Tangerine Dream Zoning

This soundtrack release contains a whopping 13 tracks, but thankfully even the shortest track is over 3 minutes long hence we are spared the 1½ minute hatchet jobs which have populated other TD soundtracks. So compositionally we are presented here with a clutch of 'true' TD tracks, and if you are a fan of their modern style there is more than enough to impress. Weighing in at nearly 6 minutes, the opener 'The Conspiracy' serves up the by now familiar syncopating piano and busy drum lines interplaying with synth voices. It could be straight off 'Rockoon', and only the inclusion of a few moodier outings sets this apart from their recent studio albums. Examination of the sleeve notes reveals that this is almost exclusively an Edgar Froese collection, with Jerome only credited on the first and last tracks. Sax does appear fleetingly on the album, but as all instruments are exclusively performed by EF I can only assume it's played on a synth. Track 8 'Good Choice, Bad Timing' airs some impressive sequence lines and overall, without the overbearing electric guitar and wailing sax, the album sounds less cluttered and all the better for it. OK, you do get the feeling that no-one broke into much of a sweat to produce this, but as an album portraying where TD are at the moment it's a valid enough offering. (GG)

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