Out of Reach is an album by the German krautrock band Can, released as an LP in 1978 on Harvest Records. It is their tenth official studio album, discounting compilations such as Unlimited Edition.

Context

After the band's 1977 album Saw Delight, the first of Can's on which the former Traffic members Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah were members of the band, Flow Motion, the immediate predecessor of Saw Delight, at Spoon Records bassist and producer Holger Czukay, whom on that album had been reduced to the position of making electronic sounds Saw Delight at Spoon Records as Gee took over the bass duties, left the band during the recording sessions for what was to become Out of Reach.

Style

As a partial result of Holger's departure, the new members are said to dominate the group's sound on this album (or "to impose too strict a sense of rhythm on Can's once free-flowing music", according to an interview). Critically acclaimed drummer Jaki Liebezeit's beats are greatly reduced in their power alongside Rebop's percussion, although the album's strong guitar solos from Michael Karoli, which have drawn comparisons to those of Carlos Santana Mark Prindle's review of the album and Eric Clapton, George Starostin's review of the album do highlight a part of the older Can sound. Gee has also been praised as creating a sound like a jazz bassist, although equally Out of Reach has been criticised for delving into a disco style.

Music

Rosko Gee takes lead vocals on "Pauper's Daughter and I" (quoting the "Jack and Jill" nursery rhyme Lyrics Spot - "Pauper's Daughter and I") and "Give Me No Roses", and is credited with writing these two tracks, although according to a 1997 interview with the band in Mojo Magazine, this lack of collaboration with the rest of the group was a sign that the band was about to collapse. 1997 Mojo Magazine interview with Can Rebop sings on the track "Like Inobe God", which has been eschewed for having an 'ethno-disco' feel, and has also been called Can's worst ever recorded piece.

The four other pieces ("Serpentine", "November", "Seven Days Awake" and "One More Day") on this album are instrumental. "November" in particular has been praised as having outstanding guitar work, although others such as the album's closing piece, "One More Day", have been seen as weak and uninspired. Out of Reach has been praised in its entirety by some observers, however.

Reissued versions

Out of Reach has been reissued along with Can's 1979 self-titled release Can (which is also known as Inner Space, named after the band's recording studio). Can & Out of Reach, All Music Guide Various other reissued versions of this album do exist on CD, such as the issue of Out of Reach (without Can) on MagMid (TKO Magnum Music) in the United Kingdom, Channel 4 SlashMusic although it is considerably more difficult to find than other Can albums in general. However, this album, being the only Can album that features no input from Holger Czukay (as its 1979 followup Can had some editing by Czukay Can at Spoon Records), has been disowned by the band in recent years as it is not listed as part of Can's discography on their official website, Can discography at Spoon Records and was not remastered on CD in the 1990s; nor was it reissued on Super Audio CD in the mid-2000s as all the other Can studio albums were. Can SACDs at Spoon Records

Track listing

1. "Serpentine" - 4:03
2. "Pauper's Daughter and I" - 5:57
3. "November" - 7:37
4. "Seven Days Awake" - 5:12
5. "Give Me No Roses" - 5:21
6. "Like Inobe God" - 5:51
7. "One More Day" - 1:37

Personnel

The band on Out of Reach was a five-piece, consisting of Rebop Kwaku Baah on percussion instruments, polymoog and vocals, Rosko Gee on bass guitar, piano and vocals, Michael Karoli on guitars and violin, Jaki Liebezeit on drums, and Irmin Schmidt on keyboards. Still Out of Reach at Sonic Curiousity

Citations

1978 albumsCan albums

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