CAN ( Krautrock / Stoner rock , Germany ) Vinyl Discography

German collective Can carved their path as true originals, defying categorization from their inception in 1968 in Cologne. Their blend of relentless rhythmic drive, sonic exploration, and a spirit of "anything goes" improvisation made them central figures in the Krautrock movement – and so much more.

The Malcolm Mooney Era: Ignition and Hypnosis (1968-1970)

Can’s earliest recorded identity is tied to vocalist Malcolm Mooney, whose urgent, locked-in presence sits right on top of the band’s motorik pulse. Their debut album, "Monster Movie" (released August 1969), is the opening statement of that phase, with the long-form drive of "Yoo Doo Right" hinting at how far they could stretch a groove without it snapping.

The Damo Suzuki Era: Expansion and Free-Fall (1970-1973)

By 1970, Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki had taken over the mic and Can moved into their most celebrated run. "Tago Mago" (1971) is the big bang: a double-album where extended pieces like "Halleluhwah" helped define their hypnotic intensity. "Ege Bamyasi" (1972) tightened the shape without losing the weirdness, and "Future Days" (1973) floated into a more spacious, shimmering sound world before Suzuki left later that year.

Shifting Tides & Explorations (1974-1979)

After Suzuki’s departure, the core band (including guitarist Michael Karoli) kept pushing forward, often handling vocals internally rather than replacing him with a single long-term frontman. "Soon Over Babaluma" (1974) and "Landed" (1975) show a group reshaping its language, while "Flow Motion" (1976) flirts with dance-floor momentum. By "Saw Delight" (1977), the palette leans into funk and broader rhythmic influences as the late-period lineup expands. :

After the Split and Reunions (1979-1991)

Can’s original run effectively ends with 1979, but the story doesn’t just hard-cut to silence. They briefly reunited in 1986 with Malcolm Mooney to record "Rite Time" (released in 1989), and there was another reunion session in 1991 connected to Wim Wenders’ film "Until the End of the World." So the “end of the line” isn’t Irmin Schmidt leaving in 1991 — it’s more that Can became a band that occasionally reappeared, did something specific, then vanished back into the lab.

Jaki Liebezeit was a German drummer and percussionist and a founding member of the experimental rock band Can. He was born on 26 May 1938 and died on 22 January 2017. He became famous for an ultra-precise, “metronome” approach that could feel minimal on the surface while staying deeply alive underneath.

Before Can, Liebezeit worked in free jazz, then pivoted hard toward steady, hypnotic pulse in the late 1960s. In Can, that pulse turned into the band’s engine: repetitive, controlled, and strangely human, locking the group together through long improvisations and studio-built experiments.

Can experimented with electronic textures and even early drum-machine ideas on some tracks, but Liebezeit himself was not defined by “electronic drums.” His reputation rests on the physical precision of his playing and the way he made relentless rhythm sound musical rather than mechanical. His influence shows up everywhere from post-punk and electronic music to modern experimental rock.

Irmin Schmidt is a German musician, composer, and keyboardist, and a founding member of the experimental rock band Can. He was born on 29 May 1937 in Berlin, Germany. He is also known for his solo work and for composing music for film, television, theater, and other productions.

Schmidt was a key creative force in Can, helping shape the band’s sound through keyboards, composition, and studio experimentation. Alongside Holger Czukay, Michael Karoli, and Jaki Liebezeit, he formed Can in Cologne in 1968; the group became a defining name in krautrock and experimental rock.

After Can’s main run ended, Schmidt continued with solo releases and extensive soundtrack work, with collections documenting both his solo albums and his film compositions. His work with Can and his later projects has influenced a wide range of artists across experimental rock and electronic music.

Damo Suzuki was a Japanese musician best known as the vocalist for the experimental rock band Can during their creative peak in the early 1970s. Suzuki joined the band in 1970, after the departure of the band's original vocalist Malcolm Mooney. He first appeared with Can on material connected to "Soundtracks" (1970), then sang on several of the band's most well-known albums, including "Tago Mago" (1971), "Ege Bamyasi" (1972), and "Future Days" (1973).

Suzuki's singing was characterized by free-form, improvisational vocals and an avant-garde sense of phrasing that turned language into texture as much as meaning. His performances with Can were known for intensity and unpredictability, and he became central to the band's reputation for pushing krautrock into stranger, wider territory.

After leaving Can in 1973, Suzuki stepped away from music for years, later returning in the mid-1980s and touring widely through his long-running "Damo Suzuki's Network" project, often built around improvised live collaboration with local musicians. He died on 9 February 2024 in Cologne, Germany.

Michael Karoli was a German musician and a founding member of the experimental rock band Can. Born on 29 April 1948 in Straubing, Bavaria, he took violin lessons as a child and later moved to guitar, becoming known for a texture-rich, rhythmic approach that helped define Can’s sound. He was the youngest member of Can’s core founding lineup, joining the project while still around 20.

Karoli’s guitar playing was central to Can’s music—fluid, understated, and locked into the band’s hypnotic pulse. He also played violin and contributed vocals at times, especially in the mid-1970s when the band often handled singing internally. As a core member, he helped shape albums like "Tago Mago", "Ege Bamyasi", and "Soon Over Babaluma".

After Can’s main run ended in 1979, Karoli stayed musically active and rejoined the band for later reunion sessions (including the "Rite Time" period and a 1991 recording connected to Wim Wenders’ film "Until the End of the World"). He died on 17 November 2001. Karoli’s exploratory style remains a reference point in experimental rock and beyond.