2003 Tour De France: Kraftwerk: Amazon.ca: Music

1. Prologue

2. Tour De France 03 - Etape 1

3. Tour De France 03 - Version 2

4. Tour De France 03 - Etape 3

5. Chrono

6. Vitamin

7. Aero Dynamik

8. Titanium

9. Elektrokardiogramm

10. La Forme

11. Regeneration

12. Tour De France

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

With Kraftwerk now rumoured to be far more fascinated by bicycles than keyboards, it's perhaps not surprising that Tour De France Soundtracks is the group's first album for 12 years. Continuing to explore the theme of movement, men and machines that spawned the marvellous Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express and 1983's landmark single "Tour De France", Soundtracks is basically an expanded version of the latter, right down to the cover art.

Having inspired house, trance and techno, it seems fair that Kraftwerk should borrow something in return. Commencing with three segueing versions of the title track, Soundtracks opens with a fine 15-minute dose of tranquil minimalist trance before seamlessly gliding through various sonic soundscapes with a metronome-like rhythm. Mellifluous keyboard lines evoke the sense of motion while melodies weave and swirl. "Elektro Kardiogramm" goes as far as containing heartbeat and breathing effects while "Vitamin", the album's peak, could be described as the Pyrenean stage with its deep grooves and dizzying synth hooks. The sound of groundbreakers building bridges, Tour De France Soundtracks may not prove as hugely influential as Kraftwerk's early music, but it is nevertheless a winning return. --Christopher Barrett

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Customer Reviews

67 Reviews

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (67 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, Aug 26 2003

By

Kevin Schumm "mmuhcsnivek" (Banning, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: 2003 Tour De France (Audio CD)

When I heard that Kraftwerk was releasing their first new album in 17 years I felt almost obligated to buy it. The band has meant so much to me through the years.
I expected that I would like this album. I did not expect to love it. I can honestly say that this is the best new album I have heard in several years. I cannot stop listening to it.
Does Kraftwerk re-invent electronic music with this album? Probably not.
Did Kraftwerk mean to re-invent electronic music with this album? Definitely not.
Kraftwerk is Kraftwerk. They do what they do and they do it to perfection.
Only Kraftwerk can hold my attention for 20 minutes with one song (track 1-5 are in reality one song in 5 parts/ like Autobahn with track breaks)... and leave me wanting more.
Every song is genius. Vitamin, Aero Dynamik, Elektro Kardiogramm, etc... incredible. I can't get enough.
If you "get" Kraftwerk (the concept of who and what they are) then you will love this album.

-Kevin Schumm

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3.0 out of 5 stars Beware - this is NOT a real CD., Jun 6 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: 2003 Tour De France (Audio CD)

I bought this "CD" in excitement, not having seen a new Kraftwerk release for years. Popped into the car on the way home, and found it drove the player berserk.

Closer examination reveals that this is one of those stupid copy protected "CDs."

A bit of research with google shows that it is in fact possible to make this play, but I just tossed it back to the shop and got my money back.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Better than anything else out there...., May 16 2004

By

Matthew A. Schaldach (Sacramento, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: 2003 Tour De France (Audio CD)

I've loved Kraftwerk since I first picked up Man-Machine, so it's always a treat for me when they release something new, even if it's just a modern re-vamp of old classics (see The Mix). I picked up this album thinking it was going to be another remix, but lo and behold, all new. Some of these reviews I've read are stating it is a re-hash of the old TDF, but that isn't entirely true. This album was released to coincide with the 100(?) anniversary of the TDF. Every song on this album is great. For you people who say Kraftwerk have lost it, maybe you don't like your bands to evolve. I saw them just last month (April) at the Warfield in San Francisco, and every song from this album was so good. It made me want to go out right after the show, buy a bike and start training. My wife was a semi-fan before the show. She said, "I was hypnotized the entire show." Now she's a diehard. You owe it to yourself to own this album. Pay homage to the robots. Without them, all other so called Techno bands who inhale Kraftwerk's dusty circuits would be working at Burger King.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Kraftwerk release.
Kraftwerk's newest album still rocks. It's their first real album since 1986's Electric Café. Read more

Published on May 15 2004 by M. Alterio

5.0 out of 5 stars One of their best, IMHO
I could write exhaustively about what makes this album work for me, but in the spirit of Kraftwerk, I'll keep it minimal:

-taste