Essential Tangerine Dream & related - what else do I need?

[helicase]

I am guessing Cygnus is interested in physical media based on the collection they shared, so I didn't include some of the digital-only stuff (like TQ's really excellent Behind Closed Doors series from the pandemic). Of course, if I'm wrong? Those are great suggestions as well

The Behind Closed Doors Sessions may be digital only, but most of the other sessions are available on CD as well:
https://thorstenquaeschning.bandcamp.com/merch

[Mr.Krautman]

You should definitely check what I consider the best modern T.D reincarnation: the british band NODE ( 4 CD's)

And further back in time, the spanish NEURONIUM (Digital Dream, The Visitor, and Chromium Echoes are their best)

And the first two ROBERT SCHRÖDER (SCHROEDER) are essential too. (Harmonic Ascendent and Floating Music)

[dropforge]

It has a penalty disc.

[dropforge]

Any suggestions of what else is essential that I don't already have here? (I wanted the two massive box sets but missed out on them )

Johannes Schmoelling's discography, 1987-2023 (and counting)!

(If you can get only five, those are in bold. John Battema will likely swap one for White Out, which is A-OK.)

Wuivend Reit
The Zoo of Tranquillity
White Out
Songs No Words (Lieder Ohne Worte)
Recycle or Die
Instant City
Early Beginnings (music recorded circa '80-'86!!!)
A Thousand Times
Time and Tide
A Thousand Times Part 2
Diary of a Common Thread
21 (collab pieces)
Iter Meum


You should still be able to find Kyoto, released under the TD banner, but is by Edgar Froese & Johannes Schmoelling.

[Cygnus74]

Thanks everyone. Some great suggestions in here. I did grab the Behind Closed Doors sessions that were done with Markus Reuter and loved those! In fact the first one was in my top 5 releases that year.

Have heard Iter Meum by Johannes Schmoelling and really enjoyed that too.

I've just ordered Romance 76 by Peter Baumann as I've been enjoying that digitally (actually inspired me to compose a new song today).

Cheers guys!

[David_D]

I can say though in general that if I want to find the essential albums by any artists, I use to look at their ratings on RateYourMusic and ProgArchives.

[battema]

Thanks everyone. Some great suggestions in here. I did grab the Behind Closed Doors sessions that were done with Markus Reuter and loved those! In fact the first one was in my top 5 releases that year.

Have heard Iter Meum by Johannes Schmoelling and really enjoyed that too.

Cheers guys!

Cool! One that I kind of dug from Behind Closed Doors was the one he did with Harald Grosskopf.

The latest Baumann "Machines of Desire" was actually pretty darn good too.

So here are two that I like, but in full transparency aren't universally essential or adored by the fanbase:

Loom - a recent trio with Schmoelling, Jerome Froese and Robert Waters. It isn't like 80's TD but if you like Iter Metum you may enjoy some of this.
Neuland - recent duo with Baumann and Paul Haslinger. Very ambient, although I think Baumann's unique melodic sense surfaces a fair bit. If you give Machines of Desire a chance and like it, you might enjoy some of this.

[battema]

Johannes Schmoelling's discography, 1987-2023 (and counting)!

(If you can get only five, those are in bold. John Battema will likely swap one for White Out, which is A-OK.)

Wuivend Reit
The Zoo of Tranquillity
White Out
Songs No Words (Lieder Ohne Worte)
Recycle or Die
Instant City
Early Beginnings (music recorded circa '80-'86!!!)
A Thousand Times
Time and Tide
A Thousand Times Part 2
Diary of a Common Thread
21 (collab pieces)
Iter Meum


You should still be able to find Kyoto, released under the TD banner, but is by Edgar Froese & Johannes Schmoelling.

OMG YOU LEFT OUT WHITE OUT DIVIDE BY ZERO DOES NOT COMPUTE REBOOTING



You're right, I'd swap White Out with Diary but otherwise that's a pretty excellent subset

[battema]

(actually inspired me to compose a new song today)

Very awesome, dude! Still enjoying Inner Cosmos

[dropforge]

Have heard Iter Meum by Johannes Schmoelling and really enjoyed that too.

Groo-vay! Check out Early Beginnings. They go well together.

[dropforge]

The latest Baumann "Machines of Desire" was actually pretty darn good too.

Yeah, I consider that essential, too.

Loom - a recent trio with Schmoelling, Jerome Froese and Robert Waters. It isn't like 80's TD but if you like Iter Metum you may enjoy some of this.

The new album by S.A.W. (Schmoelling, Ader, Waters), Hydragate, is positively fantastic.

[dropforge]

OMG YOU LEFT OUT WHITE OUT DIVIDE BY ZERO DOES NOT COMPUTE REBOOTING

[battema]

The new album by S.A.W. (Schmoelling, Ader, Waters), Hydragate, is positively fantastic.

Oh yeah! I do dig the two SAW albums too

[Cygnus74]

Very awesome, dude! Still enjoying Inner Cosmos

Very kind of you! Thank you. I'm about quarter of the way into my next album!

[Cygnus74]

OK given myself plenty of new music to explore thanks to some of your suggestions, cheers!

Screenshot 2024-03-13 at 11.47.01 am.jpg

[Dan Roth]

Anyone know the best place to order Schmoelling CDs? His website still links to Viktoria Park Records, but looks like their website is gone.

