AGES

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.

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.

Not quite as great as it ought to be but still pretty damn excellent(I'm nit-picking here) 1977's double- sided 'Ages' finds the extremely hard-working Tangerine Dream founder Edgar Froese back in solo territory after the release of his group's first soundtrack record, the same year's deeply-mysterious 'Sorceror'. Directed by William Friedkin, costing $20,000,000 dollars and utterly bombing at the box-office, the movie 'Sorceror' remains one of the great underrated thrillers of the 1970s, and despite the film's failure it did open a very large and very lucrative door from Froese and company as they went on to enjoy a highly-successful career creating soundtracks for directors such as Michael Mann, Ridley Scott and Kathryn Bigelow. However, 'Sorceror' the soundtrack was so dark and gloomy that Froese obviously needed some kind of sonic antidote to work on, hence 'Ages'. Although still anchored deep in the quixotic ambient territory we have come to know and love Tangerine Dream for, 'Ages' does on occasion feature a slightly more upbeat hue, it's 9 tracks skipping expertly between droney space-rock, twinkling synthesized noodling and cinematic grandeur wth almost reckless abandon. Fans of Tangerine Dream will know exactly what to expect then, but 'Ages' doesn't quite reach the same exulted heights as Froese's own solo masterpiece 'Epsilon In Malaysian Pale'. However, highlights are many, especially on the second disc which features the beautifully-layered 'Ode To Granny A' and the hypnotic, twirling beats of the cosmic closer 'Golgotha & The Circle Closes'. So, like pretty much everything Froese put his name to between the years 1970 and 1983, 'Ages' is utterly fascinating. Full of strong moments then, this is yet another dose of first grade ambient rock from the master of the art. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2014

First double solo album by Edgar Froese, "Ages" was recorded after the departure of Peter Baumann from TANGERINE DREAM in 1977, and before a new progressive rock orientation was found with "Cyclone". This was quite a specific blank period for the band, and that's why the music is very sensitive and emotional.

Whereas his previous records were rather ambient or experimental, "Ages" marks the true arrival of melodies in Froese's music, however not always inspired. It also features the participation Klaus Krieger at drums and percussions, who will join TD the same year.

The first disc contains only a few good passages. "Metropolis" is inspired by the well-known Fritz Lang movie. The introduction has (very) slight reminiscences of "Clockwork Orange"'s theme. This peaceful track has some interesting ideas, but is unfortunately too long. Although also repetitive, the soft "Era Of The Slaves" is delicate and rather enjoyable. "Tropic Of Capricorn" is inspired by a book of Henry Miller. This massive melancholic suite suffers from the same drawbacks as the opener and does not justify its 21 minutes duration.

The second disc is better and more original. "Nights Of Automatic Women" features fast drumming coupled with a short minimalistic sequence, therefore prefiguring "Madrigal Meridian" in TD's next album, the controversial "Cyclone". Trippy. The slow and futuristic "Icarus" is also pleasant, while "Children's Deeper Study" possesses an unusual and intriguingly beautiful melody. Then comes the aerial "Ode To Granny A", soothing and relaxing. "Pizarro And Atahuallpa" may be the most surprising composition here, as it features exotic percussions and (kind of) spanish guitar.

The eight minutes bonus track "Golgatha And The Circle Closes" features cool spacey guitar playing.

Despite its title, this record did not aged very well and could have been shortened. Only double studio album and weakest 70's release from Edgar Froese, "Ages" is uneven and too long. This first melodic attempt will however be successfully refined and polished one year later, on his next opus "Stuntman".

Nonetheless, this personal solo effort remains a turning point in Edgar's discography, as it opens new electronic horizons.