Can were a German experimental rock band formed in Cologne in 1968 by Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt, Michael Karoli and Jaki Liebezeit. The group featured several vocalists during its career, including Malcolm Mooney from 1968 to 1970 and Damo Suzuki from 1970 to 1973. Can are associated with the German krautrock movement and are regarded as an influential group in experimental and alternative music. The founding members had backgrounds in avant-garde music and jazz. Czukay and Schmidt had studied under composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. The band's music combined elements of psychedelic rock, space rock, funk, samba and musique concrète. Their most widely discussed albums include "Monster Movie" (1969), "Tago Mago" (1971), "Ege Bamyasi" (1972) and "Future Days" (1973). Can also achieved chart success with singles such as "Spoon" and "I Want More". Their work influenced a range of later genres and artists, including post-punk, indie rock, post-rock and ambient music performers. The group was initially formed under the name Inner Space in Cologne, West Germany, in 1968. Early performances included an appearance at an art opening organised by collector Christoph Vohwinkel. Recordings from this period were later released as "Prehistoric Future". The band's early activities also included soundtrack work for German films and television productions. In 1968, the group recorded material for the television film "Das Millionenspiel". During this period, they worked with vocalist Malcolm Mooney and recorded material later associated with the unreleased album "Prepare to Meet Thy Pnoom". At Mooney's suggestion, the band adopted the name Can. The name has been interpreted in several ways, including references to words in different languages and later as a backronym for "communism, anarchism, nihilism". The group later established a studio at Schloss Nörvenich under the name Inner Space Studio. Can released their debut album, "Monster Movie", in 1969. The album included re-recorded versions of earlier songs such as "Father Cannot Yell" and "Outside My Door". Mooney left the group at the end of 1969 and returned to the United States after experiencing mental health difficulties. In 1970, Czukay and Liebezeit encountered Japanese street musician Damo Suzuki in Munich and invited him to perform with the band. Suzuki subsequently became Can's lead vocalist. In 1970, Can contributed music to the soundtrack of the film "Deep End". The track "Mother Sky" later appeared on the compilation album "Soundtracks", which collected music recorded for various films. During the early 1970s, the band developed a more improvisational style. "Tago Mago", released in 1971, featured extended compositions, tape editing techniques and rhythm-focused arrangements. In the same year, the song "Spoon" was used as the theme for the television miniseries "Das Messer" and became a top ten hit in West Germany. "Ege Bamyasi", released in 1972, presented a comparatively concise approach while maintaining experimental elements. It included the singles "Spoon" and "Vitamin C". The following album, "Future Days" (1973), incorporated atmospheric and ambient-oriented compositions, including the extended track "Bel Air". The album has since been associated with the development of ambient music. Suzuki left the band shortly after the recording of "Future Days". Following his departure, vocal duties were shared mainly by Karoli and Schmidt, although the group increasingly focused on instrumental compositions. " Soon Over Babaluma" was released in 1974 and continued the atmospheric style of the previous album while reintroducing some of the group's earlier experimental elements. In 1975, Can signed with Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and EMI/Harvest in West Germany. The band appeared on the BBC television programme "The Old Grey Whistle Test" that year. Shortly afterwards, Schmidt suffered a broken leg, resulting in the cancellation of a planned UK tour. The albums "Landed" (1975) and "Flow Motion" (1976) reflected a shift towards more conventional song structures. The disco-influenced single "I Want More" became the band's only charting single in the United Kingdom, reaching number 26 in 1976 and leading to an appearance on "Top of the Pops". In 1977, former Traffic bassist Rosko Gee and percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah joined the group. Both appeared on the albums "Saw Delight" (1977), "Out of Reach" (1978) and "Can" (1979). During the late 1970s, disagreements regarding musical direction contributed to Holger Czukay's reduced role within the band. After Rosko Gee joined, Czukay focused increasingly on sound manipulation using shortwave radios, tape recorders and other devices. He left the group in 1977, although he contributed production work to the album "Can". After the band's dissolution, the members pursued various musical projects. Czukay recorded solo ambient music and collaborated with artists including David Sylvian. Liebezeit worked with Jah Wobble, Bill Laswell and the percussion ensemble Drums Off Chaos. In 1986, Can briefly reunited with Malcolm Mooney to record the album "Rite Time", which was released in 1989. Additional reunions took place in 1991 for the soundtrack of Wim Wenders' film "Until the End of the World" and in 1999 for a recording of "The Third Man Theme". During the 1990s and 2000s, several compilations, live recordings and remastered editions of the band's catalogue were released. Michael Karoli died from cancer on 17 November 2001. Jaki Liebezeit died from pneumonia on 22 January 2017. Holger Czukay died of natural causes on 5 September 2017. Damo Suzuki died from cancer on 9 February 2024. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_(band) Studio albums Monster Movie (1969) Tago Mago (1971) Ege Bamyasi (1972) Future Days (1973) Soon Over Babaluma (1974) Landed (1975) Flow Motion (1976) Saw Delight (1977) Out of Reach (1978) Can (1979) Rite Time (1989)
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