Again an excellent recording by ianmacd. HUGE thank you to him for taping and sharing.
Original Info File:
The Catalogue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Concert 4 of 8: The Man-Machine
RECORDING:
Type: Audience master, recorded 2 metres back from the front of the stage,
dead centre, between Henning Schmitz and Fritz Hilpert.
Source: Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) ->
Marantz PMD661 recorder with Oade Concert Mod
(-18 dB gain/44.1 kHz/24 bit WAV)
Lineage: Audacity 2.0.6
* Applied Bass and Treble Tool (-1 dB Bass, +6 dB Treble).
* Independently normalised channels to 0 dB.
* Amplified left channel by 0.3 dB.
* Applied Click Removal effect to attenuate applause (Threshold
200/Max Spike Width 40).
* Applied variable envelope amplification across recording for
consistent listening experience.
* Added fades.
* Split tracks.
* Converted to 16 bit.
-> FLAC (compression level 8) [libFLAC 1.3.1 20141125]
Taper: Ian Macdonald (ianmacd)
SET LIST:
01. [00:48] [intro]
02. [05:19] The Man-Machine
03. [05:28] Spacelab
04. [03:42] The Model
05. [06:01] Neon Lights
06. [05:25] Metropolis
07. [14:20] Autobahn
08. [06:34] Airwaves
09. [00:22] Intermission
10. [01:09] News
11. [00:31] Geiger Counter
12. [06:24] Radioactivity
13. [03:09] Numbers
14. [03:17] Computer World
15. [06:06] Home Computer
16. [06:07] Computer Love
17. [04:19] Tour De France 1983
18. [00:27] Prologue
19. [03:52] Tour De France Étape 1
20. [01:05] Chrono
21. [05:32] Tour De France Étape 2
22. [03:19] Trans-Europe Express
23. [00:47] Abzug
24. [03:18] Metal On Metal
25. [01:16] [encore break]
26. [07:46] The Robots¹
27. [01:23] [encore break]
28. [04:06] Electric Cafe
29. [02:32] Boing Boom Tschak
30. [02:45] Techno Pop
31. [08:00] Musique Non Stop
Total running time: 125:25
¹ Band off-stage, replaced by robots. Music pre-programmed.
NOTES:
'The Man-Machine' marks the halfway point in Kraftwerk's residency at the
Paradiso. Strictly speaking, we won't actually be halfway until the show
finishes, but you know what I mean.
This is my favourite of Kraftwerk's albums, probably due to my having lived
with it for longer than any of the others.
My very first Kraftwerk record was the 7" of 'The Robots', purchased with my
pocket money in 1978 (from Rumbelows in Truro, England, if you must know). I
was blown away by the artwork on the fold-out sleeve and purchased the record
without having heard it. When I got home and played it, I loved it. 'Who were
these strange Russians making this strange music?' I misguidedly wondered.
My next Kraftwerk purchase was the 'Neon Lights' 12" single on luminous vinyl.
I loved that record even more than 'The Robots' and played it so much that the
needle must have almost worn through to the other side.
At the time, I couldn't afford albums, but these two singles gave me four of
the six tracks on 'The Man-Machine', so I had a kind of poor man's version of
it.
Tonight, thick freezing fog has settled in and engulfed Amsterdam. I'm on time
again, but the queue is even longer than it was last night. With the working
week having begun again, I had imagined that people might arrive later this
evening.
A few minutes later, armed with a shiny new red wristband and yet another pair
of 3D glasses, I head into the Paradiso, down to the tapers' changing rooms
(I've never understood why there's a toilet in there -- it only gets in the
way), and then take my place at the front, amongst the other waifs and strays
whom this residency is keeping off the streets.
Now that I've got to know a few of the fans here, the two hours between the
doors opening and the start of the show are starting to pass quite quickly. A
gig is usually anything but a social occasion for me. I almost invariably
attend them on my own and talk to no-one while I'm there. These shows are an
enjoyable exception.
The show kicks off as punctually as ever, with 'The Man-Machine' leading the
charge. As with 'Trans-Europe Express', the playing order has been shuffled
for the live performance, but it would be quite the puritan who fretted about
such things.
'The Robots' was certainly never going to start the show, anyway, as it's
consistently saved for the first encore, when our flesh and blood friends are
replaced by their nattily dressed, youthful likenesses.
As happened last night, there's a split-second glitch in the performance, this
time at 35" into 'Metropolis'. I have no idea what caused it, but again, it
has nothing to do with the recording.
The extended, 14 minute 'Autobahn' makes it back into tonight's set and what a
superb rendition it is. My headphones almost vibrate off my head while
mastering it.
The first song of the second encore is turning out to be a bit of a revolving
door. Tonight, 'Aéro Dynamik' is replaced by 'Electric Cafe', making its debut
this residency.
'Musique Non Stop' is also particularly great this evening. I really enjoy how
the band bring each show to a climax with this song, each of the four members
taking turns to break free of his more or less scripted role during the show
to indulge in a few solo antics at the console, before walking out to take a
bow and exit the stage.
Four in the bag: Four more to go.
The recording was made under the same conditions and with the same parameters
as the previous ones. It has also been almost identically mastered. The
quality is therefore comparable.
Scans of the ticket and both sides of the glasses envelope are also included.
