Stephen Malkmus And Friends Can's Ege Bamyasi

It was the 40th anniversary of the release of Can's Ege Bamyasi LP, and WEEK-END Fest was happening in Cologne. The dates were November 30 through December 2, 2012, and the festival featured artists such as Ian Svenonious, Justus Köhnke, Alexis Taylor (of Hot Chip), Scritti Politti, Deerhoof and Stephen Malkmus.

WEEK-END Fest co-curator Jan Lankisch (of Tomlab Records) decided to ask Stephen, currently residing in Germany, whether he wanted to play the entirety of Ege Bamyasi with a band of German musicians Jan had rounded up. And Steve loved the idea. So after a few rehearsals, Steve was joined by Sebastian Blume (synths), Felix Hedderich (bass), Jan Philipp Janzen (drums) and Phillip Tielsch (guitar) for a truly magical & wondrous performance of one of the greatest albums of all time. It took place on December 2 at the Alte Kranhalle in Cologne, and was committed to tape by the band. The sound quality is fantastic; the performance jumps out of the grooves and bubbles its way through your stereo.

We are releasing the LP as a 500-copy limited edition on red vinyl for Record Store Day, April 20, 2013. Matador will be releasing it on green vinyl in the US. The hand-printed silkscreened sleeve was designed by David Shrigley, who also designed the poster for the event, inspired by the original artwork for Ege Bamyasi. It is being printed in Germany by Slowboy.

We're truly honoured to be part of this special collaboration between tons of talented artists.

"This was the first Can LP I bought brand-new (Torquay, July 1972), and it is still my favourite." - Julian Cope, Krautrocksampler

“Ege Bamyasi was one of those marginal cut-out LPS (along with the 1st Stooges, Rhinoceros, Ambergris a.o.) that you'd find in the bargain bins of department stores in the early 70s. For kids with no money and an allure to weirdness these cheapos were significant listens. Ege Bamyasi with its okra can cover and live circus rock shot on the back was completely singular. And it sounded cool as shit. I still check it as one of the top 10 greatest rock LPs of all time, and it remains a perpetual inspiration.” - Thurston Moore

1. "Pinch"
2. "Sing Swan Song"
3. "One More Night"
4. "Vitamin C"
5. "Soup"
6. "I'm So Green"
7. "Spoon"