Neu! - Hallogallo

NOTES FROM Michael Rother (For Australian Tour 2012)

Recorded 1971 in Hamburg. Original release 1972 on the first NEU! album

Klaus Dinger and I recorded Hallogallo and the other tracks of the first NEU! album with Conny Plank, the legendary producer, in late 1971. We did not ask a record company to pay the studio rent because we wished to remain completely independent but we had little money and therefore we were forced to finish the recordings in only 4 nights. We didn´t rehearse at home or even discussed our ideas before we entered the studio. Klaus and I started out from scratch and each of us only had visions of the music that we wanted to produce. In the first step we recorded basic tracks together, with Klaus playing drums and myself on guitar or bass. We worked like action painters when in the next step we individually added overdubs. It was thrilling and also frightening because there was absolutely no certainty that we would end up with an album and, if so, would find a record company for it. I guess we were very fortunate. Recording overdubs for Hallogallo I suddenly had a wonderful feedback on my guitar with which I could play thoses long drifting notes that hover like clouds over our basic tracks. Conny Plank contributed a lot of creativity to the recording process, he picked up our intentions with great sensitivity and was a wizzard at the mixing desk. Hallogallo is one of my favourite tracks of all time. The minimalistic drone and the optimistic fast-forward movement of Hallogallo is still close to my heart. In my view it is one of the best examples of my collaboration with Klaus Dinger.