Customer Reviews

Architecture in Motion

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Better than Transiberia, this Soundtrack album is my personal favourite amoungst recent TD soundtrack releases. The tracks here show a sign that the TD stile is modernising, like with Mars Polaris. With a more 'techno' approach on some tracks and with the added mixes, it's a recording that's fine to listen too as a stand alone music album.

I can't get track 2 out of my head! I now want to see just how this was used in the picture itself...

It's incredible what a band out of ideas might try to sell us. Once again, for the n-th time, we are offered old material in a new packaging for a new price. Foolish me - after "Mars Polaris", a decent album of 1999, I was tempted to buy "Architecture in Motion", advertised as a new soundtrack. There are not too many soundtracks from the Froeses in the 90s, so I bought this CD, and that's why I write this review to discourage you from doing so. There is almost nothing new here.

'Stoneyard' is a mix of "Zoning", "Goblins Club" and "Mars Polaris". Enormous feeling of deja-vu. 'Silver Siren' is a mix of "Dream Mixes II" and "Mars Polaris" - what an irony! The same comment applies to 'Beauty of the Blast', with a small difference that it's ripped from 'Mars Polaris' only. Dream Sculpture can be found on the aforementioned discs. 'Last Trumpet on 23th Street' is a mix of a theme from "Mars Polaris". Reheated, that's all. 'Art of Destruction' is a renamed version of a track known from "Goblins Club" and "Dream Mixes I". Or was it "Dream Mixes II"? Then we have two more tracks, where at least they preserved the original names: 'Timesquare' and 'Jungle Journey'. Thus, out of over 52 minutes of music, we are left only with one new track, 'Forced to Surrender'.

Does that one track justify purchasing the album advertised as new? Hardly. This is just not honest. Buyer beware.

Although not captioned or credited as such, this disk is very much a part of Tangerine Dream's on-going Dream Mixes project. Most of the tracks on it are remixes of or variations on 'Jungle Journey' (originally from "Turn of the Tides" but used extensively as the source for tracks on "The Dream Mixes Vol. 1") with suggestions from various other Dream Mixes tracks thrown in for good measure. Certainly, the sound-world of this CD is very much that of the first volume. (The video gets even closer by using tracks lifted straight from "The Dream Mixes Vol. 1" as well as "Timesquare: Dream Mixes Vol. 2".) In short, the disc presents the usual collection of vox humana choral washes, jolly synthesiser tunes and simple chord progressions over a fast, pulsing sequencer-driven percussion beat which has come to characterise so much of Tangerine Dream's output of late 90s.

That said, this collection does offer a better variety and blend of sounds than can be found on some of the band's other recent releases. At 53 minutes in duration, it is long enough to be satisfying, without ever outstaying its welcome. It does stand up to repeated listening and proves hypnotic and annoyingly memorable! Enough of it sounds sufficiently new for even owners of complete Tangerine Dream collections to avoid any feeling that they are being subjected to any recycling scam! While the sources for the material here may sound familiar, the treatments are often a surprise: 'Forced to Surrender', for example, comes across as an updated version of "Thief", with some fairly wild guitar playing and very rock-like drum-kit percussion base. The result is like nothing Tangerine Dream have done before! My only real complaint - a minor one, at that - is that some of the track endings come across as very abrupt (the very end of the album being the worst example) giving the impression that tracks have been switched around during compilation of the album, and fairly untidily at that. One other warning is in order, too. Although described on the cover as an "original motion picture soundtrack" album, if you're after exact copies of the music used in the "What a blast - Architecture in motion" video production, you need to be aware that this disc doesn't fully deliver. In common with most Tangerine Dream soundtrack releases, there exist major discrepancies between the two. The video uses some music that is not here. (The video section called "Times Square" uses the original mix of 'Timesquare' from "The Dream Mixes Vol. 2", whereas what is presented here is an extended and much-altered remix. Similarly, "San Rocco" appears on "The Dream Mixes Vol. 1", not here.) Conversely, the CD release contains music which is not used in the video: 'Last Trumpet on 23rd Street' is an entirely bonus track, as indeed is 'Jungle Journey' - presented here in an otherwise unavailable version dubbed 'the Bond of Ages Mix'. [The section of the video called "Jungle Journey" uses 'Stoneyard' as its soundtrack, by the way!] And finally, the video uses little more than one minute-worth of 'Art of Destruction' and then only for the closing credits - rather a shame, as this 7-minute track is the only one that sounds to have deliberately composed for the video!

Lovers of Tangerine Dream's "Dream Mixes" treatments (especially those of volume 1) should definitely not hold back from buying here. And if you've bought this disc and are looking for more like it, you now know where to look, don't you?

There are different kinds of fans of Tangerine Dream music, so to understand my reviews, you must understand my tastes. I prefer their later works, with songs that are harmonious, rhythmic, lyrical, and "pretty." Their first excellent album for me was Underwater Sunlight. You might find (by reading lots of reviews) that the people who love TDream's early work dislike the later albums; people who like the later albums don't like the early stuff. I am the 2nd type. Of my 22 or so TDream albums so far, the greatest ones (in approximate order) are: Le Parc, Underwater Sunlight, Architecture in Motion, Private Music, Goblins' Club, Optical Race, Melrose, Lily on the Beach. OK albums are: Tang-go, Force Majeure, Exit. Unpleasant albums are: Turn of the Tides, Rockoon, Stratosfear, Phaedra, Atem, Alpha Centauri, Elect. Meditation, or anything else pre '83. Architecture is a movie soundtrack, but don't worry about that. Song #3, Dream Sculpture, is superb (but you must understand that "Allez!" means "Go!"). There is an incredible mix of Timesquare on here. Much better than the standard one on Tang-go, or Timesquare. TDream fans who share my tastes MUST try out Patrick O'Hearn.

I am a big of all of Tangerine Dreams music, but I have to say that this CD is really, in my opinion a masterpiece.
From start to finish this musical journey is the best adventure I've ever taken.
If you are lucky enough to find a copy of this CD I say BUY IT in a hot second! It never gets old, it just gets better every time you listen to it.
For those of you who use music to meditate to, I highly suggest this for a change of pace. It will take to new and previously unexplored places!

The 1999 soundtrack - that also carries the moniker, What a Blast - is for a documentary on (you guessed it) the razing of buildings through explosions and implosions.

The eight tracks from Edgar and Jerome Froese provide a dramatic and extremely visual soundscape, with Beauty of the Blast - one of the shorter numbers, clocking 3:55 - a complete artistic package. The trio of longer cuts - Art of Destruction, Timesquare, Jungle Journey - provide a solid venue for the music to percolate.

Tangerine Dream shows that there is fine art when things go "boom."

This is by far the best Soundtrack I've heard from Tangerine Dream, and that's saying something considering they've done a few really good ones including Oasis. Compared to the music TD produced since 1990 or therebouts, this music is infinitely more dynamic and emotional in my opinion. The Times Square track as many have alluded to - is truly memorable.

Bottom line, if I had to rank the five best TD works in my collection it would probably look like this:

1. Optical Race 2. Architecture in Motion 3. Lily on the Beach 4. Oasis 5. Underwater Sunlight

Highly Recommended

What can you say?? Just another great soundtrack! the "Brix mix" of time square is incredible....another must have if you enjoy TDs' soundtracks :-)