I've been pleasantly surprised at my reaction to some of the post Underwater Sunlight albums. But... uh... no. This album is really cold and clinical. I've mentioned this before that I saw them live in concert to support Optical Race (1988 in Dallas). And the only parts of that concert that were yawn inducing came from this album, which they fortunately kept to a minimum. The rest was an homage to their 70s past, including Froese wailing on the guitar. None of that here! (Jul)
7/24/23 (review)
For Caravan's In the Land of Grey and Pink I wrote: "On the top bar of this site I show My Top 25 Most Important LPs and CDs. But what I don't show is my Top 25 Most Important
Albums, which is a bit different if you follow the theme of the above. In the Land of Grey and Pink would be one of them if I did."
And with that premise, Rubycon is likely to be number one of the entire lot. I haven't crafted that list because I don't think I can. The physical importance of the time and place of owning a particular LP or CD is easier than grasping the importance of the music minus that element. My story of acquiring Rubycon for the first time is typical. I bought the US commodity Virgin LP pressing new at Sound Warehouse in Dallas sometime in late 1982, not long after acquiring Exit. I go into great detail with the beginning of my Tangerine Dream journey on that album's entry. I played Rubycon in my room while watching a football game or fiddling with something else. Over and over - and over - and over. The music was penetrating my mind. It became my favorite album to go to sleep to. I was a senior in high school, and this is where my independence streak was really beginning to form. I always had one, but it was suppressed. Hard to believe now, but I even took a turn at being a popular kid only one year earlier. It felt good to be accepted, to be one of the cool kids after years of being kicked to the sidelines by those same people. But it was hollow, mindless stupidity. I liked the pretty girls that invariably find themselves in these situations, but little else. Especially the music. Rubycon was the album that was reflecting back to me who I really was. I had more to offer than being popular. What exactly? I had no idea then, but this album captured my imagination wildly and I made all sorts of fantastical movies in my mind.
---7/3/01
(At the record store) I was going to pick up the most "interesting looking" LP of theirs. It would be the album that would change the way I listened to music forever. To this day, I consider it one of the finest masterpieces ever committed to tape. That day I brought home Rubycon and things would never quite be the same for me. Rubycon is a journey into the vast unknown, on a boat floating down a river, early morning sunlight, birds flying overhead. An undiscovered cave deep in the Amazon. Within is a gothic stalactite cathedral where mystical spirits reside (represented by choral mellotron). Flashes of bright lights, river rapids send me quickly (fast sequencer run). I see glimpses of all the world's secrets. I eventually float out of the cave a changed man unsure of what I had just seen. At least that was one of my favorite stories I would put to the music as I meditated each night to the album only to be rudely interrupted by the click, click, click that alerted me to flip over the record (oh, is this music perfect for CD or what?). Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was listening to an album that is considered by many one of the finest moog, sequencer, and mellotron albums ever. It is a very powerful album. One of the greatest dynamic atmospheric pieces to ever be recorded. I will say that it took many weeks of listening to be truly moved by Rubycon. It is not an easy album to warm up to if one is unfamiliar with electronic/ambient music (which would've been my case at that time). Suddenly I wasn't an ordinary high school weenie anymore.
---1/8/24
I wasn't really yet keen on opening up myself so much 22 years ago, and yet I somehow did anyway. Today we live in an online world and expression of emotions is accepted (for better or worse). On last night's listen, I was transported back to being a 17 year old young man. I had new stories that the music brought out of me - ones that would be more relevant for a 59 year veteran of this world, and who has been truly blessed up to this point. I don't think I have closed my eyes and listened to Rubycon in this manner since that Gnosis review. And I thought my whole body was going to explode - emotions I haven't felt in years came out to the fore. I wanted to give the album a +1, +2, +3. But I can't do that. It's already a Gnosis 15. Nowhere to go. When I find myself close to death (hate to think about these things but it's reality), I should hear this album again. I wonder how it will go.
