1972 Albums

Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother were first introduced to each other when they joined Kraftwerk in 1971. Rother had spent the past six years in another Düsseldorf group, the covers band Spirits of Sound. As Neu!, Dinger and Rother were indeed attempting something "new," something they would call "fast-forward" music—known to the rest of the world as the "motorik beat." Their debut album, housed in a white cover with the title Neu! spray-painted on it, was produced by Conny Plank for Brain Records. "Hallogallo" bursts open and what a beat!

Love Affair were a soul band from London that scored a UK No. 1 hit with "Everlasting Love" b/w "Gone Are the Songs of Yesterday" in 1968. Following vocalist Steve Ellis's departure in 1969, keyboardist Morgan Fisher and drummer Maurice Bacon re-branded the group as L.A. to distance themselves from their pop audience and past. Adding bassist Bob Sapsed along the way, they recorded an excellent if uneven album, New Day, in 1970. Part soul and part underground rock, the album spotlighted Gus Eadon's strong voice and flute.