Customer Reviews

Oasis

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album dates from 1996, and is a copy (with additional bonuses) of the complete soundtrack from the video release of the same name, which celebrates the natural wonders of the American Southwest. The music works much better away from its mixed media setting-largely because when free of the visual distraction that that supplies, the real beauty of this soundtrack can be more fully appreciated.

Stylistically, the music of this album is very similar to much of TD's earlier album, "Goblins Club". It provides plenty of variety and the mood is always very upbeat, with the sound being clear as well as big and punchy. In addition to the 7 tracks featured on the video, the CD contains another 11 minutes or so of very fine music and is a much better bet than the DVD if you don't want to buy both. This has to be one of Tangerine Dream's best releases of the late 1990s.

(For a fuller review, see this CD's entry on the amazon.co.uk site; I have also written a review of the video from which this soundtrack is taken in the DVD section of amazon.com)

Your preference for TD's various "era's" come into play here, and if you prefer the hypnotic earlier material from pre-1980, you may find this one a bit too logical. That being said, I must agree with some of the other reviewers that this is indeed one of TD's finest soundtracks. Apart from the non-rhythmic jangling of "sleigh bells" (?) on "Hopi Mesa Heart", this is a first class listen from start to finish. My own TD favorites are ones which have several changes of pace in a compositional style, yet retain melody and rhythym throughout. Favorite all-time tracks of TD's are "Voxel Ux" (Quinoa), "Yellowstone" (Le Parc), "Beauty of the Blast" (Architecture in Motion), and "Waterborne" from this CD. To REALLY enjoy "Waterborne", listen to it on a system with a wide freq. response, and studio monitor style speakers that can really push air. There's a lot of lo-frequency stuff here that "bookshelf" speakers conceal. As has been said, the tracks "Summer Storm" and "Chia Maroon" also lend considerable weight to the value of this CD. This is more than just pretty tunes, there's a lot of depth and composition here that make this one a CD you can really melt into.

The year 1995 brought us only one proper release from the Froese family, but what release! I might say that "Oasis", a soundtrack to the environmental motion picture, is hands-down the best new-material album we got from the Froeses in the 90s. Funny - some tracks were good enough to replay them during concert tours. Yes, I mean replay, since the Froeses do not innovate on stage like Tangerine Dream used to in the days of old.

The first track, 'Flashflood', is the example of a good tune which sounds better onstage than on the studio album. Mind you, this music is not terribly sophisticated, quite to the contrary, but Oasis definitely possesses something which other albums of the decade lack - concept and atmosphere. The second composition, 'Zion', is much like the cheesy tracks from "Miracle Mile", and I suspect Edgar Froese reheated some old samples, and rerecorded them, adding new stuff. What he added makes all the difference, for 'Zion' actually features an oscillating shadow of an arpeggio, something I didn't hear from Froeses Dream in about 11 years. The next track, 'Reflections' is a simplistic, but good enough tune in the New Age tradition. It definitely sounds like a soundtrack, which cannot be said about "Zoning" or "Destination Berlin", the recent entrees from Froese cutting board. 'Cliff Dwellers' brings us back to "Shy People" - although that is a distant recollection. Very likeable, it is not as obnoxious as their recent albums. Then, we are treated to a real pearl, 'Waterborne', a beautiful synthesizer ballad I didn't suspect them of being able to conceive. It's certainly the best composition recorded since 1988, or indeed ever after. One cannot demand too much, though, as we learn when 'Waterborne' ends, and 'Cedar Breaks' begins. Completely forgettable track, which reminds me of "The Seven Letters from Tibet". Fortunately, the album is long from being over, and we simply cannot believe our ears, when we hear 'Summer Storm'. Another brilliant ballad. The last track of the proper soundtrack, 'Hopi Mesa Heart', is strange, with sampled sounds bristling and whistling. Nothing special, but at least there is no sign of drums anywhere. My edition of the CD features a bonus track, 'Chia Maroon', which is too happy-go-merry to really appreciate it. As an aside note, it hints at the next studio album - "Goblins Club".

All in all, "Oasis" is the most interesting entry from the Froeses in years. My advice would be the following. If you are not too fond of their music of the 90s, but want to go for the best, buy one good compilation, and one good album. I think that's it's a reasonable idea to have "Oasis" in your collection.

I was suprised by this one. I wasn't really expecting this to be as fun as it is. It's upbeat, got some new music in it and it was excellently arranged. This is a refreshingly beautiful album..I highly recomend this one to the true TD fan.

This CD, inspired by the American Southwest, has become my favorite Tangerine Dream CD. It has a great blend of up-beat tracks combined with cuts that are soothing. I listen to this CD in the car frequently during rush hour and it really calms me during a truly stressful time!

This is definitely softer than earlier TD. Marks a clear definite break with early TD, or music of that kind from the seventies, just like Vangelis (listen to early Vangelis work and you'll agree). I understand more today why people who enjoy this album don't like their earlier work and vice-versa.

Very moody music, relaxing rather than hypnotic, as earlier TD music has often been described. A bit more "new age" in my opinion than Architecture in Motion, which at times I dare compare to "house" music (really!).

In conclusion, if you enjoy atmospheric music, this is a definite buy.

This CD soothes the aural senses with unforgettable segues and rhythmic persuasions. A must buy for the Electronica/Ambient section of all serious collectors.

Oasis was released in 1997 as a soundtrack to a Mojave Desert film. What a superb instrumental/electronic album, a suprise really, even for a long-time Tangerine Dream fan like myself. The compilation is the work of the father-son team of Edgar and Jerome Froese. If you are looking for something representative of what Tangerine Dream is capable of in the way of an image-evoking, kick-back, mellow feeling soundtrack, Oasis is your best bet. Highly recommended as atmosphere, ambient, music and background tunes.

With a subtitle, "The Natural Wonders of the American Southwest," the potential is vast for this soundtrack to be a classic in scope and depth...and it is.

The soundscape is dreamy, yet textured beautifully and retrospective in a way that has one gazing at a landscape in the present, but visually seeing the nature's past that can be touched and appreciated. The standout selections in the 50:53 of art from Edgar and Jerome Froese are Flashflood, Cliff Dwellers, Hopi Mesa Heart and the bonus track, Chia Maroon.

There is a powerful message in the nine numbers and the soundtrack truly is an oasis of serenity.

I've been a TD fan for about ten years now and this is one of the two best soundtracks they've every released - and one of their best works in general. In case you're wondering, Architecture in Motion is the other soundtrack....

In any event, I can think of very few musical works which describe their subject-matter so vividly and so perfectly. If you ever have the chance to drive through the canyons or Utah or the mountains of Arizona, pop this CD in and prepare yourself for a memorable drive.

This is a great CD....