Legendary German band CAN (Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit, Irmin Schmidt, and Holger Czukay) formed in 1967 and released their first album, Monster Movie, two years later. Since their debut, CAN has always pushed the limits of modern rock music by incorporating electronic, jazz, world beats, and modern classical genres. Their influence on future generations of musicians is wide, ranging from Joy Division, Pavement, PIL, Siouxsie And The Banshees, and Sonic Youth to the Flaming Lips, The Mars Volta, and Radiohead, to The Orb and U.N.K.L.E. They’ve even been sampled by hip-hop acts including A Tribe Called Quest and Kanye West.
For the first time, all of CAN’s singles have been made available in one collection. There’s early songs like “She Brings The Rain” (Covered in the ‘90s by Dream Syndicate and Opal alumni Kendra Smith) and “Turtles Have Short Legs” (originally recorded during the making of their classic album Mago Tago), as well as the very danceable “I Want More,” which became a hit for the group in pre-punk era England. This stellar compilation is now available, thanks to the way cool folks at Mute records, on triple vinyl, download, CD, and streaming services. FYI to CAN fans: In Spring 2018, Faber & Faber are publishing a new book devoted to CAN, All Gates Open. The special edition will come in two volumes: one will be the first complete, authorized biography of the band written by Rob Young, and the second, CAN Kiosk by CAN keyboard player Irmin Schmidt, is a collage of thoughts, visuals, and interviews.
Top photo via Wikimedia Commons
More from BUST
Sadie Dupuis Of Sad13 Releases Exclusive Remix To Benefit ACLU: BUST Premiere And Interview
Yoko Ono Will Finally Get A Cowriting Credit For “Imagine”
7 Riot Grrrl Songs To Inspire Millennial Women
