TOURNADO - LIVE IN EUROPE

Tournado is a set of Tangerine Dream classics from the Edgar Froese/Jerome Froese era. It is a live disc, recorded during the second set of a concert on April 23, 1997, in Zabrze, Poland. In addition to Edgar and Jerome, the performance features Zlatko Perica on guitars and Emil Hachfeld on codotronics and percussion. This is a stunning performance. TD has always been an excellent live band. This veteran lineup takes it to the next level, incorporating some cool samples and Hachfeld's awesome drumming. The performance is note-for-note perfect. It is essential TD.

This is the first time in TD's history that an original live recording remained "untouched", which means that there are no overdoubs, no polishing, no editing between various tracks. The complete live experience without any remixing or overdubs.

"Tournado" and their next live album "Valentine Wheels" hold much in common.

Same line-up, same European tour (only separated by a few months), same sort of music. As its counterparts, this live set recorded in Poland is quite decent and enjoyable. The whole is sounding more ambient and spacey, which is the side that I prefer from this great band.

For these reasons, my favourite songs are "Flashflood" and "220 Volt". From mellow in its initial phase "Firetongues" develops a rather interesting Spanish guitar part backed up with a frenetic beat. Quite convincing as well.

On a lower scale, numbers like "Girls on Broadway", "Little Blond?" are too much related with their nineties sound to be really captivating to my ears. "Rising Haul" is more diversified and combines Oriental sources, electro beats and spacey passages: not bad at all and surely another of the good ones from this set.

This album is slightly better than "Valentine Wheels" but remains at a three stars level in my books.