Tangerine Dream and analogue electronic music.

In answer to my own questions, I have seen Tangerine Dream on the following occasions,

1982, 4 November, Sheffield City Hall
1986, 14 March, Manchester Apollo
1990, 26 October, Hammersmith Odeon
1996, 30 November, Shepherds Bush Empire

The 1982 show was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. '86 was really enjoyable, but did not have the edge of the Logos tour. '90 was boring, apart from Edgar's guitar section, and a friend and I walked out of the '96 show. What I have heard of recent shows has given me no inspiration in going to see them again, especially as there are other bands playing that style music better (in my opinion).

I can only say that I regret that I was not old enough to have seen them in the 1970's, especially on the Cathedrals tour.

My favourite albums by them are 'Rubycon', 'Encore', 'White Eagle', 'Logos' and 'Poland'. I have never really got 'Ricochet', it always sounded like a number of different pieces edited together, which is what it is, and I find 'Stratosphere' rather bland too.

My favourite bands and albums influenced by them are:

Redshift (Mark Shreeve) 'Redshift I' and 'Faultline VI'
Arc (Mark Shreeve and Ian Boddy) 'Arcturus'
Free System Projekt 'Moyland'

They are all from the mid 90's and later. I have seen several of the Hampshire Jam's, which are small concerts (festival to give it a overly grand title) held in Liphook Hampshire with several bands/artists performing on one day. Very enjoyable, although I do think beards are compulsory, even if still having hair is not.

There are also similar events held in Burton-on-Trent, but I haven't been to them, since they moved there from Leeds. They generally have lesser know artists (less known than Free System Projekt I hear you say in disbelief).

There are a few good websites catering for this music, Mesizzeit, Groove.nl and Synthmusicdirect, which offer wither Flac/MP3 downloads and/or CDs. There are also sites for the bands too.

Jamie

While most of my friends were well into Deep Purple, Zepplin et al, I found myself totally immersed in Rubycon & Ricochet.

Atem & Zeit I found harder going, but I used to drive my parents nuts with the repetative sequences of Rubycon. 

I managed to talk a group of friends to come see the Stratosfear tour in late '76, and since then music has been the hobby. Hmm, didn't go down well with them.

Like most I still hanker after the 'early' days and those soundscapes / amazing sequences that just build and build.

Back then I found Kraftwerk very bland in comparison, and Klaus Schulze was just a bit too far spaced out.

Times change I guess.

My all-time "dream' was to see TD in the Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

Just shows that you don't always get what you dream for!

Great acoustics but a major dissapoinment as a gig. A lady playing saxophone, electronic 'drums' and such weirdness. Almost felt betrayed!

Anyways, I have a few more things I can scan which may bring back memories for some :-) and make feel old again..

So now about to let loose Rubycon on the system.

Oddly this recording is very quiet and needs the volume knob well wound up!

PS - Jamie - we never did get to meet at HJ - sometime soon perhaps.

Steve,

Have you heard this three disc set?

Stu.

Good shout moving the thread over here - trouble is I don't have much more to add re TD having already mentioned seeing them at Portsmouth Guildhall etc.

And echoing your point about Redshift - bought all seven (still available) CDs - they are so good. For me what is outstanding about Redshift is the combination of the sonics of analogue synths, and the fact they play them live and without overdubs. So it is real music, played by geezers, in real time. Top.

Tim Blake is worth a mention for anyone who likes this genre and doesn't know him. He was an early adopter of things analogue synth, and did long stints with Hawkwind, and especially, Gong. The track "A Sprinkling of Clouds" from the Gong album 'You" from 1974 is a good example of wonderful synth sounds within an otherwise live (and kicking) band.

But the album 'Crystal Machine' by Tim Blake from 1975 is right in this genre. Just synth music as per TD, although solo rather than three or four players. Played live and recorded from gigs, just like much of the Redshift output. Very well recorded.

Of note is Blake's strength as a composer. His tunes/music is really good as well as the hallmark fab analogue sonics.

Highly recommended. CDs are hard to come by, and seemingly expensive, but vinyl more prevalent funnily enough, and better for the analogue vibe. Lots of French pressings available (he was bigger there) and Discogs a good hunting ground.

Enjoy.

Cheers

Click

Agree about tim Blake ... I saw him with hawkwind at Colston hall in what must have been about 1980. He played new jerusalem and lighthouse and was given enough space by the rest of the band ( they were probably in the bar) .... I seem to remember lighthouse making it onto a live album from around that time?

Most annoyingly in that era I had tickets for Vangelis but the tour was cancelled due to lack of interest

As to td. Other than the aforementioned 1978 gig saw them several more times but it is all a bit of a blur. I do remember chris Franke progressing to arpeggiators and playing with a four by four pad with what seemed like unbelievable technical sophistication at the time.....of course it's now a freebie with GarageBand on the iPad!

Digressing slightly, i once read that JM Jarre was self appointed godfather of modern dance music. Clearly he wasn't (though I do like his early stuff) so guys who would your votes go to? Mine would be chris and Edgar along with ralf and florian plus of course Robert moog ( anyone found mis-pronouncing his surname will be shot! 

Godmother would, of course, be Delia Derbyshire.

M

> Godmother would, of course, be Delia Derbyshire.

It is shame there are so few recordings of the greatest exponent of the electrosonic that ever graced the planet - I've collected everything I can get by her. There are supposed to be 100s of unreleased recordings and there are soundtracks to films like Hell House. 

