Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
62
50 Cent
70
AFI
65
Air
70
Alice In Chains
53
Kris Allen
78
Amerie
79
Annie
76
Anti-Pop Consortium
86
The Antlers
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound
77
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
59
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
71
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan
72
Beak>
72
Brendan Benson
84
Biffy Clyro
72
The Big Pink
95
Big Star
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
72
The Black Heart Procession
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
53
Bon Jovi
76
A.A. Bondy
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
83
Brother Ali
72
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
77
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
78
Califone
69
Mariah Carey
81
Brandi Carlile
72
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash
71
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
82
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
64
Exene Cervenka
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System
67
The Clean
84
The Clientele
72
Cold Cave
85
Converge
71
Eric Copeland
76
The Cribs
79
Cymbals Eat Guitars
62
Dashboard Confessional
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
77
Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One
88
Destroyer
73
Do Make Say Think
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
67
Bob Dylan
58
Echo & The Bunnymen
61
Electric Six
44
The Entrance Band
69
Fanfarlo
71
Jay Farrar And Benjamin Gibbard
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
66
Orenda Fink
79
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
83
Fuck Buttons
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
65
Calvin Harris
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
67
Hockey
67
Whitney Houston
80
Hudson Mohawke
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
74
Jamie T
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
68
Daniel Johnston
76
Norah Jones
77
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
75
Kid Sister
66
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
63
Mark Knopfler
73
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
85
Miranda Lambert
72
Ledisi
71
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
62
Leona Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt
74
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
83
Patty Loveless
73
Lyle Lovett
79
Lucero
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna
85
Manic Street Preachers
61
Maps
73
Mario
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
62
John Mayer
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
75
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
75
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
66
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie
76
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
82
Nirvana
96
Nirvana
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
64
OneRepublic
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
78
Osso
67
Alec Ounsworth
81
Owen
73
Paramore
78
Pastels And Tenniscoats
54
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
69
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
72
Port O'Brien
79
Q-Tip
79
R.E.M.
88
Raekwon
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
74
The Raveonettes
79
Real Estate
76
Jay Reatard
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela
66
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
78
Russian Circles
69
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
78
Say Anything
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
55
Steel Panther
75
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
68
Joss Stone
83
Barbra Streisand
77
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
79
The Swell Season
80
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees
80
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
78
The Dutchess & The Duke
71
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
74
Them Crooked Vultures
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
73
Frank Turner
71
The Twilight Sad
60
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
69
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
70
Kurt Vile
65
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
73
Rufus Wainwright
78
Wale
57
Weezer
81
White Denim
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
69
Robbie Williams
59
Andrew W.K.
65
Wolfmother
84
The xx
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
52
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Tour de France Soundtracks
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Astralwerks
Release Date: 19 August 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Electronic
Summary
No, it's not actually a soundtrack, but it is--shockingly enough--the legendary German electronic band's first new studio recording since 1986's 'Electric Cafe.' While the title track "Tour De France" was released as a single in 1983 (and is found here in four new versions), the remaining 8 tracks are brand new compositions.
Also By This Artist: Minimum-Maximum [Live]
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Wire
Displays more intellectual rigour, subtle discipline and attention to detail than many of their younger contemporaries can ever dream of attaining. [#235, p.56]
Stylus Magazine
In essence, the group has adopted the smartest possible approach on Tour de France Soundtracks by simply making quintessential Kraftwerk music of a kind stylistically consistent with the music of its past but with subtle enhancements that suggest a connection to the present.
Read Full Review >Splendid
Fans will appreciate Tour De France's high standard of unadorned synthesis, thematic melody and Autobahn minimalism, with epiphanic pleasure and not a little nostalgia.
Read Full Review >Mojo
No huge amounts of new ground broken... but even a mediocre Kraftwerk album is still a work of near-genius. [Sep 2003, p.101]
All Music Guide
Tour de France Soundtracks is a successful record on anyone's terms; it's one that fans won't need to cringe from, and one that newcomers will be able to enjoy for what it is.
