Customer Reviews

Hyperborea

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I listened to this CD during a journey through the Austrian Alps a few years ago, and I found the music very stimulating. Taking a closer look, "Hyperborea" is just an arty patchwork of difficult anti-rhythms and well-known space-rock ingredients. And that's exactly the point why TD's early-'80s work is so attractive and easy to listen to. The title track with its slow, relentless beats and mighty synth sounds is impressive and corresponds to the cover image. "Cinnamon road" is sparkling and refreshing high-tech pop in the style of TD's early-'80s soundtracks like "Flashpoint" and "Risky business". "No man's land" and "Sphinx lightning" are densely percussive tracks with a somehow claustrophobic atmosphere. Although this album contains music which is as stiff and desolate as an Icelandic glacier, it's well-devised and enjoyable. After this, Schmoelling's departure proved to be a severe blow for TD's creativity. When Franke also quit a few years later, this once pioneering band had already slipped down into the realm of mediocre adult alternative music. So, I would say "Hyperborea" is TD's last album which shows some progressive elements.

This album has grown with me a lot through the years. Initially I bought the LP, but I think the CD version really does it justice. Hyperborea is totally synth-based, and there is a strange concept in it: The concept of Death! For, how else can one reconcile Hyperborea, the mythical land of eternal happiness with the 'tomb' culture of Ancient Egypt? This is, by the way, my own personal interpretation, and no TD fan has to agree with it. Edgar Froese once stated that every listener should feel free to draw their own conlusions about the themes of the TD music. The music of H does reflect, however, a strange duality: The first track, quite upbeat and pleasant, industrial sounding towards the end, has a definitive Mid-Eastern flavour, and develops a theme that TD revisited later in the song Valley of the Kings, from Lily on the Beach. The awesome composition Sphinx Lightning is a dark marathon through desolate lands and twilight areas. It begins with a heavy, ominous theme, develops into a rhythmical and sophisticated techno, then enters a strange, lingering atonic scale and, after a pure electronic percussion passage, concludes with a glorious (resurrection?) theme. Hyperborea is certainly not a melodic album (the title track is the only exception). In fact, I think that this is the least melodic CD of all the Schmoelling albums. The synth sounds selected by the band are harsh, unreal, unlikely. The first track, for example, offers a weird combination of exotic and industrial sounds. Cinnamon Road is one of the most aggressive and vibrant songs TD ever recorded. Thrilling tune! The title track, Hyperborea, on the other hand, is so majestic and beautiful, that some TD fans bought this album just for this song. Personally, I do not favor any song over another in this album, simply because every one of the four tracks that consist H has its own personality. I do find, however, Sphinx Lightning the most interesting of all. The vast majority of techno and industrial music today pales in comparison with this 1983 TD album! There is soul and heart here; there is mysticism and spirituality, not just a pathetic manipulation of wave files and all that nonsense that is considered by some today's 'progressive' or 'experimental' music.

By the time "Hyperborea" came along in 1983, the TD line-up of Froese, Franke and Schmoelling was well established and was churning out high quality, original composition for film scores, live performances and the annual studio releases.

To be objective, there isn't a great deal of difference between "Hyperborea" and "White Eagle" (the previous studio album) from a sonic perspective; the same studio set-up, perhaps? There does seem to be more use of sampling (orchestra stabs and bells most noticeably) than on most TD albums,but it's never intrusive, certainly TD didn't embrace the Fairlight with as much enthusuasm as, say, Jarre!

"No Man's Land" has an Eastern flavour, synthetic sitar and toms working well together and slowly building to quite an intense ending (with the aforementioned orchestra stabs). This is the most radical track on the album, and the trick of taking an ethnic theme (in this case Indian) and synthesizing it was used later on the "Poland" album, with the Polish polka of "Tangents".

The title track is treading on "Cloudburst Flight" (from "Force Majeure") territory, and while the atmospheric theme works beautifully, the track is somewhat spoilt by the uninspired drum track. (Well, I did say it was almost flawless)!

