Autobahn

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter were a duo when they made Autobahn, but they had help from Klaus Röder on guitar and violin and from Wolfgang Flür on percussion. The album came about partly in their own Kling Klang studio, but mostly in Conny Plank's new studio near Cologne. They bought a Minimoog and used modified rhythm machines. Emil Schult, who studied with Joseph Beuys, helped with lyrics and with a new look for the group.

Most of the record is the twenty-two-minute title track, inspired by the pleasure of driving along the German motorway, with sounds that imitate a journey. With it, Kraftwerk made the transition from experimental krautrock to electropop. In Germany the album received little attention, but an American radio station in Chicago played the track as a single, after which it spread and became an international hit in 1975. The first reviews were mixed, later there was much praise, and David Bowie cited it as an influence.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Autobahn22:47Apple Music ↗
2. 2Kometenmelodie 16:42Apple Music ↗
3. 3Kometenmelodie 25:31Apple Music ↗
4. 4Mitternacht3:46Apple Music ↗
5. 5Morgenspaziergang4:03Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