Radio Waves

by Rolf Semprebon This CD gathers Can tracks from various professional recordings, most of which include vocalist Damo Suzuki. "Up the Bakerloo" is an earlier version of the track from The Peel Sessions, though twice as long. It's one of those pieces where Damo Suzuki spouts endlessly free-form vocals in Japanese, German, and English, while the group sets up a steady but slowly evolving groove that effortlessly picks up speed or slows down. "Paperhouse," recorded from German TV, lacks some of the fidelity and texture of the studio version from Tago Mago, but is even more energetic. "Entropy," from a live show in 1970, is another long piece with Suzuki babbling while Karoli's guitar solos blast all over the place. "Little Star," with Can's earlier vocalist, Malcolm Mooney, sounds more raw even than the version on Delay...1968. Mooney's voice is harsher, and toward the end the background effects are much louder. The final two cuts are B-sides of singles that never made it on a proper album. "Turtles Have Short Legs" welds the Can style onto a cheesy pop song format that is not too successful. "Shikaku Maru Ten" is far more interesting, with vaguely ethnic rhythms and chanted vocals, and, like many Can tracks, it manages to be both laid-back and energetic at the same time. On the whole, Radio Waves offers a good selection of rare Can tracks, most of them quite well recorded.