With Better Equipment '70 on UA also had David Johnson, flute and electronics, black USA vocalist Malcolm Mooney: the noise, repetition and distortion that would influence electro-art rock was still primitive. They discovered Damo Suzuki singing in the streets in Munich and absorbed more of the influence of Karlheinz Stockhausen (b near Cologne, 22 August 1928, d 5 December 2007, perhaps the most influential avant-garde composer since WWII). Tago Mago '71, Ege Bamyasi '72, Future Days '73 followed; Suzuki left and Soundtracks '73 collected their work in that medium; Soon Over Baluma and Limited Edition '74 preceded a switch to Virgin label for Landed '75, Opener, Flow Motion and Unlimited Edition '76 (latter reissue of '74 LP with additional material); somewhat funkier Saw Delight '77, Cannibalisms (on UA) and Out Of Reach (on Lightning) '78 added ex-Traffic Rosko Gee on bass, Reebop Kwaku Baah on percussion. 'I Want More' '76 was a top 30 single '76 in UK from Flow Motion. They split up for various splinter efforts, notably Czukay's Movies '80, On The Way To The Peak Of Normal '82 (both on EMI), Snake Charmer '83 on Island with Jah Wobble and The Edge; also Der Esten Ist Rot '84, Rome Remains Rome '86 on Virgin (the latter 'rescues the Pope's gently swinging vocals from an obscure Easter performance', wrote a UK critic). Another Czukay album is called Radio Wave Surfer; he worked with Wobble and others on Full Circle. Irmin Schmidt became an avant-garde composer; he produced re-formed Can's Incandescence '86 on Virgin (Czukay and Karoli did Rite Time '89 on Mercury); Schmidt's opera on Mervyn Peake's neo-gothic Gormenghast trilogy (libretto by Duncan Fallowell) was turned down by Cameron Mackintosh for London's West End, which had room only for Lloyd Webber's tosh. |