[Tangram]

Between your CDs and the suggestions from the PE faithful, you have tackled most everything that I could think of. I see that you have Zeit in the early years box, but the remastered Zeit also comes with a 2nd disc of the Klangwald concert. That's essential for me. Schmoelling's White Out and Wuivend Reit also fall in that category for me. I need to check out the rest of his catalog.

[battema]

Anyone know the best place to order Schmoelling CDs? His website still links to Viktoria Park Records, but looks like their website is gone.

Hey, sorry I meant to respond sooner.

So about a year or so ago Schmoelling ended Viktoriapark as a full operation label; instead, distribution for all his albums is now handled by MiG: http://www.mig-music.de/en/mig-music/

My understanding is that MiG would make things a bit easier to get than direct from VP; indeed, I just pinged Amazon and they have most of his recent stuff available. I think that might also extend to digital formats.

I hope this helps!

[Dan Roth]

Hey, sorry I meant to respond sooner.

So about a year or so ago Schmoelling ended Viktoriapark as a full operation label; instead, distribution for all his albums is now handled by MiG: http://www.mig-music.de/en/mig-music/

My understanding is that MiG would make things a bit easier to get than direct from VP; indeed, I just pinged Amazon and they have most of his recent stuff available. I think that might also extend to digital formats.

I hope this helps!

Thanks! I hadn't checked out any of his music in some time, and this thread got me to investigate and I definitely need to grab some of these!

[battema]

^^ Cool....he's got some great stuff happening these days between his own stuff and work with SAW (I heard threats about more output from Loom as well, but it's been a minute so who knows). Happy listening!

[dropforge]

Thanks! I hadn't checked out any of his music in some time, and this thread got me to investigate and I definitely need to grab some of these!

Price drop on Iter Meum from the seller called Turicumdealer.

https://www.amazon.com/Iter-Meum-Joh...r%2C177&sr=1-1

[Trane]

Currently reading Bonnet's recent (2023) book on TD, and revisiting the 70's albums in the process (I'm currently at Tangram, and don't plan on listening much further), I am stricken out about the band's overall short duration of their albums (< 40 minutes of music per disc - often closer to 35 than 40) compared to Klaus Schulze's generous timings (> 50 mins per disc). This is less obvious in Edgar's solo albums, where it hovers around 40. This, despite an apparent Virgin contractual rule on album duration, which might've caused some tensions.


What permeates from this book is that being part of the TD trio was never a smooth sail, every album creating its share of human crisis and technical déboires. It seems that working with Edgar was always quite difficult and only Franke managed to last 18 years - not avoiding some major tensions. Next up (but far behind) are Baumann, Schmoelling and Haslinger, all around 5 years. Was Edgar a bit of a dictator or a bit more in a role like Fripp was in Crimson? Egar considered Baumann's Romance 76 debut solo album as a treason, from what I read.

TBH, I find that the TD's instable turmoil albums (from Stratosfear until Force Majeure and to a lesser extent Tangram) between Baumann's gradual leaving and Schmoelling's arrival are rather fascinating and most creative stuff they've done (with the notable exception of Encore - which is anything but groundbreaking). Clearly the passage from analog synths to digital ones are coinciding with Schmoelling's arrival created a new stability that doesn't fit my mindset. However, what seems rather obvious is that Tangram was easily the best-recorded TD up until then, though there is a bit of new-age cheese still stuck on my speakers' membrane after playing it.

[dropforge]

I am stricked out about the band's overall short duration of their albums (< 40 minutes of music per disc - often closer to 35 than 40) compared to Klaus Schulze's generous timings (> 50 mins per disc).

Klaus usually enjoyed a cig or two while the sequencers were running.

Clearly the passage from analog synths to digital ones are coinciding with Schmoelling's arrival created a new stability that doesn't fit my mindset.

They still used loads of analog gear while he was in the band: Jupiters, Prophets, Moogs, etc. Edgar and Johannes started using PPG's synths, which, yes, are digital, and produce wunnerful sounds (which you can hear on Exit, Thief, White Eagle, Logos, Hyperborea, Poland, Le Parc, etc.

[battema]

Klaus Schulze recalled some story along the way about Froese yelling at him for introducing tape FX or something while they were in TD together, which helped KS move on. And I recently read Steve Jolliffe's autobiography and he didn't have the most glowing comments to make about TD's Fearless Leader circa Cyclone.

Never got the impression EF was particularly easy to work with but I also get the impression that for many folks it was still as rewarding as it was challenging. Only met the man very briefly, so it's all secondhand accounts to be fair.

[Trane]

Klaus Schulze recalled some story along the way about Froese yelling at him for introducing tape FX or something while they were in TD together, which helped KS move on. And I recently read Steve Jolliffe's autobiography and he didn't have the most glowing comments to make about TD's Fearless Leader circa Cyclone.

Never got the impression EF was particularly easy to work with but I also get the impression that for many folks it was still as rewarding as it was challenging.

Which is why I made a parallel with Crimson's Frippy. It seems that all considered it an honour to be working with both El Lider Maximo.

As for Joliffe, it wasn't a good idea to have him back (after the first stint in 69), but according to Bonnet, the additions of Joliffe & Kruger/Krieger was a near-panic move. P ersonally, I didn't like Cyclone at first, but nowadays, I am immensely glad it exists as a welcome break from their business-as-usual stuff. In some ways, the A-side sounds a bit Motorik-Kraftwerky Even Joliffe's vocals are interesting

I wonder if Edgar (who hated Cyclone like Frippy did Lizard) ever came back on his advice.