092: Can - Tago Mago (1971)

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“[Tago Mago] was an attempt in achieving a mystery musical world from light to darkness and return.”

—Holger Czukay

Can’s music is part of the DNA of an incredible variety of music - from indie rock, to new wave, to electronica, to ambient, and most points in-between. Despite this, Can are not well known outside of music geeks like the Discord And Rhyme crew. They have long been one of Phil’s very favorite bands, though, and he’s here to talk about perhaps the band’s greatest album, 1971’s Tago Mago, along with John and Mike. Together, they’ll demonstrate that while the voyage into the world of Can can be a somewhat difficult trip, it’s a trip very much worth taking.

Miscellany

• Can weren’t just constantly recording during the Tago Mago sessions, they were recording even when they weren’t recording. Holger Czukay secretly recorded the group’s jams and incorporated portions of them into the album.

• Can considered themselves more of an “anarchist community” than a band, and their name is sometimes seen in all caps because Jaki Liebezeit claimed it was an acronym for “Communism Anarchism Nihilism.” None of us mentioned that during the episode because that’s a terrible name for a band.

• We talked a lot about Radiohead, but another modern-day rock band heavily influenced by Can is Spoon, who took their name from a 1971 Can single of the same name, later included on Ege Bamyasi, as well as their label, Spoon Records. The track “Was It You?” from the album Gimme Fiction is a good example of Can’s influence on their music.

• Perhaps the single strangest place the music of Can has turned up is in the Playstation classic PaRappa the Rapper, where “Turtles Have Short Legs” had its intro sampled for one of the game’s most memorable stages, where PaRappa is taking his driver’s test. A demonstration of this level can be found here, while the original Can track can be found here.

• Can were a formidable live act, but unfortunately, there is not very much live music of theirs officially available. Recently, two live albums recorded in 1975 have been released - Live in Stuttgart 1975 and Live in Brighton 1975. Both of these are well worth hearing. There was also an excellent bonus live disc of contemporary performances appended to a deluxe edition of Tago Mago. Here’s hoping the band continues to empty their vaults and we get more officially released shows. 

• Amanda had some A+ reactions to the clips and to how much Phil/Mike/John enjoyed them as she ran the recording Zoom, but sadly none of us thought to record her for this episode. She once again deserves tremendous props for listening to the three of us laud bonkers music (she also ran the Freak Out! and Bitches Brew episodes).

Other links 

• The official Can/Spoon Records website (spoonrecords.com)

• The Story Behind the Album: Tago Mago by Can (The Music Aficionado)

• Can: The Making of Landmark Album Tago Mago (Louder)

• An excellent 2018 interview with Irwin Schmidt (The Guardian)

• “Paperhouse” live on Beat Club (YouTube)

• “The Word/Om” by the Moody Blues (YouTube)

• Discord & Rhyme’s Tago Mago playlist (Spotify)

• Discord & Rhyme’s Patreon

Discord & Rhyme Roll Call

• Phil Maddox (host)

• Mike DeFabio (moderator)

• John McFerrin 

Tago Mago tracklist 

1. Paperhouse

2. Mushroom

3. Oh Yeah

4. Halleluhwah

5. Aumgn

6. Peking O

7. Bring Me Coffee or Tea 

Other clips used 

Can:

• Bel Air

• Yoo Doo Right

• Uphill

• Father Cannot Yell

• Mother Sky

• Mushroom (live)

• Turtles Have Short Legs

• Vitamin C

• Don't Turn the Light On, Leave Me Alone

• Moonshake 

Others:

• DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Yo Home to Bel Air

• LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge

• Pink Floyd - Cymbaline

• Jonti Picking - Badgers

• The Flaming Lips - Take Meta Mars

• Yello - Oh Yeah

• The Fall - I Am Damo Suzuki

• Primal Scream - Kowalski

• A Tribe Called Quest - Lost Somebody

• Genesis - The Waiting Room

• Karlheinz Stockhausen - Gesang der Jünglinge

• Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood (live in Oakland)

• The Beach Boys  - Shortnin' Bread

• Radiohead - Kid A

• Radiohead - Dollars & Cents

• Radiohead - The Thief (live in Warrington)

• Amon Düül II - Soap Shop Rock

• Bathory - Shores in Flames

Band/album personnel

• Damo Suzuki – vocals

• Holger Czukay – bass, engineering, editing

• Michael Karoli – guitar, violin

• Jaki Liebezeit – drums, double bass, piano

• Irmin Schmidt – organ, electric piano, oscillators, vocals (5) 

Credits 

“Discord & Rhyme (theme),” composed by the Other Leading Brand, contains elements of: 

• Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf

• Amon Düül II - Dehypnotized Toothpaste

• The Dukes of Stratosphear - What in the World?? ...

• Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

• Herbie Hancock - Hornets

• Kraftwerk - Autobahn

• Talking Heads - Seen and Not Seen

• Can - Halleluhwah (this episode only) 

You can buy or stream Tago Mago and other albums by Can at spoonrecords.com, your local record store, or the usual suspects such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon. Follow Discord & Rhyme on Twitter @DiscordPod for news, updates, and other random stuff. Editing is by Rich Bunnell, and special thanks to our own Mike DeFabio, the Other Leading Brand, for production and original music. See you next album, and keep as cool as you … can.