Tangerine Dream
Soundmill Navigator
This is an official Tangerine Dream release of part of the concert from the Philharmonics (Berlin I believe) June 27th 1976. I never thought such a release would happen, but it has. And that's why it's disappointing to have to firstly point out that this album is flawed. It starts approximately 3 minutes in, what sounds like a rhythmic white noise splash. At first you may think it's the seeds of a sequence run, until you realise it's out of sync and character with all else. It's sometimes noticeable, and sometimes very noticeable in the more ambient sections. Is it a mastering fault, was it there originally? (I'm told bootleg recordings suggest not) Either way, the annoying tick lasts for the rest of the album and may drive you crazy. I must emphasise, it isn't a fault limited to a particular CD - as far as I know, all copies have it.

So that's the bad news, what's the good? Well, not that much really. If there has been some "studio post production in the bontempi department" it has been done unobtrusively so we can be thankful for that. And musically it is very interesting to hear many of the EM avenues which are currently in vogue at such an embryonic stage. It's great, for example, to hear the sequencers being manipulated and the sonics caressed to produced that ever shifting tapestry of pulsations (though the sequenced section itself isn't the best TD produced during that period by a long chalk).

But, ultimately, the whole point of such a release is to be able to hear TD's magnificent classic period with decent sound quality. And in that respect, this album is hugely disappointing. You'll buy it anyway, and after such a long wait who can blame you. But, be warned - the tick awaits. (GG)

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