A good sounding, excellent introduction to a musical pioneer.
Can are, without doubt, one of the pioneers of so called 'Krautrock' in the 1970's and one of the leading lights of avant garde at the time. Future Days however, is a great 'toe-in' for those who want to try Can out for the first time. Unlike their earlier material the vocals are more, 'erm, well, like vocals really, rather than the screams, grunts and howls that Damo Suzuki normally laid down. Ironically, it was also his last album with Can. The title track is the real gem here, a rolling, lazy effort, that shows off the bands superb musicianship, while Suzuki adds fairly tasteful vocals over the top. 'Spray' finishes off what was 'Side 1 on the LP, with a short but interesting flourish, with synths taking over from the propulsive rock sound of the title. 'Moonshake' takes up very much where 'Spray' leaves off, a short synth driven track, that has short vocal sections over the driving beat. Finally, the epic 'Bel Air' rounds the album off, with another lengthy piece, which, like Faust and some Tangerine Dream, is propelled along by a synth/Organ rhythm leaving the bass and drums to add texture.
Why buy this album? Because it's probably the most accessible of the Can catalogue.
The SACD format, while not quite as good as it's over eager proponents claim, is a worthy alternative to CD, not that that's hard, and when, as with this album it's well executed, the sound is first rate. As ever with re-mastering, it's a matter of personal taste. I'm not a huge fan of re-mastering in the Digital era, in particular when it's not done by one of the accepted experts. Too many are brickwalled, or just plain done badly to give them the time of day. In this instance though, the re-master has been done to a reasonable standard with light touches, such as improved Stereo imaging and focus rather than heavy handed changes being the order of the day.
On the negative side, only the lack of 5.1 which would add value for some detracts from the Disc.Read full review
