Edgar Froese
Pinnacles (Rerelease)
CD / 4 tracks / 29:56 mins

This album, the original of which dates from 1983, is arguably the one that is most obviously influenced by what was happening in Tangerine Dream at that time. I have always thought that not only could this have been a Tangerine Dream band release, but also that Johannes Schmoelling's musical influences are all over this release like a rash. Indeed a triumvirate of White Eagle, this and Hyperborea, seem in retrospect a logical progression.

This is the last of the rerecordings, and it is extremely faithful to the original, (with one glaring exception – more of which later), to the extent that it is often very difficult to tell the two albums apart. The other major difference is in the sleeve – nothing like the (rather good) original.

Nowhere is Schmoelling's influence more apparent than on the opening track – Specific Gravity of Smile – a busy, and interesting piece with lots of that quirky automata that was so prevalent in Tangerine Dream at that time.

Next up is The Light Cone, not as interesting musically, and a bit of a plodder, and even at 4 minutes, 33 seconds it seems to overstay its welcome.

Walkabout is my favourite, a contemplative mood piece, very Hyperborea – like, and none the worse for it. It drifts along for over seven minutes, and whilst it sounds like it's going nowhere, it really is excellent.

Now then the title track itself – a tremendous opening section with a sequencer bubbling away, with dramatic slabs of sound. Very rhythmic and catchy. About three minutes in another heavy chord crashes in and then there is a recurring motif that moves the piece on for about a further three minutes, and …it finishes…and here is the glaring, not to say completely inexplicable decision by Edgar to trim this rerecording by a whole 15 minutes! Those of you, eagle eyed, will have spotted this at the top of this review. No folks it is not a typing error!

Now at the risk of reopening a debate that Dave Law has had with other musicians, I am also firmly of the view that quality and quantity are NOT mutually exclusive. There is in my humble opinion, little excuse in either re-releasing a product shorn of 15 minutes of music – no matter how good or how poor that music might be, or for that matter releasing a CD of less than half an hour's worth of music – no matter how good that music might be. The contrast between this, and the Klaus Schulze remasters is just embarrassing. This is a shame, because this is not a bad CD, but you might be excused for asking yourself the question, when is Pinnacles, not Pinnacles? (Simon Stopher)

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