Trans-Europe Express (album)
Kraftwerk performed in Zürich on the 10th of March 1976, just before beginning production on their sixth studio album. The group had spent years moving away from the improvised krautrock style of their early career toward a stricter format of melodic electronic songs. During the tour for Radio-Activity, they established performance rules that forbade being drunk or under the influence while playing live. Karl Bartos later explained that turning knobs on a synthesizer required total awareness and sobriety. Early melodies that would become the song Showroom Dummies were already being tested during these performances. In mid-1976, the band began work on what was then called Europe Endless. Paul Alessandrini suggested writing a song about the Trans Europ Express to reflect their new electronic music style. Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider met with musicians David Bowie and Iggy Pop prior to recording, which influenced the lyrics. Maxime Schmitt encouraged the group to record a French language version of Showroom Dummies. This decision led them to record several songs in French on future albums.
An important piece of equipment used on the album was the Synthanorma Sequenzer. Matten & Wiechers made this customized 32-step 16-channel analog sequencer specifically for the band. It allowed the construction of more elaborate sequenced synthesizer lines featured prominently in the tracks Franz Schubert and Endless Endless. The device liberated the player from the chore of playing repetitive keyboard patterns. Whereas Radio-Activity had mixed German and English lyrics throughout, Trans-Europe Express went further by creating two entirely separate versions. One version was sung in English while the other was sung in German. At the recommendation of Maxime Schmitt, a French version titled Les Mannequins was also recorded. This became the group's first song in French and influenced decisions to record songs in French on later albums. After recording the album in Düsseldorf, Hütter and Schneider visited Los Angeles to mix the tracks at Record Plant Studio. Elements of the mixing sessions done in Los Angeles were dropped from the final album. They chose to do more mixing in Düsseldorf and Hamburg instead.
The artwork for the album cover was originally going to be a monochrome picture of the group reflected in a series of mirrors. That idea was dropped for a photo by New York-based celebrity photographer Maurice Seymour. The group dressed in suits to resemble mannequins. J. Stara created an image taken in Paris that is a highly retouched photo-montage of Kraftwerk from their shoulders up again posed as mannequins shown on the cover of the English version. On the inside sleeve, a color collage of the group sitting at a small cafe table designed by Emil Schult appeared. The photo for this scene came from the session by Maurice Seymour taken during the group's American tour. Other photos were taken by Schult showing the group laughing and smiling but these were not used for the album release. The visual strategy emphasized the theme of reality versus appearance through the use of mannequin imagery.
Wolfgang Flür stated that Kraftwerk were influenced by the music of Weimar Germany era. He noted they were children born straight after World War Two with no musical or pop culture of their own. In the 1920s or 1930s melodies developed into culture that they worked from. Karl Bartos spoke of post-war influence regarding the strong development in the 1920s which was audio visual. They referenced the Bauhaus school before the war and then after the war had tremendous people like Karlheinz Stockhausen. Paul Alessandrini helped contribute to the album concept by suggesting railway stations and trains are very important in their universe. Kraftwerk believed critics in the United Kingdom and the United States associated them with Nazi Germany due to Autobahn tracks linked with Nazis who built high-speed roads in the 1930s and 1940s. AllMusic referred to Trans-Europe Express as a concept album with two different themes. The first being disparities between reality and image represented by Hall of Mirrors and Showroom Dummies. The others focused on glorification of Europe. Hütter commented on the minimalist nature stating if you can convey an idea with one or two notes it is better than playing hundred so notes.
Trans-Europe Express was originally released in March 1977. With help from Günther Fröhling, Kraftwerk made a promotional music video for the song Trans-Europe Express. The video features the group wearing long coats on a train trip from Düsseldorf to nearby Duisburg. Photo stills from this video were later used on the single sleeve for Showroom Dummies. Fröhling would work with Kraftwerk again on their album The Man-Machine doing photography for the album cover. To promote the album to press in France, EMI Records hired a train with old-fashioned carriages from the 1930s. This train traveled from Paris to Rheims while songs from the album played over the announcement system for critics. In October 2009, a remastered edition was released by EMI in Germany and Mute Records in the European Union. Astralwerks handled distribution in the United States. This re-release featured a black background with a white Trans Europ Express train in the center. The track listing on the 2009 re-release amended titles of songs to match original German release. Metal on Metal was credited for two minutes of music with remainder being a track titled Abzug meaning departure.
Music critic Robert Christgau wrote that the albums textural effects sound like parodies by some cosmic schoolboy of every lush synthesizer surge yet also work as those surges are supposed to work. Trans-Europe Express placed at number 30 in The Village Voices 1977 Pazz & Jop critics poll. Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote that the album is often cited as perhaps the archetypal Kraftwerk album offering best blend of minimalism and catchy melodies. Q magazine wrote that the album changed face of American dance music and was one of most compelling beats of this or any other era. Drowned in Sound Chris Power stated its status as modern electronic music birth certificate is well earned but hallowed reputation should never disguise true value. In 2001 TV network VH1 placed Trans-Europe Express at number 56 on list of 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll of All Time. Slant Magazine placed album at number one on list of greatest electronic albums of 20th century. Rolling Stone placed album at number 253 on list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time with ranking dropping to 256 in 2012 revision. Pop music critic Randall Roberts wrote in Los Angeles Times that record was most important of last forty years.
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Common questions
When was the Trans-Europe Express album originally released?
Trans-Europe Express was originally released in March 1977. The group recorded the album in Düsseldorf and later visited Los Angeles to mix the tracks at Record Plant Studio before choosing to do more mixing in Düsseldorf and Hamburg instead.
Who created the customized Synthanorma Sequenzer used on the album?
Matten & Wiechers made this customized 32-step 16-channel analog sequencer specifically for the band. This device allowed the construction of more elaborate sequenced synthesizer lines featured prominently in the tracks Franz Schubert and Endless Endless.
What is the significance of the French version Les Mannequins on the album?
Maxime Schmitt encouraged the group to record a French language version of Showroom Dummies which became the group's first song in French. This decision led them to record several songs in French on future albums including the track titled Les Mannequins.
Which photographer took the image for the English version cover of Trans-Europe Express?
J. Stara created an image taken in Paris that is a highly retouched photo-montage of Kraftwerk from their shoulders up again posed as mannequins shown on the cover of the English version. Maurice Seymour also took photos during the group's American tour that appeared on the inside sleeve.
How did critics rank Trans-Europe Express in lists of greatest albums?
Slant Magazine placed the album at number one on list of greatest electronic albums of 20th century while Rolling Stone placed it at number 253 on list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time with ranking dropping to 256 in 2012 revision. VH1 placed Trans-Europe Express at number 56 on list of 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll of All Time in 2001.