Prehistoric Future cover

Prehistoric Future

Can

Released

The band’s first live show, a jammy tangle with lots of flute and tape work from David C. Johnson. The band was working to find a way out of the average rock improvisation but to get there they had to go through all of it first. Liebezeit’s drums would sound good through a geiger counter and he is loud as hell here. Schmidt destroys a piano during the show, allegedly, though I can’t hear it. The tapes come back, strong, in 1977, when Czukay makes that his main job. The flute doesn’t come back, and sometimes it sounds so right here that I wish it would.

Sasha Frere-Jones

Suggestions
Ballads cover

Ballads

Time is Away
Hidden Cities cover

Hidden Cities

Horse Lords
Risp LP cover

Risp LP

Richard Devine
World of Echo cover

World of Echo

Arthur Russell
Aomawa: The 1970s Recordings cover

Aomawa: The 1970s Recordings

Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids
Vahinè cover

Vahinè

Gigi Masin
Sterntaler cover

Sterntaler

Michael Rother
Ash Ra Tempel cover

Ash Ra Tempel

Ash Ra Tempel