Release data:

You – Electric Day
LP/CD, Cue Records/Bureau B, 1979/2011

“Electric Day” is one of those classic analogue albums recorded at the famous Panne-Paulsen Studios, where also Klaus Schulze frequented a lot. The fine drumming on You’s debut album is also most recognizable as being those of Harald Grosskopf, due to copyright reasons listed as Lhan Gopal at that time. Moreover, the influences of cosmic/krautrock are evident, as Ulrich Weber throws in some nasty e-guitar into the sequencer-driven compositions in the same style as RMI would come up with many years later.

Overall, the outcome is quite repetitive while morphing in shape and impact. The sound design on this record though is rather clinical and futuristic, so don’t expect any cosy offerings here. The mellotron-intro on “Slow Go” is done very nicely, but soon the music is set in motion with drums and sequencers, followed by e-guitar and synth-solos that freak out until the end. It even get messy and chaotic on “Zero-Eighty-Four”, which sounds like a jam-session of three musicians not noting what the others are doing.

In 1996, Joerg Strawe of Cue Records Germany released the album on cd as part of a 5-cd box (“Era”), including unreleased material.
I personally feel the three tracks found as bonuses don’t add anything substantial, as experimentation rules on both “H.Rays Identity” and “Hallucination Engine”. Fortunately, the 11-minute “E-Night” is a fine track and more consistent effort. “Yousless”, the last track, is a really bummer and pointless experimental crap that better had been called “Useless”.

Until this very day, “Electric Day” still leaves me with lots of mixed thoughts and feelings.
In 2011, the album was re-released by Bureau B.

Website: udohanten.bandcamp.com