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Ages is a rare double album recently reissued by Virgin after to have disappeared during a moment from the market. Globally the recordings feature interesting analog synth essays with a taste for rhythmical electronic passages and spacey atmospheres. It is very closed to TD's production at the same period notably with Stratosfear, Sorcerer. In sense of achievement and quality the compositions are rather unequal. Metropolis is an excellent spacey tune with obsessional drums parts and electronic hallucinatory effects. Era of the Slaves with its moody, ethereal synth parts is a bright reminiscence of TD's best analog compositions. Pizarro and Atahuallpa includes an impressive drum set played by Klaus Dinger, occasionally invited by Froese to provide rhythmical accompaniments. The other tracks don't really deserve a particular attention. The long epic track Tropic of Capricorn opens with interesting elements but it tends to be boring after more than 15 minutes running. Icarus is a rather common, accessible piece with no really imaginative ideas.A pleasant listening but but it's not a problem if you just pass it.

Interesting collection of new compositions and leftovers from Stratosfear and Cyclone era, featuring the same sounds and drummer as on the Tangerine Dream Cyclone album. With a bit more scrutiny, Froese might have culled an excellent single album out of the abundance of material here. At full double album length, the album overstays its welcome a bit, unless you are a fan of course.

Metropolis sounds like a ceremonial march from Vangelis. It's not bad but too long, Froese did a much more successful 5 minute remix of this piece in 2005. Era of The Slaves is a nice addition to the concurrent TD albums. As usual with Froese, the moog sequencing is less developed and less challenging then Chris Franke's ventures with the instrument, making the track too monotone, even at 8 minutes. The mellotron is beautiful as usual.

The 21 minute Tropic of Capricorn runs very smooth in the first half, but the seconf half lacks the drive and inspiration to make it work. There is a gentle romantic piano section that loses some of its charm by the buzzing synths that are added on top of it.

Nights of Automatic Women is more fun. It's an obvious leftover from TD's Cyclone, featuring the same sequence and drums as Madrigal Meridian but I like the sound of the synths and Froese's improvisations here. Icarus sounds like another leftover, this time from TD's Sorcerer, some of the themes also bring Encore to mind. Not bad but too long.

After two shorter pieces, the closing Pizarro should sure be of interest. It sounds almost like a 1973 kraut excursion with muffled percussion, rhythmic guitar and mellotron. A 1977 buzzing bee synth improvises around the kraut drone.

Not a mandatory item but a very nice listen for fans of the 1976-1978 Tangerine Dream period. 3.5 stars

As Bonnek points out TANGERINE DREAM's "Cyclone" album released the year after this is a good reference point if you want to know what this sounds like. This would be Edgar's last album to feature mellotron on it and it's here on every track except "Ode To Granny A". Many fans were upset that the cd issue of this double album left off the final track "Golgotha And The Circle Closes" because many including myself consider it the best track on here. Thankfully Virgin Records recently released a box set of Edgar's recordings and it includes that song.

"Metropolis" sounds pretty cool with the mellotron, synths and beat. it does settle late to end it. "Era Of The Slaves" features more mellotron along with an electronic beat and synths. Great sound here. Percussion around 3 1/2 minutes. This is a top three for me. "Tropic Of Capricorn" has these swirling synths as outbreaks of other synths come and go repatedly. A change before 4 1/2 minutes as the sound of water takes over and piano plays over top along with spacey synths. It settles right down before 12 minutes then picks back up as it trips along to the end. "Nights Of Automatic Women" is another top three. Various sounds come and go then it kicks in at a minute. Love the drumming here. Just a killer uptempo soundscape.

"Icarus" features moog as the synths join in as it plods along. More synths join in as it builds. Guitar 4 minutes in. Nice. Drums follow and the guitar is wailing away before 6 minutes. It starts to settle back after 8 minutes. "Children's Deeper Study" is one i'm not a big fan of because of the higher pitched sounding sequencers. They do stop a minute in though as a great sounding soundscape follows. The sequencers are back. "Ode To Granny A" is another one i'm not a big fan of. Thankfully both are the shortest songs on here. This one is a rhythm of synths and percussion. "Pizarro And Atahuallpat" features percussion early on then the synths come in after 1 1/2 minutes and start to build. A calm a minute later. Great sound after 4 minutes. "Golgatha And The Circle Closes" is my final top three and it opens with moog and drums as the synths roll in. The guitar starts to rip it up 1 1/2 minutes in. It fades out before 6 minutes then loud synths take over to end it.

I know quite a few people who list this as their favourite Froese album and i'm certainly drawn to the guitar and mellotron on this one.