"Cinnamon Road" is one of those 4 minuters that you get the feeling Johannes Schmoelling can knock out all day; catchy tune, strong voicings; one for the live encore!

The track that dominates the album, however, is the awesome "Sphinx Lightning". The opening chords are immensely powerful, this is the track that clearly inspired much of the "Poland" performance, with sounds and sequences from this track popping up all over the place on that album. From the dramatic opening we have one of the great sequences... ever! Similar in style to "Mojave Plan" from "White Eagle", but with strange vocoded voices lilting across the surface. Ten minutes through and the composition breaks down to a single melancholy sitar and introspective pad before the rhythm begins to resurface. Fans of Froese's solo work will recognise the opening sequence of "Pinnacles" in those watery droplets...

From here it's drama all the way; huge power chords and a soaring melody lead us to the climax; this is TD at their best. 20 minutes of ever changing themes, held together by ethereal meandering. For fans of the Schmoelling era, this is one of the defining moments. For further listening, try out the soundtracks from the same period; "Firestarter" and "Flaspoint" most notably, and for live genius, nothing tops "Poland".

This is one of the final releases before some major changes started taking place with TD. The transition marked more and more of TD's music actually having melody, rhythym, and percussion, while maintaining that ethereal TD sound that had become their halmark. I can't imagine any selective TD fan, from any era, not enjoying this one. At 41 minutes, it's a tad short, but the quality easily makes up for this.

Track 1 - "No Man's Land" - seems to jump from a Celtic feel to Jamaican so seamlessly, one has to pay attention to catch it. The engaging melody draws you along fluidly with enough edge to be exciting.

Track 2 - "Hyperborea" - this title track of 8.5 minutes is incredible. This is one of those "musical event" tracks, that makes you say, "This one makes me think of..." when you're listening. The title is a compound word meaning "over the north", and the music seems to follow a flight over the north pole. The first half is deep, dark, and cold - with minor keys, flats, and a chime-like tone that makes one think of approaching the north pole from the dark side of the meridian. Then, the tune breaks suddenly, as one can envisage the sun on the horizon, as the "flight" takes you to the sunlight side of the pole. This one's a real treat.

Track 3 - "Cinnamon Road" - ties well with several of TD's previous releases, i.e., Tangram, Riccochet, Thief, and Exit. It is very upbeat, thematic, and a nice tune pointing ahead to some of the mid-80's releases, at only 4 minutes length.

Track 4 - "Sphinx Lightning" - this is a true masterpiece of TD work, as thematic and visual as anything they've done. Here's what one can easily picture (I do not do any form of hallucinogens or narcotics!). You are sitting on top of Cheops Pyramid at night overlooking the sphinx. In the distance, flashes of lightning begin, the breeeze comes up, and you know a storm is coming. As it draws closer, the lightning becomes louder, as the first drops of rain begin. Then a torrent of several minutes begins, as you drink in the storm experience from this surreal vantage point. As the rain and wind subsides, dawn breaks, and the sweet, fresh post-rain smell fills your senses so refeshingly in a climate normally dry and dusty. There! If you think this is a "whacked" perspective, listen to the track, and "see" for yourself.

In two words, buy Hyperborea!

The year 1983 marked the beginning of the very output-productive period in Tangerine Dream's career. Unlike in the past, the band worked continuously, having signed multiple contracts with filmmakers all over the world, and in addition toured many countries, and composed new studio music in the bargain. The workload never decreased, which was partially the reason for Chris Franke's abandonment of the band in 1987.

One might wonder if the quality of the new recordings was affected with the sheer number of soundtrack music often exceeding ten per year. While on average one might say that yes, this is exactly what happened, one must also admit that the best of issued albums were still pretty impressive, innovative and pioneering. "Hyperborea", recorded in late summer of 1983, is one of the high points of their 1980s career.

