Kraftwerk has released this neat box called The Catalogue containing 8 of their albums from 1973 to 2003. All albums are digitally remastered, with most of the cover art redesigned, including rare photographs in the liner notes that were not part of each album's original release. For real fans the box is also released in a german version called Der Katalog.

"We've been digitally transferring all of Kraftwerk's original recordings and sound sources from our badly degrading master tapes while our engineers, Fritz and Henning, have been working in parallel to remaster our early albums for re-release. So for the first time, our recordings will be available in crisp, clear Kling Klang sound with all the fold-out covers and images our label at the time either messed up or wouldn't pay for. There will be some alternate mixes of tracks and some unedited versions, but unfortunately we don't have much unreleased material. We never recorded extra songs or twenty different versions of the same song. We would complete a song and then move forward, always keeping very focused on one Kling Klang project at a time." Ralf Hütter

The box includes these albums:

Autobahn' (1974), Radio-Activity' (1975), Trans Europe Express' (1977), The Man Machine' (1978), Computer World' (1981), Techno Pop' (1986), The Mix' (1991), Tour De France' (2003)

Its a bit strange though that Kraftwerk doesn't release their first three albums in this box. I guess they try to cover for and leave out their horrible past with Pink Floyd wannabe sound and hippie looks.

A good christmas present you say? Hmm, maybe not. British music magazine Uncut gave a not too promising review of it:

"Sadly, the remaster is a fiasco. The soft tones of “Computer Love” become sharp, the wide spaces of “Home Computer” contract into tunnels, and “Pocket Calculator” bears down on us like a spiked ceiling in a horror film. Equally poor is the remastered Radio-Activity, where atmospheric crackles and hisses have been removed by noise reduction software. For pity’s sake, they’re part of the music! Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express, and The Man-Machine have less sound-quality issues but are all inferior to the original EMI CDs. Anyone planning to buy the 8 CD The Catalogue would be well-advised to sample an individual remaster first."