It’s Halloween now, and I’m sitting at work eating all the candy that people keep refusing. The clientele here is what we young, hip cats like to refer to as, “old farts.” Z had the brilliant idea last night that I should come to work wearing black clothing and covered in postage stamps, or “blackmail.” After first thinking the idea to be brilliant, I realized that having to explain to people what I was would be a chore. Oh, and also, I work in the ghetto. I don’t want anyone to overhear me saying “I’m blackmail!” and take it the wrong way. I’m not racist.
I’ve spent my entire shift dicking around on my iPod trying to conserve some space, and reading a new book. What book, you ask? Well…
Back in the great, distant era of erm…the mid-’90s, there was a chap by the name of Julian Cope (ex-Teardrop Explodes/music-writer geek), who decided he wanted to chronicle the history of the Krautorck genre. So, he wrote an excellent book, called Krautrocksampler, in which he not only tells readers exactly when and wear he bought all these much-sought-after-now-sadly out-of-print LPs, but paints a great picture of West Germany in the ’60s and ’70s. When he’s not waxing (his bikini) poetic, he recounts crazy stories, and draws very cool connections between projects and personalities. Cope even proclaims that Klaus Dinger “directly influenced David Bowie to take his Low direction” and “had a direct effect on the Sex Pistols, via Johnny Rotten”. Thassalotta influence!
Unfortunately, the book–much like oft-drooled-over records of the era–is out of print. But the version Ian sent me to read today has survived and been passed-down between generations (okay, not passed-down between generations, but e-mailed between friends) in a sort-of post-Soviet technological samizdat! And, since I clearly have no idea what a copyright is, I’m going to allow you all to download the PDF files of the book directly from me. If that doesn’t leave me wide-open for a lawsuit, I don’t know what does! But hey, if you want to spend $174.95 for a copy of this book, be my guest! NOTE: IF YOU ARE JULIAN COPE (OR REPRESENT JULIAN COPE, OR PUBLISHED THIS BOOK) AND YOU WOULD LIKE THIS INFORMATION REMOVED, PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY, AND I WILL SWIFTLY AND GLADLY COMPLY (and, consequently, deprive literally TENS of fanboys from learning more about the bands they love).
Krautrocksampler Part 1
Krautrocksampler Part 2
October 4th, 2008
Thank you for this! I wish I had over $200 for the real thing, but until they reissue the book, I am more than happy with an electronic version. Again, much thanks from a music dork.
December 14th, 2008
Thanks alot!!!!
December 23rd, 2008
i just found this. i love you!
February 26th, 2009
Have loved Kraftwerk for years and recently discovered cluster, harmonia etc and wanted to find out more about these bands, the period when they were recording but cannot afford £180 for a copy of the Krautrocksampler. So from a music junkie thank you.
April 10th, 2009
So I read your Beware Of The Blog entry about this on my RSS reader, went to download the files, and found that they’d been removed, as had your entry. Fortunately, it was archived on my RSS reader, so I came to your blog, and lo and behold, the files here still work! So hey, thanks for your well-intentioned attempt to share with Beware Of The Blog readers. I would never have been able to grab this stuff otherwise. Thank you so much.
July 14th, 2009
You sir, are a genius of the highest order. Much like the chap above, I wish I could afford to splash out on the real deal as it were (or read German, and get the rather cheap German edition), but this will more than suffice for now!
A thousand times: thank you!
October 27th, 2009
Danke!
November 15th, 2009
muchissimas gracias!
November 16th, 2009
thanks
November 17th, 2009
Mit tiefer Dankbarkeit!
January 26th, 2010
Cheers!
February 14th, 2010
Thank you very much for posting this! I have bought all of The Archdrude Of Wessex’s other books, they are all in print and well worth buying. (The megalithic guides are particularly beautiful, the autobio 2 in 1 edition is hilarious and harrowing, and Japrocksampler is a better read than a listen, truth be told.) Pity this KRSampler isn’t in reprints or available as an official bootleg on his incredible Head Heritage site, but I can understand his reasoning; it did it’s job for the time, and turned people onto what was then a pretty obscure branch of the music tree.
