Cool in the Pool

Holger Czukay : Persian Love

[Purchase]

In 1979 Can co-founder Holger Czukay released Movies. At the time it was considered a ground-breaking album because of its sampling of short wave radio broadcasts, beating the Byrne/Eno collaboration My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by nearly two years. The Iranian singer on "Persian Love" was discovered over the radio. Members of Can join Czukay in the studio so, musically, the album has the breezy, lightweight feel of latter day Can. 

The album has grown in reputation, even posting at #98 on Sounds All-Time Top 100 Albums list published in the 1980's as well as ranking among 27 albums from 1979 selected for the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

40 Year Itch: Fist Strike

On January 29, 1974 Can recorded a 14 and a half minute instrumental version of  "Tony Wanna Go" in a session for BBC 1 Radio DJ John Peel. The experimental German rock band was still reeling from the loss of vocalist Damo Suzuki who had recently married a German girl , become a Jehovah's Witness and quit music until 1983.

Can bassist Holger Czukay summarizes the band's reaction to its new line-up:

   For the rest of the group it was the feeling of a powerful fist strike into one's stomach. We tried out many other singers,but nobody suited to us anymore. So guitarist Michael Karoli and space organist Irmin Schmidt and sometimes me filled the gap. SOON OVER BABALUMA(Released in November, 1974) was the last album which was recorded straight onto stereo without a multi-tracking machine. An era came to an end..