All Gates Open: The Story of Can

All Gates Open presents the story of influential German band Can through a dual-narrative approach. The first half contains Rob Young's biography of the experimental group, tracking their formation in 1960s Cologne through their evolution and impact. The book's second section consists of conversations and reflections by Can's keyboardist Irmin Schmidt, providing direct insight into the band's creative process. Schmidt's segments include exchanges with musicians, artists and collaborators who intersected with Can's world during their active years and beyond. The text incorporates archival materials, interviews, and contemporaneous documents to construct a portrait of Can's place in 20th century music. Technical details about the band's recording methods and equipment exist alongside cultural context about the artistic climate of postwar Germany. The book illuminates themes of artistic freedom, cultural reconstruction in postwar Europe, and the tension between classical training and experimental impulses. Through its dual structure, it examines how memory and documentation can offer different but complementary paths to understanding artistic legacy.

Readers value this biography for its thorough research and inclusion of Can band members' first-hand accounts. The book's two-part structure - biographical history followed by conversations - receives frequent mention in reviews. Readers liked: - Detailed coverage of Can's early years and formation - Cultural context of post-war Germany - Technical information about recording techniques - Previously unpublished photographs Readers disliked: - Second half feels disconnected from main narrative - Some repetition between sections - Limited coverage of later Can albums - Complex German music theory sections hard to follow Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (32 ratings) Review quotes: "The interview sections add personal color missing from other Can books" - Goodreads reviewer "Too academic at times but worth it for the band history" - Amazon reviewer "Best for serious Can fans, might overwhelm casual readers" - Music forum comment

Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany by David Buckley A chronicle of Kraftwerk's experimentation and influence parallels Can's role in developing German experimental music through the 1960s and 70s.

Faust: Stretch Out Time, 1970-1975 by Andy Wilson This examination of Krautrock pioneers Faust documents the same revolutionary German music scene that birthed Can.

Feeding Back: Conversations with Alternative Guitarists by David Todd Musicians discuss their techniques and philosophies in ways that echo Can guitarist Michael Karoli's innovative approach to the instrument.

The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross This exploration of 20th-century composition provides context for Can's intersection of avant-garde classical training and rock music.

Avant Rock: Experimental Music from the Beatles to Bjork by Bill Martin The book traces experimental rock's development through groups including Can and their contemporaries in the European avant-garde scene.

🎵 Can, the subject of this book, pioneered a new form of experimental rock music in Germany that later became known as "Krautrock," influencing artists from David Bowie to Radiohead 📖 The book is split into two distinct parts: a traditional biography by Rob Young, and "Can Kiosk" by Irmin Schmidt, which features interviews, recipes, and personal memories from the band's keyboardist 🎨 The title "All Gates Open" comes from Can's philosophy of maintaining complete artistic freedom and rejecting conventional musical structures and industry expectations 🌍 Author Irmin Schmidt studied under both Karlheinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti before forming Can, bringing avant-garde classical influences to rock music 🎼 The book reveals how Can's iconic sound was partially shaped by their recording space - a converted cinema in Weilerswist, Germany, where they lived and recorded communally