Trans-Europe Express (album)

Trans-Europe Express
German album cover
Studio album by
Kraftwerk
ReleasedMarch 1977 (1977-03)
Recorded1976
StudioKling Klang (Düsseldorf)
Genre
Length42:45
LabelKling Klang
Producer
Kraftwerk chronology
Radio-Activity
(1975) 		Trans-Europe Express
(1977) 		The Man-Machine
(1978)
Alternative cover
Cover used on most international editions
Singles from Trans-Europe Express
  1. "Trans-Europe Express"
    Released: 22 April 1977
  2. "Showroom Dummies"
    Released: 26 August 1977[2]

Trans-Europe Express (German: Trans Europa Express) is the sixth studio album by German band Kraftwerk. Recorded in 1976 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the album was released in March 1977 on Kling Klang Records. It saw the group refine their melodic electronic style, with a focus on sequenced rhythms, minimalism, and occasionally manipulated vocals. The themes include celebrations of the titular European railway service and Europe as a whole, and meditations on the disparities between reality and appearance.

Trans-Europe Express charted at 119 on the American charts and was ranked number 30 in The Village Voice's 1977 Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Two singles were released: "Trans-Europe Express" and "Showroom Dummies". The album has been re-released in several formats and continues to receive acclaim as one of the best albums of the 1970s and of all time.[3][4][5] In 2014, the Los Angeles Times called it "the most important pop album of the last 40 years".[6]

  1. ^ Schütte, Uwe (2020). Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany. London: Penguin Books. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-141-98675-3.
  2. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 48.
  3. ^ Stone, Rolling (31 December 2023). "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  4. ^ Barker, Emily (25 October 2013). "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 100-1". NME. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  5. ^ Pitchfork (23 June 2004). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference latimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).