Neu! 2 - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Stereolab must be quietly fuming: the sweet repetition on the 11-minute opening track "Fur Immer" here defines the parameters of the bachelor-pad band's sound so accurately, it's uncanny. Until this long-overdue reissue, however, only a handful of famous and/or connected musicians--David Bowie, Kraftwerk, Add N to X, DAF, Blur--had heard this relatively obscure album, first released in 1973. Stereolab isn't the only group this experimental, minimalist, unsettlingly beautiful Germanic duo influenced, though; you can hear traces of Suicide's aggressive disco-punk and almost all present-day dance bands within Klaus Dinger's almost robotic, forceful drumming on "Spitzenqualitat" and the finale "Super." What strikes the listener most about Neu! 2, however, is the sheer enjoyment these aural visionaries were deriving from their conveyor-belt grooves: ecstatic yelps of ecstasy sometimes obliterating the percussive din, keyboardist Michael Rother thumping his guitar like he's the first child on a new motorway of sound which, indeed, he was. Tracks are sped up and then slowed down, almost at random. Indispensable listening. --Everett True

Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars

Noy? No. April 10, 2005
20 out of 33 found this review helpful

As a big fan of 70's Krautrock, I've been intrigued by the buzz surrounding Neu! in hipster circles these days. They seem to enjoy a higher standing than excellent bands like Can, Popol Vuh and Kraftwerk, and my excitement increased when the cashier at the hip, indie-type record store practically gushed over my brilliant selection. So I rushed home to listen to it and.....was completely underwhelmed to say the least.

This band has quite the cult following, who I'm sure will be hitting that "unhelpful" button, but I'm sorry. I gotta call 'em the way I hear 'em. The entire second half of this record consists of the band taking two (rather mediocre) songs and then playing them at the wrong speeds like little kids playing with their parents' stereo. That's right, they actually recorded the songs being played at 16 rpm or 78 rpm or whatever, and expected people to both pay for and be entertained by it. To me it's "experimentalism" at it's most pretentious and annoying (not to mention lazy-how about just writing some songs or something?)

The opening "Fur Immer" is actually a very nice encapsulation of the Krautrock sound, as Neu! lays down some interesting synth and guitar textures over a driving beat. Unfortunately, the bass player's decision to play exactly one note throughout wears thin about halfway through the eleven minute running time. "Lila Engel" is instructive as an influence on the post-rock movement. Play this for any Mogwai fan and they'll instantly recognize the musical language.

Maybe I just picked the wrong introduction to the band. Maybe Neu! and Neu 75 are better, but after blowing sixteen bucks on this one I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to find out.

4 out of 5 stars

Sorry Sis, I'll buy you it for Xmas! June 18, 2001
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

I remember my older sister having this LP, when I left home I stole it and never told her! I can't believe it's taken over 20 years for it to be re-issued! For me, "Fur Immer" is the definitive Neu! track, the definitive motorik track if you prefer. Unlike "Hallogallo", which it superficially resembles, it has that distinctive clean rhythm guitar sound which is as recognisably "Neu!" as the relentless get-out-of-my-way drumming style (just ask Stereolab). Again, this track seems more dynamic and better thought out than "Hallogalloo", the crescendos and de-crescendos work better and the overall sound is lusher - tho "Hallogallo" has a punchier feel. Of the other tracks on this release, "Neuschnee" has a lovely Rother melody set to a punishing Dinger beat - another perfect Neu! track! "Super" and "Lila Engel" simply invent punk rock - monstrous beats, insane guitar and Dinger's extraordinary strangulated retch of a voice. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is taken up with mere space-filling noodling: the record player distortions of "Super" and "Neuschnee" could be some sort of dadaist anti-art precursor to the modern-day turntablism or else they could just be a cheap and quick way to fill up space (I tend towards the latter argument). Nonetheless I have always found 'Cassetto', the warbly warped-tape version of 'Hallogallo', a perfectly acceptable way to fill space when making up a Neu! compilation tape for friends - of course, now the Neu! albums are all available on CD my compilation tape days may just be behind me....

5 out of 5 stars

The Most Interesting NEU! July 19, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Not as tuneful as NEU! 75 or as revered as NEU! #1, it is the most interesting in terms of remixing. By simply slowing down and speeding up different tracks they create totally different feelings and totally different songs. Super 16 and Super are polar opposites, 16 is slow and druggy and sounds like the monster under your bed, plain super is intense and punkish. The modern concept of the remix starts here (plus the rest of the songs are beyond excellent, as it goes without saying for NEU!). While the other two are most listenable, this is the NEU! you CANNOT live without a minute longer.

5 out of 5 stars

"Neu! 2": Possibly the first 'remix' album. June 13, 2003
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

After the relatively large success of their first album in Germany, Neu! members Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger returned to the studio with engineer Conny Plank to recorded their second album. "Neu! 2" starts out as a continuation of the first album. The 11-minute opening track "Fur Immer" is a beefier heavier take on "Hallogallo" from the first album. Klaus Dinger's drumbeat stays locked in place while Michael Rother's guitar swims and swerves around a stationary E-major chord. This is a fine piece of minimalist-rock. The following piece, "Spitzenqualitat", focuses on "Fur Immer's" driving drumbeat which gradually slows down until it stops. While this is going on, various echo and electronic effects weave through the drum rhythm. This leads directly into "Gedenkminute" which is a full minute of wind sounds and a church bell tolling. "Lila Engel" closes the first half of the album with Klaus Dinger's driving drums and moaning vocals.
The second half of the album is where everything shifts drastically. Legend has it that while Neu! was in the middle of recording this album, they discovered that their recording budget had run out and had to finish everything in a huge rush. For this part of the album, Rother and Dinger used an early single as the basis for manipulating and stretching the music into one side of an LP. So what we have here is two tracks, "Neuschnee" and "Super" included in their original versions as well as the tracks being played back at 16 and 78 RPM. Also included is two-minutes worth a cassette being eaten in a tapedeck ("Cassetto") and roughly four-minutes worth of "Neuschnee" being played at various speeds while Dinger, Rother and engineer Conny Plank have a conversation in the recording studio ("Hallo Excentrico"). The second half of "Neu! 2" is basically an early example of what was to become known as the remix. It's interesting hearing how these two simple tracks could be turned into an adventerous sound collage.
Like the first album, "Neu! 2" would go on to be influential to many artists in many different genres from punk to art-rock to techno. This album continues to be a timeless classic and is a highly recommended piece of German Krautrock at its very best.

4 out of 5 stars

Neu! - 'Neu! 2' (Astralwerks) April 26, 2004
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Nice follow up to the band's first lp,originally released in 1972,having eleven tracks.I was impressed with the fluid dynamics of "Fur Immer"(meaning 'Forever') and with the somewhat trend setting industrial "Spitzenqualitat".I notice that this reissue tends to change moods more often than the first one did.Apparently,Rother and Dinger stuck a bunch of fillers on 'Neu! 2'(I heard they ran out of funds during the middle of the lp's recording session)that were previously released with the speeds altered,which are "Neuschnee 78","Super 16" and the 78 rpm-sounding "Super 78".Clever.Don't worry about your CD player,it's fine.Several stops,skips,etc here and there."Hallo Excentrico" and "Super" are probably the best remixes.Certain fans of experimental just MAY find themselves drooling over this title.

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