For those who like a picture to think of.....😉

.....it's 1979 and us 14/15 year olds are starting to REALLY find our own looks and music.
Some had flirted with punk but were a bit young, a few of us liked Disco/Funk/Soul but too many bee-gees and girls in tight satin pants 😋 liked it too.
"That Rappers Delight was good though".

A geeky kid with grebo hair in our class called Richard was still into Prog Rock and had moved slightly into what would now be called Kraut Rock. He had mentioned Can and Tangerine Dream previously. He was so un-cool that he had nearly been lapped so actually appeared to be in the lead.

He persuaded a few of us to listen to this German band called Kraftwerk as "we might like the clean rhythms" . I had heard Autobahn and thought it was okay but never followed it any deeper. .
Borrowed this album and after a few listens in the dark of my bedroom it started to impact. The music was crisp, the rhythms were pulsing, and the melody was strong.
The best tracks were Europe Endless and Showroom Dummies (which surely must have inspired The Model a year or 2 later).
My favourite though was Trans Europe Express. The lyrics were pretty cool also if you listened carefully and mentioned Bowie and Iggy Pop. Great if you're an early teen in 1979. Nearly 7 minutes long on the album.
There was a version that was called Trans Europa Express that was also heard at Pips when we started to go there in late 1980, and the added Teutonic vocal added even more central European mystique to the song.

Obviously didn't see the accompanying video that was made until years later, and at the time didn't know of the Joy Division link to the song.
With my mates we did get to see them at the Free Trade Hall in June 1981 when I was still only 16. Felt like an almost religious experience to see them in person. I think I have a bootleg version of the concert somewhere done by a daft bloke we knew called Milton. Not sure of the quality but do recall a mate who had drink 5 pints and was on the bootleg shouting for them to play Being Boiled.

Anyway, here goes: