Inner Space / Out of Reach

This Can two-fer is a sweet deal, especially if you prefer the band\'s later linear material to its early experimental approaches. “All Gates Open” introduces *Inner Space/Out of Reach*, with the Traffic rhythm section of Rebop Kwaku Baah and Rosko Gee playing steadily over vestiges of Can’s earlier otherworldly background ambience, while Michael Karoli sings in near-whispers. The following “Safe” makes good use of analog tape echo, while “Sodom” lets the fuzz guitar take over lead vocal duties in this beautifully gloomy instrumental. “Ping Pong” artfully samples a table-tennis game before “EFS No. 99 Can-Can” puts a Krautrock spin on Jacques Offenbach\'s 1858 opéra bouffon *Orphée aux enfers* (Orpheus in the Underworld). If the jazzy “Serpentine” sounds like a different band, that’s because by the time *Out of Reach* was released, bassist Holger Czukay had already quit Can and drummer Jaki Liebezeit was taking a backseat to Baah. Subsequently, many fans have disregarded this rare album as a legit Can release, though songs like the awkwardly groovy “Pauper\'s Daughter and I” have aged interestingly well.