Tangerine Dream
Biography
Without doubt, the recordings of Tangerine Dream have made the greatest impact on the widest variety of instrumental music during the 1980s and '90s, ranging from the most atmospheric new age and space music to the harshest abrasions of electronic dance. Founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese in Berlin, the group has progressed through a full three dozen lineups (Froese being the only continuous member with staying power) and four distinct stages of development: the experimentalist minimalism of the late '60s and early '70s; stark sequencer trance during the mid- to late '70s, the group's most influential period; an organic form of instrumental music on their frequent film and studio work during the 1980s; and, finally, a more propulsive dance style, which showed Tangerine Dream with a sound quite similar to their electronic inheritors in the field of dance music.
Froese, born in Tilsit, East Prussia, in 1944, was little influenced by music while growing up. Instead, he looked to the Dadaist and Surrealist art movements for inspiration, as well as literary figures such as Gertrude Stein, Henry Miller, and Walt Whitman. He organized multimedia events at the residence of Salvador Dali in Spain during the mid-'60s and began to entertain the notion of combining his artistic and literary influences with music; Froese played in a musical combo called the Ones, which recorded just one single before dissolving in 1967. The first lineup of Tangerine Dream formed later that year, with Froese on guitar, bassist Kurt Herkenberg, drummer Lanse Hapshash, flutist Volker Hombach and vocalist Charlie Prince. The quintet aligned itself with contemporary American acid rock (the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane), and played around Berlin at various student events. The lineup lasted only two years, and by 1969 Froese had recruited wind player Conrad Schnitzler and drummer Klaus Schulze. One of the trio's early rehearsals, not originally intended for release, became the first Tangerine Dream LP when Germany's Ohr Records issued Electronic Meditation in June 1970. The LP was a playground for obtuse music-making -- keyboards, several standard instruments, and a variety of household objects were recorded and filtered through several effects processors, creating a sparse, experimentalist atmosphere.
Both Schulze and Schnitzler left for solo careers later in 1970, and Froese replaced them the following year with drummer Christopher Franke and organist Steve Schroeder. When Schroeder left a year later, Tangerine Dream gained its most stable lineup core when organist Peter Baumann joined the fold. The trio of Froese, Franke, and Baumann would continue until Baumann's departure in 1977, and even then, Froese and Franke would compose the spine of the group for an additional decade.
On 1971's Alpha Centauri and the following year's Zeit, the trio's increased use of synthesizers and a growing affinity for space music resulted in albums that pushed the margin for the style. Atem, released in 1973, finally gained Tangerine Dream widespread attention outside Europe; influential British DJ John Peel named it his LP of the year, and the group signed a five-year contract with Richard Branson's Virgin Records. Though less than a year old, Virgin had already become a major player in the recording industry, thanks to the massive success of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells (widely known for its use in the film The Exorcist).
Tangerine Dream's first album for Virgin, Phaedra, was an milestone not only for the group, but for instrumental music. Branson had allowed the group free rein at Virgin's Manor Studios, where they used Moog synthesizers and sequencers for the first time; the result was a relentless, trance-inducing barrage of rhythm and sound, an electronic update of the late-'60s and early-'70s classical minimalism embodied by Terry Riley. Though mainstream critics were unsurprisingly hostile toward the album (it obviously made no pretense to rock & roll in any form), Phaedra broke into the British Top 20 and earned Tangerine Dream a large global audience.
The follow-ups Rubycon and the live Ricochet were also based on the blueprint with which Phaedra had been built, but the release of Stratosfear in 1976 saw the use of more organic instruments such as untreated piano and guitar; also, the group added vocals for 1978's Cyclone, a move that provoked much criticism from their fans. Both of these innovations didn't change the sound in a marked degree, however; their incorporation into rigid sequencer patterns continued to distance Tangerine Dream from the mainstream of contemporary instrumental music.
