Can are one of the most important and influential bands in all of rock — the experimental heart of Krautrock. Formed in Cologne in 1968, they built a wholly new kind of music from hypnotic, improvisational grooves, metronomic drumming and pioneering tape edits, fronted by two unforgettable singers. Their reach across post-punk, electronic music and beyond is impossible to overstate. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their classic run.

The short version

For the heart of Can, start with Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, Future Days, Monster Movie and Soundtracks. Between them they hold the band’s landmark masterpiece and the whole of its golden era. The full ranking is below.

The experimental heart of Krautrock

Can sit at the very centre of Krautrock — and of a vast swathe of the music that followed. Founders Holger Czukay and Irmin Schmidt had studied under the avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, and they built rock anew: hypnotic, repetitive and improvised, driven by the metronomic “motorik” drumming of Jaki Liebezeit, Czukay’s tape experiments and Michael Karoli’s serpentine guitar. Two singers defined their eras — the American Malcolm Mooney and the Japanese Damo Suzuki. A word for newcomers: this is groove-based, improvisational music rather than conventional songs — demanding, but endlessly rewarding. A note on the catalogue, too: the nine albums here are the classic 1969–1977 run, with a few later albums beyond it.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing invention, influence and sheer hypnotic power across their golden years. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and with music this singular, your own ranking may look very different.

The essential five

At the summit sits Tago Mago (1971), their masterpiece and a landmark of experimental music — a sprawling double album anchored by the eighteen-minute “Halleluwah”. Ege Bamyasi (1972) is its leaner, groovier companion, home to “Vitamin C” and “Spoon”; Future Days (1973) is the serene, almost ambient classic that closed the Suzuki era. The debut Monster Movie (1969), with Malcolm Mooney and the hypnotic “Yoo Doo Right”, is a cult landmark in its own right, and Soundtracks (1970) is the fascinating transitional album that bridged the band’s two singers.

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Reliably great

The next tier rewards exploration. Soon Over Babaluma (1974) is the first post-Suzuki album, mostly instrumental and beautifully atmospheric; Landed (1975) is a more produced, expansive record that found the band stretching in new directions with real ambition.

For completists

Two later albums sit lower for most listeners. Flow Motion (1976) is their most overtly commercial record, home to the unlikely hit “I Want More”, and Saw Delight (1977), made with new members from Traffic, leans into funk and world music to divisive effect. Both are intriguing, but neither is where newcomers should begin.

The classic run, in order

The classic run, 1969–1977, in chronological order — with a few later albums beyond it. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Ege Bamyasi — the most accessible of their classics, its grooves immediate and infectious. From there, Tago Mago is the masterpiece to immerse yourself in, and Future Days offers their gentlest, most hypnotic side.

Prefer to own them? Find these on Amazon: Ege Bamyasi · Tago Mago · Future Days

The players

Can were a remarkable collective. The instrumental core was bassist and tape wizard Holger Czukay, keyboardist Irmin Schmidt, guitarist Michael Karoli and the extraordinary drummer Jaki Liebezeit, whose tireless, metronomic pulse was the engine of their sound. Out front came two of rock’s most distinctive voices, Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki, each shaping an era. Several of its members have since passed away, but their influence only continues to grow.

Why they still matter

Can did more than make progressive rock — they rewired the possibilities of rock itself, and their fingerprints are everywhere in post-punk, electronic music, ambient and hip-hop. Alongside fellow German pioneers like Neu!, Faust and Kraftwerk, they made Germany the most forward-thinking place in 1970s music — and their hypnotic grooves sound as radical today as ever.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Can songs, see every Can album in order, find your way in with our where-to-start-with-Can guide, or dig up the most underrated Can albums. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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