CYCLONE

'Cyclone' is a very different album within the Tangerine Dream discography. Lead vocals on a TD album ?? Very unusual. And a solid drummer playing the kit in 'rock' mode !! The fact is, vocals are supplied by an amazing gent by the name of Steve Jolliffe, who also contributes some excellent flutes, lyricons and cor anglais (as well as more keyboards) to the incredible keyboard/synth creations presented here. The extensive instrument list alone suggests that this could be a masterpiece, which, to me, it is.

Starting with 'Bent Cold Sidewalk', a 13 minute extravaganza taking the listener to another dimension - opening with an electronic voice rambling something hardly discernable, but sets the mood instantly, TD take off with an almost conventional verse/chorus/verse section, a great melody (particularly with the Mellotron on the 'brass' setting) and some cerebral lyrics about keys and gates and time etc. The music then hits towards more familiar territory with a synth sequence introducing a wonderous passage where Jolliffe's wind instruments absolutely shine - it gets me every time ! These few minutes are among my favourite of TD. The song then returns to the final verse/chorus section and ends triumphantly. 'Rising Runner....' is a softer, shorter track with lovely synth tones and shimmering clavinet. It has vocals and it's atmosphere is nebulous.

'Madrigal Meridian' keeps up TD's tradition of side-long compositions, but the sounds and ideas on this piece reach further into the future than ever before. Cold, metallic synth generated noises ascending until they reach their peak a few minutes in, merging into another synth sequence, with more melodies and that brass 'tron from earlier on, the drumming rather straight-forward, but driving the passage along at a steady pace, always complimenting the rhythmic basis of this section, whilst the various voicings of the numerous synths/keys play around, and Edgar even pulls out his guitar for a bit of the lime- light !! The final section is heralded by the sounds of a lyricon (an electronic wind instrument) and the mood becomes more ominous, mysterious, brooding (ooh, I'm getting carried away here) and the glistening clavinet riffs bring the show to a close, almost. Quite an experience. It's been a long time since I listened to this record, and it has totally blown me away more so than when I got it many years ago. 5 stars.