Can – LIVE IN KEELE 1977 (2024) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Can – LIVE IN KEELE 1977 (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:14:51 minutes | 1,49 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Mute

The long-awaited release of a fan favourite, LIVE IN KEELE 1977, is the latest in CAN’s series of live albums, released on Mute. LIVE IN KEELE 1977 is the newest release in a series of live albums that have been unearthed from the Spoon Records vaults and from fan recordings, then painstakingly assembled by founding member Irmin Schmidt and producer and engineer René Tinner. This album is a dynamic document of late-period CAN. Recorded in March 1977, the core line up of Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, and Holger Czukay is augmented by the addition of Rosko Gee (Traffic) on bass. Gee’s recent addition to the line-up meant that Holger Czukay was freed up from bass duties to perform “waveform radio and spec. sounds”, manifesting here as otherworldly sounds, samples and what one reviewer of a later show described as “moontalk to a white continental telephone.” CAN’s unprecedented and bold marriage of hypnotic grooves and avant-garde instrumental textures has made them one of the most important and innovative bands of all time, and these albums reveal a totally different perspective to the group.Live in Keele 1977 can be seen as a sort of companion to the previous Can archival release, Live in Aston 1977. Both date from the same tour, during the period when former Traffic member Rosko Gee was the group’s bassist, and the oft-misunderstood Afro-Latin funk excursion Saw Delight was released. Like the other releases in the Can archival live series, the tracks are presented as numerically titled jams, though actual set lists for these concerts have circulated, and similar to other volumes in the series, the album doesn’t include the entire concert. “Fizz,” which appeared on Music (Live 1971-1977) and was listed as dating from this show, is absent, though a recording of the piece was present on Live in Aston 1977. What this release does include is 75 minutes of free-form live energy performed by the band’s four main members, plus Gee. The first track is a ten-minute funk-rock jam with plenty of wah-wah guitar and exuberant keyboard riffs, plus the occasional strange noises and voices supplied by Holger Czukay, who was no longer playing bass for the group. “Zwei” begins with a spoken introduction and mysterious hellos, followed by an extended period of shadowy, suspenseful organ. The full band gradually work their way up to a fractured yet heavy groove, and they continue accelerating and going further; by the end, it’s absolutely dazzling. The group continue at a comfortably high velocity, delivering some blazing solos and sporadically interjecting more voices, possibly from Czukay’s electronics, though it’s hard to tell. The audience even gets in on the fun, clapping and cheering along during “Vier,” which has an especially strong lead guitar, as well as haunting keyboards. The final track lasts for nearly half an hour, and it progresses from intense polyrhythms and commanding guitar to a more hypercharged, elevated state. The band were clearly feeling some sort of supernatural force by the end. Live in Keele 1977 is one of the better entries in the Can live series, proving that their on-stage power was still in full effect, even as they were approaching the end of their run. – Paul Simpson

Tracklist:

1-1. Can – Keele 77 Eins (10:05)
1-2. Can – Keele 77 Zwei (15:07)
1-3. Can – Keele 77 Drei (10:12)
1-4. Can – Keele 77 Vier (13:34)
1-5. Can – Keele 77 Fünf (25:51)

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