"All has been forgotten and the plastic turns to rotten rays and smells". I find Can fairly problematic: clearly they are brilliant, musicians at the peak of their powers who gel together and create incredible music. But to me there are two Cans: The wig out ones, and the reflective ones and I think I much prefer the former over the latter. There's something a little too perfect about them sometimes - that the world in which they live is so dense and so difficult to pick apart. Like sometimes you need the flaws to grab onto.
But anyway - this is Monster Movie, their first official album. Originally released on a super small pressing, then picked up by United Artists and released under the name "The Can" rather than Can. The wig out tracks are outstanding, the reflective ones interesting but I don't know if I'd go any further than that.
Father Cannot Yell is pretty heavy, psychedelic and defining of the sound - the bass and guitar being particularly Can. Mooney is clearly on the edge of something but it's difficult to say what. Mary, Mary So Contrary is the nursery rhyme with added feedback and squeals - much too on the reflective side of things. Outside My Door is the standout one for me - Like a heavy psych tune but with full on treble and clarity. There's a clarity in the sound that plays against Mooney bawling that "Any Colour is Bad" - the harmonica roots them in the US sound that is cited as an influence. The crescendo is fierce and Mooney ends up screaming the title over and over.
The final track is the krautrock standard side long affair. It weaves through the elements introduced over the past three tracks. Its great but never really goes anywhere incredible - like they don't yet have the stamina to travel over 20 minutes - essentially going nowhere of particular interest after the first 5 minutes or so. Mooney says the title over and over and they go off on a drum based odyssey.
I guess the length is a predictor of their strengths to come but, on the basis of Outside My Door, I can't believe I never picked this one up until now. Not sure it's my favourite Can album (by default that's Tago Mago, but with some caveats) but it's pretty awesome all told.
Good review, sir - and I agree that the world of CAN at times was so dense as to be claustrophobic . . . a real bummer when peaking on acid.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you dig "Outside My Door" the most, as it seems all everyone else talks about is "Yoo Doo Right". "Outside" always feels like the wiggier end of '66 US garage rock, than any turn of the decade krautrock.
Y'know, I think my fave is still Ege Bamyasi, really works as an album for me. But of their epics, I prefer Mother Sky to YDR.
ReplyDeleteMike: I think it's probably a combination of my current state, but also that realisation that though e.g. Trout Mask Replica is the album du jour, I really just want to listen to Strictly Personal. I think the combination of the US garage and the unhinged nature of Mooney really does it for me.
ReplyDeleteBarry: Ege Bamyasi is another one I've never heard. I really like the first side of Tago Mago, but I guess Oh Yeah is pretty much in the Garage vein again.