Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Trans-Europe Express1977Computer World1981studioThe Man-MachineKraftwerk - The Man-Machine.pngKraftwerkTemplate:Start date<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>1977–1978Kling Klang (Düsseldorf)Template:HlistTemplate:Duration*Kling Klang
- EMI Electrola*Ralf Hütter
- Florian Schneiderx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}
The Man-Machine (Template:Langx) is the seventh studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released on 19 May 1978 by Kling Klang in Germany and by Capitol Records elsewhere. A further refinement of their mechanical style, the album saw the group incorporate more danceable rhythms. The album has a satirical bent to it. It is thought to address a wide-range of themes from the Cold War, Germany's fascination with manufacturing, and humankind's increasingly symbiotic relationship with machines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It includes the singles "The Model" and "The Robots".
Although the album peaked at 53 initially on the UK Albums Chart, it reached a new peak position of number nine in February 1982,<ref name="UK chart"/> becoming the band's second highest-peaking album in the United Kingdom after Autobahn (1974).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ArtworkEdit
The artwork for the cover was produced by Karl Klefisch,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> based on the work of the Russian suprematist El Lissitzky – the words "Inspired by El Lissitzky" are noted on the cover.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The back cover image is an adaptation of a graphic from Lissitzky's book for children About Two Squares: A Suprematist Tale of Two Squares in Six Constructions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReleaseEdit
The Man-Machine was released in April 1978.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Man-Machine was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 15 February 1982<ref name="BPI"/> In October 2009, a remastered edition of the album was released on CD, Vinyl and digital formats by Mute Records, and Astralwerks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="irishtimes" />
Critical receptionEdit
Reviewing the album in 1978, Andy Gill of NME stated that "The Man-Machine stands as one of the pinnacles of Template:Not a typo rock music", adding that "the sparsity of the lyrics leaves the emphasis squarely on those robot rhythms, chilling tones and exquisite melodies".<ref name="NME">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Village Voice critic Robert Christgau also reviewed the album that year, saying: "Only a curmudgeon could reject a group that synthesizes the innovations of Environments and David Seville & the Chipmunks, not to mention that it's better make-out music."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mitchell Schneider from Rolling Stone found that the "chilling restraint and relentless sameness" of the lyrics and music are tempered by Kraftwerk's sense of humour and "sheer audacity", which makes for a listening experience that is "strangely pleasant in an otherworldly way".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Tony Clayton wrote in The Irish Times which "they constitute the resilient framework of electro-pop and electronica we hear today. And if there are more simple, warm and beautiful pieces of electronic music out there than 'Ohm Sweet Ohm', 'Neon Lights', 'Europe Endless' and the title track of Autobahn, then this geezer has yet to hear them."<ref name="irishtimes" /> Uncut critic David Cavanagh called "The Model" a "wry pop satire" and wrote that "the sparse lyrics lend themselves to considerable interpretation".<ref name="uncut"/>
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Steve Huey wrote that the album is "less minimalistic in its arrangements and more complex and danceable in its underlying rhythms" than the group's previous works, and noted its "tremendous impact" on subsequent synth-pop artists. He also described it as "closer to the sound and style that would define early new wave electro-pop", and noted its "feel of a divided concept album", with some songs (such as the title track and "The Robots") exploring "the science fiction-esque links between humans and technology", and others (such as "Neon Lights" and "Metropolis") celebrating "the glamour of urbanization".<ref name="allmusic"/> NME ranked The Man-Machine as the 57th greatest album of all time in 2013, citing it as Kraftwerk's "definitive" album and the catalyst for the synth-pop "revolution" that followed its release.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Paste ranked it the 11th best album of 1978.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Track listingEdit
PersonnelEdit
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2009 remastered edition of The Man-Machine.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
KraftwerkEdit
- Ralf Hütter – album concept, artwork reconstruction (2009 remaster), cover, electronics, keyboards, Orchestron, production, Synthanorma Sequenzer, synthesiser, vocoder, voice
- Florian Schneider – album concept, electronics, production, synthesiser, vocoder, Votrax
- Karl Bartos – electronic drums
- Wolfgang Flür – electronic drums
Additional personnelEdit
- Günther Fröhling – photography
- Leanard Jackson – engineering
- Karl Klefisch – artwork
- Joschko Rudas – engineering
- Henning Schmitz – engineering assistance
- Johann Zambryski – artwork reconstruction (2009 remaster)
StudiosEdit
- Recorded at Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf, Germany
- Mixed at Studio Rudas in Düsseldorf, Germany
ChartsEdit
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Weekly chartsEdit
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (1978) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | 56 | |
| French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}} Select "KRAFTWERK" from the drop-down menu and then press "OK".</ref> |
14 |
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|
Year-end chartsEdit
| Chart (1978) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
26 |
Certifications and salesEdit
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