ELECTRIC CAFE (UK, 1986)
EMI TCEMD1001


Another visit to the Electric Cafe today. And while I'm still searching for the elusive imports from faraway places, today's post is a fairly commonplace item - from the UK.


I keep stating that the UK is one of the key markets for Kraftwerk. I suppose part of that is simply because since the 1960's, the UK charts have been one of the most important in the world for pop and rock music. Apart from that, Kraftwerk have had a very strong fan base in the UK, it's been one of their most frequently toured territories, and their #1 hit with "The Model" in 1982 spurred a multitude of international releases of that single. In the 1990s, the "Aktivität" fanzine was a rare source of news and information, and the UK was also host to some international fan conventions. 


Electric Cafe was released at a time when cassettes were a real alternative to vinyl or CD, so it comes in a full 4-panel J-card, printed on both sides. We get the illustrations from the front cover of the LP and both sides of the inner sleeve, plus a list of credits, as well as both a bit of legal info and info about the XDR system, which was made to enhance sound quality. My J-card is slightly worn, actually - one of these where you feel there's been some sand or dust inside the jewel case, so the cover is full of tiny scrapes. I've resisted the temptation to blur them out though, it's a used item and it looks like 1986 was a while back. Cassettes are clear with black print, a bad idea if you want your customer to be able to actually see what it says on the labels.







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