Baumann left for a solo career in 1978 (later founding the Private Music label), and was replaced briefly by keyboard player Steve Jolliffe and then Johannes Schmoelling, another important member of Tangerine Dream who would stay until the mid-'80s. In 1980, the Froese/Franke/Schmoelling lineup was unveiled at the Palast der Republik in East Berlin, the first live performance by a Western group behind the Iron Curtain. Tangerine Dream also performed live on TV with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra one year later, and premiered their studio work on 1980's Tangram.
Mike Oldfield had shown the effectiveness of using new instrumental music forms as a bed for film on Tubular Bells, and in 1977 The Exorcist's director, William Friedkin, had tapped Tangerine Dream for soundtrack work on his film Sorcerer. By the time the new lineup stabilized in 1981, Hollywood was knocking on the band's door; Tangerine Dream worked on more than 30 film soundtracks during the 1980s, among them Risky Business, The Keep, Flashpoint, Firestarter, Vision Quest, and Legend. If the idea of stand-alone electronic music hadn't entered the minds of mainstream America before this time, the large success of these soundtracks (especially Risky Business) entrenched the idea and proved enormously influential to soundtrack composers from all fields.
Despite all the jetting between Hollywood and Berlin, the group continued to record proper LPs and tour the world as well. Hyperborea, released in 1983, was their last album for Virgin, and a move to Zomba/Jive Records signaled several serious changes for the band during the late '80s. After the first Zomba release (a live concert recorded in Warsaw), 1985's Le Parc, marked the first time Tangerine Dream had flirted with sampling technology. The use of sampled material was an important decision to make for a group that had always investigated the philosophy of sound and music with much care, though Le Parc was a considerable success -- both fans and critics calling it their best LP in a decade. Tyger, released in 1987, featured more vocals than any previous Tangerine Dream LP, and many of the group's fans were quite dispirited in their disfavor.
Schmoelling left in 1988, to be replaced by the classically trained Paul Haslinger and (for a brief time) Ralf Wadephul. Optical Race, released in 1988, was the first Tangerine Dream album to appear on old bandmate Peter Baumann's Private Music label. Several more albums followed for the label, after which Haslinger left to work on composing film scores in Los Angeles. His replacement, and the only other permanent member of Tangerine Dream since, was Edgar's son Jerome Froese (whose photo had graced the cover of several TD albums in the past). Another record label change, to Miramar, preceded the release of 1992's Rockoon, which earned Tangerine Dream one of their seven total Grammy nominations. The duo continued to record and release live albums, remix albums, studio albums, and soundtracks at the rate of about two releases per year into the late '90s. Meanwhile, the influence of Tangerine Dream's '70s releases upon a generation of electronica and dance artists became increasingly evident, from the Orb's indebted ambient techno to DJ Shadow's sampling of Stratosfear's "Invisible Limits," heard on "Changeling," from 1996's Endtroducing....
During the early 2000s, new material surfaced at a slightly slower rate. In addition to a handful of studio albums -- including 2005's Jeanne d'Arc, for which Froese was first joined by Thorsten Quaeschning, a musician who would figure into several subsequent TD releases -- and a couple soundtracks (Great Wall of China, Mota Atma), there was "the Dante trilogy" (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, released from 2002 through 2006) and the five-part "atomic seasons" (with titles like Springtime in Nagasaki and Winter in Hiroshima, created for a Japanese man who survived the bombings of both cities). During these years, keeping tabs on archival releases, both live and studio, was more challenging than ever; most prominently, there was The Bootmoon Series, entailing audience and soundboard recordings of performances dating back to 1977, as well as reissues of the first four albums and several anthologies. Despite so much focus on the past, epitomized by 40th anniversary concerts that took place 2007, Tangerine Dream remained equally connected to the present. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

