Some will criticise this LP for sounding over-clean, perhaps clinical. This is understandable, make no mistake, but this LP also lays some vital foundations for much of music in 2001. The vision of the album, with its almost Orwellian take on life in the future, is painted vividly in music. The title track was the closest they got to a protest song, about the introduction of computerised identity cards in Germany. "Pocket Calculator" and "Homecomputer" are entirely accurate snapshots of the rise of computers for the people and the internet, in fact, why this site is here!
Perhaps most important is the construction of the record. Kraftwerk always had a reputation of producing incredibly detailed, stylish records and this is no exception. Their pioneering use of synthesizers, sequencers and sampling technologies put this LP well ahead of the competition at the time it was released. It's clever without a hint of smugness, and detailed with none of the overbearing pomp that led to the (rightful) death of the ghastly prog-rock movement.
Now, twenty years after its release, "Computer World" can still stand next to modern techno releases and sound fresh. While today's musicians may have the advantage of cheap technology at their disposal, Kraftwerk got there first. Buy this album and listen to it, enjoy it's utterly funky, dancey sounds. Then listen to anything from the last ten years in a similar vein, and hear how many samples of Kraftwerk there are. Techno-pioneers? JA.