NEBULOUS DAWN (THE EARLY YEARS)

This three CD compilation assembles the whole works from the first four TD albums, otherwise known as the Pink era, which is hardly their better known, but certainly their more adventurous one. The collection is presented with an original spacey artwork and an excellent booklet retracing the band's early days

Not much surprise in the track listing as the first two albums are condensed into one disc (my favourite), Zeit (the double Lp) is holding the second disc in full, the third is dedicated to Atem and a few bonus tracks of uneven interest. Those bonus tracks are unfortunately not presented in a chronological order as they should've fit on the first disc, but with two full albums on that one (filling it to the brim), this was the only place to fit them. The Lady Greengrasss/Love Of Mine single (forgettable and rather inappropriately placed) should've come before the Electronics Meditations while the two-part Ultima Thule single (outstanding and finally fully released) was released prior to Alpha Centauri and is closely linked to it.

For those wishing an easy intro to TD, this collection is not really suited, however if you are well aware of the group's career, this set might just be for especially because it contains the rare Ultima Thule single (if you can believe TD released one of those) essential if you do not own the separate albums. One downside though is that you'll have to upload the album's artworks (as they are not shunned but reduced to their simpler expression), especially the stunning Zeit artwork. While I would not say that these bonus tracks are worth the price alone, they will make most fans hesitate.