Live in Tokyo 1996 Vol. 2 | ||||
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Live album by La! Neu? | ||||
Released | 1999 | |||
Recorded | 3 December 1996 | |||
Genre | Krautrock, post-punk, art rock | |||
Label | Captain Trip Records | |||
Producer | Klaus Dinger | |||
Klaus Dinger chronology | ||||
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Live in Tokyo 1996 Vol. 2 is a 1999 live album by German band La! Neu?, recorded during their 1996 Japanese tour at a concert in Tokyo. Despite its title, the album actually consists of the first half of the concert, the second half having been released in 1998 as Cha Cha 2000 - Live in Tokyo 1996 Vol. 1. The album consists of a mixture of live improvisation and set songs, including some sampled material from English musician Mick Lount.
In early 1996 Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother met in Düsseldorf to review their ongoing legal battle with Metronome Records for the rights to the three original Neu! albums which they made together in the 1970s. Metronome had offered to compromise with Dinger and Rother by giving the two musicians a sizable proportion of the profits made from a reissue of the albums and by financing promotional activities, possibly including a world tour. Whilst Dinger was willing to accept this offer, Rother was more hesitant, still hoping to secure full ownership of the recordings. In the meantime, Dinger spoke to Ken Matsutani (the head of Captain Trip Records which was at that time releasing Dinger's post-Neu! back catalogue), and Matsutani began looking for venues in Japan for the upcoming tour. Matsutani discovered two venues which were interested in hosting Neu! - Muse Hall in Osaka and On Air West in Tokyo. In early 1996 Cluster (a band associated with Neu! and particularly with Michael Rother) had visited both venues as part of a world tour and produced the album Japan 1996 Live from the result. Dinger and Neu! (like Cluster) had a comparatively large following in Japan, and it was anticipated that any Neu! concerts arranged would be well attended.
Michael Rother was unwilling to commit to a tour, however, much to Dinger's annoyance. Rather than back out of the conversations he was having with Tokyo and Osaka, Dinger decided to offer the services of a new group he had been building around Andreas Reihse of Kreidler and Victoria Wehrmeister of Superbilk. In reference to Neu! and La Düsseldorf he named the new band La! Neu?, and was quickly accepted by owner of the venues - Hirokazu Nambu (Dinger admitted that Nambu was taking a "risk" in inviting the unknown La! Neu?). In Germany he finalised the group's debut album Düsseldorf and prepared to take an extended 8-man line-up with him to Japan.