Kraftwerk 2 is the second studio album that was released under the moniker Kraftwerk. The album was written and performed by founding Kraftwerk members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in late 1971, with the sessions produced by the influential Konrad "Conny" Plank. It was released by Philips in January 1972.

Hütter later commented in an interview: "Nobody wanted to play with us because we did all kinds of strange things...feedbacks and overtones and sounds and rhythms. No drummer wanted to work with us because we had these electronic gadgets."

Although one should expect the obvious, this album features no synthesizers, the instrumentation being largely electric guitar, bass guitar, flute and violin. The electronic tricks and experiments both gentlemen display here belong to the realm of 1960s tape-based music, with heavy use of tape echo, reverse playback and tape speed effects. Overall, the sound has a rather muted, twilit, dusky feel, similar in feel to "Megaherz" on Kraftwerk's debut album, as Hütter and Schneider explored the possibilities for electronic and auto-mechanical enhancement of their music.

The lengthy, almost side-long "Klingklang" which opens the album is notable for its use of a preset organ beatbox to provide the percussion track. A term which would later be used as their fifth virtual member in the shape of a recording studio.It starts with a clangourous Stockhausen-like metallic percussion montage and gives rise to the unmistakable Kraftwerk sound. Later, the song title also became the name of the band's own self-built studio, in Düsseldorf. "Atem" is a recording of breathing, while "Harmonika" features a tape-manipulated mouth organ.

The cover design, by Ralf and Florian, further hints at conceptual art, being a repeat of the first album's pop art design – except this time fluorescent green replaces the red and the number '2' is added.

No material from this album has been performed in the band's live set since the Autobahn tour of 1975, and to date, the album has not been officially reissued on CD. The band is seemingly reluctant to consider the release as a part of their legacy

In interviews, Schneider described the first three Kraftwerk albums as "archaeology".

KRAFTWERK 2

A1. Klingklang 17:36
A2. Atem 2:57
B1. Strom 3:52
B2. Spule 5:20
B3. Wellenlänge 9:40
B4. Harmonika 3:17

DISCOGS

35 years ago, on 11 January 1985 Nina Hagen performed in front of 1,5 million people on the first edition of world’s biggest festivals Rock in Rio (Brazil). The festival lasted 9 days while most of the headliners performed on two different nights. Nina Hagen’s second performance was on the festivals last day, 20 January 1985.

A special 250.000 m2 site was built especially for this event with a stage of a stunning 5000 m2, two shopping centers with 50 stores, two medical first aid centers and became know as Cidade do Rock or City of Rock.

Rock in Rio 1985 Line-up (Alphabetically)

• AC/DC
• Al Jarreau
• The B-52's
• George Benson
• The Go-Go's
• Iron Maiden
• James Taylor
• Metallica
• Nina Hagen
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Queen
• Rod Stewart
• Scorpions
• Whitesnake
• Yes

New York, both the backdrop and inspiration to some of Lou Reed's finest work, from the Velvet Underground's debut and right through his solo work,with the exception of the hard listening,and at times upsetting 'Berlin' album.
In 1989 however, Reed stunned both critics and fans with the release of the loose conceptual album simply titled 'New York'.

This was Reeds finest album as a solo artist and nobody seen it coming,having released albums of moderate appeal but poor reviews in the 1980s.
After his clean up and stint in rehab Reed was written off as a has been, hanging onto the shirttails of cult success with the Velvet Underground, which at this point was at its highest.

As the decade closed however Reed found himself on the cusp of both artistic integrity with mainstream success. The fourteen track album,a journey through the grime and good of New York City, cited as an almost spoken novel weighted in at a little under an hour ,with minimal production to add to the raw sound ,this was Lou Reed at his very best.

A band made up of two guitars,bass and drums,the vehicle he thrived on to snarl his vocals over both sides of the record,indeed ex-Velvet Mo Tucker contributed drums on parts of the album.
The sudden change and obvious maturity that fired Reed can be contributed to by two factors,or two losses rather,the death of Andy Warhol in February 1987 during a routine gallbladder surgery.

Warhols was of course the one time artistic guru of Reeds who not only encouraged his dark , twisted songwriting but influenced it and his ex-Velvets bandmate and muse Nico who suffered a heart attack and died in July 1988 in Ibiza.