Ownership:
1982 Virgin Japan (LP). Gatefold with obi.
2019 Virgin (CD). In Search of Hades box. There is a 15 minute additional (or alternate) sequence included that I will revisit the next time I open the box.
12//82 (USA Virgin LP acquired); 7/3/01 (Gnosis); 4/12/20; 11/25/23 (update)
As you may have noted, in the last couple of years I've completely immersed myself in early 1980s Tangerine Dream, largely propelled by the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set, but other sources as well ("bootleg" sets / boxes, etc...). One album from that era I haven't spoke about is Poland. As told on the other entries, by 1984 I was a complete fanatic for all things Tangerine Dream, and I purchased the LP on the spot, no questions asked. Much was made at the time of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze having the ability to perform inside the Iron Curtain. And each left us a double LP document of their adventures in Poland. My interest level in this era of T. Dream was beginning to wane though. The music was starting to run together and the improvisational aspect of the band was gone completely. So over time I eventually parted with Poland, though I did keep Schulze's output which I own to this day.
A little over 10 years ago, Cherry Red's "Krautrock" label Reactive reissued the same album with full historical documentation. It had been at least 20 years since I last heard it - or probably anything from that era of Tangerine Dream to be honest - and so it sounded fresh to my ears. Now a decade later from that incident and I'm back to my early college self in terms of having a full Tangerine Dream musical perspective. And yes, one can hear many familiar and recurring themes throughout these discs. Musically it's fairly repetitive of what they had been up to since 1981 / 82, and there's a bit of "going through the motions". The liner notes explain the immense difficulty in performing these concerts, so it's all understandable. From an historical perspective one has to admire the sheer will it took to pioneer a path many would take later. From a musical perspective, this album doesn't offer too much in terms of original creativity with 'Horizon' providing the most contrast. Schulze did much better on this front. No matter, given my own personal history with the era and Eastern Europe (only a few years later), this one will continue to have a space on the shelf.
Ownership:
1984 Jive Electro UK (2xLP) Gatefold. Bought it again, why not?
2011 Reactive (2xCD) Historical liner notes.
1984 (LP first acquired); 5/11/12 (CD acquired); 9/8/23 (review)
Green Desert (1973 / 1986)
When Green Desert came out, it was an exciting revelation. A full archival album of Tangerine Dream promising a return to the psychedelic roots of Electronic Meditation and Ultima Thule, a sound I had become obsessed with by 1986. And that's true to a certain extent. The title track definitely passes for 1973, and it's great to hear Froese jamming on the electric guitar while Franke is back behind the drum kit. I'm sure this track has been embellished, but for the most part, it's the sound of underground Tangerine Dream before the sequencers took over. The other side sounds like White Eagle. There's nothing 70s about it. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's curious the way they presented the album. I enjoy it throughout, but it would have been so much better had they dug up another psychedelic piece for side 2.
As for the CD read the Pink Floyd - Meddle post. OK, truth be told, I bought this the same day as that CD. So arguably this was first as well. I was pretty motivated to get this one on CD instead of the LP (which I never did bother to get, and probably never will). I think at 35 years of ownership, we can safely assume it will go the distance with me. The CD itself offers nothing else, not even what a CD is and how to play and care for it. lol. Interesting to note, that for all my efforts and cash to buy that CD player, I remained mostly an LP-only guy until about 1991 / 92. CDs were just too expensive to sustain, and even used CDs cost more than new LPs. But eventually I got my money's worth, and that old warhorse lasted until 2002.
