Lucia Hwong - Secret Luminescence. 1987 Private (LP). 25 cent find from Independent (Nov). I haven't yet run into any of Peter Baumann's Private label. Same deal, very easy to find as a couch surfer, not so much in the wilds. Unfortunately this is pretty typical New Age music for the era. I'm finding at this point of my life a certain acceptance of the style, but not this variation. Way too pre-packaged for my liking. Same production values as the Haycock. I admit to falling asleep last night almost immediately on each side. Took another scan this morning, but there's just not enough here to make the grade. And the melodies are a bit too much "Asian standard", and seems superficial. How about that cover though? With that title, and her photo, I'm sure it was male fantasy overload for many buyers...
*David Parsons - Himalaya. 1989 Fortuna (CD). Thrift shop find (Nov). Himalaya was really popular with electronic fans when this came out. Audion magazine sung its praises as did other like minded outlets (Eurock also comes to mind). I know of at least one electronic fan who holds this album in the highest esteem. You really have to be in the mood for something like this, but apparently I was. Very soothing and deep ambient. Certainly has Indian / Nepalese undertones as to be expected.
*Tangerine Dream - 220 Volt Live. 1993 Miramar (CD). Thrift shop find (Oct). My attitude towards post Virgin Tangerine Dream has completely reversed in the last year. I'm thinking the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set really set my nostalgia meter to the red zone for this era (and future eras) of the band. And while I have no intention of "loading up", I will certainly not turn a blind eye to any CD or LP I find that I either long gave up on, or most likely, never heard. I saw Tangerine Dream live in 1988 (in Dallas), and contrary to their studio material at the time, the concert was mostly based on their 70s and early 80s work. It was a brilliant show. 220 Volt Live is mostly a spirited set, with raging sequencers (though I don't think they were still lugging around the Modular Moog) and most importantly, Froese wailing on the guitar. I had no idea he was still doing that by 1993! There's a couple of Kenny G styled smooth jazz songs with sax that can easily be skipped over, but mostly this CD came as a big pleasant surprise for me.
Enigma - Le Roi est Mort, Vive le Roi! 1996 Virgin (MC). Thrift shop find (Aug). When Enigma burst onto the scene in 1990 with MCMXC a.D., it was a new exciting sound. A mix of Gregorian Chants, electronica, and... sex. I was always intrigued by that album, and eventually picked up the CD. My wife has always enjoyed it as well. Upon release, I had a chance to hear their follow-up The Cross of Changes, but it wasn't too much to my liking, and that was really the end of my exploration of Enigma. I wasn't sure what to expect here, but Le Roi est Mort, Vive le Roi! doesn't take any chances. One can tell they are looking to recreate the magic of the debut. But that idea was good for one album, and the lack of progression here is obvious. It's not a bad album, but very boring without quality songwriting or melodies. It fails to capture the imagination as the debut did. Going through the motions here. Average on the whole.
Michael Stearns - Chronos. 1985 Sonic Atmospheres (LP). With the below two (Aug). Time to calm the nerves before bed. When I think of Stearns, I go right to the 80s and the Hearts of Space label. But his roots are in the 70s. On the back cover you will see Stearns playing the Serge Modular - and it looks all the world like a 70s photo. With that, one would think this to be a Berlin School extravaganza, with thick wedgy analog sequences. It's nothing of the sort of course. This is music for the IMAX theater, and that's the one place where I'm sure it sounds great. As for late night listening, it's best you don't lean too far on the couch, for sleepytime awaits you. Wide open spacious music is what Chronos brings. Other than B1 that generates some rhythm, most of this belongs to the ambient genre. I oftentimes struggle to discern what is good ambient from boring ambient, but I'll split the difference on this one.
Francois Breant - Sons Optiques. 1978 Egg (LP). Collection revisit (Aug). When I started going to import stores in the 80s, Breant's debut was readily found in a new state. I never did buy the album back then, uncertain it was the kind of underground electronic / prog I was looking for. The cover was hardly inspiring. About seven years ago, a cheap copy came up online, and I nabbed it (2014). The album is almost as I would have imagined it to be, had I not heard it. It's like a compilation of the Egg label at that time: A little Patrick Vian, some Ose, a bit of Michel Magne, some more of Tim Blake and Alain Markusfeld. It's not an electronic album per se, but it's of the ilk. There's some prog movements too. Overall it seems a bit underdeveloped. I liked it enough to keep on initial impact, but this one doesn't have staying power.
*Tangerine Dream - The Keep. 2020 Virgin (Pilots of Purple Twilight box set). This is the final CD in the box set. I'm going to stick it in here verse a feature (Mar). For many hardcore fans, this lost album was a primary driver in obtaining the box set in the first place. That wouldn't be me, as I didn't even know about it. It's definitely better than The Soldier (also in the box), but compared to their earlier soundtrack works such as Sorcerer and Thief, it's not quite as impactful. Like Thief, The Keep (1983) is another Michael Mann flick, and according to some of the movie reviews I could find, the music overrode the dialog. Maybe a good thing? Musically it sounds more like a Edgar Froese solo album than a Tangerine Dream collective effort. In particular Pinnacles comes to mind here. So yes, very good on the whole, works well as "bonus" material, but I wouldn't move mountains to get it myself. This concludes the Pilots of Purple Twilight listening regimen. Overall, just a super package. Not quite at the level of In Search of Hades (what is?), which had more unreleased material to work with - but certainly as fine a CD set as I have anywhere else in the collection.
---2020
*Gershon Kingsley - Music to Moog By. 1969 Audio Fidelity (LP). Now wasn't this a surprise? I've never seen it before until curating through RT's collection (Nov). As a rule, I usually look up "Moog" albums at the thrifts, as every once in a while they have some worth. I figured this would find itself to our dollar bin, just like most albums such as this. I mean Gershon Kingsley and Music to Moog By do not instill confidence that this is a major score. First thing I noticed is it had significant value. A quick sample to check the condition convinced me to add to the listening box. And that listen happened last night. The music is a mix of covers and originals, and it's a full band effort. The music is strikingly ahead of its time, and there are moments when you wouldn't be wrong in hearing some Krautrock styled sounds. If only there was more psychedelic guitar (there's a little bit), and less covers, then this would have been a monster album. The recording is incredible! The cover tracks are much better than you would initially think, and are highly original. This one is certainly unique.
* - Keeping for the collection
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