These two losses in a short space of time made Lou Reed question his own mortality, instead of grieving he in turn threw himself into his songwriting, evident in the song cycle that this is clearly a man who had seen it and done it all and was now launching himself at the top of his game with an almost rebirth.
The album stutters to a start with one of Reed’s greatest songs,'Romeo Had Juliette', here he clearly sets the scene and prologues all that is to come;
"Caught between the twisted stars the plotted lines the faulty map
that brought Columbus to New York".

This vivid imagery used very easily paints pictures in the listeners mind in almost fictional noir movie.
The second single release ,'Dirty Boulevard’ reached the top of the modern rock U.S Billboard charts, a song starkly pointing the divide between the rich and poor of New York,but again widely praised and receiving airplay both through FM and MTV, this was not selling out however, grunge was right around the corner and Reed was already lighting the fires hailing the clever lyrics and guitar driven raw music which was to come.His friend and one time collaborator David Bowie,was already working in the same direction with the cyberpunk of Tin Machine.
The song subjects are both stark and nostalgic and at times the imagery can become overpowering, he keeps it together however through the pumping sound being delivered,'The last great American whale', Reed hits out at both the NRA and the treatment of native Americans,fearlessly without hiding either fact;
"The mayor's kid was a rowdy pig
spit on Indians and lots worse,
The old chief buried a hatchet in his head
life compared to death for him seemed worse".

Halfway through the album you soon discover that Reeds newfound leather skinned,sobriety suits him,a fact pointed to on the third single release ‘A Busload Of Faith', it's not a song of regret but more so of acceptance and the importance of his own life;
"You can't depend on your drinking,
You can't depend on your dope".

At last Reed was living up to the cult image created through his groundbreaking and highly influential releases with the Velvet Underground, this new found energy would continue right up until his death in 2013, leaving behind a more worthwhile legacy for a man who through his work in the 60's inspired more bands than the Beatles.

[Kevin Burke]

Exactly 20 years ago, Nine Inch Nails officially released the third single ‘Into the Void’ which was taken from their third studio album The Fragile (1999). Although some promo copies of this single where released in the US and Germany by the end of 1999, it’s only and officially released was in Australia on 10 January 2000. It peaked at 72nd position on the Australian singles chart.

This Australian release lacks the typical NIN halo number, making it the only commercial Nine Inch Nails release at that time with that distinction and much wanted by fans and collectors.

‘Into The Void’ features the same guitar and bass lines as the song ‘La Mer’ also on The Fragile.

The version of ‘The Perfect Drug’ included on this single is slightly longer than the one released on the Lost Highway soundtrack. It fades out at the end instead of ending abruptly

Into the Void, directed by Walter Stern and Jeff Richter, was nominated for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards Breakthrough Video award, but lost out to Björk's All Is Full of Love.

The song was featured in the 2000 film Final Destination, being played on the radio in Carter Horton's '71 Chevy Nova, before one of the characters is killed. Even though the song was not written for the movie, the words final destination appear in the song ("...pictures in my head of the final destination...").

In the US the single peeked at #11 on the Modern Rock Tracks Billboard and at #27 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks Billboard.

Into The Void (MCD

01. Into The Void 4:52
02. We're In This Together 7:18
03. The Perfect Drug 5:43
04. The New Flesh 3:40

DISCOGS

Into The Void (lyrics)

Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away

Talking to myself all the way to the station
Pictures in my head of the final destination all lined up
(all the one's that aren't allowed to stay)
Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away

Tried to save a place from the cuts and the scratches
Tried to overcome the complications and the catches
Nothing ever grows and the sun doesn't shine all day
Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away

Tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away

Songwriter: Trent Reznor

On this day, exactly 32 years ago Nitzer Ebb released their second studio album Belief. On this album, released by Mute Records and produced by Flood, drummer Julian Beeston took over from David Gooday.

The album features one of NEB's most know dancefloor classics, Control I’m Here. This single was released almost three months before whilst the video got frequent rotation on MTV. Later that same year, the singles Hearts & Minds and Shame followed.

The track T.W.A. is said to be inspired by the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847. While listening very carefully one can hear a crowd chanting ”Marg Bar Amrika" which means "Death to America”.

Belief
Mute Records - STUMM 61
Released: 9 January 1989
Track listing:

1. Hearts & Minds 3:45
2. For Fun 3:03
3. Control, I'm Here 3:52
4. Captivate 3:57
5. T.W.A. 5:00
6. Blood Money 4:29
7. Shame 4:03
8. Drive 5:07
9. Without Belief 4:16

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