220. Can - Tago Mago (1971)

















Track Listing

1. Paperhouse
2. Mushroom
3. Oh Yeah
4. Halleluhwah
5. Aumgn
6. Peking O
7. Bring me Coffee or Tea

Review

Wow, this is one of the most unexpected albums to ever appear on this list. It's unexpected because you really didn't think anything in 1971 sounded like this... hell, it would have been innovative in 1991. There are parts here which could really have come out of the club scene of the mid 90's.

The album is completely amazing, but it has listenable and non-listenable sides. All the tracks except Aumgn and Peking O are pretty listenable, those two are noise experiments with no real melody. This doesn't make them bad, but you need to be in a very specific state of mind to appreciate them. Aumgn is really scary and trippy, if you just stand in a dark room listening to it you'lll see what I mean. Today I was taking a nap with it playing in the background and I had the weirdest dreams. But really after a while you just want to skip those two tracks, as they are really long.

Another really long track is Halleluhwah and its the real highlight of the album. It has a drum beat which could be playing in a club or rave party today with very few people batting an eyelid. It's long, repetitive, funky and amazing. 18 minutes of funk-rock with an amazing beat. And this in 1971! The first three tracks are really nifty as well. And all in all this is probably the best album to listen to when high, but you should leave out Aumgn and Peking O unless you want a really bad trip.

Can make art rock like Prog bands would like to. This is the greatest exponent of rock transcending into art in the early 70's, you hear James Brown, Zappa, Velvet Underground and Stockhausen all in the same track. And then tracks like Oh Yeah and Bring Me Coffee Or Tea sound like Kid A/Amnesiac from Radiohead! Maybe it is because Can were making something separate from the Anglo-Saxon scene that they sound so fresh, but they do, and you owe yourself to listen to this album at least once. Get it from Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. Halleluhwah
2. Oh Yeah
3. Mushroom
4. Bring Me Coffee Or Tea

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The name comes from a large rock formation off the coast of Ibiza that figures in the legend of Aleister Crowley.

Aumgn is a Crowley influenced Track.

CROWLEY FTW!


Mushroom: