Radio-Activity 555353 224376899 2008-07-08T16:12:06Z J Milburn Bot 7423137 All Music Guide has now been rebranded to Allmusic : ''For other uses of "Radio activity" and "radioactivity", see [[Radioactive (disambiguation)]]''. <!-- Please see documentation at WP:ALBUMS before reusing this template. --> {{Infobox Album | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums --> | Name = Radio-Activity | Cover = Kraftwerk Radio Activity album cover.jpg | Type = studio | Artist = [[Kraftwerk]] | Released = [[1975]] | Recorded = [[Kling Klang]] Studio, Düsseldorf | Genre = [[Electronic music]]<br>[[Synthpop]]| | Length = 37:38 | Label = [[Kling Klang Studio|Kling Klang]]<br>[[EMI]]<br>[[Capitol Records|Capitol]] | Producer = [[Ralf Hütter]]<br>[[Florian Schneider]] | Reviews = * [[Allmusic]] {{rating-5|4}} [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=A5kqag4fttvoz link] * ''[[Q magazine|Q]]'' {{rating-5|3}} [http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.review.redirect&fixture_review=125902&resource=125902&fixture_artist=145614 March 1995] *''[[Rolling Stone]]'' (mixed) [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/kraftwerk/albums/album/91608/review/6067422/radioactivity link] | Last album = ''[[Autobahn (album)|Autobahn]]''<br />(1974) | This album = '''''Radio-Activity'''''<br />(1975) | Next album = ''[[Trans-Europe Express (album)|Trans-Europe Express]]''<br />(1977) | Misc = {{Singles | Name = Radio-Activity | Type = studio | single 1 = [[Radioactivity (song)|Radioactivity]]" b/w "Antenna | single 1 date = 1976, Capitol CL15853, UK | single 2 = Radioaktivität" b/w "Antenne | single 2 date = 1976, Kling Klang 1C00682119, Germany | single 3 = | single 3 date = | single 4 = | single 4 date = }} }} '''''Radio-Activity''''' is a 1975 [[concept album]] by [[Kraftwerk]]. It was also released under the [[German language|German]] name of '''''Radio-Aktivität'''''. Unlike Kraftwerk's later albums, which featured language-specific lyrics, only the titles differ between the [[English language|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]] and the other half about [[activity]] on the [[radio]]. More word plays are evident in the track listing: the cleverly titled "Ohm Sweet Ohm", and "Radio Stars", which as a title could refer to pop stars, but upon listening is revealed to be about [[quasar|quasars]] and [[pulsar|pulsars]]. 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. Schult also designed the artwork – a modified illustration of a late-1930s [http://www.rundfunkmuseum.at/html/dke_38_volksempfanger.html Deutscher Kleinempfänger] vintage radio. It was the first Kraftwerk album to feature use of the distinctive [[Orchestron|Vako Orchestron]] keyboard (choir, string and organ sounds), which the group had purchased on their recent US ''Autobahn'' tour. The band's custom-built electronic percussion also featured heavily in the sound, and extensive use was made of the [[vocoder]]. The usual synthesizers were present (including [[Minimoog]] and [[ARP Odyssey]]), and Ralf's [[Farfisa]] electronic piano made a return on "Transistor". For the first time the group did not use flute, violin or guitars. By 1975, Hütter and Schneider's previous publishing deals with Capriccio Music and Star Musik Studio of [[Hamburg]] had expired. 