Neu! The Second Album
Their second album (the same white cover as the first album, but with a giant, crass, fluorescent pink "2" spray painted across it) suffered from a more difficult conception: The band ran out of money to complete the album before it was finished. As a result, two of the tracks, "Neuschnee" and "Super," appear several different times, mixed at different speeds - normal, sped up, and slowed way down. (In fact, many of the other tracks are variously sped up and slowed down over the course of the songs as well.) While this may have seemed pretty trippy at the time, it isn't really that convincing, except as a curio or novelty, and the album suffers as a result, though it is not without its moments.
Containing the same long, pulsing pieces driven by a relentless beat similar to those found on the first album, there were also some surprises (beyond the toying with tape speed). "Spitzenqualitat" is a five minute track of almost nothing except a huge, booming, drum beat that sounds like it's being played in a chasm. "Lila Engel" is a more rock-oriented number with "Duh duh duh duh" vocals that sound like they are being sung by a cross between Otto from The Simpsons and a muppet - totally goofy, and great fun. Smack in the middle of side two of the LP is "Cassetto," a short two-minute piece of throbbing and pummeling that is presumably a warped and chewed up tape of an endless drumbeat and single repeated guitar chord - rather mind bending. "Hallo Excentrico" is a disappointingly trite and not terribly creative bit of messing about with tape loops and speeds, but which is compensated for by the closing track, "Super" (at normal speed). It starts off with what sounds like a loop from a television advertisement of some kind chanting "Neu! Neu! Neu!," and kicks into a Stooges-style version of their trademark minimalist riffing, with heavily treated punk-rock howling, growling and wailing overtop. On the whole, not their finest hour, but a fun and intriguing listen nevertheless.
Neu! 2 Astralwerks/Gronland, 1973. Review by James Andean. 3rd issue, July 2001.