In fact, this album is nothing short of archetypal, since the musical trend it introduced influenced various musicians all over the world, and provided the sound "mainframe" for a significant number of albums directly following its publication. A few months later the band visited Poland and gave a series of live performances, also recorded and published by Jive Electro. These concerts featured themes from "Hyperborea", with the prevailing dark, nostalgic and reflexive mood, being one of the best concerts Tangerine Dream ever gave.

"Hyperborea" features four compositions. The third track reminds us of the previously recorded sterile albums of 1982, and as such is not too inventive. The introduction to the album is frivolous, featuring sampling of folk instruments. Never before and never after Tangerine Dream tried to repeat this experiment. Although the public had mixed feelings about it, I believe that from the almost 20-year perspective, the pluses outweigh the minuses. The most important compositions, however, are the second, title track, and the over twenty-minute long suite, 'Sphinx Lightning', which closes the album. The former is simply crystal beauty, one of the most romantic melodies ever recorded. The unique sound of Tangerine Dream, the originality of this melody, the feel - all this brought tears to eyes of audiophiles ever since. The title track is worth all the money you will pay for this CD. Eight minutes of bliss. As if it were not enough, the closing suite will bring you on your knees. Having turned the light off, you can completely get lost in thoughts. This album, along with the immediately following "Poland" - changed the way I thought about music, and changed my life altogether. You are startled out of your wits with the first forte accord, the keys hit hard in the powerful staccato. The 'lightning' strikes, one after one, and the surrounding sound overwhelms you completely, you have no choice but surrender to the feel of the gothic Tangerine Dream music in its very best. The atmosphere is denser by the minute, and finally the famous keyboard ostinato emerges from the confusion of melodies - to bring the good old times of the 70s. If you loved "Rubycon" and the instrumental suite on "Cyclone", you'll love this. Like a spinning F-16, you screw through the misty clouds, vibrating all the way, until the grand finale, when everything smoothes down, with another ten minutes of calm introspective music allowing you to recover your wits.

"Hyperborea" is a highly collaborative album with respect to actual composition. The musical outlook and preferences of each member of the band are reflected here in full swing. Schmoelling's classical training and preference for structured melodies is highly visible in the first half of the album. Edgar Froese's introspective tendencies are apparent in the very end of the 'Sphinx Lightning' suite, whereas Chris Franke's famous synthesizer ostinato and moody atmospheric music is in the heart of the album, making it stand out among other TD recordings of the time.

"Hyperborea" is one of the milestones in Tangerine Dream musical career, and it's a must have for collectors, at the same time being a perfect start for a newbie to the tangerine world of sound.

It is interesting to observe the parallel fortunes of the German band Tangerine Dream and the UK record company, Virgin. TD were virtually Virgin's first signing at the company's launch in 1973. At that time, both band and company were unconventional, pioneering and daring in their outlook. Ten years later, as the band's contract with Virgin was to end, both record label and band had become massive and highly successful commercial ventures. Both had lost the excitement of riding the cutting edge...

Tangerine Dream's "Hyperborea" dates from that time, 1983. With their contract to Virgin about to end, the trio of Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Johannes Schmoelling were nevertheless entering what was to be just about their most productive period together. And while it may lack the pioneering verve that used to be synonymous with TD, "Hyperborea" remains a highly accomplished album. It demonstrates to perfection the band's ability to take musical inspiration from disparate sources and meld these to produce something uniquely and distinctively their own.

More mystical in its outlook than their other albums, "Hyperborea" draws on Eastern influences for much of its sound world. The opening `No Man's Land', inspired by the film "Ghandi", starts with a tambura-like drone, joined by a synthesised sitar melody and tabla beat, suggestive initially of an Indian Rag. This is soon coupled, though, with a series of drumming rhythms that sound more West African or Moroccan in origin. The result is an 8-minute masterpiece that could only be Tangerine Dream. The next track, `Hyperborea', starts out as a much darker affair: its deep, brooding organ-voiced opening builds menacingly over a soft but insistent drum line. Half-way through, though, an electronic wind blows away the mists for a gutsy guitar riff and powerful percussion line to drive this soaring ballad home.