Ownership: 1986 Relativity Theory (CD)
7//86 (acquired); 8/28/21 (review)
Hyperborea was the second "new" studio album from Tangerine Dream to be released after my first discovering of the group and buying up their back catalog. By this time I had entered college, and without a doubt, Tangerine Dream would be the band I proudly stated were my "favorite". Just as White Eagle was received warmly upon initial impact, so was Hyperborea. Perhaps even a bit better in my mind at the time. It seemed a bit more adventurous, though unlike anything else in their catalog. Objectively speaking, I would still make those claims. Subjectively, the album hasn't moved upward like White Eagle has. Some of that can be chalked up to the time and place. But honestly the music is getting colder and more mechanical by each release. They certainly hadn't yet gone on auto pilot, but that was to come a mere two years later. The clues were here already. No question that I would still recommend the album on its own, but I would acquire everything in front of it first.
As for the bonus tracks on the CD, they are taken from the Risky Business soundtrack. This movie was released during the late summer of 1983 right before I was to enter college. It's one of those "my generation" movies, though in retrospect, it's pretty dumb. I still like it. But for me, what was even cooler, is that Tangerine Dream's music was all over it. And at the best times during the movie. Some of the music is taken from Force Majeure and Exit, while just that much more is original material of a similar nature to Tangram / Thief. With this, and Nicolas Cage wearing a Tangerine Dream T-Shirt in Valley Girl, it felt like a form of acceptance. Old times.
Ownership:
1983 Virgin (LP)
2020 Virgin (CD). Part of the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set.
10//83; 1/22/21 (review)
Logos (1982)Logos represents for me the best album of the post Baumann years. Whereas Exit and Thief were soundtracks to my late high school years, Logos became the background music for my early college days of 1983 and 84. In looking at Discogs, the album had already been out some 10 months before I acquired it, as its distribution back then was pretty light in the area I lived in. Musically it's unlike the other albums of the era. I'm not reminded of Tangram, Exit, Thief, or White Eagle while listening, though clearly it's well within their 80s style and instrumentation. That is to say there's no mistaking Logos as a throwback to the Stratosfear era. I find the music highly melodic and the sequences very inventive. There's an innocence surrounding Logos, a feeling one doesn't usually walk away with when talking Tangerine Dream. Logos stands tall within TD's discography, and is the one post 70s album (IMO of course) that challenges their best work from their formative decade.
Ownership:
1982 Virgin Germany (LP)
2020 Virgin (CD). Part of the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set. There are no bonus tracks for the album proper, but the entire concert is also in the box on two discs.
9/4/83 (acquired); 7/3/01; 9/18/19; 1/8/21 (review)
Tangram (1980)If I were to review my personal history with Tangerine Dream, and all the albums acquired between 1970 and 1983, Tangram would be the most neglected. Even though it was the studio album prior to Exit (where I started the journey), I ended up picking this one up almost last in that bunch (Alpha Centauri and Atem were the last two). And a used copy at that, when all others were new. In the 90s when I went on a commodity LP replacement program, Tangram was also last. No idea why, since it was the LP in the least great condition. Unlike the first three albums I've covered from this box set - namely White Eagle, Exit, and Thief - I have no personal soundtrack history with Tangram. It was "just another" Tangerine Dream album to me.
The odd thing about the opening paragraph is that I hold - and have always held - Tangram in very high esteem. This of course is the album where Johannes Schmoelling entered stage left. His contribution to the band cannot be understated. He had classical training that brought both a discipline and a keen sense of melody to Tangerine Dream. Right from the opening bouncy synth notes onto the beautiful piano segment, Tangram was clearly a departure from the past. Elements of Force Majeure remained, but mostly Tangerine Dream was busy defining their role for the 1980s. Highlights include a devastating fiery guitar and sequencer mix on Side 1. And on Side 2, there are what I consider *two* of the finest sequences of Tangerine Dream's entire recorded career. Now that's quite a bold statement right there. It's a nonstop ride of goodness. Tangram is one of the few Tangerine Dream albums I can evaluate objectively, and I certainly consider it in the first division of their first 16 years of existence. It's really too bad that Froese put away the guitar after this (and the subsequent Thief). He was cooking with gas at this point in his career.
