Radio-Activity

Untitled

Radio-Activity is a 1975 album by Kraftwerk. It was released in German as Radio-Aktivität. Unlike later albums, which featured different lyrics, only the titles differ between the English and German editions.

The hyphenated album title displays Kraftwerk's typical deadpan humour, being a pun on the twin themes of the songs, half being about radioactivity, the other half about radio.

This was the first Kraftwerk album to be entirely self-produced by Hütter & Schneider in their Kling Klang studio, and the first one to be performed by the "classic" Hütter/Schneider/Bartos/Flür line-up. All the music was written by Hütter/Schneider, with Emil Schult collaborating on lyrics, and designing the artwork – an illustration of a late-1930s Deutscher Kleinempfänger vintage radio.

This was the first Kraftwerk album to feature use of the distinctive Vako Orchestron keyboard (choir, string and organ sounds), which they had purchased on their recent US Autobahn tour. The band's custom-built electronic percussion also features heavily in the sound, and extensive use is made of the vocoder. The usual synthesizers are of course also present (including Minimoog and ARP Odyssey), and Ralf's Farfisa electronic piano makes a return on "Transistor". For the first time, no flute, violin or guitars are used at all.

By the time of this album, Hütter & Schneider's previous publishing deals (for example with Ralf Arnie's Star Musik Studio of Hamburg) had expired, and the compositions on Radio-Activity were published by their own newly set up Kling Klang Verlag music publishing company, giving them greater financial control over the use of songwriting output.

The title track Radioactivity was released as a single and became a hit in France after it was used as the theme to a popular music show.

Track listing

(English release titles / German release titles)

1. "Geiger Counter" / "Geigerzähler" – 1:04
2. "Radio-Activity" / "Radio-Aktivität" – 6:44
3. "Radioland" / "Radioland" – 5:53
4. "Airwaves" / "Ätherwellen" – 4:53
5. "Intermission" / "Sendepause" – 0:15
6. "News" / "Nachrichten" – 1:31
7. "The Voice of Energy" / "Die Stimme der Energie" – 0:54
8. "Antenna" / "Antenne" – 3:45
9. "Radio Stars" / "Radio-Sterne" – 3:38
10. "Uranium" / "Uran" – 1:24
11. "Transistor" / "Transistor" – 2:15
12. "Ohm sweet Ohm" / "Ohm sweet Ohm" – 5:40

Equipment

Roland RE-201 Space Echo

ARP Odyssey

Farfisa Rhythmn Unit 10

EMS Synthi A

Oscilloscope

Vako orchestron

File:R-D-front.jpg The German issued vinyl cover with radiation warning sticker

File:R-D-back.jpg The back cover design featuring a photo of a 1930s "Volksempfänger" compact radio

File:R-D-i3.jpg A sheet of radiation warning stickers issued with the German vinyl edition

File:R-D-i1.jpg Vinyl inner sleeve group photo of the classic line up of (L to R) Schneider-Flür-Bartos-Hütter

File:R-D-i2.jpg Vinyl inner sleeve showing lyrics and Emil Schult photo