Monster Movie (Can album) explained

Monster Movie is the debut studio album by German rock band Can, released in August 1969 by Music Factory and Liberty Records.

Background and recording

In 1968, Can had recorded an album entitled Prepared to Meet Thy PNOOM, which no record company agreed to release; these recordings were eventually released in 1981 as Delay 1968. Monster Movie was the group's subsequent attempt at a more commercial record.^[2] The album is credited to "The Can", a name suggested by vocalist Malcolm Mooney and adopted by democratic vote. Previously the band had been known as "Inner Space", which later became the name of their recording studio. Some copies of the LP bore the subtitle "Made in a castle with better equipment",^[3] referring to Schloss Nörvenich, the 14th-century castle in Nörvenich, North Rhine-Westphalia, where the band recorded from 1968–69.^[4]

The image on the cover is a retrace of Galactus, as originally depicted by Jack Kirby (inked by Vince Colletta) in Marvel's Thor #134 - page 3, released in 1966.^{[5] [6]}

Content

Monster Movie brings together elements of psychedelic rock, blues, free jazz, world music and other styles, the influence of the Velvet Underground^{[7] [8]} being particularly obvious on the opening track "Father Cannot Yell". The use of improvisation, experimentation, tape editing and layering of sounds set a standard for Can's subsequent albums in the early 1970s, which helped form the style labeled "krautrock" by the British music press. The 20-minute closing track "Yoo Doo Right" was edited down from 6 hours of improvisation. The lyrics of "Mary, Mary So Contrary" are based on the English nursery rhyme "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary".

Monster Movie was the last Can album on which Malcolm Mooney performed all of the vocals until Rite Time, recorded in late 1986 and issued in 1989.

Personnel

Can

• Irmin Schmidt – keyboards
• Jaki Liebezeit – drums
• Holger Czukay – bass guitar
• Michael Karoli – electric guitar
• Malcolm Mooney – vocals, harmonica

Works cited

• Book: Young, Rob . Schmidt . Irmin . Irmin Schmidt . . 2018 . . London . 978-0571311491 .

Notes and References

1. https://www.facebook.com/officialCan/posts/pfbid02m6LVFpwkT5boyEFERhFyzC8mMteLx3rHJgjT4oRhSA5GHZ4FoA5Lga8skSHVuLpsl
2. Web site: Short History of the Can - Discography . Holger . Czukay . May 1997 . Perfect Sound Forever . furious.com . 1 November 2011.
3. Warner, Alan (2014). TAGO MAGO, London, UK; Bloomsbury Academic, page 79
4. Web site: Cavanaugh. David. 14 November 2011. Can – Tago Mago R1971. Uncut. 28 July 2012.
5. Web site: Stan Lee. Lambiek. 23 May 2020.
6. https://70sscifiart.tumblr.com/post/174604854589/left-album-art-to-cans-1969-debut-album
7. Web site: McGurk. Mike. Monster Movie. Rhapsody. 28 July 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130402164010/http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/can/album/monster-movie-2004-remaster/track/yoo-doo-right. 2 April 2013.
8. Web site: Stubbs. Peter. Album by Album: Can. Uncut. 28 July 2012.