A month ago we learned of the death of the Japanese Damo Suzuki, at the more or less venerable age of 74. His name may not mean anything to you, but know that this extraterrestrial was a singer in the German group Can in the early 1970s, which in itself earns him a special place in rock history.
Coincidence of the calendar: his sad departure coincides with the very recent release of an unpublished “live” from Can, a concert recorded in Paris in May 1973.
This recording has been circulating under wraps for quite a while, but here it is in the official version, endorsed by keyboardist Irmin Shmidt in person, the only surviving member of this cult formation whose influence on rock has continued to grow since the beginning of the 1990s. 1980. All the incandescence of this flagship of krautrock is brought together here, with its long improvisations (between 9 and 36 minutes!), its repetitive rhythms, its offbeat sounds, its psyche-funk guitar, its grooves hypnotics and the vocal interventions of Suzuki, an instrument among others.
This would be one of the singer’s last appearances with the group, just before he took off for a long and erratic solo career. It’s also Can at the top of his form, at his most inspired era, that of the album Ege Bamyasi and his most famous song: Vitamin C.
Extract of Fünf [Live in Paris 1973]
Krautrock
Live in Paris 1973
Can
Spoon