Edgar Froese Stuntman (Rerelease)

Edgar's 1979 solo release is without doubt his most perfectly realised work. The album contains six pieces of beautiful music that are a million miles removed from the Tangerine Dream music of that time. There is an orchestral feel to much of it, so when you play this for the first time – it all sounds very bland and samey, and yet it really is a wonderful album. The rewards for the listener are considerable – if you persevere.

Because of this, of all Edgar's rereleases, this is the one I was least looking forward to, so I am delighted that he has produced an extremely faithful 2005 version that doesn't detract in any way from the original. It is about 15 seconds longer, but other than that the differences are minimal. There is however a completely new sleeve, with fairly minimal credits. Best of all though are the track names, which are imaginative and brilliantly evocative.

The CD kicks off with the title track – Stuntman, and almost right from the start, that sequencer kicks in, overlaid with a simple and catchy chord progression, before it fades away slightly, and then almost repeats itself – it is like a four minute pop song in it's structure, and very daring.

Track two (It Would Be Like Samoa) has an almost choral opening section, before the sequencer appears, providing an interesting background. About 5 minutes in, there is a guitar, which quickly fades away, before a really gorgeous rhythm takes you to the end.

The third piece – Detroit Snackbar Dreamer seems to start in much the same vein – a very understated opening, but astoundingly beautiful, again very orchestral in its structure. Sounding very much like its title, it is probably the most underrated track on the album.

Next up is Drunken Mozart In The Desert. This has a completely new start – sounding for all the world like some mad orchestra, and no doubt wholly intentional. This has had more embellishments than most, but it still sounds very faithful. It is a rather strange track, which could well have been composed under the influence of alcohol! A Dali - esque Sleep Fuse is another eccentric work of art – pun intended. A rather moody opening section, gives way to a brief but frantic sequencer. A guitar then makes a rare appearance, before the sequencer eventually makes a welcome return and fading away to allow those moody synths to lead us to the finale.

The best however is kept for the end in Scarlet Score For Mescalero – an extremely dark and oppressive sounding track that it is way too short. Not a sequencer in sight either! It sounds occasionally like something left off the Sorcerer soundtrack, and that is meant to be a compliment.