Looking forward to squinting and clicking my way through this after years of longing (not to many used copies floating about here in Canada)… All the best!
P.S.: My favourite krautrock stuff has always been the more ambient Cluster stuff, the 2 albums with Eno being truly beautiful sonic gems. The Kraftwerk catalogue is an endless source of inspiration and sonic joy, too. Julian’s very krautrock inspired Jehovahkill album is also an utter classic. Cheers.
September 3rd, 2010
Thank you for this – I foolishly bought the German edition of the book, was so disappointed.
September 23rd, 2010
Thank you so much!! I ordered this book online and it got to my house in German. Thanks to your PDF I can now actually read it. You have made my day!!
November 6th, 2010
Wow! Thanks * 1000! At one point was idly considering learning German to read this, but the Top 50 list and your own ears can take you a way long too. I’m with Troy (above) on this one. I can see why Cope believes the world today has changed from how it was in the mid-90s, because his book did this job he must have hoped for. And we probably wouldn’t have had those Rother/Harmonia tours recently either. But we still *have* to read the damn thing cover to cover, so cheers. I’ve bought plenty of books and records of Cope’s and would still buy KRS if it ever did get republished. (Already surprised that Cluster are dealt with pretty swiftly though….)
November 19th, 2010
Thanks man! Gestures like yours make the web a nice place : ))
November 19th, 2011
well done and forsooth.
March 1st, 2012
Thanks alot! Greetings from Norway!
March 1st, 2012
Blimey, I’ve got a copy of the original uk 1st edition that i got signed by Julian.
March 2nd, 2012
gracias!!
March 2nd, 2012
wow. many thanks!
March 3rd, 2012
“It’s Halloween now, and I’m sitting at work eating all the candy that people keep refusing. The clientele here is what we young, hip cats like to refer to as, “old farts.” Z had the brilliant idea last night that I should come to work wearing black clothing and covered in postage stamps, or “blackmail.” After first thinking the idea to be brilliant, I realized that having to explain to people what I was would be a chore. Oh, and also, I work in the ghetto. I don’t want anyone to overhear me saying “I’m blackmail!” and take it the wrong way. I’m not racist.”
‘Never explain, Never complain…’
March 4th, 2012
Thanks!
March 5th, 2012
Count me among the happy fanboys. Thanks!
March 11th, 2012
Thanks! Just what the doctor prescribed.
March 12th, 2012
awl riiiiiiiiiiiiiiite. been looking for this for ages, appreciate the work drude
March 22nd, 2012
Wow, what a treat! I’ve been dreaming of tracking this down/being able to afford it for ages. Thank you for this labor of love!
April 3rd, 2012
Congratulations.
I’m from Brazil and this is just impossible to find.
Count me among the happy fanboys too.
Thanks!
April 4th, 2012
Good…
February 7th, 2013
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m stoked to be able to read it, ‘cuz I sure as hell can’t pay $200+ for the thing, though to actually have it in my hands would be awesome.
February 12th, 2013
Thank you so much, not only have I wanted to read this for a while, and like everyone else cannot afford the £100 I’ve seen it advertised for. And also not being able to read German, this was a great find for me today. I’m planning to go back to do a higher ed course, and was set an essay title to see if I could cope with the intense academic modules that would be part of the course. So my essay is going to be on the history of German rock, no Schlager for me, I’m driving!!
This book will be so helpful to me. So thank you again. theFreqD
March 9th, 2013
Right now it costs crazy $761.82! For a used book.
I’m a mere mortal, I couldn’t pay more than £25 for a book, but this means the world to me! Thank you for bringing culture back to its ground of spiritual values and not leaving it in the greedy hands of materialists. Life is laughing at us, when krautrock is sold as this elitary product.
Again, thank you – you’re my hero – and I wish there were more people like you!
Kisses from a fangirl :*
March 21st, 2013
I’ve been looking for this one too forever. Thanks for posting!