It had to happen.........the Tangerine Dream thread

[seismic1]

As these guys have had such a lasting and widespread influence upon the members of this forum, I think we should have a dedicated thread for them.

So here goes.............

[windspace]

Ok, I'll bite...

I'll open this with Sorceror since I have seen no mention of it yet. I actually did see the film and as I recall it was panned pretty badly by the critics. My own impression many years later is that they were right about the film plot. I seem to remember something like a jungle voodoo trucker remake of Two Lane Blacktop.

But the soundtrack, the music! I have always been fond of this one even though I have heard some criticism of it as well.

Anyone?

[seismic1]

I liked it (the music). It seemed to have a heavier concentration of synthesized sounds than earlier albums, and a quite consistently dark vibe throughout. It was the first time I had really heard them compose shorter pieces as their earlier albums featured predominantly longer tracks. It would have been interesting to hear their score for the Exorcist movie, had Friedkin contacted them earlier.

7/10

[Thought Experiment]

It's a great soundtrack. Apparently William Friedkin was such a huge fan of the music that he played it through a PA system while they were actually filming some of the scenes, much like Sergio Leone did with Ennio Morricone's music for 'Once upon a time in The West'.

Film buff info coming up: 'Sorceror' was a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1953 film 'Wages of Fear' starring Yves Montand. To be fair, the original movie is better than the remake (as is often the case) - although I like Friedkin's version and I don't think it quite deserved the panning it got.

Although they didn't get to score 'The Exorcist', their soundtrack for 'The Keep' was pretty gothic.

In this case the score was much better than the film, which is pretty weird...

[Matthew D Konalyk]

I've always liked the keep soundtrack, and the movie does have a silly kind of charm to it. There's like a million different versions of that OST out there, though.

I think my favorites so far are Rubycon, Phaedra, Alpha Centauri, Zeit and Stratosfear. The Edgar Froese solo stuff from the 70s is pretty nice as well.
I also have a soft spot for Logos, that voice clip they play about halfway through the first section has embedded itself into my mind, permanently.

[Mac of BIOnighT]

Let me pick up some discussions that were left in the other thread this one originates from.

The big change in TD's music came about when the instruments changed, but also when the experimental phase - from an emotional point of view - came to an end. Sure, the different (and digital) instrumentation made a difference, but I believe that what actually changed was the desire to launch themselves in long improvised suites. That's understandable, they did that for years, it must have felt like playing the same song over and over to them. The big difference was, in fact, structure. Their tracks began to have a predetermined structure. The three last truly good albums - Exit, White Eagle, Hyperborea - were still a sort of middle ground between structure and free improvisation. If we read what Franke says about his decision to leave TD, we see that Froese was starting to think about money instead of music. He was doing things hastily, to the point of giving unfinished music as soundtracks and stuff like that. It's a pity, but I won't criticize him, a musician's life can be tough and he's given me enough to last a lifetime, I'll just be grateful for that.
Anyway, my point is that the change was due to the soul of the musicians than to the change in gear - as I always say, the musician makes the music, not the instruments.

As for Streethawk... I sometimes wonder what would have happened had TD taken up Miami Vice rather than choosing to go with Streethawk. I wonder how that would have affected the show and how it would have affected the course of their music and their careers. As you all know, Miami Vice really took off while Streethawk faltered.

Good question... TD were always incredibly good at picking films that would fail big time, I don't know why. I also wonder if Streethawk's masters have been lost forever :-/

As to Loom, yes, they're classy, though I wouldn't define them emotional, but definitely good.

As to my first TD, that was Ricochet. I still consider that record the most beautiful thing man ever did, not just in music, but in general. I think that's the dividing line, too - if one like Ricochet, then he likes Berlin School, if he doesn't then he'll never be able to listen to and enjoy the genre.

Has any/many of you heard the Tangerine Tree recordings? There are some immensely great concerts there - the one in Orange is simply shocking, the rage in those sequencers... I wonder what was wrong/right with Franke that night...

[seismic1]

Good summary, Mac

My top 7 TD albums, in order of preference:-

1) Ricochet
2) Rubycon
3) Phaedra
4) Exit
5) White Eagle
6) Stratosfear
7) Zeit

I like some of the others, but these are the ones that I keep playing to this day.

[Nemo]

I 'might' still have those Tree recordings sitting around "somewhere" around here. Back from the yahoo group days. The live recordings (the ones that really are live) are pretty cool insofar as the best ones capture the raw energy of the music. Nobody yet has mentioned Encore... from either right before or right after Sorcerer. I like that album a lot! Sorcerer, btw, was done in something like just under two weeks. Which... if you like Sorcerer, makes it even more amazing, imo.

Exit (and EF Pinnacles)... more or less a showcase for all things PPG.

