Tangerine Dream - Alpha Centauri CD (expanded)

SKU 23-EREACD 1021
First off, I have to say that I love those three early, pre-Virgin, post-Electronic Meditation albums. They are wonderful, electro-acoustic soundscape albums, done before the technology existed for sequencing, which showed up on their fifth album, when they signed to Virgin. This was their 2nd release, originally released in 1971 (40 LONG years ago, baby!) and this newly remastered release includes a rare live track from Ossiach, June 1971, taken from a very rare triple album set as well as both sides of their legendary Ultima Thule single! Highly recommended.

"Recorded at the Dierks Studio in Stommeln, the album featured a line up of Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Steve Schroyder with guests Udo Dennebourg (flute) and Roland Pualyck (synthesiser). Released in Germany on the OHR label, the influence of the album was immense, with the band creating imaginative sound-scapes previously unheard on record. This Esoteric Reactive edition is newly re-mastered and includes three bonus tracks: ‘Ozillator Planet Concert’ has never been released on CD and was issued as part of the 1971 triple album "Ossiach Live”. Also included are both sides of the classic ‘Ultima Thule’ single issued in Germany in 1971. The release fully restores the original album artwork and includes a lavishly illustrated booklet."

"With Electronic Meditation, Tangerine Dream blew people's minds by intense guitar and drum jamming, making them easily categorized as a rock band. Then Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler abruptly left, replaced by Steve Schroyder (later briefly of Ash Ra Tempel) and a teenaged Chris Franke. With Alpha Centauri, the band abandoned most of the rock found on their previous album in place of deep space explorations. And you know you'll get something spacy when songs bears titles like "Sunrise in the Third System" and "Fly and Collision of Coma Solas". Most of rock's convention's are abandoned here with the sound of what sounds like a pipe organ and lots of spacy electronic effects. The only drums you'll find is near the end of "Fly & Collision" and that's as close to rock as you'll get here. The album then ends with the side length title track which is truly the ultime excurion in to deep space. I just love this stuff and I wonder why so many people these days listen to Jewel. For me, I feel Tangerine Dream's early material from the Ohr label (1970-1973) represents the band at their most interesting, even though it's not for everyone, like Alpha Centauri. Certainly if you're expecting some of their later, more upbeat electronic albums, you probably won't like this, but if you love unconventional space music like me, you're sure to like this."-Benjamin Miller



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  • LabelReactive
  • UPC5013929712133
Your Price $16.00
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