Kraftwerk
Trans-Europe Express
scum stats: I got none, pressed in the billions no doubt
So with three little girls running around this place like savages around the bonfire, I've had to adapt. Change my way of thinking. Try new ideas.
The one I'm most proud of involves my middle child, Mabel. As she strongly resembles me (and I too am a middle child) I have a feeling she may end up being my favorite. I write that reluctantly, but also realize that none of my daughters will ever have Vault subscriptions to be able to read it here.
Mabel, if left to her own devices, will stay up until 10:30pm. That just ain't cricket. It's been driving us nuts.
Frustrated a week ago around 9:15pm, I grabbed that beautiful little girl and strapped her into her carseat and just started driving. Fifteen minutes later, she was out, successfully transferred to her bed, and mom and I were able to enjoy the brief five minutes we had together before we passed out in a stupor.
And thus it's become my routine to drive Mabel around at night to get her to go to sleep. Soundtrack is key, as the Rockabye Baby and Vitamin String Quartet comps would seem to be no-brainer knock-outs for a two-year-old. But beware, those cause her to stay awake and HOUR in the backseat of the car and I ain't got time for that shit.
Without a doubt, the best soundtrack for getting baby girl zonked is Kraftwerk. And Side A of "Trans-Europe Express" is as good a three song combo you'll ever find anywhere in the world. "Europe Endless" is my savior. Sometimes, she doesn't even make it through that song, but I'll sit just a little bit longer in the driveway enjoying the electronic symphony painting fanciful still lifes of the Rhine River valley in my mind.
PS. Is anyone else downright PISSED that Kraftwerk went and changed the cover of this album to some bullshit black-and-white illustration of a train? What gives? I get that train is the "Trans-Europe Express", but changing the cover FORTY years after the album came out? Bush-leagues. The oil-painting portrait is one of my favorite album covers of ALL TIME and deserves to be seen every chance possible. Rant over.
Autobahn is the go to for me to get some shut eye. I am usually out by the 10th minute but have made it to the 15th minute once. I don’t think I have ever heard the whole song all the way thru!
Belated congrats on the new little lady
I’ve been to a lot of shows in my time on the planet, but the recent tour of Kraftwerk, when they came to the Masonic and played in 3-D, was so beautifully bass heavy that it made me, a 235lb/6’2’ man, feel like my chest was going to cave in.
If that were the case, I would have been more than happy to die from an overloud of the bottom end at Kraftwerk show in Detroit – pure bliss!
I’ve listened to Autobahn to fall asleep for many years
We did the driving thing with my daughter Georgia but she would just wake up as soon as you pulled her out of the car seat, we got so desperate we had a good stint where we would just leave her in the car seat for the night. We finally we decided that as awesome as sleep was it wasn’t going to be worth having a daughter that looked like she just stumbled out of a bell tower in Notre-Dame. I say good luck to you good Sir.
and yeah — just looked it up — even if it wasn’t offensive that the artwork was changed, the artwork itself is offensive. It’s the worst cover art i’ve ever laid my eyes upon.
These are good tips for when my second daughter arrives in December! Thanks for the great record suggestion.
If you want Kraftwerk that won’t help you sleep, check out Radio-Activity. The first time I listened to it, I’d fallen asleep. Once “The Voice of Energy” started playing, I thought the devil himself was trying to suck my soul through the speakers. I was spooked.