Tangerine Dream

[Troopers For Sound]

Technically it would be Street Hawk as my first exposure to TD...although I didn't realise that they did the music until very recently. Logos was my first vinyl when I was about 15, followed closely by Zeit after having read Krautrock Sampler. Trying to reconcile those two records a mere 10 years apart in recording dates was quite a challenge. I now love both pretty much equally. In fact I put Logos on this week and found it to be totally exhilarating and beautifully written. Not heard anything beyond Logos yet...

[dropforge]

Oh, and for whatever its worth...the two ex-members I've enjoyed most are Johannes Schmoelling and Conrad Schnitzler. Was just spinning 'Conrad & Sohn' this morning, in fact. There was always something wonderfully irreverent and exciting about Schnitzler...even at his low points he was still interesting and unpredictable.

I am woefully unfamiliar with the bulk of Con's solo works. The last album of his I actually listened to was years ago. I can't remember the title. It was two long pieces, one entirely on piano, and the second a long suite of "bubbling" electronics. Do you know the album? And which of his do you recommend? I read about an archival release from '77 with Con and Steve Schroyder.

[Rogue Mail]

I was kind of aware of TD in the 70's when I was young, but could not really get my head round the albums back then.

I think the catalyst for me was watching Michael Mann's Thief.

From the late 70's, early 80's on I took much more of an interest in the band, and went back to the older stuff.

I do remember I got heavily into the band around the 80's/90's, and decided to try and be a completist, collect all their stuff...but even back the it was clear it was a difficult task.

I also didn't mind the remixes/re recordings...I was heavily in to the band at that time so pretty much anything was ok.

And this was also around the time the live gigs were starting to evolve to encompass all of the various era's of the bands output, rather than playing specific pieces of music.

I guess some could be unkind and equate it to the greatest hits/jukebox scenario...but I have to say some of the most enjoyable TD gigs in the UK over the last 15 years have been of this form, with newer pieces of music mixed in with older classics in one continuous piece (save for one interval maybe).

I actually have awesome minidisc recording from a TD gig from London around late 90's/early 2000's.

[Reginod]

A friend introduced me to TD in the late winter/early spring of 1988. I think Force Majeure was the first thing he played for me. I was immediately hooked. Probably that same weekend I went out trolling for rekkids and got Stratosfear and acquired several others not long afterward.

At this point I have more TD than I can count. I'm still picking up the more recent things (last ten years or so).

Also have tons of the solo stuff from Froese, Franke, Schmoelling, Haslinger, Baumann, Schulze, Jolliffe, Froese the younger, and even more truckloads of stuff from other EM artists that TD has influenced. I intend to keep feeding the jones until I am dead or otherwise incapacitated.

[GuitarGeek]

If memory serves, Phaedra was the first TD my friend played for me way way back when,circa 1975.I was well and truly hooked.

Saw TD in 1977 in NYC-Avery Fisher Hall.My two friends were tripping, i wasn't; in hindsight, if there was ever a concert to trip at, that was probably the one.

Ive got a copy of that show on the computer somewhere around here. Allison Steele was the MC. That 77 US tour must have really been something. I woud have liked to have seem during that period, or perhaps slightly earlier (say 74-76-ish). Actually, there were a lot of TD shows I wish I could have seen. Thanks goodness for bootlegs!

[bob_32_116]

For anyone interested, there will be an Edgar Froese/Tangerine Dream special this evening (Feb 1) on RTRfm from 7pm to 9pm local Perth time (1100 to 1300 GMT).

http://rtrfm.com.au/shows/ambientzone/

You can listen live online or listen to the podcast afterwards; podcast are available for about one month after the broadcast.

[battema]

I am woefully unfamiliar with the bulk of Con's solo works. The last album of his I actually listened to was years ago. I can't remember the title. It was two long pieces, one entirely on piano, and the second a long suite of "bubbling" electronics. Do you know the album? And which of his do you recommend? I read about an archival release from '77 with Con and Steve Schroyder.

Pretty sure you're describing Con Repetizione, from the mid/late-90's on the Art Gallery label. Schnitzler's piano work is very bizarre, but the synth piece on the opposite side is actually one of his most accessible-sounding works

With Schnitzler, there's almost zero overlap between his work and what TD did. Mostly, if he referenced anything it might be bits of Kluster.

The hard thing about Schnitzler is that he was constantly label-hopping and sadly, most labels willing to give him a go also didn't have lasting business plans. Art Gallery reissued a bunch of his cassette series under titles like Electronegativity, Charred Machinery and Blue Glow...but those are hard(er) to find now at low prices. Ditto for the Marginal Talent releases. CS used to sell CD-Rs of his work directly, but I'm pretty sure that's not happening anymore.

