The Faust Tapes by Faust
The first Krautrock album I bought.
Forget your Kraftwerk - I didn't know what Krautrock was when I got into them - this is where it sort of started for me. Back in the days where you had to rely on recommendations for music when there was no other way of hearing it, this could've easily ended up being the worst purchase I've ever made.
Even if their sound isn't as recognisable as the ubiquitous sound of Kraftwerk/Can/Neu! in today's music, Faust were the ultimate Krautrock band - totally rejecting everything that went before them and totally uncompromising.
This wasn't supposed to be a proper album, it's a collage of sounds (moaning, power tools, someone going to the toilet), songs and improvisations that they put together and sold for the price of a single. It sold 50,000 copies in the UK and I suspect plenty of those copies were thrown away. Jim Kerr from Simple Minds apparently used his as a frisbee. It may not be a particularly easy listen, but it is massively entertaining and the few songs that are on it are stunning. After this all other Krautrock I heard sounded accessible.
It's also one of my favourite sleeves so I've included photos of both sides.
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