LOGOS... LIVE AT THE DOMINION - LONDON

Between a soundtrack and another in the first half of the 80s, Tangerine Dream found the time for recording a live album. Without the constraints imposed by studio cinema work, they can freely express their music out of time limits.

Unfortunately the size of vinyls caused this "Logos" to be cut into two parts, and this is really a pity, even if I have read that the CD edition has the two parts reunited into one single track.

What I call "the rule of five" is initially respected: the first 4:30 minutes are based on a repetitive obsessive rhythm, then a section made of rhythmless keyboards comes. This part reminds me to the most spacey parts of Vangelis' Albedo 0.39 and is effectively very spacey. After a couple of minutes a slow electronic drumming transforms it into a melodic newage.

The rule of 5 (a change every 5 minutes) is broken and what we have is similar to what Peter Bardens was doing more or less in the same period: melodic electronic. Good but not excellent. I prefer the spacey things.

At about minute 12 the music stops and it's like another track is starting, but it's only because the keyboards volume lowers down and is covered by applauses. Then we travel again in the darkness of the deep space, then some "techno-house" sounds like a scratch and a voice crying "Breakdown". The space environment is left behind until minute 17 when a repetitive base brings us back to the times of Ricochet and Cyclone. Squared waves and little variations.

It doesn't last long. at minute 20:30 a melodic rhythmic section brings us to the end of side A.

Side B opens in a very different manner. I'd like to hear the 45 minutes version to hear how the transition is made. This opening is dark and spacey, very appropriate as starter. Again I see a connection to Vangelis. Heaven and Hell, this time. Exactly five minutes, then a new section starts. Odd signature, electronic bass and sequencer. Again very close to Vangelis (China). I think to hear some of Froese's guitar here, too.

At about minute 10 (now the rule of 5 seems to work), it turns into 80s electropop. Not a good conclusion, but 6 minutes weaker than the rest on a 35 minutes performance can be tolerated.

The final section is melodic and poppy, but it maintains some of the typical TD characteristics. It's a good closer for this long live track.

"Dominion" is a sort of filler. 8 minutes of 80s pop without particular goods and bads. It's listenable and doesn't add or remove anything to the album. It's there, that's all.

Side A is quite a masterpiece, side B is "only" good, so the average is 4 stars, also taking into account that this one of the few non-soundtracks released by TD in this period.