Live in Paris 1973 is the first official release of one of
Can's most legendary performances, a May 12, 1973 set at L'Olympia. At this point,
Ege Bamyasi had been out for about half a year, following the German chart success of the single "Spoon," and
Damo Suzuki was merely months away from leaving the band and quitting music for a decade, while he devoted time to religion. This release of the concert was pieced together from several recordings found in the
Spoon Records vaults, as well as tapes supplied by fans. In this sense, it's comparable to the editing process of the band's studio albums, which were crafted from hours' worth of improvised sessions. This live set is a largely unfiltered display of the band's powers when they were at their prime, with a few deft editing touches (such as a brief echo spiral in the middle of the 36-minute "Paris 73 Eins") seemingly applied to cover up breaks in the tape recordings, or other inconsistencies. Like the other
Can live releases, the tracks are numerically titled, and generally seem like improvisations, but the group often riff off tunes from their albums, using them as launching pads instead of giving them straightforward readings. "Zwei" is based on the funky, time-shifting rhythm of "One More Night," and it's the set's purest distillation of
Can's mastery of killer grooves. "Drei," based on "Spoon," starts out with murky fidelity but opens up after a few minutes, in time for the band to accelerate and really blast off. "Vier" expands on this volatile energy, and there's unbelievable chemistry between the rhythm section,
Suzuki's impassioned howls, and
Irmin Schmidt's volcanic keyboard eruptions. Finally, the group run through "Vitamin C," transforming it into an extended freak-out that probably lasted long after the tape cut off.
Live in Paris 1973 is
Can at their on-stage best, and easily the band's most essential live release. ~ Paul Simpson
