The Man-Machine Explained

The Man-Machine
Cover:Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine.png
Type:studio
Artist:Kraftwerk
Released:[1]
Recorded:1977–1978
Studio:Kling Klang (Düsseldorf)
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Trans-Europe Express
Prev Year:1977
Next Title:Computer World
Next Year:1981

The Man-Machine (German: link=no|'''Die Mensch-Maschine''') is the seventh studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released on 28 April 1978 by Kling Klang in Germany and by Capitol Records elsewhere. A further refinement of their mechanical style, the album saw the group incorporate more danceable rhythms. The album has a satirical bent to it. It is thought to address a wide-range of themes from the Cold War, Germany's fascination with manufacturing, and humankind's increasingly symbiotic relationship with machines.[2] It includes the singles "The Model" and "The Robots".

Although the album was initially unsuccessful on the UK Albums Chart, it reached a new peak position of number nine in February 1982, becoming the band's second highest-peaking album in the United Kingdom after Autobahn (1974).[3]

Artwork

The artwork for the cover was produced by Karl Klefisch,[4] based on the work of the Russian suprematist El Lissitzky – the words "Inspired by El Lissitzky" are noted on the cover.[5] The back cover image is an adaptation of a graphic from Lissitzky's book for children About Two Squares: A Suprematist Tale of Two Squares in Six Constructions.[6]

Release

The Man-Machine was released in April 1978.[7] The Man-Machine was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 15 February 1982 In October 2009, a remastered edition of the album was released on CD, Vinyl and digital formats by Mute Records, and Astralwerks.[8]

Critical reception

Reviewing the album in 1978, Andy Gill of NME stated that "The Man-Machine stands as one of the pinnacles of rock music", adding that "the sparsity of the lyrics leaves the emphasis squarely on those robot rhythms, chilling tones and exquisite melodies".[9] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau also reviewed the album that year, saying: "Only a curmudgeon could reject a group that synthesizes the innovations of Environments and David Seville & the Chipmunks, not to mention that it's better make-out music."[10] Mitchell Schneider from Rolling Stone found that the "chilling restraint and relentless sameness" of the lyrics and music are tempered by Kraftwerk's sense of humour and "sheer audacity", which makes for a listening experience that is "strangely pleasant in an otherworldly way".[11]

Tony Clayton wrote in The Irish Times which "they constitute the resilient framework of electro-pop and electronica we hear today. And if there are more simple, warm and beautiful pieces of electronic music out there than 'Ohm Sweet Ohm', 'Neon Lights', 'Europe Endless' and the title track of Autobahn, then this geezer has yet to hear them." Uncut critic David Cavanagh called "The Model" a "wry pop satire" and wrote that "the sparse lyrics lend themselves to considerable interpretation".

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Steve Huey wrote that the album is "less minimalistic in its arrangements and more complex and danceable in its underlying rhythms" than the group's previous works, and noted its "tremendous impact" on subsequent synth-pop artists. He also described it as "closer to the sound and style that would define early new wave electro-pop", and noted its "feel of a divided concept album", with some songs (such as the title track and "The Robots") exploring "the science fiction-esque links between humans and technology", and others (such as "Neon Lights" and "Metropolis") celebrating "the glamour of urbanization". NME ranked The Man-Machine as the 57th greatest album of all time in 2013, citing it as Kraftwerk's "definitive" album and the catalyst for the synth-pop "revolution" that followed its release.[12] Paste ranked it the 11th best album of 1978.[13]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2009 remastered edition of The Man-Machine.[14]

Kraftwerk

Additional personnel

Studios

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[15] 56
French Albums (SNEP)[16] 14

Year-end charts

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BPI.
  2. Web site: Wiser . Danny . 2020-07-31 . GERMANY: The Man-Machine - Kraftwerk . 2023-10-25 . 200worldalbums.com . en.
  3. Web site: Kraftwerk . select "Albums" tab . Official Charts Company . 1 June 2018.
  4. Web site: Kraftwerk stoppt Schau zu eigenen Ehren . Westdeutsche Zeitung . 3 October 2022 . de . 17 April 2018.
  5. Book: Smolko . Tim . Smolko . Joanna . Atomic Tunes: The Cold War in American and British Popular Music . 11 May 2021 . Indiana University Press . 978-0-253-05617-7 . 253 . 3 October 2022 . en.
  6. Web site: El Lissitzky. Suprematic tale about two squares . Ukrainian Art Library . 3 October 2022.
  7. Book: Schütte . Uwe . Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany . 27 February 2020 . Penguin UK . 978-0-241-32055-6 . 72 . 2 October 2022 . en.
  8. News: Kraftwerk begin MoMA run TONIGHT, new limited edition boxset now available . 3 October 2022 . BrooklynVegan . 10 April 2012 . en.
  9. Gill . Andy . Mind Machine Music . . 0028-6362 . 29 April 1978.
  10. News: Christgau . Robert . Christgau's Consumer Guide . . New York . 0042-6180 . 4 September 1978 . 29 April 2013 . robertchristgau.com.
  11. Schneider . Mitchell . The Man-Machine . . 0035-791X . 18 May 1978 . 19 October 2020.
  12. The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 100–1 . NME . London . 0028-6362 . 25 October 2013 . 19 October 2020.
  13. The 30 Best Albums of 1978 . . 21 July 2022 . en . 23 February 2018.
  14. Die Mensch-Maschine . remastered CD liner notes . . . 2009 . 50999 6 99589 2 2.
  15. Book: Kent, David . David Kent (historian) . Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book . St Ives, N.S.W. . illustrated . 1993 . 0-646-11917-6 . 170.
  16. Web site: Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste . InfoDisc . fr . 1 June 2018. Select "KRAFTWERK" from the drop-down menu and then press "OK".
  17. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1978 . de . GfK Entertainment . 1 June 2018.