Kraftwerk Reissues - Any impressions?

PatFromCanada · Post by **PatFromCanada** » 09 Nov 2009 23:27

I was in a record shop over the weekend and noticed a pile of Kraftwerk reissues with alternative or 'expanded' artwork.

Has anyone picked up the lot? Any thoughts? Worth getting?

I love this band and have pretty much most of thier releases on either living vinyl or compact disc.

Offer up some impressions if you have any.

Thanks!

Pat From Canada!

Post by **markus** » 09 Nov 2009 23:40

Haven't got them yet, but they do say they are remastered and apparently are they way they should have sounded if technology would have allowed that back then.

PeteB · Post by **PeteB** » 10 Nov 2009 14:30

i wouldve got them had they had bonus discs or extra tracks

newbuild · Post by **newbuild** » 12 Nov 2009 13:24

Apparently, it is partly our responsibility to keep the guys in new pairs of Lederhosen every once in a while...

dee3 · Post by **dee3** » 14 Nov 2009 13:40

This (i.e.: the whole re-issue-bundle) has been apparently in the works for quite some while.
I remember seeing the first blurbs about this already in the latter part of '04.

As far as I can see, apart from "Electric Café" has been renamed (back) to it's original title,
and as Markus pointed out, the re-issues have been remastered "...they way they should have sounded,
if technology would have allowed that back then", there aren't any extra "goodies" involved here.

Personally, I'd would have liked to have seen "Die Mensch Maschine" (and EMI) throw in some extra tracks
in the form of the various single releases etc. (i.e.: the instrumental version of "Tour de France" on the flip
of the same single-release, the single-version of "Telephone Call", the 12"-release of "Radioactivity" and so on...).

Even though, the vinyl-box release seems quite enticing, I'm probably going to pass on this one, TBH...

Cobra Bora · Post by **Cobra Bora** » 15 Nov 2009 20:49

I've bought the German version of The Catalogue (the CD box set, there will be no vinyl box). Very nice item, there is a booklet in 12" format for each album.

Especially the older CDs sound considerably better than the original releases. Computer World sounds much clearer, and a few errors have been omitted. Man Machine sounds a lot stronger, not as thin as previously. Electric Cafe has been renamed Techno Pop and now contains House Phone (a remix of Telephone Call).

On Autobahn and Radio Activity you can clearly hear how old the recordings are, the various errors just sound clearer than before...
Anywas: For anyone interested in electronic music it's a must have.

Post by **markus** » 16 Nov 2009 14:10

This is what Boomkat say about it:

KRAFTWERK
The Catalogue (8 x Remastered Albums, Special Boxed Set)
ELECTRO / SYNTHPOP
Mute
HEAVYWEIGHT 8CD BOXED SET // £69.99

*All 8 remastered and repackaged CD's in one amazing 12"x12" Box, including large format booklets & expanded artwork!* Electronic music pioneers, living legends and globally revered masters of electronic sound, Kraftwerk celebrate the 35th anniversary of their landmark 1974 hit 'Autobahn' by releasing digitally remastered versions of their eight life changing albums in one gargantuan boxed set. All the audio has been carefully re-mastered, the sleeves redesigned, original titles restored (Electric Cafe has reverted back to its original title - Techno Pop), and there are even some audio surprises and new tracks (for instance the classic "the Telephone Call" has been extended and split into two tracks) - so this is an absolute must-have package for diehard kraftwerk fans (isn't that everyone?) and, err, newcomers alike. The tracklisting in full:

Autobahn (1974): 1. Autobahn 2. Kometenmelodie 1 3. Kometenmelodie 2 4. Mitternacht 5. Morgenspaziergang Radio-Activity (1975): 1. Geiger Counter 2. Radioactivity 3. Radioland 4. Airwaves 5. Intermission 6. News 7. The Voice Of Energy 8. Antenna 9. Radio Stars 10. Uranium 11. Transistor 12. Ohm Sweet Ohm Trans-Europe Express (1977): 1. Europe Endless 2. The Hall Of Mirrors 3. Showroom Dummies 4. Trans Europe Express 5. Metal On Metal 6. Abzug 7. Franz Schubert 8. Endless Endless The Man Machine (1978): 1. The Robots 2. Spacelab 3. Metropolis 4. The Model 5. Neon Lights 6. The Man Machine Computer World (1981): 1. Computer World 2. Pocket Calculator 3. Numbers 4. Computer World 2 5. Computer Love 6. Home Computer 7. It's More Fun To Compute Techno Pop (1986): 1. Boing Boom Tschak 2. Techno Pop 3. Musique Non Stop 4. The Telephone Call 5. House Phone 6. Sex Object 7. Electric Café The Mix (1991): 1. The Robots 2. Computer Love 3. Pocket Calculator 4. Dentaku 5. Autobahn 6. Radioactivity (1991 Mix) 7. Trans-Europe Express 8. Abzug 9. Metal On Metal 10. Home Computer 11. Music Non Stop Tour de France (2003): 1. Prologue 2. Tour De France (Etape 1) (Album Version) 3. Tour De France (Etape 2) (Album Version) 4. Tour De France (Etape 3) (Album Version) 5. Chrono 6. Vitamin 7. Aero Dynamik 8. Titanium 9. Elektro Kardiogramm 10. La Forme 11. Regeneration 12. Tour De France

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=239353

Cobra Bora · Post by **Cobra Bora** » 16 Nov 2009 19:42

markus wrote:and there are even some audio surprises and new tracks (for instance the classic "the Telephone Call" has been extended and split into two tracks)

This is wrong, unfortunately. The longer album version of "Telephone Call" has been replaced by the 7" version and its b-side "House Phone".
The rest however is completely true.