In 1971, Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother left one formative German krautrock outfit in Kraftwerk to form another, dubbing themselves NEU!. This year marks half a century since the duo released their self-titled debut, and the 50th anniversary will be celebrated with a new box set and tribute album.
The NEU! 50! box set, out September 23 via Grönland Records, brings together studio albums NEU! (1972), NEU! 2! (1973), and NEU! '75, in addition to the brand new NEU! Tribute Album, a NEU! stencil and booklet.
The Tribute Album features reworkings by the National, IDLES, Man Man, Mogwai, Guerilla Toss, Yann Tiersen, and more. Today, a remix of "Hallogallo" by Stephen Morris (New Order, Joy Division) and Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor) arrives alongside the announcement, and you can hear it below.
"I first heard NEU! sometime late in 1972, not long after the first album came out. I think I got it as a birthday present," Morris recalled in a statement. "I was 15 and obsessed with music that was a bit weird and unusual and NEU! in 1972 certainly fit the bill. I'd never heard anything like it. It was absolutely brilliant. From the first few hypnotic seconds of 'Hallogallo' I was hooked."
He continued: "I had no idea who Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger were. There were no interviews in the music papers, but the two tiny photos on the back of the bright red sleeve said all I needed to know. The sound they made was very REAL - alive and emotional. Ambient and driving - it was like they were there in my bedroom with me. Needless to say I played the album endlessly on repeat and bored all my friends to death with how brilliant NEU! were. This was the sort of music I wanted to make. 50 years later you can hear their influence everywhere."
The NEU! 50! box set will be available digitally and in physical vinyl and CD editions. Additionally, the duo's self-titled debut will also get reissued in picture disc, limited orange vinyl and cassette tape formats. All editions are now available for pre-order.
NEU! Tribute Album:
1. Im Glück (The National Remix)
2. Weissensee (Fink Version)
3. Super (Mogwai Remix)
4. 4+1=5 - Alexis Taylor
5. Hallogallo (Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey Remix)
6. Lieber Honig (Yann Tiersen Remix)
7. Super (Man Man Remix)
8. Negativland (Idles Negative Space Rework)
9. Zum Herz - Guerilla Toss
10. After Eight (They Hate Change Cover)
The NEU! 50! box set, out September 23 via Grönland Records, brings together studio albums NEU! (1972), NEU! 2! (1973), and NEU! '75, in addition to the brand new NEU! Tribute Album, a NEU! stencil and booklet.
The Tribute Album features reworkings by the National, IDLES, Man Man, Mogwai, Guerilla Toss, Yann Tiersen, and more. Today, a remix of "Hallogallo" by Stephen Morris (New Order, Joy Division) and Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor) arrives alongside the announcement, and you can hear it below.
"I first heard NEU! sometime late in 1972, not long after the first album came out. I think I got it as a birthday present," Morris recalled in a statement. "I was 15 and obsessed with music that was a bit weird and unusual and NEU! in 1972 certainly fit the bill. I'd never heard anything like it. It was absolutely brilliant. From the first few hypnotic seconds of 'Hallogallo' I was hooked."
He continued: "I had no idea who Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger were. There were no interviews in the music papers, but the two tiny photos on the back of the bright red sleeve said all I needed to know. The sound they made was very REAL - alive and emotional. Ambient and driving - it was like they were there in my bedroom with me. Needless to say I played the album endlessly on repeat and bored all my friends to death with how brilliant NEU! were. This was the sort of music I wanted to make. 50 years later you can hear their influence everywhere."
The NEU! 50! box set will be available digitally and in physical vinyl and CD editions. Additionally, the duo's self-titled debut will also get reissued in picture disc, limited orange vinyl and cassette tape formats. All editions are now available for pre-order.
NEU! Tribute Album:
1. Im Glück (The National Remix)
2. Weissensee (Fink Version)
3. Super (Mogwai Remix)
4. 4+1=5 - Alexis Taylor
5. Hallogallo (Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey Remix)
6. Lieber Honig (Yann Tiersen Remix)
7. Super (Man Man Remix)
8. Negativland (Idles Negative Space Rework)
9. Zum Herz - Guerilla Toss
10. After Eight (They Hate Change Cover)