`Cinnamon Road' is a short (4 minute) number exquisitely constructed from more sitar voices, a growling synth lead and strong sequencer pulse. The final track, `Sphinx Lightning', is a classic 20-minute TD epic in 5 parts (all nicely indexed on this remastered Definitive Edition issue). Its opening section continues the brooding atmosphere that pervades the title track, but this is quickly dispersed by a strengthening sequencer pulse and the ethereal tones ushering in the second part - all very reminiscent of parts of "Stratosfear". The main thrust of the track dies down for the glittering intro to the third section - a reworking of `Walkabout' from Froese's 1983 solo album "Pinnacles". This undergoes steady metamorphosis through the exciting, percussion-led fourth section into the track's magnificent and triumphant culmination, with more eastern-style voicings joining in a massed clarion call, before the final collapse into silence.

This album makes a solid and well-polished companion to the earlier "White Eagle", as well as the live album "Logos". It also presages the great crowning achievement of this incarnation of the band: the live concert release, "Poland", recorded just 6 months after "Hyperborea". Pressure of film work was to begin to take its toll after that but the 45 minutes-worth here are certainly something to savour.

I first purchased this recording on cassette. I don't think CDs had been invented yet; they certainly were not common. Now I feel like I'm going to have to get "Hyperborea" on CD. This is easily one of my favorite TD recordings, and the title track by itself it reason enough to buy it: It's a slow, resonant, and very beautiful track that I cannot help but sing/hum along to. "No Man's Land" and "Cinnamon Road" are exotic tunes that are aptly titled, and "Sphinx Lightning" is a good example of the long, "shifting soundscape" format that the band no longer seems interested in. Above all, "Hyperborea" utilizes one of the broadest palettes of electronic sounds and effects of any TD effort. It's a truly inspired album that makes TD's most recent recordings seem rather vapid and even awkward by comparison. Somewhere along the way Tangerine Dream lost its muse; but before that happened, thankfully, there was "Hyperborea."

In an earlier review I had stated that T.D.'s "Melrose" was their most haunting since this one. Well "Hyperborea" is their absolute most haunting an surreal c.d. ever in my book. It really does, as reviewer Morse put it, take you on a visual journey-you really do feal like you are there. I actually imagined myself amongst the pyramids and the Sphynx on the track 'Sphynx Lightening'. And on the title track, 'Hyperborea', I could see myself on a barren yet breath-taking frozen landscape. If you like a surreal sound, this is the one for you. And yes, as reviewer Morse also stated, you do have to listen closely for the subtle changes in style and tone(just when you think you are hearing a Celtic sort of sound, it moves on to something else and it challenges you to try and figure it out). You could actually(and this may appall the most devout new age listeners!)consider "Hyperborea" 'nature music', for it does indeed transport you to natural locales and states of mind.
Does that sound like someone on an acid trip? Just buy it and you'll understand. And you should also enjoy it immensely.

Hyperborea(1983). Tangerine Dream's 18th(?) studio album.

After indulging and pioneering the way throughout the 70s as an experimental free-form synth-score instrumental group, Germany's Tangerine Dream decided to start broadening their audience by adding in rhythm sequences and a more set structure to their themes. Force Majeure(1979) was the first real one to do this, but it wasn't until Exit(1981) that they started including more than 3-4 songs per album, sometimes shortening their lengths. During the early 80s synthesizer and keyboard technology were rapidly improving in quality, and oftentimes TD was frantically trying to keep up with the pace by releasing a multitude of albums in a rather short period of time. I've always enjoyed listening to their progress in both the sound and technology over the years, seeing as this electronic/rock group has existed since the late 60s.

