Can

Can were a German "rock" band, originally active from 1968-1978.  It's a simplification to call them rock.  Or German - their two singers, who each influenced their music significantly, were American and Japanese.  But enough about what they weren't - here's what they WERE.

These guys made music that, like Miles Davis' best 1970's work, understood and if you had a truly slamming or grooving rhythm going on, you could pile waves of dissonance or random sound on top and it would only enhance the effect.  They had a virtuosic drummer who was predisposed to minimalism, James Brown style, and they followed him and stacked rhythm on top of him.  Circa 1968, with original singer Malcolm Mooney, it sounded as if James Brown and Jimi Hendrix had put together the best band you would ever hear.  With an occasional Velvet Underground influence.

And it started to become more distinctive as the guitarist and keyboardist became more prone to playing waves of sound rather than traditional note patterns. 

But they were not without delicacy, as can be seen in this 1971 video clip.

By 1973 the band were without a singer and the 4 instrumentalists kept making music together for a few years before tethering out.  Those years produced music of abstract pleasures, for better or worse; they were increasingly keyboard-oriented and less rock-like.  But capable of great transcendence.

Can was well-known in the U.K., where their records were easily available.  They influenced a host of prog-rock and post-punk/new wave bands in the 70's and 80's.  In the U.S. they've never become well-known, but appreciated second-hand through bands like Sonic Youth, Talking Heads, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Public Image Ltd., and about 1000 other acts.  Their music seemed ahead of its time during the 80's, where it was a precedent for sampling, and even moreso in the decades since, where it anticipates the mood and style of modern ambient, environmental, and chill-out musics.  Great band, great music.

Recommended CDs :

Monster Movie (1969)
Tago Mago (1971)
Ege Bamysai (1972)

Recommended tracks - The 34 Great recordings of Can