The Electronic Magic Of Tangerine Dream - The Antology
2008

Booster
2008

Madcap's Flaming Duty
2007

Nebulous Dawn [the Early Years]
2006

East
2005

Cleveland 1986
2005

Tangents: 1973-1983
1994

Canyon Dreams Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
1987

Poland
1984

Tangram
1980
Still one of my favorites. I'd like to see "Turn of the Tides" from 1994 and the sound track from "Risky Business" included here.
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This music reminds me of the train scene in Risky Business when Tom Cruse and Rebecca DeMornay did the deed
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The first album of theirs that I heard was Rubycon. Side one (now cut 1) remains one of my favorite pieces in the genre, in turns robotic and romantic (there's a dawn moment that echoes Ravel at one point).
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Sadly, whoever created the hyperlinks in John Bush's review (above) didn't do their homework. They found a link for 'The Keep' that goes to music by that name. It has nothing to do with the movie by the same name.
As some reviews say, one either hated or loved the movie. I fall into the latter group. It woke me up about Tangerine Dream too... I hope someone repairs the link some day. |
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I keep seeing tangram album cover in my sleep => strange I believe the Poland is the best, yet I know this is just a selected discography there is so much that is missed here.
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Legend has a good soundtrack, but remember the UK version of the film had a Jerry Goldsmith score, not the TD one we know. A couple of other soundtracks that are also very good are "Near Dark", "Wavelength" , "Flashpoint" and "Shy People". I like the music from "Risky Business" as the best music of TD but "Sorceror" (also known as "Wages of Fear") is the one, of the pure TD soundtacks, I like the best.
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xenon927-Unf o r t u n a t e l y the soundtrack for "The Keep" has been out of print for some time although you can probably track a copy down on eBay although expect to pay a bit extra for it. But I agree with you, that is certainly one of my favorite soundtracks of theirs but "Legend" is one of their best too. Other notable soundtracks include "Sorcerer" (mid-'70s), "Firestarter " (~'84) and "Miracle Mile" (~'87 with Paul Haslinger). And don't forget "Risky Business" which has some great tracks as well!
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@ tomswing: I've actually got a bootleg of "Legend," which contains ALL the TD music from the film, including the extended "flute"-like parts from near the beginning.
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I have to go with the soundtrack from the movie "The Keep". This is what brought TD to my attention. I have hunted for a copy of this sountrack for years but have not found it. Too bad.
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I was wondering the same as tomswing. I loved their song "Loved by the Sun" from the Legend movie. That's one of my favorite movies of all time, and a lot of it has to do with that song, lol.
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I wouldn't say that "Green Desert" was their best but I do agree it is one of them. I rank it right up there with "Force Majeure" which is my favorite of theirs.
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Actually, their best album was "Green Desert" which is very hard to find. Fortunately, I have the album and love it.
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I don't believe there is an album titled Hypothermia. Could it be you're thinking of Hyperborea, which was released around the time you stated. Great album/CD.
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Hypothermia. . . g r e a t song, think it's from an album by the same name. Came out around 83-84' if memory serves.
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Sewsmart, Risky business was a compilation pulled from several TD albums, the scenes with the first appearance of Rebecca DeMornay were from Force Majeure (on the cd for Force Majeure it's about the 4 minute mark on track one). Other songs were pulled from Tangram (or they made their first appearance on that album) as part of the normally longer TD tracks. As far as I know, the song "Love on a Real Train" was a composition for the movie as I haven't heard it as part of any track from that time
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"EXIT" by far the BEST TD album ever! This album marked a real transition for TD and was not even listed in the discography.
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I love Hyperborea,i t has a sound to it that will just take you away and then back again.Put on a set of earphones with this cd playing and you will go for a little journey.
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Which song/album was the one used for the movie "Risky Business" when Tom Cruise and Rebecca DeMornay were onthe train?
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I have collected close to twenty of TG's cds since originally hearing them on the Legend soundtrack. I had to hear more after that and now many years later still a fan and loving it!
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I think Rubycon is the best album they recorded. From beginning to end there isn't a false note to be heard.
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They are at the top of the heap of their genre. See them live...they' r e AWESOME!
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As influential to ALL post 80's "electronica " as Kraftwerk but for some reason they seem to not get the same amount of regard. They probably have a studio and live album catalog of well over 50 albums and none disappoint. My personal favorites include Force Majeure, Exit, The Keep (soundtrack) , White Eagle, Le Parc, Goblyn's Club, Mars Polaris and Dream Mixes 3 and 4. Listen…and lose yourself!
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I agree with heavybob,sin c e I heard Sorcerer I tough that they are one of the best progressive music bands ever!
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Force Majeure, Exit, Stratosfear. . . . listen and be amazed. Such a wide variety of emotions are brought forth with their music it's staggering. A true artist, Edgar Froese is a genius.
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They have so many albums it's nuts, try these if you like what Pandora has: The Private Collection, Turn of the Tides, Goblin's Club, The Dream Mixes, and the current work which has to be imported to the U.S. but describes Japan during the seasons of World War II leading up to and through the Atomic Bombing in Nagaski, absolutely brilliant.
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rhythmic, enchanting, Moody, meditative, Ricochet and Stratosfear. These Classics Still get a spin. Tangents: 1973-1983 If You Want A Great Compilation Before they went All New Age.
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I've listened to TD since about 1972. They just get better and better. Unbelievable 'cerebral music.' Where's my copy of 'Encore.' . . ????
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Great Musical creativity! Like Brian Eno sortof! I consider this style of music to be primal and at the core of one's soul. Listening to it makes me think it's the way basic life began here millions of years ago, and these are compliments - not negatives at all. The music seems as natural as breathing as it carries your soul along the ocean of its sound. I love it!
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I have "Stratosfear " for a long time and it sounds like the soundtrack of "Escape From NY" with Curt Russel as the one-eyed Snake Pliskin rebel :~)))
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My personal favorites are; Firestarter, E x i t , L e Parc,Poland and Stratosfear.
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