If you can find the original Con album (also re-released with extra tracks as Ballet Statique), that's one of his more 'known' titles. I think it was done in Peter Baumann's studio. The soundscapes are shorter and slightly less abstract but still quite interesting. My fave track of his 'Zug' is on there in edited form. (Edit) Here we go: http://www.amazon.com/Ballet-Statiqu...allet+statique

His earliest stuff is the color albums (Red/Rot, Blue/Blau, Silver, Gold, Yellow/Gelb, Green/Grun) and those are usually interesting, out-there electronic experiments. Bureau B has most of those, so they are in print. Definitely think more Subotnick than Schulze though!

[blusterbox studio]

Tangerine Dreams In The Beginning was one of my first box sets. I just gave it a spin the other day. It contained the first 5 albums on vinyl and a quite small booklet plus Green Desert which had been unreleased at the time. No postcards, coasters, scarves, marbles, tickets, posters or live material at all. Box Sets have really come a long way today. The original price tag of $27.95 is still inside the box. I checked Amazon and see people now trying to sell it used for $160 and up!

[Casey]

^ I got that one, too. It was perfect in that my first TD was Phaedra & these albums preceding it. (+/- Green Desert. It was otherwise unavailable)

[Nijinsky Hind]

Im pretty sure Phaedra and a few other great albums by tangerine dream were actually solo albums by Edgar... Under the name. Can anyone verify?

[Rarebird]

Im pretty sure Phaedra and a few other great albums by tangerine dream were actually solo albums by Edgar... Under the name. Can anyone verify?

I can't find anything about that. According to my books on Phaedra they were Froese, Franke and Baumann.

[dropforge]

Im pretty sure Phaedra and a few other great albums by tangerine dream were actually solo albums by Edgar... Under the name. Can anyone verify?

Phaedra's A-side is the title track by all three. The B-side consists of three tracks individually composed by each member (Froese/Franke/Baumann): "Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares," "Movements of a Visionary," "Sequent C."

And yes, a slew of recent albums released as Tangerine Dream are indeed Froese-only. In fact, Dave posted a list in the last couple pages over in the Edgar Froese thread.

[dropforge]

Pretty sure you're describing Con Repetizione, from the mid/late-90's on the Art Gallery label. Schnitzler's piano work is very bizarre, but the synth piece on the opposite side is actually one of his most accessible-sounding works

I recall the whole album's pretty smooth. It has a very "sequenced" feel to it. You're right, I was expecting some whack stuff to come into play, but when I heard it, I thought I was dubbed some other guy's album because the music was so "pleasant."

With Schnitzler, there's almost zero overlap between his work and what TD did. Mostly, if he referenced anything it might be bits of Kluster.

The hard thing about Schnitzler is that he was constantly label-hopping and sadly, most labels willing to give him a go also didn't have lasting business plans. Art Gallery reissued a bunch of his cassette series under titles like Electronegativity, Charred Machinery and Blue Glow...but those are hard(er) to find now at low prices. Ditto for the Marginal Talent releases. CS used to sell CD-Rs of his work directly, but I'm pretty sure that's not happening anymore.

If you can find the original Con album (also re-released with extra tracks as Ballet Statique), that's one of his more 'known' titles. I think it was done in Peter Baumann's studio. The soundscapes are shorter and slightly less abstract but still quite interesting. My fave track of his 'Zug' is on there in edited form. (Edit) Here we go: http://www.amazon.com/Ballet-Statiqu...allet+statique

His earliest stuff is the color albums (Red/Rot, Blue/Blau, Silver, Gold, Yellow/Gelb, Green/Grun) and those are usually interesting, out-there electronic experiments. Bureau B has most of those, so they are in print. Definitely think more Subotnick than Schulze though!

Cool, I'll check some of these out. Something tells me they aren't going to be under the "Daily Deal" at Amazon or anything.

[Rand Kelly]

Tangerine Dreams In The Beginning was one of my first box sets. I just gave it a spin the other day. It contained the first 5 albums on vinyl and a quite small booklet plus Green Desert which had been unreleased at the time. No postcards, coasters, scarves, marbles, tickets, posters or live material at all. Box Sets have really come a long way today. The original price tag of $27.95 is still inside the box. I checked Amazon and see people now trying to sell it used for $160 and up!

I bought In The Beginning... in 1987 and because of my turntable situation I haven't heard it in a long time. Green Desert was a gr8t surprise to be sure. We didn't even know they had done that and once again I have to ask why do recordings that are so good get shelved for decades? GD was to be released after Rubycon iirc. Was this box ever out on cd?

[strawberrybrick]

IIRC, Stratosfear, the Sorcerer soundtrack and Live album - there was a lot of buzz around that 77 tour, alas, I missed it. The next three, Cyclone, Force Majeure and Tangram were the glory days.

Picking up on the Schnitzler comment above, anything, I reply anything that Peter Baumann did at Paragon Studios (like the CON album) in the late 70s is worth a purchase.

[Rarebird]

Pretty sure you're describing Con Repetizione, from the mid/late-90's on the Art Gallery label. Schnitzler's piano work is very bizarre, but the synth piece on the opposite side is actually one of his most accessible-sounding works

With Schnitzler, there's almost zero overlap between his work and what TD did. Mostly, if he referenced anything it might be bits of Kluster.

