On the Way to the Peak of Normal

Last updated
On the Way to the Peak of Normal
Holger Czukay - On the Way to the Peak of Normal.jpg
Studio album by
Holger Czukay
Released1981
RecordedInner Space Studio, Cologne, Germany
Genre Art rock, krautrock, psychedelic rock, electronic
Length36:23
Label Electrola
Producer Holger Czukay
Holger Czukay chronology
Movies
(1979)		On the Way to the Peak of Normal
(1981)		 Full Circle
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

On the Way to the Peak of Normal is the third album by Holger Czukay, released in 1981 through Electrola.

Holger Czukay German bass-guitarist and co-founder of "Can"

Holger Czukay was a German musician, probably best known as a co-founder of the krautrock group Can. Described as "successfully bridg[ing] the gap between pop and the avant-garde", Czukay was also notable for having created early important examples of ambient music, for having explored "world music" well before the term was coined, and for having been a pioneer of sampling.

Electrola record label

Electrola is a German record label and subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Based in Munich, its roster includes Chumbawamba, Matthias Reim, Helene Fischer, Brings, Höhner and Santiano.

Contents

Track listing

All tracks written by Holger Czukay, except "Witches' Multiplication Table" by Conny Plank.

Conny Plank German record producer and musician

Konrad "Conny" Plank was a West German record producer and musician born in Hütschenhausen. His innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scenes helped to shape postwar European popular music. Plank oversaw recordings such as Cluster's Cluster 71 (1971), Kraftwerk's Autobahn (1974), Harmonia's Deluxe (1975), and Neu!'s Neu! 75 (1975). He later produced for new wave acts such as Eurythmics and Ultravox.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Ode to Perfume"18:00
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."On the Way to the Peak of Normal"7:32
2."Witches' Multiplication Table"4:52
3."Two Bass Shuffle"2:15
4."Hiss 'n' Listen"4:50

Personnel

Singing act of producing musical sounds with the voice

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music that can be sung with or without accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in an ensemble of musicians, such as a choir of singers or a band of instrumentalists. Singers may perform as soloists or accompanied by anything from a single instrument up to a symphony orchestra or big band. Different singing styles include art music such as opera and Chinese opera, Indian music and religious music styles such as gospel, traditional music styles, world music, jazz, blues, ghazal and popular music styles such as pop, rock, electronic dance music and filmi.

Guitar Fretted string instrument

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings. It is typically played with both hands by strumming or plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the finger(s)/fingernails of one hand, while simultaneously fretting with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the hollow chamber of the guitar, or through an electrical amplifier and a speaker.

Organ (music) musical keyboard instrument

In music, the organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more pipe divisions or other means for producing tones, each played with its own keyboard, played either with the hands on a keyboard or with the feet using pedals. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria, who invented the water organ. It was played throughout the Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman world, particularly during races and games. During the early medieval period it spread from the Byzantine Empire, where it continued to be used in secular (non-religious) and imperial court music, to Western Europe, where it gradually assumed a prominent place in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Subsequently it re-emerged as a secular and recital instrument in the Classical music tradition.

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It seems to me that certain types of albums almost create themselves. In such cases the composer is merely the conduit for a pre-existing energy waiting to be transformed into sound. My experience with La Luna was very much like that. The album […] is in many ways a product of something similar to the automatic writing techniques of the Surrealists. I had purchased a new sampler and began experimenting with the machine without reference to the instruction manual and filled the brain of the machine to its full capacity with 'sonic memories'. In the late hours of the evening the machine came to life and spoke! The recording you hear is the transcript of this transcendental conversation between man and machine.

References

  1. ↑ Mills, Ted. "On the Way to the Peak of Normal". Allmusic. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  2. ↑ Columnist. "On the Way to the Peak of Normal". Spin . October 1998. pg. 148-149, cited October 14, 2012
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