Ownership:
1980 Virgin UK (LP). Printed insert.
2020 Virgin (CD). Part of the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set.
9//84 (acquired); 1/5/21 (review)
Thief (1981)
As noted in the Exit review, Thief was actually the first Tangerine Dream I'd ever heard. The album was being played in the background of a pickup football game (?!) while I was still a junior in high school (late 1981). And, as it turns out, it was also one of the earliest Tangerine Dream albums for me to purchase. And I've owned a physical copy ever since. Unlike most Tangerine Dream albums, Thief is one I haven't heard since I did a retrospective for Gnosis some 19 years ago. And like most of these early 80s albums from TD, Thief represents a personal soundtrack - a nostalgic remembrance of an exciting exploratory time for me, especially regarding music.
While absorbing Thief this go round, the first thing I noticed is just how much guitar is present, an instrument largely missing from Exit and beyond. 'Dr. Destructo' packs a wallop whereas 'Diamond Diary' is Tangerine Dream at their sequencer best. This was by far the most direct Tangerine Dream album released to date. Like Exit, this is an album that has moved into the excellent rating category over the years. Whether that's due to personal experience or a warm objective evaluation, I cannot say. But my life is intrinsically linked to this album.
The US LP pressing contains one different track performed by a different artist ('Confrontation'). The box set, naturally enough, left this piece off since it wasn't by Tangerine Dream.
The French LP also has a unique track called 'Metascore'.
The bonus track on the CD is a slightly extended version of 'Dr. Destructo', so nothing to really get excited about.
Ownership:
1981 Elektra (LP)
1981 Virgin France (LP)
2020 Virgin (CD) Part of the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set.
1983 (acquired); 12/30/20 (review); 4/17/22 (update)
White Eagle (1982)
If Exit was my first discovery, and Rubycon was the epiphany, then White Eagle was Tangerine Dream's first new album after I had become a committed fan. I was satisfied with it - but my bar would have been pretty low at that point for anything T. Dream. It didn't take a palm reader to see this was the direction the band were headed. More beats, more melody, more early 80s. Since that day, I've always maintained a physical copy of the album, even though it remained in the 4th quadrant of their releases (pardon my Gartner reference). Over the years, I find myself warming more and more to it. It's probably nostalgia for the end-of-high-school years and all that surrounded that experience: The discovery of new things, the future was bright, and the time was exciting. And while White Eagle was never one of my personal soundtracks, every time I hear it, images of my past from that era flash by. 'Mojave Plan' moves through multiple segments with ease, and 'Convention of the 24' ups the ante on sophisticated sequencing while providing a haunting atmosphere. In reflection, it's the melodies that win the day. Not sure White Eagle will ever crawl past most of the albums released prior to it, but it continues to gain respect in my world anyway.
There are six bonus tracks on the CD. The first four come from an EP entitled Das Mädchen auf der Treppe. I owned this vinyl back in the day (I bought everything T Dream that I could find). The music is very similar to White Eagle and no less satisfying. The other two tracks (new to me) 'Daydream' / 'Moorland' were separately released as a single, and no surprise, is also similar to White Eagle.
I'll use this entry for my discussion on the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set. Of course it is the sequel to In Search of Hades, a release that I consider the single best CD set in my entire collection. Pilots of Purple Twilight is likely to be second. With each box set, I didn't necessarily start where expected. With In Search of Hades, I first listened to Cyclone. And with Pilots of Purple Twilight it was, ta dah, White Eagle. From a sound perspective, when I first heard Cyclone, I about melted - it was so much better than any other version I'd heard. With White Eagle, I don't think there is much room for improvement, as by the early 80s Tangerine Dream were already state of the art. I expect that will be a consistent theme throughout listening to Pilots of Purple Twilight. All the same, there are copious amounts of unreleased and hard to find (or assemble might be the more accurate term) bonus tracks. This coupled with - once again - an incredible hardbound book chock full of data, makes this box set indispensable. Unlike In Search of Hades, finding Pilots of Purple Twilight on Day 1 of release, proved to be easy.
