Manfred Wieczorke - Transfer. 1987 Germany

When I saw this rather obscure CD come across the wire, I was most intrigued. I hadn't realized Manfred Wieczorke had any solo albums, and given that his work with Eloy and Jane in the 70s was exemplary, I was most curious what this would be like, so I snapped it up. Looking at the cover, it was apparent this would be of the electronic music variety. And indeed that is exactly what it is. Of course, anything from 1987 comes with the hazard of thin sounding digital tones. And while there is certainly some of that here, in particular the opener and closer, I think many will be surprised at the quality put forth. There's some nice sequencer work, most notably on 'Qued', but I wouldn't necessarily categorize the album as from the Berlin School. The compositions are well thought out, with plenty of variety, and an eye on melody. Not a classic of the genre by a long shot, but certainly no better or worse than what Klaus Schulze was releasing in the mid to late 80s.

Personal collection
CD: 1987 In-Akustik

Last listen: August 25, 2016