Can- Tago Mago (1971) MP3 & FLAC

"Well, I saw mushroom head, I was born and I was dead."

Named after a private island off the coast of Ibiza associated with Aleister Crowley, Can's Tago Mago is generally considered one of the pinnacles of the Kraut-Rock genre. It is also noteworthy for being Can's first full-length album with Damo Suzuki as lead vocalist. After the exit of vocalist Malcolm Mooney due to psychological problems, Suzuki, legend has it, was discovered by Bassist Holger Czukay busking outside cafes in Munich and was invited to join Can based on his performance at a single gig the band played later that night. While no one will confuse Suzuki for an accomplished singer, his untethered vocal style, shifting from mumble to chant to shriek by turns, fits Tago Mago's more experimental ambitions perfectly. Julian Cope has described the album as "sound[ing] only like itself, like no-one before or after," and with influences ranging from Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis to Stockhausen, Can's sound at this point was somewhat resistant to categorization. Tago Mago starts out modestly with the somewhat plodding opening to "Paperhouse," but at the two minute mark things transform into an insistently ominous tribal beat punctuated by some amazing layered and multi-tracked guitar work from Michael Karoli. On the album's centerpiece, "Halleluhwah," Czukay and drummer Jaki Liebezeit settle into a Funk-inspired groove which is sustained for the entire 18 minute duration of the song while a parade of different sound effects and textures (as well as Suzuki's vocals) move through the mix. It is hard to over-estimate the ground-breaking status of Can's early-seventies work, and while they would hit similar artistic heights on the two albums that immediately followed Tago Mago, Can would never sound quite this mysterious again.

Tago Mago (2004 Japanese Remastered Edition)
1. Paperhouse  (7:28)
2. Mushroom  (4:03)
3. Oh Yeah  (7:23)
4. Halleluhwah  (18:32)
5. Aumgn  (17:37)
6. Peking O  (11:37)
7. Bring Me Coffee or Tea  (6:47)

MU: Lossy (MP3@320)

MU: Lossless (FLAC)