Logos... maybe kind of 'stiff' if you know what I mean (especially as opposed to something like Ricochet or Encore), but it has a certain quality that I like. I still put that on from time to time.

Poland... has a lot of very good moments.

Firestarter... not too bad.

Wavelength... my favorite piece is the Cathedral theme one... it might be track six or something like that? Not sure atm.

Heartbreakers... there was one piece in particular that I like quite a bit.

Force Majeure... has a really really nice energy, imo. I love the Prophet 5 solo that comes in on Cloudburst Flight!

[Mac of BIOnighT]

I 'might' still have those Tree recordings sitting around "somewhere" around here. Back from the yahoo group days. The live recordings (the ones that really are live) are pretty cool insofar as the best ones capture the raw energy of the music.

Exactly. Much more so than the official "live" albums that are always modified with studio work (not just TD's, everybody's).

Nobody yet has mentioned Encore...

I think the original source is on one of the Tangerine Tree recordings

Exit (and EF Pinnacles)... more or less a showcase for all things PPG.

Quite an awesome showcase, if you ask me ;-) Exit, White Eagle and Hyperborea have had a huge impact on my sound design.

Heartbreakers... there was one piece in particular that I like quite a bit.

I absolutely love the main theme (track 1) I wish it was longer...


My favorites:

1 - Ricochet

2 (way behind, like everything else, and in no particular order) - Phaedra, Rubycon, Zeit, Exit, White Eagle, Hyperborea, Force Majeure, Cyclone, and lots of Tangerine Tree recordings

3 (in no paricular order) - Near Dark, The Park is Mine, Dead Solid Perfect, Underwater Sunlight, Lily on the Beach

Let me add "The London Concert" by Franke, even if it's not a TD release. Among those by Froease I've heard, I would say Stuntman and Aqua (which I disliked when I first heard it and now I love wholeheartedly)

[Nemo]

Yep, I have all of those albums and more. The ones that weren't released on cd I don't have any more.

I wasn't going to mention Chris Franke... as that could easily be another thread all to itself!

If I remember correctly, the track from Heartbreakers that I liked was maybe at the end of side 1. I can hear it playing in my head as I write this... but it's been a long time since I've had that particular album.

Are you sure about Encore being sourced from the Tree Recordings? I don't think the yahoo TD group (or even yahoo for that matter!) even existed back in 1977.

Anyway... interesting thread!

For me, TD was one of the three biggest sonic influences, along with Vangelis and slightly later Steve Roach. It's nice to be able to 'talk' about them without having to feel like I shouldn't or can't. That's what I like about this forum. :thumbsup:

[seismic1]

Anyway... interesting thread!

For me, TD was one of the three biggest sonic influences, along with Vangelis and slightly later Steve Roach. It's nice to be able to 'talk' about them without having to feel like I shouldn't or can't. That's what I like about this forum. :thumbsup:

I was reading Robert Fripp's diary many years ago, and he mentioned Prog-Rock becoming acceptable again some 20-years after Punk-rock exploded onto the scene in '76. For a long time back then, there seemed to be a stigma attached to the genre, and die-hard devotees had to keep quiet about their affection for it. These days, it seems to be as acceptable as any other genre, even amongst younger listeners who may not have been around during the "golden age" of Prog.

[Thought Experiment]

You can always rely on Fripp for thought-provoking...um...thoughts ;)

[Mac of BIOnighT]

Are you sure about Encore being sourced from the Tree Recordings? I don't think the yahoo TD group (or even yahoo for that matter!) even existed back in 1977.

No, Encore was an official recording of a concert, later re-worked in studio, but an audience recording of the same concert exists and is part of the Tangerine Tree series, if my memory serves me. Likewise, most of Ricochet - which was assembled taking parts from different concerts - is the 1975 concert in Croydon, which you can find in the T Tree series as well, so you can hear a complete Ricochet part 2, so to speak, if you listen to that. Ricochet was a selection of the very best segments, naturally, so it's much better, but the original is an interesting listen anyway.

[seismic1]

You can actually buy the Croydon concert as part of The Bootleg Box Set Vol. 1.

The Bilbao '76 gig is also included.

I had a look for the "Tree" and "Leaves" concerts the other day, but it appears that they are no longer being curated.

[Mac of BIOnighT]

You can actually buy the Croydon concert as part of The Bootleg Box Set Vol. 1.

The Bilbao '76 gig is also included.

I had a look for the "Tree" and "Leaves" concerts the other day, but it appears that they are no longer being curated.

No, unfortunately they started to include copyrighted material - such as bits from TV programs etc - and TD blocked the whole thing. It's really a pity, I wonder what else could have come out...
By the way, the best and most complete version of The Keep is in that series, too, and it's awesome.