1. Suicide Squad: The Album
Now, about "Your Idol (Huntrix Version)". It's a modern interpretation, sure, but it’s missing the visceral impact, that sense of discovery you got from early electronic minimalism or the abrasive noise of nascent industrial. When we were bending circuits and tape loops back in the day, it wasn't about pristine production; it was about the *idea*, the breaking of the mold. This feels... processed, like a digital echo of something bolder.
2. Your Idol (Huntrix Version)
NEU!'s debut, that original slab of Krautrock, was a revelation. It built its own sonic architecture, riding that relentless 'motorik' beat into uncharted territory. You felt the road, the industrial hum of Dusseldorf, all distilled into something hypnotic and utterly modern. No wasted notes, just pure, propulsive energy that laid groundwork for half of what came later, from post-punk to ambient.
3. NEU!
This is the sound of pure, unadulterated primal scream. The Sonics, on their debut, tore through rock and roll with a fuzz-soaked guitar and a saxophone that sounded like it was being throttled. No studio slickness, just raw energy and a fierce, almost punk-like aggression that predated everything. It was garage rock before anyone even called it that, and it still kicks with untamed fury.
4. Here Are the Sonics
Whatever the precise configuration of "Link, Vernon and Doug" was, the implication is clear: raw, unvarnished American sound. Think that early juke joint blues, maybe some proto-rockabilly swagger, just three fellas making noise that meant something. It’s the kind of record that cuts through the polish, straight to the bone of what makes music move, the real foundational grit.
5. Link, Vernon and Doug
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, on "Gospel Train," was a force of nature. That woman played guitar like a demon and sang like an angel, blurring the lines between the sacred and the profane. This expanded edition just gives you more of that foundational fire. It's the sound of gospel infused with a rock and roll urgency long before the term existed, a true groundbreaker.
6. Gospel Train (Expanded Edition)
Monk, on "Genius Of Modern Music (Vol.1)," wasn't just playing bebop; he was reshaping its very DNA. His off-kilter rhythms and dissonant harmonies were challenging, sure, but they were also deeply swinging. This expanded edition lets you hear even more of his singular vision, how he deconstructed and rebuilt the piano, defining modern jazz with every fractured chord.
7. Genius Of Modern Music (Vol.1, Expanded Edition)
Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch" from '64 was a seismic shift. This wasn't just free jazz; it was a carefully constructed explosion of sound. Those angular melodies, the unusual instrumentation, the way he pushed the boundaries of what a horn could do—it still sounds fresh, dangerous even. A true masterpiece of experimental improvisation, pulling jazz into a wild, new space.
8. Out to Lunch
Cabaret Voltaire's "Mix-Up" was a cold, hard slap to the face. This wasn't rock, wasn't punk in the usual sense. It was industrial: tape loops, found sounds, primitive electronics, and a relentless, unsettling rhythm. It carved out a new sonic landscape, bleak and confrontational, laying down the blueprints for everything from early house to noise rock. Utterly uncompromising.
9. Mix-Up
Cluster's "Zuckerzeit" was a different kind of Krautrock, less motorik, more delicate and melodic, yet still deeply experimental. It was electronic minimalism, but with a surprising warmth, almost childlike in its simplicity, yet sophisticated in its execution. This record showed that synths weren't just for sci-fi soundtracks; they could craft intricate, emotional soundscapes, influencing ambient and pop alike.
10. Zuckerzeit
The Stooges' debut was a Molotov cocktail thrown into the complacency of late-60s rock. Iggy Pop's primal yelp, Ron Asheton's brutal, minimalist guitar riffs, it was all raw aggression and barely contained chaos. This wasn't music for thinking; it was music for feeling, for breaking things. It laid the foundation for punk rock with a sneer and a snarl.
