Kraftwerk - Die Mensch-Maschine [EMI 180g LP (2009)] 24-bit/96kHz & CD-compatible format

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More pop-oriented than any of their previous work, the sound of The Man-Machine -- in particular among Kraftwerk's oeuvre -- had a tremendous impact on the cold, robotic synth pop of artists like Gary Numan, as well as Britain's later new romantic movement. - Steve Huey/AMG

”

The Man-Machine is the seventh studio album by Kraftwerk, released in 1978. It was released in German as Die Mensch-Maschine. It contains the song "The Model" which was a #1 single in the UK in 1982.

This was the first Kraftwerk album to see Karl Bartos co-credited with song-writing along with Hütter & Schneider. Emil Schult co-wrote the lyrics for "The Model".

Musically, it builds on Trans-Europe Express. The initial recording had been made at Kraftwerk's own Kling Klang studio, but further work was done at nearby Studio Rudas, where Detroit sound engineer Leanard Jackson of Whitfield Records, who had worked on Rose Royce's second album the previous year, was hired to work on the final sound-mix.

The cover design imitates the graphic style of the 1930s modernist movement, particularly that of the designer/architect El Lissitzky, whose inspiration is acknowledged in the album credits. The rear cover of the album is actually an adaptation one of his geometric page designs for a children's book, From Two Quadrants (specifically, the upper right quarter of the page captioned "And on the Black was established Red Clearly").

The album was voted #96 on Q magazine's List of 100 Greatest Albums and #92 on Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of the 1970s.




Track listing

Side one

"Die Roboter" – 6:11
"Spacelab" – 5:51
"Metropolis" – 5:59

Side two

"Das Modell" – 3:38
"Neonlicht" – 9:03
"Die Mensch-Maschine" – 5:28

Personnel

Ralf Hütter – voice, vocoder, synthesizer, keyboards, orchestron, synthanorma sequenzer, electronics, cover (i.e. art direction)
Florian Schneider – vocoder, votrax, synthesiszer, electronics
Karl Bartos – electronic drums
Wolfgang Flür – electronic drums
Leanard Jackson – sound engineer mixing & mastering
Joschko Rudas – sound engineer (Studio Rudas, Düsseldorf)
Henning Schmitz – assistant sound engineer
Karl Klefisch – typography ("lettering")
Günther Fröhling – photography
Johann Zambryski – artwork reconstruction (2009 remaster)