- The album seems to be well distributed in France: I didn't even have to go to my favorite local records shop to buy TdF_S. I easily found it last week in a current hypermarket(!) at a "cheap" (well, hum!) price € 17.99 (I mean "cheap", because in many records stores could be a few € more - though I've not checked yet, 'cause weather too *hot* pfff!! :-P ) The album edition is the same like the one distributed in Germany (catalog number 5917102). But of course I don't know if any (slight) difference exists from the other (uk...) edition (catalog number 5917082) (who knows??) - The booklet *fyi* In the credits section we can read the names: Patrice Clerc (=director of ASO / "Amaury Sport Organisation" the TdF organizer) Jean-Marie Leblanc (=Tour de France director) Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (=former rider 2-times winner of the famous "Paris-Roubaix" classic race, a decade ago. Now he drives on the TdF race a director's car for the guests: guess who were the guys from Germany in that car on the road from Sallanches to L'Alpe-d'Huez ;-) *hehe* and this might explain why the profile of this 8th stage has been included in the booklet...) "Equipe Kling Klang" "Equipe technik" "Equipe graphik" "Equipe tour" "Equipe de France"(-->*btw* that's a current name for our famous national football team :-D !!): Kraftwerk still have a *fine* sense of humour ;-) ....if you have not yet understood, just replace *Equipe* by *TEAM* Humour in the same way: the "Aéro Dynamik" lyrics are written like a kind of *euro* franco-german mix: of course, in French all makes sense (no matter the spelling)... :-) [*btw* humour again again: "les étapes sont brûlées" french-joke...] About the cols/climbs list: Alps: Madeleine, Croix de Fer, Galibier, Alpe-d'huez, Iseran, Izoard, and Bonnette (this last one sometimes also called Restefond -rarely climbed on the TdF- *afaik* is the highest asphalted road pass in Europe - over 2800 m) Pyrenees: Peyresourde, Aspin, Tourmalet, Luz Ardiden, Hautacam, Aubisque. And the Mont Ventoux is a kind of *big* stand-alone montain, south of France, in other words the "Bald Giant of Provence"... - The music I've listened to it twice... The "étapes" of the album have (happily) got some improvements (compared to the single "versions"): 'adjusted' sequences, better structure, better mix... and the Chrono track contains some good advanced patterns. Preferences: "Vitamin" and "Elektro Kardiogramm" (wow! the heartbeat like groove) and maybe "La Forme"... General opinion: - <absolute mode> DISAPPOINTMENT *of course* *IF* compared to old K'masterpieces like "Computer World", "The Man Machine"... etc. all from the golden age of electronic music era... *nostalgic sigh* - <relative mode> great ENJOYMENT *IF* compared to all the crap and LQ unsignificant so-called music currently produced nowadays (including techno and some other electro-pioneers' actual music... *grrrr*) Great man+machine concept, good titles and lyrics, humour, nice cd sleeve and booklet... And happily, Kraftwerk typically continue to shape their *own* sound <applause> therefore all their hesitations and (slight) lack of inspiration (melodies...) should be forgiven. :-) Yes, don't worry folks, Kraftwerk is still *Maillot Jaune / Gelbe Trikot / Yellow Jersey* (ahead for a while, even if the gap is closer...) ;-) Well, maybe, perhaps, _ /o o\ Filtre4Pole \ ~ / I I - -