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TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Mar. 17 2004, 08:54 I've seen a few recent mentions of Mike in the recent music press. Q music magazine has a current 70's special issue out in the shops. Mike gets typicaly small mention in the top 20 selling albums of the 70's ,TB is aparantly the 18th biggest selling album of that dacade. I can't understand why they have such little time for Mike and much more time for say Rick bloody Wakeman, but there you go. The new copy of Mojo magazine lists what they reckon to be the top 100 most epic rock tracks ever writen. TB comes in at a reasonably fair 22 in its placing. They place Kraftwerk's Autobahn at a slightly higher 18 which I personaly think is bollocks. Much as I'm a fan of Autobahn there's simply no way it's more epic than TB. Personaly I'd easily place TB in the top 10. ps I forgot to add earlier, Mojo puts Tubular.net as the official website link. A good plug. Back to top

olracUK Group: Members Posts: 1683 Joined: June 2003 Posted: Mar. 17 2004, 15:12 kraftwerk's autobahn probably influenced more artistes than TB, so that's why it ranks higher. The whole 80's electro-pop thing, depeche mode, human league, talk talk and a few others, sprang from kraftwerk and similar. -------------- The answer is 42 - but what is the question? Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Mar. 17 2004, 15:37 You're probably right but I still don't think its more epic than TB. TB has way more scope to it both in terms of style and mood. Auto Bahn is essentialy one 15 minuit long track that has one mood plus a collection of almost unlistenable to synth experimentation tracks. TB never gets placed very highly in these things because a seemingly increasing number of music journalists can't bring themselves to admit that Mike was at one time a genius musician who brought more than just a lot to the 70's British music scene and who should rightfully be given some acknolodgement. Back to top

The Big BellEnd Group: Members Posts: 971 Joined: Jan. 2004 Posted: Mar. 17 2004, 16:55 I've always had a bit of problem with the influenced by Kraftwerk thing .Usually because when group's or solo artists quote Kraftwerk they are more than likely heaped in with a bunch of  other stars who have been influentual as well ,and fans of the showroom dummies can say see' I told you so .What I am getting to is that it always came across to me as was if they were saying I'm famous now I can admit I like Kratwerk as if it  were some kind of confession .In the 70's I guess Kraftwerk fans were a bit closeted .I liked them then I like them now I like them now but I still get the impression people say they were influenced by them just to sound cool. -------------- I, ON THE OTHER HAND. AM A VICTIM OF YOUR CARNIVOUROUS LUNAR ACTIVITY. Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Mar. 17 2004, 20:01 Actualy its pretty much the reverse which is true. In recent years there's been a real backlash against the Kraftwerk influence. I can only speak for the British dance scene which I must confess to following quite avidly. I've read a few interviews recently in the dance music mags where a number of people have spoken quite negatively about Kraftwerk. In the recent issue of Uncut magazine (a reletivley new UK music mag) there's an article about Kraftwerk in which a number of influential artists, ranging from David Bowie to Bono to Afrika Bombatta speak of Kraftwerk's influence on them. And it is noticable, it's not because its trendy to say so. I had that hammered home to me last night when I saw Kraftwerk live (see my review in the other section). They are still the ultimate dance act. I've seen The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Underworld, Leftfield, Fatboy Slim and nobody except for perhaps The Chemical Brothers were that intense, and Kraftwerk are pretty much all in there early 60's, thats got to mean something. Back to top

The Big BellEnd Group: Members Posts: 971 Joined: Jan. 2004 Posted: Mar. 18 2004, 12:03 Kraftwerk were never a dance act if they have ended being so more the pity for them. Kraftwerk are an electronic experimental ensemble who have upgraded there sounds and technique to suite the latest techno at hand whether people dance to them is of no real signifficance. Kraftwerk were always a sit back and listen qaurtet. there imagery never conjured up anything disco to me. Music non-stop techno pop might be a floor filler now but it wasn't when it was released. Afrika Bombatta and U2 (Bono) were also big sex pistols fans. Coincidence being Bombatta was actually brought to fame by Malcolm Maclaren, anyway Kraftwerk electronika was never popular barring the model in dance theatres or discotheques if you like. -------------- I, ON THE OTHER HAND. AM A VICTIM OF YOUR CARNIVOUROUS LUNAR ACTIVITY. Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Mar. 18 2004, 13:45 Well actualy, depending where you went in the world, Kraftwerk were massively popular in clubs and certainly were floor fillers. Kraftwerk's influence on modern dance music started in New York and Detroit in the late 70's, and early 80's when tracks like Trans Europe Express (which Afrika Bombatta used to play all the time) and Computer World gave birth to modern hip hop. So actualy people were dancing to them in clubs as long ago as that. I utterly agree that Kraftwerk were and are at heart an experimental eletronic band but it's what that early experimentation led to that interests me and what that led to was what we call today dance music. If to you Kraftwerk are a sit back and listen band, fair enough, but I can guarantee that to a lot of other people, myself included, they are perhaps the first true eletronic dance act, I mean they themselves have said so in rare interviews. I certainly can't but help want to dance to tracks like The Robots and Computer world. Whether or not you like the new upbeat Kraftwerk is of course personal opinion. Personaly I love it, especialy since seeing them live. Modern sounds and beats gives their older tracks an energy and power that the studio albums arguably lacked. Back to top

The Big BellEnd Group: Members Posts: 971 Joined: Jan. 2004 Posted: Mar. 18 2004, 14:27 Dear Toby Iam not havig go at you or your taste in music but the period you are talking about I am very familiar with.From 79 till the end of 82 I worked in what you could have called a trendy nite-club ,no dancing round handbags if you get my drift.OK the model got some hammer showroom dummies did get aired even it were the amusement if onlookers watching half-pissed newro's trying to move like robots .no our german friends were put on the back boiler whilst serving up the drinks I had to suffer Japan ,Duran Duran,Visage and other groups of equal tackiness. ps the upbeat KRAFTWERK is brilliant as was the old.I would love to have got to see them cash flow problems.Take care yours ,tbb -------------- I, ON THE OTHER HAND. AM A VICTIM OF YOUR CARNIVOUROUS LUNAR ACTIVITY. Back to top

TOBY Group: Members Posts: 1562 Joined: May 2002 Posted: Mar. 18 2004, 16:27 No worries mate. There was never any offence taken. There's nothing wrong with a good ol' debate. Back to the original topic. It'll be interesting to see if Mike does any promo for Maestro in the up and coming months. He should try and get some feature's in the digital arts mags. Maestro needs to get some involvement from beyond the hard core fan base. Back to top

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