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. Also, the album was the first to bear the fruit of Kling Klang as an established [[vanity label]] under the group's new licensing deal with [[EMI]]. The title track [[Radioactivity (song)|Radioactivity]] was released as a single, and became a hit in France after it was used as the theme to a popular music show. The song was later re-recorded by Kraftwerk for their 1991 album ''[[The Mix]]''. It was further remixed, for subsequent single release, by [[William Orbit]] and [[François Kevorkian]]. ==Track listing== (English release titles / German release titles) ===Side one=== #"Geiger Counter" / "Geigerzähler" – 1:05 #"Radioactivity" / "Radioaktivität" – 6:44 #"Radioland" / "Radioland" – 5:50 #"Airwaves" / "Ätherwellen" – 4:53 #"Intermission" / "Sendepause" – 0:37 #"News" / "Nachrichten" – 1:31 ===Side two=== #"The Voice of Energy" / "Die Stimme der Energie" – 0:55 #"Antenna" / "Antenne" – 3:47 #"Radio Stars" / "Radio Sterne" – 3:35 #"Uranium" / "Uran" – 1:24 #"Transistor" / "Transistor" – 2:15 #"Ohm sweet Ohm" / "Ohm sweet Ohm" – 5:39 <small>1, 5, 6, 10, 11 (the instrumental tracks) written by Hütter/Schneider<br> 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12 written by Hütter/Schneider/Schult</small> == Equipment == * Roland RE-201 Space Echo * [[ARP Odyssey]] * [[Moog synthesizer|Moog Minimoog]] * Farfisa Rhythm Unit 10 * [[EMS Synthi A]] * [[Oscilloscope]] * Vako [[Orchestron]] ==Credits== * [[Ralf Hütter]] – [[vocals]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboard]]s and [[synthesizer]]s. * [[Florian Schneider]] – vocals, keyboards and synthesizers. * [[Karl Bartos]] – [[electronic musical instrument|electronic percussion]]. * [[Wolfgang Flür]] – electronic percussion. * Peter Bollig – technical engineer. * Walter Quintus – sound engineer. * Robert Franke – photography. * [[Emil Schult]] – graphic design. ==Release details== The original releases of each format are shown below. These may differ from currently available versions. {| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="font-size: 85%; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: middle;" | align=center | Country | align=center | Date | align=center | Label | align=center | Format | align=center | Catalog | align=center | |- | '''Germany''' | December 1975 | EMI|[[EMI]]-Electrola | [[vinyl record|Vinyl]] | 1C 062 82 087 | With insert sheet of 'Radio-Aktivität' stickers |- | | December 1975 | EMI-Electrola | [[compact cassette|Cassette]] | 1C 244 82087 | |- | | February 1986 | EMI-Electrola | [[compact disc|CD]] | CDP 564 7 46132 2 | |- | '''United Kingdom''' | December 1975 | [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] | Vinyl | E-ST 11457 | |- | | December 1975 | Capitol | Cassette | TC E-ST 11457 | |- | | 1976 | Capitol | [[8-track cartridge|8-track]] | 8X-E-ST 11457 | |- | | June 1987 | EMI | CD | CDP 7 46474 2 | |- | '''United States''' | January 1976 | Capitol | Vinyl | ST-11457 | With insert sheet of 'Radio-Activity' stickers |- | | 1985 | Capitol | Cassette | C2 46474 | |- | | 1976 | Capitol | 8-track cartridge|8-track | 8XT 11457 | |- | | 1985 | Capitol | CD | CDP 7 46473 | |} </br> {| |- | <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:R-D-front.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The German issued vinyl cover with radiation warning sticker]] --> | <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:R-D-back.jpg|thumb|250px|left|The back cover design featuring a photo of a 1930s ''[[Volksempfänger]]'' compact radio]] --> | <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:R-D-i3.jpg|thumb|250px|left|A sheet of radiation warning stickers included with the German and US vinyl releases]] --> |} {| |- | <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:R-D-i1.jpg|frame|left|Vinyl inner sleeve group photo of the classic line up of (L to R) Schneider-Flür-Bartos-Hütter]] --> | <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:R-D-i2.jpg|frame|left|Vinyl inner sleeve showing lyrics and Emil Schult photo]] --> |} {{Kraftwerk}} [[Category:Kraftwerk albums]] [[Category:1975 albums]] [[Category:concept albums]] [[ca:Radioactivity]] [[da:Radioaktivität]] [[de:Radio-Aktivität]] [[fr:Radio-Activity (album)]] [[it:Radio-Activity]] [[ka:Radio-Activity]] [[nl:Radio-Activity]] [[ja:放射能 (アルバム)]] [[no:Radio-Activity]] [[pl:Radioaktivität]] [[ru:Radio-Aktivität]] [[fi:Radio-Aktivität]] [[sv:Radioaktivität]]