Soon Over Babaluma

Soon Over Babaluma
Studio album by Can
Released November 1974
Recorded August 1974 at Inner Space
Genre Krautrock
Length 38:56
Label United Artists, Spoon, Mute
Producer Can
Can chronology
Future Days
(1973)Future Days1973		 Soon Over Babaluma
(1974)		 Landed
(1975)Landed1975

Soon Over Babaluma is the sixth studio album by the rock music group Can. This is the band's first album without a lead vocalist who does not play an instrument, following the departure of Damo Suzuki in 1973 during which he married his German girlfriend. The vocals are provided by guitarist Michael Karoli and keyboardist Irmin Schmidt. It is also their last album that was created using a two-track recorder.

It takes the ambient style of Future Days and pushes it even further at times, as on "Quantum Physics", although there are also some upbeat tracks, such as "Chain Reaction" and "Dizzy Dizzy".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Pitchfork8.9/10[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
The Village VoiceB−[5]

American musician Dominique Leone reviewed Soon Over Babaluma for Pitchfork, writing that he "was constantly surprised at how clear everything sounded, as if the band had recorded all of this stuff in one fell swoop during an unbelievably inspired, marathon session. One of the great things about Can[, ... ,] was the attention to detail and realization that the effect of each tiny moment in the course of a song can affect the momentum of the entire piece. No small miracles here: even if it's sad to think these albums represent Can's last great gasp, none of their moments have ever sounded better".[3] In his review for Allmusic, American music journalist Ned Raggett stated that "With Suzuki departed, vocal responsibilities were now split between Karoli and Schmidt. Wisely, neither try to clone Mooney or Suzuki, instead aiming for their own low-key way around things", giving the album a rating of four stars out of five.[1] Robert Christgau was less impressed in The Village Voice, comparing its "singularly European" music to a less interesting, less biting variation on Miles Davis' 1970s electric period: "It's never pompous, discernibly smart, playful, even goofy. If you give it your all you can make out a few shards of internal logic. But the light tone avoids texture, density, or pain. The jazzy pulse is innocent of swing, funk, or sex".[5] In The Rolling Stone Album Guide, Douglas Wolk said the album was "mellow and almost timid in places", with the exception of "Chain Reaction", deeming the song a precursor to 1990s techno.[4]

Track listing and personnel

Side One
  1. "Dizzy Dizzy" - (Lyrics: Duncan Fallowell; music: Czukay, Karoli, Liebezeit, Schmidt) - 5:40
    • Michael Karoli - vocals, violin, guitar
    • Irmin Schmidt - organ, electric piano, alpha 77
    • Jaki Liebezeit - percussion
    • Holger Czukay - bass
  2. "Come Sta, La Luna" - (Czukay, Karoli, Liebezeit, Schmidt) - 5:42
    • Michael Karoli - electric violin, guitar, backing vocals
    • Irmin Schmidt - vocals, piano, organ, alpha 77, electronic percussion
    • Jami Liebezeit - percussion
    • Holger Czukay - bass
  3. "Splash" - (Czukay, Karoli, Liebezeit, Schmidt) - 7:45
    • Michael Karoli - electric violin, guitar
    • Irmin Schmidt - organ, electric piano, alpha 77
    • Jaki Liebezeit - percussion
    • Holger Czukay - bass
Side Two
  1. "Chain Reaction" - (Czukay, Karoli, Liebezeit, Schmidt) - 11:09
    • Michael Karoli - vocals, guitar
    • Irmin Schmidt - organ, electric piano, alpha 77
    • Jaki Liebezeit - percussion
    • Holger Czukay - bass
  2. "Quantum Physics" - (Czukay, Karoli, Liebezeit, Schmidt) - 8:31
    • Michael Karoli - vocals, guitar
    • Irmin Schmidt - organ, electric piano, alpha 77
    • Jaki Liebezeit - percussion
    • Holger Czukay - bass[6]

Production

  • Can – producers
  • Holger Czukay – chief engineer and editing
  • Ulli Eichberger – artwork and design
  • Andreas Torkler – 2005 remastering

Release history

The album was first released in LP format in Europe in 1974 throughout United Artists Records, with the exclusion of Spain where it was released on Ariola Eurodisc. It was published in the U.S. the following year under United Artists. In 1989, it was first released in CD format in Europe and the U.S. on Mute Records and Spoon Records. In 2005, the album was remastered and first published in Super Audio CD format.[7]

See the table below for a more comprehensive list of the album releases.[7]
Year Format Label Country Note
1974 LP United Artists (UA[S|G] 29673[1]) France, Germany, UK, Yugoslavia —
Ariola Eurodisc (88723-I) Spain
1975 United Artists (UA-LA343-G) U.S.
1981 Celluloid (CEL 6610) France
1984 Spoon (SPOON 010) Germany
1989 CD Spoon (SPOON 010) Germany, Austria
1998 Mute (9065-2) / Spoon (SPOON CD[0]10) U.S.
2005 P-Vine (PCD-22206) Japan
SACD Spoon (SPOON SA 010)/(0724356329621) / Mute (9289-2) Europe, UK, U.S. Remastered
2007 CD Spoon ([CD ] SPOON[CD] [0]10[ WY]) Germany —
ArsNova (AN99-0320) Russia

References

  1. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Can: Soon Over Babaluma > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Can". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0857125958.
  3. 1 2 Leone, Dominique (12 July 2005). "Can: Soon Over Babaluma". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 Wolk, Douglas (2004). "Can". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (December 3, 1996). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  6. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/it/Can-Soon-Over-Babaluma/release/32140
  7. 1 2 Can – Soon Over Babaluma at Discogs (list of releases)
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