Quad LP/Tape Poll Kraftwerk: Autobahn [Q8]

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Rate AUTOBAHN

  • 6

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Bad Mix, Bad Sound, Bad Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    25

EMB

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
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Groundbreaking technotronic rock from 1974, and a top ten US album on Vertigo in early 1975....still holds up quite well, given that it was recorded on a very tight budget.

Needless to say, there is one peeve about the tape, and it's evening out the timings(21:33 for each sequence, so the back cover claims)and breaking up the title track into two parts....sheesh! A little more tape wouldn't have killed 'em to keep it intact, ya know? Ah well....

1. Autobahn

2. Autobahn (conclusion)
3. Kometenmelodie 1 (Comet Melody 1)

4. Kometenmelodie 2 (Comet Melody 2)
5. Mitternacht (Midnight)
6. Morganspaziergang (Morning Walk)
 

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Last edited:
Remember when that Q4 reel of this title "appeared" on eBay with the high Buy It Now, I think it was $900 or something. As the auction wore on, it "turned into" something else.

Anyone know what happened with that one?

BTW - I don't have the Q8, not had it for years, but Tab did a great job on a DTS Conversion, by the way!
 
Their best album, and another fantastic quad mix. A 10 all the way. :banana:
 
JonUrban said:
Remember when that Q4 reel of this title "appeared" on eBay with the high Buy It Now, I think it was $900 or something. As the auction wore on, it "turned into" something else.

Anyone know what happened with that one?

BTW - I don't have the Q8, not had it for years, but Tab did a great job on a DTS Conversion, by the way!
Even the stereo reel is extremely hard to find. Seems like it was available for about a month or so. Silly Ampex. Too busy making Ronnie Aldrich tapes, or whatever. The good tapes all sold out quickly.
 
JonUrban said:
Remember when that Q4 reel of this title "appeared" on eBay with the high Buy It Now, I think it was $900 or something. As the auction wore on, it "turned into" something else.

Anyone know what happened with that one?

BTW - I don't have the Q8, not had it for years, but Tab did a great job on a DTS Conversion, by the way!

I remember well. I think the seller was going to make up a quick box with graphics and a Q8 dub. Or a dub of a production copy. You know, make a quick hundred of two. He had no idea the entire quadraphonic world would be watching, and realized he would be creating a major scandle. So he quietly shifted to a Goldon Lightfoot Q8 or somehting like that.
 
Agreed on the mix, I love it...and wish it would come out officially, as TUBULAR BELLS did.

Why sellers try to pull the wool over the eyes of audiophiles and pros is beyond me, they should know better. These are small, tight-knit communities of people who know their stuff, and can't be BS'd when they know full well no such beast exists. Nice try, but sheesh, give it up.

ED
 
This Q8 reminds me a little of Hyman's "Moog" album as it seems the theme was "how many different things can we do in one song?" Certainly the US edit was too short to do the effort justice, but at over 21:00 long, the title track seems to stray too far at times. Could have taken some of the musical sounds to another track, thereby avoiding having to split the track at all. One of the few Q8's I know of with a split track as, no Yes Q8's exist and Jethro Tull never did a Thick As A Brick Q8.
 
dauQula said:
One of the few Q8's I know of with a split track as, no Yes Q8's exist and Jethro Tull never did a Thick As A Brick Q8.

IIRC one of the BTO quad cart has a split track; ditto for Santana "Welcome" and "Illuminations".
 
winopener said:
IIRC one of the BTO quad cart has a split track; ditto for Santana "Welcome" and "Illuminations".

Yep! BTO's Not Fragile split's Sledgehammer. Fortunately the DTS disc doesn't have that and is very true to the original Quad mix.
 
I was just listening to this Q8 today, and from the very beginning, with the car starting up in the rear and running around the soundfield to the end, it's a great surround mix. The fidelity on the Q8 is actually quite good. Still can't figure out why, as Ed says, they just didn't add a "little more tape" so the title track was intact. It's only a minute or so shy. Geez.

Still, in light of the current surround music state, it still gets a 10 from me, as the mix is the main thing in my book.
 
I think that it is not comparible with modern recordings due to low sound quality.
 
Still can't figure out why, as Ed says, they just didn't add a "little more tape" so the title track was intact. It's only a minute or so shy.
I think the idea was to have sound asap when the tape direction was switched. I'd rather have a couple minutes of silence at the end.
 
I think that it is not comparible with modern recordings due to low sound quality.

No problem, gimme this cart and i'll give you back the cart and a dvd-a of it, properly restored.
Then we can talk about "low" sound quality.:D
 
OK, I listened to this one again before voting. I am refering to Tab's conversion. I have to start with saying, that I bought this on stereo LP, when I was 16 years old. I think my friends at the time thought I was a nut! I like to think that I was just a sonic pioneer ahead of his time. I've always liked this recording. At the time "Techno" was a brand new sound.

That being said; Listening to the Quad mix this year (for the first time) was very enjoyable. In Quad you can close your eyes and imagine you are actualy traveling down the Autobahn, with cars whizzing by on the left, and right. For content, I have to give it a ten, because as it has been said, it was cutting edge in 74. For the mix, I give it a ten as well. On the downside, for record quality, I give it a five. My old worn stereo LP sounds much better. The recording on DTS CD, from Q8 sounds slightly muffled, perhaps NR, a little boomy, and not a lot of high end. I found if I boost the treble the sound is improved, but you then increase the tape hiss. Not really a problem, as I listen to quite a lot of vinyl and the occasional pop and tick I have learned to overlook (as well as a little tape hiss.) I used to have an S.A.E. Impulse Noise Reducion unit that took care of most of those little vinyl anomalies, but it unfortunately got fried durring an electrical storm in the late 80's (haven't been able to locate another.)

Anyway, I give this one an eight for having two out of three. Don't get me wrong, it is a fine conversion, and if you know this material, you will like it. It's a great ride!

Dennis
 
Who like to listen a piece of Autobahn by newest digital surround-recording may buy the DVD-(Music) Video from Kraftwerk "minimum - maximum" with a real strong quadraphonic-like surround. The Autobahn track will have ca. 8 minutes.
 
Remember getting stoned to this one a few times back in the day, a good 'head' album in Quad...:smokin:rolleyes: Well, Ok, most Quad was fun to hear when buzzed, but this one, TUBULAR BELLS and SNOWFLAKES ARE DANCING got most play than many others, not sure what that meant....

ED :)
 
11. This isn't even their best album. I prefer Rolf & Florian, the album which immediately preceded it. My original German LP of that has a printed circuit embossed on the cover. Later pressings and counterfeits have just a picture of them. I also prefer Die Mensch Machine (Man Machine), The Mix, and Computer Welt (world.)

Despite the low-fi and split song, the car starting, cars beeping and moving around make this a true gem. This was their first album with vocals, which admittedly were chants: "fahn, fahn, fahn auf der autobahn." (Driving on the autobahn.) Perhaps one day, all their albums will be available in 5.1. If that happens, I'll be the first in line. Once again as Yogi says, "if you don't have it, that's why you need it!"
 
I was never too impressed with this album. The music is great for early electronica but the mix is sub-standard. Sure, there's a lot of pot-panning going on, but according to my quadscilloscope, the mix is 99% stereo swooshing front to back. Unimpressive for such an expensive cartridge.
 
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