NEU! Box-Set

NEU! is a beautiful box set released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the seminal German band's debut with a deluxe edition.

The box contains the three albums from the 1970s, a book with beautiful images, vintage photos of the band, instrumentation, recording sessions (you can find the contents photographed in full below), a stencil for making your own band T-shirt, and, for the first time, two completely new vinyl records with reworkings of: The National, Idles, Mogwai, Fink, Stephen Morris (New Order), Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Yann Tiersen, Man Man, Guerilla Toss, and They Hate Change. I discuss these in more detail here in this article, while you can find reviews of the three original albums,  NEU!, NEU!2, and NEU!75 , in the dedicated articles.

The tracks I enjoyed most were these:

- The remix of "Im Glück" by The National, which completely transformed the original NEU! in a more atmospheric and relaxed version, using a simple rhythm but bringing out rhythmic aspects and atmospheres reminiscent of the original.

- The "Fink Version" of NEU!'s "Weissensee," a folktronica-style cover featuring a dreamy atmosphere certainly worthy of the original.

- Mogwai's remix of NEU!'s "Super" is a reimagining of the daring original track into a more contemplative and tense piece, with a strange, darker, and more atmospheric energy. A beautiful song.

- Alexis Taylor's "4+1=5" has a folktronica sound that captures the spirit of NEU! with excellent atmospheric intensity.

- Stephen Morris and Gabe Gurnsey's remix of Neu!'s "Hallogallo" is a modernized reimagining of the original classic, with a very interesting robotic style.

- The Lieber Honig (Yann Tiersen Remix) is an electronic reimagining of the original, featuring intense progression and explosive, immersive moments that transform the calm, melodic atmosphere of the original into a song of growing tension and powerful electronics.

- "Zum Her" by Guerilla Toss is an upbeat track that updates the minimalist rock sound of the original, fusing their style with the band's art-punk and krautrock sound.

This box set is a must-have for fans of this great band, and I'm happy to have it in my collection.

LineUp

Credits are not shown for tracks on tribute albums

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page