Ownership:
1982 Virgin UK (LP)
2020 Virgin (CD). Part of the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set.
1983 (acquired); 12/12/20 (review)
Force Majeure (1979)
Like all Tangerine Dream albums, Force Majeure was yet another discovery during my high school years of the early 80s. This is the album I play for folks who state they don't like Tangerine Dream - or electronic music in general. The title track and 'Cloudburst Flight' gives us a window into what Tangerine Dream would have sounded like had they chosen progressive rock as a genre to go forward with. Relatively conventional instrumental compositions, with electric guitar and real drums. The track that traditional TD fans gravitate toward is the closer 'Thru Metamorphic Rocks'. I'm not as keen on this one myself. The premise is excellent, but it's rather monotonous after some minutes of the same thing.
The bonus track on the CD is 'Chimes and Chains', originally released on the '70 to '80 box set.
Ownership:
1979 Virgin UK (LP). Clear vinyl version
2019 Virgin (CD). Part of the In Search of Hades box set.
1983 (acquired); 7/3/01 (review); 4/19/20 (update)
Encore (1977)
I have a long history with this album, as I do with all the pre-1987 T. Dream works. Books have been written about these albums, and their original source, so I won't add much to that. The versions here of 'Cherokee Lane' and 'Monolight' are generally considered the prototypes for what they played on tour back then. Later archival live releases bear that out. And honestly, they represent the least interesting and predictable material here (though still great I must say). 'Coldwater Canyon' is the "Edgar Froese goes wild on the guitar piece", though it's rather tame compared to some of the Electronic Meditation styled tracks that have since been released from this time frame. And 'Desert Dream' is their more mellow drift-off track. This sadly would be the end of the Baumann era, and every album that came from this trio was brilliant. Every damn one of them.
As for the bonus tracks on the CD, one doesn't usually think of Tangerine Dream as a singles band, but they had their fair share of 45's, including the great 'Ultima Thule' work from their early days. Anyway, 'Encore' is a nice little ditty, typical of the less serious side of the band. 'Hobo March' later found itself on Edgar Froese's Ages album (with a different title), which came as a surprise to me.
Ownership:
1977 Virgin USA (2xLP). Gatefold.
2019 Virgin (CD). Part of the In Search of Hades box set.
1983 (acquired); 4/16/20 (review)
Exit (1981)Exit was the Entrance for me. While still in high school in 1981, I was first introduced to Tangerine Dream by a band mate. Exit was the newest album at the time, and off I went to purchase the LP. The music was very foreign to me back then, and I flipped that record over hundreds of times to let it penetrate. Something I think we all probably should do more today, but who has the time? The haunting narration of 'Kiew Mission'; the choppy synthesizers on 'Pilots of Purple Twilights'; the pounding 'Choronzon' (my initial favorite from the album); and finally the moody and ultimately most representative Tangerine Dream track for the era: 'Remote Viewing' (my current favorite). I'm probably the world's biggest fan of Exit, an album not highly revered by fans of the group. But it's inescapable for me, given my history with both the band and this album. The next Tangerine Dream album I bought? Rubycon. My world would never be the same again. And here we are some 37 years later. Yea you're damn right Exit was important to my musical appreciation development!
I just remembered that I'd written a review of Exit for Gnosis way back in the summer of 2001 (has it really been 18 years? A lifetime ago). As you can see, a lot of overlap, but perhaps more detailed:
---7/3/21
It was 1981, the Fall semester of my junior year in high school. We were about to start playing a pickup football game when I heard from the car cassette a very interesting music. The owner, who I played in jazz band with, said
"Oh, that's Tangerine Dream. Pretty weird stuff, eh? I'm just starting to get into them." He was playing the soundtrack to Thief. Curious, the next day I headed over to my local Sound Warehouse and discovered a band with many, MANY titles. Where do I start? Logic dictated I started with the latest release (at least of the ones they had). And $5.99 later I was home with Exit.
