Autobahn
Studio album by Kraftwerk
Released	1974 (digital remix in 1985)
Recorded	Germany, 1974
Genre	Electronic music Synthpop
Length	42:27
Label	Philips (world outside US and UK - 1974) Vertigo (US and UK - 1974) Mercury (US and Canada - 1975) EMI (world outside US and Canada - 1985) Warner Bros. (US and Canada - 1985) Elektra (US and Canada - 1988)
Producer(s)	Conny Plank & Kraftwerk
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Q October 2000 Robert Christgau (B-) link Rolling Stone RS 189
Kraftwerk chronology
Ralf und Florian (1973) Autobahn (1974) Radio-Activity (1975)

Autobahn (German for "motorway") is an album by Kraftwerk, released in 1974. (The album’s 22-minute title track was edited to about 3 minutes for single release, and reached #25 on the US Billboard charts, charting even higher around Europe, getting to #11 in the UK.) Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A studio album is a collection of previously unreleased, studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Kraftwerk (pronounced [], German for power station) are a German musical group who have made significant contributions to the development of experimental, electronic, New Wave, synthpop and techno music. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Electronica be merged into this article or section. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Philips HQ in Amsterdam Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Philips Electronics N.V.), usually known as Philips, (Euronext: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) is one of the largest electronics companies in the world, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands. ... Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the sixties for its label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI (with Harvest Records), Decca Records (with Deram Records) and RCA (with Neon Records). ... Mercury Records was a record label founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. ... The EMI Group (LSE: EMI) is a British music company comprising of the major record company EMI Music which operates several labels, based in Brook Green in London, England, and EMI Music Publishing, based on Charing Cross Road, London. ... Warner Bros. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Konrad Conny Plank (frequently spelled Planck) (born about 1943 in Austria, died December 18, 1987 in Cologne) was a record producer. ... Kraftwerk (pronounced [], German for power station) are a German musical group who have made significant contributions to the development of experimental, electronic, New Wave, synthpop and techno music. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links 4_stars. ... Robert Christgau (2007) Robert Christgau (sometimes abbreviated in print to Xgau), born April 18, 1942, is an American essayist, music journalist, and the self-declared Dean of American Rock Critics[1] His first reviews were published by Esquire in 1967. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Kraftwerk (pronounced [], German for power station) are a German musical group who have made significant contributions to the development of experimental, electronic, New Wave, synthpop and techno music. ... Ralf und Florian is a 1973 album by Kraftwerk. ... Radio-Activity is a 1975 album by Kraftwerk. ... Motorway symbol in UK, France and Ireland. ... Kraftwerk (pronounced [], German for power station) are a German musical group who have made significant contributions to the development of experimental, electronic, New Wave, synthpop and techno music. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

Autobahn is not a completely electronic album, as violin, flute, and guitar are used along with synthesizers. The title track features both untreated and vocoded vocals; the remaining tracks are purely instrumental. Kraftwerk used a Minimoog as one of their synthesizers, which were known to cost as much as a Volkswagen at that time. Other instruments employed included the ARP Odyssey, EMS Synthi AKS and various devices of their own design and implementation, such as their famous electronic drums. The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A vocoder (name derived from voice encoder, formerly also called voder) is a speech analyzer and synthesizer. ... The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by David van Koevering and Robert Moog. ... The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ... Volkswagen AG (ISIN: DE0007664005), or VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. ... ARP Instruments, Inc. ... The ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. ... Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd. ... The EMS Synthi A, and a version of it with a built-in keyboard/sequencer, the EMS Synthi AKS, is a portable modular analog synthesizer made by EMS in England starting in 1972. ...

The title track is intended to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn; from the high-speed concentration of the fast lane, to the tuning of the car radio, to the monotony of a long trip. Autobahn is also the first of Kraftwerk’s concept albums of sorts, which they have done up to 2003. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The front cover of the original German edition was painted by Emil Schult, a long-time collaborator of Ralf and Florian, who also co-wrote the lyrics to the song "Autobahn". It was subsequently used on the cover of the 1985 re-issue. The version released in the UK on the Vetigo label in 1974 had a differently designed cover, produced by the label’s in-house marketing department. Emil Schult is a Düsseldorf artist, and was once a member of the electronic music band, Kraftwerk. ...

Klaus Roeder was not a member of the band for very long, and had left before the recording sessions were completed. There is some doubt about Roeder’s input; the original 1974 cover credited him with "violin, guitar", whereas for the 1985 re-release he was given a credit on the vinyl B-side label only, as playing electro-geige (electro-violin) on "Mitternacht". According to Flür’s autobiography, this was an electronic instrument of his own invention; he also played it on "Autobahn", though his contributions were apparently mixed out on the finished album. Klaus Röder (often spelt Roeder) is a German musician and music teacher, born 7 April 1948 in Stuttgart, Germany. ...

Wolfgang Flür’s face was added to the group photo on the back cover of the original LP (grafted onto Emil Schult’s body) at the last minute when it was decided that he would stay as a permanent member of the band. For the 1985 digital remix album all traces of the original recording line up were removed and instead a photo from the 1975 Autobahn tour was used. It shows Hütter, Schneider and Flür with new member, percussionist Karl Bartos – who were the band members at the time of the album’s re-release in 1985 – performing on stage. Wolfgang Flür (born 17 July 1947) was a member of the Kraftwerk electro-pop group from 1973 to 1987, playing electronic drums. ...