The hard thing about Schnitzler is that he was constantly label-hopping and sadly, most labels willing to give him a go also didn't have lasting business plans. Art Gallery reissued a bunch of his cassette series under titles like Electronegativity, Charred Machinery and Blue Glow...but those are hard(er) to find now at low prices. Ditto for the Marginal Talent releases. CS used to sell CD-Rs of his work directly, but I'm pretty sure that's not happening anymore.

If you can find the original Con album (also re-released with extra tracks as Ballet Statique), that's one of his more 'known' titles. I think it was done in Peter Baumann's studio. The soundscapes are shorter and slightly less abstract but still quite interesting. My fave track of his 'Zug' is on there in edited form. (Edit) Here we go: http://www.amazon.com/Ballet-Statiqu...allet+statique

His earliest stuff is the color albums (Red/Rot, Blue/Blau, Silver, Gold, Yellow/Gelb, Green/Grun) and those are usually interesting, out-there electronic experiments. Bureau B has most of those, so they are in print. Definitely think more Subotnick than Schulze though!

Schnitzler was a member of Tangerine Dream on Electronic meditation, together with Klaus Schulze.

[Nijinsky Hind]

I can't find anything about that. According to my books on Phaedra they were Froese, Franke and Baumann.

You and Dropforge are both right... I dug around as to how I came up with that solo phaedra thing and it was his album PHAEDRA 2005 that threw me off. I stand corrected.

[GuitarGeek]

I bought In The Beginning... in 1987 and because of my turntable situation I haven't heard it in a long time. Green Desert was a gr8t surprise to be sure. We didn't even know they had done that and once again I have to ask why do recordings that are so good get shelved for decades? GD was to be released after Rubycon iirc. Was this box ever out on cd?

That assumes that Green Desert really is as old as they claim it was. I know a lot of people who believe the talk of Herr Franke and Herr Froese recording the album in 74 during one of Herr Baumann's absences from the band to be a total PR fabrication. If you listen to Green Desert it sounds NOTHING like what they were doing circa 73-74.

[GuitarGeek]

Schnitzler was a member of Tangerine Dream on Electronic meditation, together with Klaus Schulze.

And Jimmy Jackson and Thomas Keyserling.

[dropforge]

That assumes that Green Desert really is as old as they claim it was. I know a lot of people who believe the talk of Herr Franke and Herr Froese recording the album in 74 during one of Herr Baumann's absences from the band to be a total PR fabrication. If you listen to Green Desert it sounds NOTHING like what they were doing circa 73-74.

It also sounds nothing like what they were doing in the '80s. The side-length title suite obviously sounds closer to Stratosfear than Atem/Phaedra/Rubycon. Considering how Edgar liked to operate, he wasn't the type to make a hard detour and record something in a style he was exploring roughly 7-10 years earlier.

[GuitarGeek]

It also sounds nothing like what they were doing in the '80s. The side-length title suite obviously sounds closer to Stratosfear than Atem/Phaedra/Rubycon. Considering how Edgar liked to operate, he wasn't the type to make a hard detour and record something in a style he was exploring roughly 7-10 years earlier.

So why would TD be making an album that sounds more like Stratosfear than Atem or Phaedra in 73, which is when Green Desert is supposedly from?

And Edgar was also known to try to make a fast buck whenever possible. And recording a new record, then selling it as "something we actually 10 years ago" in an expensive boxset (well, initially anyway), fits in with that pattern.

[dropforge]

If Edgar really gave us Green Desert — fresh out the oven — in 1984/1985, then I have absolutely nothing to complain about, because I dig that album. Stylistically speaking, it really doesn't sound like something they would've done around the time they recorded Firestarter and Le Parc, though. Not Ed's style.

[Beebfader]

If Edgar really gave us Green Desert — fresh out the oven — in 1984/1985, then I have absolutely nothing to complain about, because I dig that album. Stylistically speaking, it really doesn't sound like something they would've done around the time they recorded Firestarter and Le Parc, though. Not Ed's style.

No, the idea was that they were doing something which they were trying pass off as vintage in order to shift copies of the boxed set. I agree with guitar Geek 100%. I was disgusted when I heard the album in the boxed set and sold it the same day. no doubt in my mind that green desert had never been anywhere near 1973, and it's as boring as hell.

[GuitarGeek]

If Edgar really gave us Green Desert — fresh out the oven — in 1984/1985, then I have absolutely nothing to complain about, because I dig that album. Stylistically speaking, it really doesn't sound like something they would've done around the time they recorded Firestarter and Le Parc, though. Not Ed's style.

Oh, I happen to like it myself. I'm just saying there are those who doubt the provenance given by Edgar and Chris about the album's origins.

[Rand Kelly]

Oh, I happen to like it myself. I'm just saying there are those who doubt the provenance given by Edgar and Chris about the album's origins.

I think it is as they said. I love it and it def. sounds like a precursor to Stratosfear to me. You guys think what you like but I don't believe any of what was told to us is false.