Kollektion 06: Cluster 1971-1981 Compiled by John McEntire

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Less than a year after Bureau B released 1971-1981, a monumental box set compiling the first eight Cluster albums along with a disc of previously unreleased live material, the label released a condensed, single-disc version as part of its Kollektion series. Kollektion 06 was compiled by John McEntire, best known for his involvement (either as a musician or producer/engineer) with Tortoise, Stereolab, Trans Am, and other groups that made Krautrock groups like Cluster hip names to drop back in the '90s. Boiling such a sprawling, diverse body of work into a single hour doesn't seem like an easy task, especially when it ranges from shorter, more accessible tunes to sprawling, side-long space jams. There's only room for one or two cuts per album, and a few pieces appear in edited form, such as the glorious, bizarre title track to Grosses Wasser (McEntire cuts to the part with the slow panned drums and bells). Fans could argue to kingdom come about which tracks should've been included, or which are better or more representative of the group's discography, but ultimately, it's hard to go wrong with any selection of tracks from these albums. McEntire's selection isn't chronological, and it doesn't really seem to place a focus on any one facet of Cluster's work -- there's plenty of Hans-Joachim Roedelius' pleasant music box melodies, there are some more downcast moments from the group's collaborations with Brian Eno, there are pleasantly dazed motorik synth pop cuts from Zuckerzeit, and there are excerpts of some of the group's more out-there excursions. It's certainly easy to hear why these are McEntire's favorite Cluster songs -- this practically sounds like a CliffsNotes for the Tortoise catalog as well as Cluster's. For anyone who hasn't plunged into Cluster's discography yet, this is a useful sampler. ~ Paul Simpson