DREAM SEQUENCE

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This is the ideal place to start with Tangerine Dream.Excellent choices of tracks on a thoughtfully compiled 2 CD package,this features a sizeable chunk of TD's music covering the period 1973-1983 with special emphasis on the albums Ricochet,Force Majeure,Tangram,Exit and Logos,..all quality releases.It has to be said that the early spacey synth music is not so well represented here but then if you already have Phaedra and Rubycon you can safely get this without any real doubling up of tracks.What you DO get is TD's emmensely sophisticated approach to using sequencers.Hence the title.Its beautifull and intense music,go get it NOW!

If you want to find out what TANGERINE DREAM were like at their most popular, this is the place to start.

'Dream Sequence' samples all the albums from their Virgin years, with none of the dross that followed. Sadly, there's also none of the excellent early 'Pink years' but their inclusion would have changed the feel of this compilation (as well as being contractually impossible). The choice of tracks is almost impeccable and the edits judicious. Of course, they ought to have included the whole first ten powerful minutes of 'Phaedra' and not the pathetic edit we get, but with compilations no two people ever agree.

Getting 'Ricochet Part 2', 'Cloudburst Flight', 'Tangram Set 1' and parts of 'Logos' is itself enough to justify this purchase for those who have a hole in their collection where TANGERINE DREAM should be. Even the few selections from soundtrack albums sound surprisingly better when interspersed with other tracks. More from 'Hyperborea', perhaps, but this is nit-picking.

This is a very good way to find out if you need this sort of music in your life.

In the late Seventies I became an electronic prog fan after buying the double live LP Encore(1977) by Tangerine Dream, it's still my favorite album in that category and how pivotal it turned out to be for many electronic prog oriented musicians. The last ten years I enjoy cascades of 74-77 Tangerine Dream inspired new bands, from known formations like Red Shift, Radio Massacre International, Airsculpture and Free System Project to lesser known bands and artists like Peter Dekker (Comatosis), Rudy Adrian (Starfields - Sequencer Sketches Vol. 3), Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij (Return To The Origin) and Navigator (Oceanic Empire). Here in The Netherlands we appreciate their music very much because the electronic prog scene is small but vivid delivering some good specialized labels and annual concerts.

But back to Tangerine Dream their music, a few months ago I bought this comprehensive 2-CD compilation (for only a few euros), spanning the era between 1974 and 1983. So no music from the more experimental period (not my cup of tea) like Electronic Meditation (1970) and Atem (1973) and the more polished sound in the Nineties (featuring Edgar his son Jerome and saxophone player Linda Spa). In fact you can analyse Tangerine Dream as a musical chameleon, to be noticed on both CD's: from wonderful, often mindblowing electronic prog like the Mellotron drenched Phaedra, the great sequencing and compelling string-ensemble and Mellotrons in Cherokee Lane (live version) and the Electronic Prog Heaven in Ricochet Part Two (warm Grand piano, wonderful flute-Mellotron, pulsating sequencers and howling electric guitar) to the synthi-pop in Cinnamon Road, Dominion and Beach Scene, the modern and accessible sounding Cloudbirst Flight (splendid fiery electric guitar) and the digital sound samples in Kiew Mission. Remarkable is the final part in the long and alternating Tangram Part One that subtly blends The Who music into the Tangerine Dream sound, nice idea! My highlight on CD-2 is the serie of Logos tracks (Part One A/B and Part Two), a modern live electronic prog sound with lush synthesizers.

If you are not familiar with Tangerine Dream or electronic prog, this 2-CD compilation is a good introduction. My rating: 3,5 stars.

This is a 2CD covering TD's years in Virgin, ie. 1974-1983. That period is considerd, by most listeners including certainly me, as the TD's best era. Starting with Phaedra and ending with Hyperborea, and including fantastic albums such as Ricochet (1975) and Force Majeure (1979). So, musically speaking, this compilation is a great starting point into TD. Unlike several other TD compilations, it even includes UNabridged long tracks of the length of an LP side. These are Ricochet part two and Tangram part one. But inevitably there are many cruelly edited excerpts, some functioning better than some others. Especially the 1½ minute cut from Phaedra seems quite unsuccesful to me, more strikingly so as it is the only take from the album. The Force Majeure excerpt is 6'20 long, but hardly succeeds in capturing the glory of the whole magnum opus - which is one of the most prog-rocking moments in TD's catalogue. Of course one should know all the albums totally in order to really evaluate this compilation, and I admit I haven't listened to, for example, the live album Logos (1982), nor White Eagle (1982) or Hyperborea (1983). Logos is represented by three shortish cuts, two of them quite fine and one nearly horrible upbeat tune. From White Eagle, only its title track, even if the album seems much better than the more covered ones, Exit or Hyperborea. Also I would have wanted some more from Stratosfear (1976) than an edit of the title track. I once had the album and it was pretty good. The artwork of this set is quite disastrous. But personally what I hate most about this package is the way the essay keeps telling how Cyclone (1978) is the low point in TD's history. Strongly disagree!! The inclusion of vocals added nothing to the texture of their music and had not worked succesfully, and the experiment has not been repeated. Note that this claim dates from 1985; only two years later they did make a vocal album, Tyger. Anyway, shouldn't it be each listener's free will to judge an album that is different from the others? Goes without saying that this set includes nothing from Cyclone. But all in all, a recommendable starting point.

Absolutely essential if you are new to Tangerine Dream and want a thorough and honest cross section of their musical abilities, The CD is made up of a double disc with various highlights from Rubycon, Tangram, the brilliant live album Ricochet from 75', Stratosfear and Phaedra to name the main subject matter. Short songs like " Choronzon" off Exit and " Cinamon Road" from Hyperborea highlight the not lesser material and are almost singles but pale in comparison to their more lengthy work. Note this is from The Virgin years so anything pre Phaedra is ommitted. Personal recommendations are " Cherokee Lane" from another fabulous live album Encore, " Tangram Set One" and " Ricochet Part Two". " Kiew Mission" offers some of their best 80's material. Anyway as far as compilations go, this is a winner. Four stars for sensible song choices.