Kraftwerk – Tour de France

7 reviews for Kraftwerk – Tour de France

1. 

   Technopop – 2022-11-22

   Prologue This intro is similar to the introduction of Long Distance version contained at the single, but without drums. It’s a prelude to the following three tracks.

   Tour de France – Etappe 1 Similar to the single, a bit longer. That’s the version used at Tour de France” official video. Lyrics in french.

   Tour de France – Etappe 2 Similar to the Long Distance version without the introduction. Lyrics in french.

   Tour de France – Etappe 3 Similar to the single

2. 

   Manuel Brum / Portugal – 2022-11-22

   After listening four times to this latest Kraftwerk offering I must say that the so called fathers of technopop movement still deliver good music after a 17 years absence!
   On first listening Tour de France soundtracks didnt impress me to much, I bet the same will happen to the vast majority of Kraftwerk fans, maybe we’re expecting too much, maybe we’re still hoping that they will break new ground.
   But why should they ? Kraftwerk is nowadays an institution, they changed the roots of modern popular music and they made their most important work in the seventies. What should we expect from Kraftwerk then ?
   Good music, something that doesn’t disappoint their past and Tour de France soundtracks delivers just that : it’s classic Kraftwerk from beginning to end. Its surely not innovative and imaginative as Trans Europe Express or Man Machine but if you listen carefully there are still ideas at work and in my opinion is a better recording than Electric Cafe.
   Tour de France works because it has a concept (very close to Hutter‘s heart !), something that was missing from Electric Cafe. Vitamin, Elektro Kardiogram or La Forme are the better tracks, but the album as a whole is successful.
   In terms of sound I think the group was clever enough not to show techno influences , specially in the rhythm department, there’s always a prominent kraftwerkian melody, maybe saying :
   yes, guys, we invented the technopop so we don’t need to listen to Orb or Moby records !

   2003. Manuel Brum / Portugal

3. 

   Henric Helbro / Sweden – 2022-11-22

   After having waited the said 17 years since their latest release, I must say that I was releaved when I listened to the new record the first time.
   Kraftwerk really still know how to build or should I say construct REALLY harmonic, rythmic music with cold and hard components.
   It’s a joy to listen to the new, remixed version of Tour De France ’83.

   2003. Henric Helbro / Sweden

4. 

   Stuart / Australia – 2022-11-22

   Finally I got to the record store after having heard disappointment from many out there over the singles.
   It’s not the same!” So

5. 

   Christian Uceda / UK – 2022-11-22

   Honestly, however is expecting this CD to be the continuation of the old eighties albums will be left very disappointed initially.
   I must confess I was very disappointed when I heard the album the first time… as I have been a huge Kraftwerk fan since my childhood.
   But after listening to it some more times… I simply couldn’t stop listening to it again and again, I was impress, I must say it is a very good album.
   Elektro Kardiogram” and “La Forme” are incredible songs

6. 

   Orbit / Indonesia – 2022-11-22

   very minimalist sounds but maximal quality….

   2003. Orbit / Indonesia

7. 

   David / Sweden – 2022-11-22

   Musically I would say it’s up to the Kraftwerk standards. It isn’t any better or any worse than what they’ve done in the past.
   But it’s too little, too late. (though I’m very grateful that they finally released something, don’t get me wrong.)There are not many new musical ideas here. (no I’m not expecting anything ground breaking, or a revolution that will change music forever because it won’t happen again from any band)

   But many of the songs are just remixes of each other. There are maybe four or five basic ideas that they’ve based the album on and I think that’s too little. (after cutting away the fat you’re left with very little meat on the plate)Stand out tracks are Vitamin, Elektro Kardiogramm and La Forme.
   La Forme is perhaps the best track here, but it’s far too short. Even if it continues as Regeneration.
   OK, it IS a concept album so you can expect songs to have elements from each other. But anyone who just looks at the sleeve is lead to believe there is more to it than there actually is.The songs work very well as a suite and if you just put the album on, you can have it on constant repeat without worrying about the actual tracks.
   It works better as a unit. Thankfully some of the themes are incredibly good so it really makes up for the lack of ideas. Making it maybe their 3rd best album, IMO. The sounds are lovely. And there are many moods and phases through the album. Just like a cycling race…The re-recording of the 1983 version of Tour de France is totally pointless though. (maybe they wanted to wipe away every trace of Karl and Wolfgang, maybe they had to include the track, maybe they had run out of ideas maybe it’s a joke but I could really live without it….)
   The standout sounds that made the original song great are replaced with generic sounds that makes it sound like Kraftwerk karaoke. The drums are weaker and the once so snappy bass is much muddier and lower in the mix. Pure filler is what I say. I’ll stick to the original.

   OK, forget about that track. The rest of the album is very, very good.I just hope this is a beginning of a new creative era for the band.
   It’s a promising start…

   2003. David / Sweden