Tom noted:
> /.../ I guess Frank Sinatra always had to sing New York, New York or else...
Sure, from an American perspective "Autobahn" is the only Kraftwerk recording to chart decently. However, back in Germany "Die Roboter" is their highest charting single. (Reaching #5 back in '78 - "Autobahn" only got as far as #9. Also, the '82 re-issue of "Das Model" passed "Autobahn", reaching #7 in Germany, and #1 in the UK - where "Autobahn" only got as far as #11 in '75.)
As for most successful album, both "Autobahn" & "Computerwelt" reached #7 in the German album charts, and while "Autobahn" shifted some 450.000 copies in the US in its time, "Die Mensch-Maschine" sold 600.000 copies in Germany alone back in '78.(*)
So, while a lack of "Autobahn" mightn't be enough to send bottles smashing into the precious Kling Klang set-up, a void of robots and models could.
--
Champagne for my real friends.
Real pain for my sham friends.
(*) Main sources for this intel were the official Guinness books about British hits by Tim Rice,
Paul Gambaccini and Jonathan Rice, the official Billboard books by Joel Whitburn, The Rock in Deutschland encyclopaedia, and the various books on Kraftwerk. You lil' nit-pickers, you...