Exit proved to be difficult listening at first as I wasn't used to this sort of atmospheric music. Like most people, the music that I had heard was much more "in-yer-face". Even bands like ELP and Yes are that way. Tangerine Dream is a different kind of listening experience. So naturally on the first few listens, upbeat tracks like 'Choronzon', 'Pilots of Purple Twilight', and 'Network 23' had the most impact. 'Choronzon' was even being used as background for a local newscast's advertisement! But it was the longer, curious compositions such as 'Kiew Mission' with it's heavily accented Russian female narration (2019 edit: performed by an unknown German actress) with bizarre electronics - and 'Remote Viewing' which included odd melodies and sequencers that ended up being the kind of music I wanted to explore further. And time was something I had. There was no cable television and no internet - and certainly no money. So when an album was purchased it was pretty much guaranteed quite a few spins on the turntable, especially something new like Tangerine Dream!
1981 Elektra (LP)
2020 Virgin (CD). Part of the Pilots of Purple Twilight box set.
10//82 (acquired); 7/3/01 (review); 7/21/19 (update)
Cyclone (1978)
Probably the most misunderstood of the 70s Tangerine Dream albums. On RYM, it is the lowest ranking album from Alpha Centauri through Poland, before it tops Le Parc (incidentally I consider Electronic Meditation to be a complete Krautrock masterpiece, but it certainly makes sense it rates low, especially among more traditional Tangerine Dream fans).
And why is that? Well, the vocals of course. Steve Jolliffe was not a new walk-on to the band. His association with Edgar Froese goes all the way back to 1969, before Franke, Baumann, and the rest of them. He's an Englishman, so it isn't a foreign accent issue. Truth is, and I agree with this too, they aren't the best vocals in the world. Anyone who has a taste for Krautrock, will already know that vocals aren't the ace in the hole for the movement. Once your ears have adjusted to it, Jolliffe isn't any worse than the others.
With that out of the way, let's discuss the reality here. Only Side 1 has vocals, and they do not dominate either song. It's just an anomaly that's all. But what Jolliffe does bring to the table, in addition to the expected raftful of keyboards, is a set of woodwinds. The flute in particular is an instrument that is much welcomed for the music of Tangerine Dream. I wish they had always employed one. Perhaps they should have asked Stephen Kaske (Mythos) to join permanently (though they'd
really need him not to sing.).
Part 2 of this lineup is the addition of drummer Klaus Kruger. He was an active part of Froese's world in 1978 and 1979, before going solo in the Harald Grosskopf tradition. His drumming is absolutely perfect for music such as this, adding an urgency to the blazing sequencers.
As for the music, most of it is a continuation as to what they were performing on Stratosfear and Encore. Not a radical departure at all. And of course even detractors of the album will admit 'Madrigal Meridian' is one of Tangerine Dream's all-time classics. And at 20 minutes that should be enough alone - much less the great music on the first side. It's really a tragedy this lineup only lasted one album. Excellent.
There are two bonus tracks on the CD, both from the '70-'80 compilation. These are Peter Baumann and Edgar Froese solo tracks, and were only ever released on that album prior to this box set.
Ownership:
1978 Virgin UK (LP). Gatefold
2019 Virgin. Part of the In Search of Hades box set.
In Search of Hades will have its own feature. But I must say this is by far and away the best version of this album I've heard.
1983 (acquired); 5/9/19 (review)
---
Other albums I own from this era and need to review: Zeit; Atem; Phaedra; Ricochet; Stratosfear; Sorcerer; Pergamon; Le Parc; Underwater Sunlight
Others I once owned: Wavelength; Firestarter; Tyger; Livemiles
5/9/19 (new entry)