Albums I have are White Noise: An Electric Storm, Electrosonic, Tomorrow People and her tracks on the various Radiophonic Workshop compilations.

She, of course, hated housework and moved house just before the need to perform it became essential. 

Other than Delia and some of the later work of Edgar Varese; my favourite electronic sounds are from The Silver Apples  and T.O.N.T.O Expanding Head Band. 

============

On thread I saw T-Dream in 74 at S'ton and my favourite album by them is Atem. 

Apparently BBC are releasing an Electronic album for record day.

A few more scans that may bring back memories for some. Makes me realise that 'tour programs' were very rarely worth what was charged for them - apart from the occasional walk down memory lane like this.

I'm not surprised that the BEEB are releasing an electronic album for RD  - for me they were pretty much the pioneers of 'em' along with some work by Pink Floyd making tape loops and frequency modulation. Indeed PF even hint at it with the gentle use of Dr Who in "OOTD".

If JMJ was the godfather of modern dance then that would make TD to be DeNiro & Scorcese.

JMJ was ok / reasonable until Marcus Miller showed him how to program a fairlight properly in Zoolook - he never looked back after that ;-)

The world would be so much a poorer place without Mr Moog having invented the 'mini Moog' and all its variant thereafter. Amazingly very sought after now as many realise that analogue synths do not sound 'the same' all of the time like digital manages.

A great amount of time in-between long sequencer led pieces (where lots of noodling and weird noises were in set) were down to the fact that the main (usually moog modular) sequencer was being re-tuned as they had gone out of tune during play / voltage variations - at least that is what I have been told by at least two folks who used them.

I love the opening part to DSOTM (Dark side of the moog - the evolution of) which is introduced by Robert Moog prior to his death. That album is just one great test of any system / music room.

I also wonder just how many sent emails to BigBriar? A lot I bet.

Nice to see the software for postings pictures is working so well again today in Lion - NOT Grrr

Cant see a single pic in a post until they appear on forum - then impossible to edit ..

Ah well - apologies if they do not work correctly - I did try!

Don't have any memorabilia to show for it, but I saw them at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon, in or around 1978, just at the time that they'd released Cyclone (which I have a mint original vinyl copy of). I seem to remember that the album created a huge backlash due to the use of drums and vocals. All I can remember about the gig was that it was deafeningly loud. 

I remember going to Laserium at the Planetarium a couple of times...Set Controls for the Heart of the Sun etc.

In all probability the laserium flyer came from the planetarium as well Big H. 

I had to leave one performance early as I felt dreadfully ill and light headed. Sat on a bench outside the door into the dome, and started talking to a chap at the other end of the bench. He's a bit unsociable I thought after trying to speak to him twice. Then through the fuddle of a headache I remembered that the planetarium is part of Madam Tussauds - doh.

http://www.voices-in-the-net.de/tleav050.htm - the artwork is wrong, as this recording is the 20th, there is also a reording of the show in London on the 28th too. I must dig them out and give them a listen.

Sadly nothing for your 1982 show, but thre is 'Logos' from the next day, and a couple of OK complete shows with the wonderful 'Heritage Survival' from the fist set.

Interesting Jarre claiming to be the father of Techno, Underworld and Orbital both site Kraftwerk, and barely mention Jarre. Orbital I know are big Tangerine Dream fans, and albums like 'Snivilisation' might appeal to Tangerine Dream fans.

If anyone likes Redshift and does not know Arc, 'Arcturus' (from Din records) is every bit as good.

No news about the Hampshire Jam this year, there are a few Ambient Awakenings shows, but I can't say that any appeal enough to go.

Jamie

Recorded in 1963 by Ms Derbyshire - wonder what Mr Jarre was doing then. 

That said JMJ did record some nice stuff. 

When did you see them?
Were they good?
Which is your favourite period or album?

Hi Jamie

I remember 2 things before I saw TD live, the first was John Peel playing the entire Phaedra album pre release, and the other being tempted by an exotic looking Atem LP in Virgin Records, Bold St, Liverpool in their Import section.

I saw them late 1974 at Liverpool Stadium, then the following year in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

I remember the Stadium gig as being a bit disappointing - the PA and sound - and venue - just didn't seem appropriate.  But the Cathedral gig was excellent as an event - although the music was very similar to Phaedra with similar sequencing patterns and improvisations.  Quadrophonic if memory serves me right.  I just couldn't get over the huge EMS synth being taken out on the road (I read recently that one fetched £60,000).

Favourite LP has to be Phaedra as it was the first I heard.  Soft spot for Aqua.

E ,

You will be hard pushed to find a site or recording Jamie does not already know or have.

Stu.

He has.

Cool,

Can one of you mail it to me please?

Stu.

Anyone have any thoughts on this band?

I have four of their albums,never seen them live,Would have liked too though?

Stu.

The name VOLT may bring back a few memories to a few here.

This email just dropped into my inbox once again from CD services in Dundee :-

VOLT: CIRCUITS (New 2012 Studio Album - Stock # 1527054) CD £14.99

A brand new 2012 release by Michael Shipway and Steve Smith's VOLT project and after waiting for quite a long time for this new title with just three long "Berlin School" style tracks, we are told it was well worth the wait, and that it's "absolutely brilliant!!"
Track List:
01. Circuits
02. Ohms Law
03. Firewire

While I usually refrain from having regular newsletters from sellers - these are being rather fruitful recently :-)