KRAFTWERK INTERNATIONAL RELEASES:
KOHOUTEK-KOMETENMELODIE


No copying to other servers allowed.

For exact tracklistings and catalogue numbers, please consult the full discography listing.

Country names are linked to the corresponding section of the discography.



The very first Kraftwerk single release, 'Kohoutek - Kometenmelodie', was issued in Germany in 1973, well before the 'Autobahn' album. This single was named after a comet discovered by a Czech astronomer, but it seems the single had the same fate as the comet: it didn't ignite when passing Earth...
The songs on this single are quite different to 'Kometenmelodie 1/2' on the 'Autobahn' album, like rough demo versions.
German 'Kohoutek-
Kometenmelodie' single


AUTOBAHN


'Autobahn' was the first commercially successful single release for Kraftwerk. Taken from the 'Autobahn' album, it was a radio hit in the USA and was subsequently released in many countries. With the album version running 22.30 minutes, the track had to be shortened to make single fitting for airplay. According to the Pascal Bussy book, 'Man, Machine and Music', the editing for the US single release was done by Phonogram, not by Kraftwerk and clocks in at 3.27. This American Single Edit was also used in Germany, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.
In the USA, two promo singles were pressed in addition to the regular release: VE-DJ 8 with mono and stereo versions of the 3.27 minute edit and VE-DJ 9 with a unique longer edit (5.46) on side B. None of them had a picture sleeve.
The same basic 'Autobahn painting' design, a work of Emil Schult, was used for the single worldwide. The title graphics and hues differed, though.
In England, a different 3.05 minute edit was made for the single release - but no picture sleeve here.



German 'Autobahn' single
French 'Autobahn' single
Italian 'Autobahn' single
Japanese 'Autobahn' single




Spanish 'Autobahn' single
Mexican 'Autobahn' single label

Two countries used unique edit versions of 'Autobahn': Spain and Mexico. In both countries, the album version was used, simply faded out at 3.19 in Spain and at 3.30 in Mexico. Unfortunately, only the spanish single has a picture sleeve, with an amusing spelling error: 'Morganspaziergang' instead of 'Morgenspaziergang'.
'Autobahn' is named 'Autopista' on the Mexican single, but the vocals are in German.



KOMETENMELODIE 1/2


In Germany, a three-track 7" EP was pressed by Philips for the Bertelsmann book club, probably to cash in on the success of the 'Autobahn single and album. The tracks featured on this single are 'Mitternacht', 'Morgenspaziergang' and 'Kometenmelodie 1'. This EP has a unique sleeve design, using only a part of the 'Autobahn' album sleeve. A cassette single was also released, which is very rare today.
German 'Mitternacht' EP single
German 'Mitternacht' cassette single


After the success of 'Autobahn' as a single, 'Kometenmelodie 2' was released as a single in some countries without any chart success. A 3.05 minute edit was used as the A-side in Germany, Canada, France and the USA. A shorter 2.49 minute edit was used in England and on a French re-release in 1976. This English 7" does not have a picture sleeve, but it has 'Kristallo' from the Ralf&Florian album as the B-side. The French reissue uses the 3.05 minute version of 'Autobahn' as the flipside.
In 1981, Phonogram re-used the material of the first four Kraftwerk albums for one last compilation LP, 'Elektro Kinetik'. To promote this album, the 2.49 minute edit of 'Kometenmelodie 2' was again released as a single, the B-side was a unique edit of 'Vom Himmel hoch' (2.51 minutes, taken from the first album) now.




German 'Kometenmelodie 2' single
First French 'Kometenmelodie 2' single
Second French 'Kometenmelodie 2' single
Second UK 'Kometenmelodie 2' single


BACK

BACK TO INDEX PAGE