10 Amazing Albums Turning 50 In 2022
7. Can - Ege Bamyası
The krautrock giants struck gold in 1972 with perhaps the most accessible and consistent album in their catalogue. The year prior they released the sprawling, brilliant, but occasionally obtuse Tago Mago. While there is plenty of experimentation on Ege Bamyasi, it’s a much more controlled affair.
After the epic opener “Pinch”, the A side shows all sides of the band, melodic and textured on "Sing Swan Song", rhythmic and chaotic on “One More Night”. The musicianship as ever is of the highest quality, but they’re unusually focussed on song craft here, every note fueled with meaning and intent.
On the B side they pull out some of the most memorable tracks of their career. There’s the striking, clattering “Vitamin C”, made by the twin howls of an organ and singer Damo Suzuki. Closing proceedings is lead single “Spoon”, the rare Can song that you could dance to in its entirety.
Can’s rhythmic days were numbered at this point and they’d move into soundscapes and ambient leanings, which were great in themselves but never as immediate as they sound here.