Read Full Review >Filter
They remain simple and cerebral. [#7, p.91]
ShakingThrough.net
The old masters have aged gracefully with the times: no longer following or leading the techno/electronic movement, but rather operating within their own realm of digitally manufactured bliss.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
No, it's probably not going to remap the musical landscape this time, and, arguably, it doesn't sound as ahead of its time as, say, 'Computerworld' did. BUT! 'Tour de France Soundtracks' also sounds joyously, shamelessly like no-one else at all.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
There's more to Tour De France Soundtracks than a simple remake of the past.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
Not quite what we might have hoped for from such historically important innovators. But not quite as bad as it appears, either.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
The concept itself is an interesting one. When it works, it is easy to conjure TV images of Hinault and LeMonde battling through the Pyrenees, the patterned rhythms of Indurain and Armstrong heaving through village street time-trials.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Their latest LP may not pack the same fortune-telling punch of their classic records, but it is nevertheless a distinctly engaging, sophisticated experience.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
If you're the sort who would feel fuddy-duddy driving a perfect, new VW Beetle, avoid Tour de France. If you're one who would proudly point out the offbeat grace and unlikely persistence of a vivid personality in a machine, Kraftwerk endure.
Read Full Review >Uncut
A slight disappointment. [Oct 2003, p.124]
Almost Cool
All in all, the release probably would have worked better as an extended EP instead of nearly an hourlength rumination on one track and ideas that spawned from it.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
Mostly stuck in a low gear. [Dec 2003, p.156]
Q Magazine
There are moments where the glory years are emulated.... Even so, after 17 long years, both band and audience deserve better than a wandful of magic and some rehashes. [Oct 2003, p.102]
Blender
None of it is groundbreaking. [Oct 2003, p.120]
Under The Radar
Sounds like a flashback to the early eighties that at times is an adjustment to modern-shaped ears. [#5, p.101]
Spin
The deadpan humor that animated the band's early werk is missing. [Nov 2003, p.117]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Leonardo F gave it a10:
an instant classic
Michael A gave it a 10:
I must start by telling you that I have every Kraftwerk album including their very rare pre-Autobahn work (no gimmicky spelling, folks). Being a musician myself I've spent time aplenty studying the itty-bitty details of each and this is the conclusion I've been led to: Tour de France Sountracks is right up there with KW's very best. TDFS is like a trip on the autobahn of KW's evolution and there are plenty of pit-stops; you can hear the experimentation of their earliest albums, the hard proto-electro sounds of Trans-Europe Express and Man Machine and the thematic complexity of Radioactivity (which may be the best comparison of all; listen closely). Of course, all of this is wrapped up in the shiny pop-bliss of Computer World's best moments. Technologically, they're still the most up-to-date robots on the market but they haven't lost their taste or subtlety or charm. Critics may have been underwhelmed upon Kraftwerk's newest release but I beleive time will prove this to be one of their greatest moments. Let's hope they don't take so bloody long next time! Danke, Ralf und Florian, danke!!!
Guy S gave it a 9:
Finally Kraftwerk comes with a brand new album. And it sounds great! It's very daring to come back with a new album after 13 years, when the music you make was the most important inspirational source of almost every musician making elctronic dance related music. With this album, Kraftwerk proves once again that there is still no other pop-group that sounds like them! The tracks are very minimalisitc again, some with a truly grate flow like Aero Dynamik and Electro Kardiogramm. Also Tour de France Etappe 1-3 are very great. Gladly it's not really a remake of the original, since it sounds totally different. It's therefore best to be considered as a brand new track. The famous vocoder voices are plenty at presence, like it should be because Kraftwerk wouldn't be Kraftwerk without those great robotic voices. Of course there are also some new melodical sounds used, but the music sounds as mysterious and high-tech as ever! A truly great album which I like more and more! Let's hope we don't have to wait for another 13 years for their next album! Guy Sweens
Hamish's mate None gave it a 1:
hamish is wrong dont bye it it isnt good
Hamish McMillan gave it a 10:
this CD is really choice i recommends you all bye it