While Exit and White Eagle(1982) both had a really high-reverb keyboard sound, by Hyperborea the technology had evened out somewhat, enabling a more fully exploitable array of sounds to be produced. Also, Hyperborea stands out a bit from the preceeding few and succeeding albums due to its more calming pace, though dark themes are still as prevalent as they had been at the time. Other sounds with cultural references to Middle-Eastern and West African instruments were starting to be incorporated into the music, so the keyboard themes are given plenty of breathing space for variety in tones. At times, the music can sound dated, but it's a bit less noticeable than some of the other albums. The feel given off by the album is that there is a dreamy and deep (sometimes dark, and other times melancholic) air all around, but when a frantic moment erupts from the calm its presence is felt to be contrasting and more powerful. I know all of this kind of sounds weird, but just listen to the album yourself and you'll also notice that the music here is very picturesque.

It begins with 'No Man's Land', the track bearing the most usage of this cultural instrument incorporation. In fact, most of the 9-minute opus is made up of these varying instruments. Other reviews here do a great job explaining which is what, so look there for more information. This is probably my least favorite track on here since it kind of drags toward the end, but that's not saying much because it still rules. Then there's the gloomy 8-minute title track which opens very powerfully with a ethereal keyboard melody and a dominatingly slow pace. Over time, it fades into a beat-driven ending section which to me sounds almost like a minor-take on the end of 'Kiev Mission's' ending section from Exit. 'Cinnamon Road' is Hyperborea's only short-length track, sporting a strong upbeat baseline and a catchy melody. It serves as this album's 'Midnight In Tula', 'Chorozon', or 'Le Parc - LA Streethawk' so to speak. Then we arrive at the final track, the masterpiece 'Sphinx Lightning' which spans about 20 minutes in length. It starts off with various synth flashes, and throughout the next 10 minutes or so it slowly builds up from an airy atmospheric distance into a more pulse-pounding rhythm array and strong keyboard line. It then calms down into a more somber and melodic low key, often reminiscent of Pink Floyd. Other instruments pop in at times, and then the song closes with a more optimistic finish, contrasting the dark passages of the beginning.

Replayability: Lower than some of the other albums, though it fits PERFECTLY if you're in the right mood for it.

Though Hyperborea may not be the best place for new TD fans to start, it's definitely well worth your time to look into once you've gotten your feet wet. Actually, if you prefer the more eerie and experimentally freeform styles of 70s TD, then Hyperborea may actually be a good place to transition the two eras due to the album's dreamy nature. It gets 4.5 stars easily, being that the album manages to last over 45 minutes even though there are technically only four tracks. It's not for everybody though, and some people may be put off by the sound, as indicated in some of the negative reviews, but Hyperborea is a somewhat forgotten and underrated gem in the vast TD back-catalogue. It was the final Virgin Years album after 10 years of collaboration, and so the Blue Years period would begin soon after (from Poland(1984) all the way up to Tyger(1987)). Find them cheap online somewhere due to the fact that the old and remastered cd editions seem to be out of print in most stores. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO TD FANS.

Other atmospheric TD albums:
-Phaedra(1974), Rubycon(1975), Stratosphere(1976), Force Majeure(1979), and Tangram(1980)

If you prefer 80s-styled TD, then get:
-Exit(1981), Thief(1981), White Eagle(1982), Logos(1982), Poland(1984), Le Parc(1985), Underwater Sunlight(1986), and Tyger(1987)

This is definitely Tangerine Dream's best album. Especially the first three tracks are great. The first track has a strong rythmic and melodic component and some Eastern influences. The second track is simply beautiful, melancholic, dreamy. The third, shortest, track of the album is a classic TD-song: rythmic with a haunting melody. The final track is the longest: just relax and let yourself drift away...

This album shows what creative potential TD has, unlike the last albums they produce (three albums a year, all rubbish, I regret to say). It's a classic TD-album, with mild rock elements (no guitars, unlike on other TD-albums), haunting melodies, strong rythmic components - everything a synth-music lover wants!