A first issue of Can’s experimental debut album is a rare beast…
Revolutionary is a word that gets thrown around a lot in music, but there really is no other way to describe Germany’s finest psychedelic export, Can. Fusing elements of traditional rock music with avant-garde funk, jazz and way beyond, Can were at the forefront of the krautrock movement.
While the band’s roots date back to Cologne in 1966, things started to take shape in 1968 under the name Inner Space, recording a number of songs which initially would be known enigmatically as Prepared To Meet Thy Pnoom. These tracks were included on the Delay 1968 album and were eventually released in 1981. Subsequently, the band changed their name to The Can (then later just Can) and began to focus on their debut album, Monster Movie.
The original pressing has a very fragile matt sleeve, featuring an orange circular image in the centre, along with the snappy tagline ‘Made in a castle with better equipment’. It was the first of two releases on the Music Factory label and has the catalogue number (SRS 001) hand scratched into the run-out. There is also a transitional pressing in existence that has the Liberty Records matrix from subsequent pressings etched. This is believed to be due to Liberty wanting to rush release the reissue of the album after signing the band, before they fully switched over to the Galactus artwork that is now synonymous with the album.
Given its extreme rarity and historical significance, original copies of the album change hands for around £5,000. This is a true investment piece, which rarely ever shows up for sale on the open market.