Autobahn Edited

Autobahn is perfect in its full 22'43" glory, but it clearly needed to be edited down for radio play and tonfktt on a 7" single.

The UK single version was hacked down to a measly 3'06', whilst the rest of the world, for some unknown reason, got a generous extra 22 seconds on their single version. Both these versions felt as though they had barely got started to me.

There is, however, one lesser known edit out there. Released as a promo 7" in the USA, the 5'46" Edited Long Version of Autobahn keeps an extra couple of minutes of the original and is all the better for it. The b-side is the Edited Short Version that the non UK fans got.

Impact Music #5: Autobahn

Autobahn by Kraftwerk.

Kraftwerk were, for many kids in the early 80s, one hit wonders with a wonderful, but seemingly novelty song about a Model. Then a friend of my brother lent me Autobahn and it opened my eyes to how good the band had always been.

Yes the title track is a huge monolith of Beach Boys inspired electronic perfection, but it was side 2 that really won me over. No longer did songs have to have words, they could be ambient instrumentals featuring home made electronic instruments and a flute. It still sounds wonderful today.