Let's get this out of the way: I like Tangerine Dream more than Kraftwerk. I know you're not supposed to. I've tried to get in line with everyone else. I got Trans Europe Express out of Woking Record Library (on tape!) when I was 16, but, being one of those teenagers who'd sooner read Pirsig than listen to Pursey, I found it a bit trite and went back to my Vangelis, my TD, and later my Schulze and Schnitzler.
And, yes, I loved The Model, as everyone did. I tried again later in the '80s and, through the prism of dance music, understood what others liked about Kraftwerk. Around the time of this album, I went to see them at Sheffield City Hall, with Caroline. But I've never really loved them.
Lucy went to see them at Brixton Academy three years ago and thought they were fantastic. The very German robot dummies, the whole image, the tunes and the beats. And the influence.
Yes, up to a point. Paradoxically it's the harsh minimalism of Trans Europe Express that I like most now.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album
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