I purchased my first Can album this year (2017). "Singles" is my second purchase of the year with respect to Can. I mostly know Can from Holger Czukay's work with David Sylvian, Jah Wobble, and his superb solo album "Movies." Why it took me so long in obtaining two Can (at the very least) is a mystery to me. Nevertheless, late as I am, I greatly admire their music. Jaki Liebezeit is the glue that keeps the groove on, with respect to their recordings. They could have called this collection of singles "Can Dance Party."
Liebezeit is an incredible drummer. There is something mechanical about the beat, but it has a touch of eccentricity as well. I especially like it when there are bongos or some sort of hand drums added to the mix. "Singles" cover the entire Can career, and therefore an introduction to their basic sound. What's left out are the experimental/noise of some of the "Taga Mago" pieces, and more of a focus of their driven funk/groove with superb melodies on top of it. There are four stages of Can: The first with lead singer Malcolm Mooney, then Japanese vocalist Damo Suzuki took over those duties. He left, and then the band's guitarist Michael Karoli did some vocals, and toward the end of Can, they added Rebop Kwaku Baah on additional percussion and Rosko Lee on bass. Czukay was very much the bass player, but later added electronic touches as well as engineering and editing the music afterward the recording. Irmin Schmidt was the keyboard player - and all went in the same direction and page as the others.
Some of their instrumental passages remind me of Miles Davis during his electric band period. Especially with Kwaku Baah and Lee in the band. Not with respect to the free form of the music but the tightness and focus on the rhythm and groove. Also like Czukay, Miles' producer/engineer Teo Macero was famous for editing and splicing the long jams. So there is a live aspect to the band, but also equally devoted to the studio as an instrument with the help of the engineer (Czukay in Can's case and Macero in Miles world).
"Singles" is a collection of all the Can 45 rpm 7" records. So, in theory, this is music for commercial/radio or DJ's. It's an incredible entrance to the Can planet, and one can also explore the differences between Mooney and Suzuki as well as when they worked as a four-man band, and of course, the addition of Lee and Kwaku Baah. The strong sense of melody is the sweetener and its catchiness is pure candy that is digestible and still leaves you hungry for more.
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