Can - Thief (Original Mix) With extra verse

From the compilation Electric Rock (1970), this is a longer 6 minute version of Thief with a different mix, an extra verse in the middle of the song and a slightly longer fade out.

Thief was originally recorded in September of 1969 for the soundtrack to the crime-comedy film Kuckucksei im Gangsternest (1969), directed by Franz-Josef Spiecker, and eventually made an appearance on a Can album on the Malcolm Mooney era archival release, Delay 1968 (1981), in a truncated version.

Delay 1968 had originally been intended to be The Can's first album called Prepare to Meet Thy Pnoom, but was shelved and Monster Movie was released as their first album instead.

The lineup of Can at the time Thief was recorded consisted of Malcolm Mooney (vocals), MIchael Karoli (guitar), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Holger Czukay (bass) and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). In this mix it is easy to hear somone is playing Cello also.

It has been said that the lyrics for Thief were inspired by a conversation Malcolm Mooney had with his friend Zim, who suggested he was on the wrong path in life. Malcolm was going through some heavy times and after a couple more months with Can, left Germany to head back to his home in the US, the vocalist spot eventually being filled by Damo Suzuki a few months later.