In a rather disingenuous move, producer Conny Plank’s name was also largely removed from the re-issue of the album, only appearing very small on the side B label of the vinyl edition and nowhere on the CD version. Plank had reputedly played a large role in developing the Kraftwerk sound, and much of the recording and all of the mixing of the work took place at his studio in Cologne. Konrad Conny Plank (frequently spelled Planck) (born about 1943 in Austria, died December 18, 1987 in Cologne) was a record producer. ...

One can hear how much Plank contributed to the sound, since Kometenmelodie had been recorded before without his input; the rare single "Kohoutek-Kometenmelodie" sounds like a demo recording compared to the album version. Kohoutek-Kometenmelodie is a recording by German band Kraftwerk, recorded and released in Germany in 1973. ...

Flür had played with the band since late in 1973, first appearing with them on a Berlin TV performance to promote their Ralf und Florian album. On that show, he debuted the band’s custom-built electronic percussion pads, and these feature heavily on the Autobahn album. When Flür published an autobiography in the late 1990s, legal wranglings ensued over his claim to have largely built and developed these pads himself (with electronics assistance from Schneider), cannibalising an organ beat-box for the sound generating circuits. Schneider had in fact filed a patent on the device under his own name in 1977. Again, Flür’s name was removed from the artwork of the 1985 re-issue – when the album became available on CD – although his contribution was later confirmed by a German court decision on March 23 2001. Ralf und Florian is a 1973 album by Kraftwerk. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Track listing

1. "Autobahn" ("Motorway") (Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Emil Schult) – 22:43
2. "Kometenmelodie 1" ("Comet Melody 1") (Hütter, Schneider) – 6:26 (inspired by Comet Kohoutek)
3. "Kometenmelodie 2" ("Comet Melody 2") (Hütter, Schneider) – 5:48
4. "Mitternacht" ("Midnight") (Hütter, Schneider) – 3:43
5. "Morgenspaziergang" ("Morning Walk") (Hütter, Schneider) – 4:04

Autobahn is a song composed in 1974 by Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter of the German electronic band Kraftwerk, with Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. ... Ralf Hütter (born 20 August 1946 in Krefeld, Germany) is the lead singer, keyboardist, and reportedly band leader of Kraftwerk and is usually the one interviewed. ... Florian Schneider-Esleben (born April 7th, 1947, Germany) is one of the founding members of influential and pioneering electronic music band Kraftwerk. ... Emil Schult is a Düsseldorf artist, and was once a member of the electronic music band, Kraftwerk. ... Comet by naked-eye Orbits of Comet Kohoutek and Earth Comet Kohoutek, formally designated C/1973 E1, 1973 XII, and 1973f, was first sighted on March 7, 1973 by Czech astronomer LuboÅ¡ Kohoutek. ...

Credits

• Ralf Hütter – vocals, keyboards and synthesizers.
• Florian Schneider – vocals, keyboards and synthesizers.
• Klaus Roeder – guitar, electric violin.
• Wolfgang Flür – electronic percussion.
• Konrad "Conny" Plank – record producer.
• Emil Schult – cover design.

Ralf Hütter (born 20 August 1946 in Krefeld, Germany) is the lead singer, keyboardist, and reportedly band leader of Kraftwerk and is usually the one interviewed. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... A synthesizer (or synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sound, using techniques such as additive, subtractive, FM, physical modelling synthesis, phase distortion, or Scanned synthesis. ... Florian Schneider-Esleben (born April 7th, 1947, Germany) is one of the founding members of influential and pioneering electronic music band Kraftwerk. ... Klaus Röder (often spelt Roeder) is a German musician and music teacher, born 7 April 1948 in Stuttgart, Germany. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This electric violin, made by Leo Fender in the late 1950s, has a non-traditional design. ... Wolfgang Flür (born 17 July 1947) was a member of the Kraftwerk electro-pop group from 1973 to 1987, playing electronic drums. ... An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. ... Konrad Conny Plank (frequently spelled Planck) (born about 1943 in Austria, died December 18, 1987 in Cologne) was a record producer. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Emil Schult is a Düsseldorf artist, and was once a member of the electronic music band, Kraftwerk. ...

Album cover variations

The original version of the German issued cover, with artwork by Emil Schult.

The back cover of the original German version, Flür’s head montaged into the group photo.

The version of the cover released in Britain on the Vertigo label in 1974.

The back cover of the 1985 re-issue, showing the Hütter-Bartos-Flür-Schneider line up.

Image File history File links A74-D-front. ... Image File history File links A74-D-front. ... Image File history File links A74-D-back. ... Image File history File links A74-E-front. ... Image File history File links A74-E-front. ... Image File history File links A84-E-back. ...

Equipment

• Minimoog
• ARP (white-faced) Odyssey
• Customized Farfisa Rhythm Unit 10
• Vox Percussion King
• Farfisa Professional Piano
• EMS Synthi-A
• Schulte Compact Phasing A
• Mutron Biphase
• & others

The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by David van Koevering and Robert Moog. ...

Release details

The originally released formats and later digital remix versions are shown below. These may differ from currently available versions.