1960s {{Listen Can, initially named the Inner Space, was formed in
Cologne, Germany, in 1968 by
Holger Czukay (bass),
Irmin Schmidt (keyboard),
Jaki Liebezeit (drums) and
Michael Karoli (guitar). The live performance was recorded with Manni Löhe who played flute and percussion, with occasional vocals. In July 1968, Irmin's film industry connections delivered the group’s first commission. German public broadcaster
ARD requested a track for 1970 film
Das Millionenspiel. The title track featured saxophone player
Gerd Dudek and appeared on
The Lost Tapes compilation. In late 1968, the Inner Space enlisted the American vocalist
Malcolm Mooney. They recorded an album,
Prepare to Meet Thy Pnoom, but could not find a recording company to release it. Around the time of Johnson's departure, Mooney suggested the name for its positive meanings in various languages—for example, the English
can ("be able to"); the Turkish
can (), meaning "soul", "spirit", or "life"; and the Japanese (
kan; "feeling, emotion") and (
-chan, a suffix meaning "beloved"). Liebezeit later suggested the
backronym definition "
communism,
anarchism,
nihilism", after an English magazine claimed that this was the intended meaning. At invitation of Vohwinkel, they moved to
Schloss Nörvenich, where they established a recording studio Inner Space. It was simultaneously released on Can's
Soundtracks (1970) album alongside other music they had recorded for films.
1971–1973 in 1972 The next few years saw Can release their most acclaimed works. While their earlier recordings were loosely based on traditional song structures, Can now developed a fluid improvisational style. The double album
Tago Mago (1971) is often seen as groundbreaking, influential and deeply unconventional, based on intensely rhythmic jazz-inspired drumming, improvised guitar and keyboard solos, tape edits as composition, and Suzuki's idiosyncratic vocals. Czukay called the album "an attempt in achieving a mystery musical world from light to darkness and return". In 1971, the band composed the music for the three-part German-language television crime miniseries
Das Messer ("The Knife"), directed by
Rolf von Sydow. The track "
Spoon" was used as the theme song; released as a single, it reached number 6 in the German singles chart.
Tago Mago was followed in 1972 by
Ege Bamyasi, a more accessible but still avant-garde record which featured "Spoon" and the follow-up single "
Vitamin C". Czukay said, "We could achieve an excellent dry and ambient sound... [
Ege Bamyasi] reflects the group being in a lighter mood." Vocals were taken over by Karoli and Schmidt, but after Suzuki's departure, fewer of Can's tracks featured vocals, as the band experimented with the ambient music it had begun with
Future Days.
1974–1979 Soon Over Babaluma from 1974 continued in the atmospheric style of
Future Days, but with some of the abrasive edge of
Tago Mago and
Ege Bamyasi returning. In 1975, Can signed with
Virgin Records in the UK and EMI/Harvest in West Germany, appearing the same year on the BBC's
Old Grey Whistle Test in a memorable performance of "Vernal Equinox" in which Schmidt played one keyboard section with a series of rapid
karate chops. Shortly after the appearance, Schmidt suffered a broken leg which led to cancellation of the band's UK tour. {{Listen
Landed (1975) and
Flow Motion (1976), saw Can moving towards a somewhat more conventional style as its recording technology improved. The disco-influenced single "
I Want More" from
Flow Motion became their only hit record outside of West Germany. Co-written by live sound mixer Peter Gilmour, it reached No 26 in the UK charts in October 1976, which prompted an appearance on
Top of the Pops. In 1977 Can was joined by former
Traffic bassist
Rosko Gee and percussionist
Rebop Kwaku Baah, both of whom also provided vocals; they appeared on the albums
Saw Delight (1977),
Out of Reach (1978) and
Can (1979). During this period, Czukay was pushed to the fringes of the group's activity due to disagreements about the band's creative direction and his limited abilities on his instrument. Bass guitar was something Czukay had "taken up almost by default" and he readily admitted his limitations. After Gee joined, Czukay primarily made sounds using
shortwave radios,
Morse code keys,
tape recorders and other sundry objects. He left Can in late 1977 and did not appear on the albums
Out of Reach or
Can, although he was involved with production work for the latter album.
After the split and reunion After the split, all the former members were involved in musical projects, often as session musicians for other artists. Czukay recorded several ambient albums and collaborated with
David Sylvian among others. Jaki Liebezeit played extensively with bassists
Jah Wobble and
Bill Laswell, with a drum ensemble called Drums off Chaos and in 2005 with Datenverarbeiter on the online album
Givt. In 1986, Can briefly reformed with Mooney to record
Rite Time (released in 1989). There was a further reunion in 1991 by Karoli, Liebezeit, Mooney and Schmidt to record a track for the
Wim Wenders film
Until the End of the World and in August 1999 by Karoli, Liebezeit and Schmidt with
Jono Podmore to record a cover of "
The Third Man Theme" for
Grönland Records' compilation album
Pop 2000. In 1999, the four core members of Can (Karoli, Liebezeit, Schmidt and Czukay) performed live at the same show, although playing separately with their current solo projects (Sofortkontakt, Club Off Chaos, Kumo and U-She respectively). Can have since been the subject of numerous compilations, live albums and samples. In 2004, the band began a series of
Super Audio CD remasters of its back catalog, which were finished in 2006. Karoli died of cancer on 17 November 2001. Liebezeit died of pneumonia on 22 January 2017. Czukay died of natural causes on 5 September 2017. Suzuki died of cancer on 9 February 2024. == Archive releases ==