TRANS HARMONIC NIGHTS

After his departure from TD, next to the recording of the soundtrack "Sorcerer", Peter Baumann has recorded his first solo effort called "Trans Harmonic Nights". Released His "Romance 76" delivered a fine imitation of his previous electronic / synth works with TD, directing long abstract, rhythmical compositions with the same conventional musical equipment. "Trans Harmonic Nights" shows a slightly new direction before Baumann's derivation in electronic-pop music ("Repeat repeat"...). Musically this one features new electronic materials, really more into the 80's to come. The melodies are particularly achieved, deeply mysterious, sometimes with a dark, plaintive tone. It makes it maybe more original than the common "Romance 76". The album is entirely played around modular synth experiments. It has been recorded during live sessions in Baumann's own "Paragon" studio, localised in Berlin. Surely his best with his first recording. A very personal album...essential for fans of Cluster's late period and TD 80's era.

1979 was a tough time for electronic sound in general and especially for Peter Baumann following his departure from Tangerine Dream. This is not a bad album at all but it does tend to lean towards an ' easy listening' category. At the same period there were other awful artists like Romanelli ( Connecting Flight ) trying similar ventures with perhaps more commercial success. I am happy to say that Trans Harmonic Nights rises well above commercial baiting and there are some well delivered songs that will catch your attention. They are in the main 3 to 6 minutes long so don't go expecting any TD like comparisons. There is no mistaking the connection to that master group from Germany. Highlights for me are the whole album but individual numbers worth noting are the beautiful ' This Day', the hypnotic ' Chasing the Dream', ' The Third Site' and the haunting ' Dance at Dawn'. A good album overall and I would recommend to those Tangerine Dream fans, particularly from 1985 onwards.

The second solo album by ex-TANGERINE DREAMer Peter Baumann was a transitional effort, moving away from the homegrown minimalism of his 1976 debut toward something closer to the more lucrative techno-pop territory of Jean-Michel Jarre. And that, in an electronic nutshell, points to the album's biggest shortcoming. Once a pioneer, Baumann was here cast in the role of an imitator, following a well-worn path already successfully blazed by too many others (Jarre, Vangelis, take your pick).

To his credit, he wasn't the only electronic musician looking for a shortcut out of the art rock ghetto at the end of the 1970s. Listen to "Meridian Moorland", the closest thing here to the sci-fi spirit of classic Tangerine Dream, and not only because the title recalls the likeminded alliteration of "Madrigal Meridian", released a year earlier on the TD album "Cyclone". Both tracks (indeed both albums) share an almost identical high-tech pedigree, but on his own Baumann had trouble sustaining the same level of invention as his erstwhile bandmates, who not coincidentally were at the same time wrestling with their own commercial demons.

A couple of other tracks stand out: the haunting album opener "This Day", and the jaunty vocoder melody of "Biking Up the Strand". But elsewhere the lush electronic veneer isn't enough to hide the almost childish lack of sophistication in the music itself. Programming the synthesizers to ape the fuzz of an electric guitar, or adding some genuine acoustic percussion (mostly floor toms, enthusiastically bashed), may have rendered the album more accessible, but in the long run also robbed it of any lasting interest beyond the strictly nostalgic appeal of all those analog keyboards and sequencers.

Electric music had come a long way in the few short years since Baumann first put his signature touch on the unearthly cosmic drones of early Tangerine Dream albums like "Atem" and "Zeit". But by the end of the decade he must have realized he was painting himself into an aesthetic cul-de-sac with such lightweight material as this (the cover portrait on his 1981 album "Repeat Repeat" even shows an unfortunate resemblance to New Wave one-hit wonder Gary Numan).

Wisely, he would soon direct his talents toward successfully managing his own record label. Perhaps this album is best regarded today as a now somewhat dog-eared calling card for his new career at the time.

On his second solo album, Baumann shows his cute sense for rhythm and playful melodies again. It still sounds very 1976 Tangerine Dream but at the same time it has learned a trick or two from the Kraftwerk synth pop sensibilities.

The opening This Day is a gentle piece that brings together Kraftwerk's minimalism, TD's melodious qualities and a hint of Schulze's lush textures. Also Chasing the Dream is a delightful and catchy tune. The next piece of note is Meridian Moorland which could have come right off TD's Stratosfear. The Third Site is the best track here, similar to Kraftwerk's minimal techno again but with more melody. Name it Kraftwerk for beginners.

This album is slightly derivative of Bauman's own TD past but it's a pleasant electronic album. 2.5 stars.

Peter Baumann - 1979 - "Trans Harmonic Nights".

In between experimental and straight progressive electronic ideas splashed with the inevitable drum/boxes and CASIO mini-keyboard like sequences and Mr. Baumann's early compulsive obsession of building melody lines at all times, which is kind of a trademark in him, but becomes an obstacle to the far more daring electronics which actually steal the show, outweighting in creativity the "sweetness" and irredeemably cheesy melody riffs which fill most, if not almost all, of the tracks.

A couple of microscopic highlights emerge here and there intact but the rest is subdued or reduced to a simplistic and excuse my words, foolish, musical expression.

Peter Baumann's comic sense of irreverence kind of saves the day, but then again his melody lines are not that attractive as to toy around with them.

I had great expectations set in this release, due to its date, but some stuff is no good, no matter when or where...DAMN!

**2 "for T.D.'s or DisneyWorld's X-treme fans only" PA stars.