Optical Race

Tangerine Dream | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Private Music
• ASIN: B0000000IY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,657 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Marakesh

2. Atlas Eyes

3. Mothers of Rain

4. Twin Soul Tribe

5. Optical Race

6. Cat Scan

7. Sun Gate

8. Turning off the Wheel

9. The Midnight Trail

10. Chazal-Love Song

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crystal Voice, January 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Optical Race (Audio CD)

Faced with the loss of the crucial member of the band in late 1987, Christopher Franke, and with the corresponding loss of most of the equipment, Edgar Froese was left to his own devices. Ever persistent, he decided to continue the musical path of the band, this time as a duo, hard as it was to find a replacement for the lost nucleus of the band. Busy with mastering the material recorded during 1987 - various soundtracks contracted for the silver screen companies, Edgar Froese did not immediately begin searching for the new musical identity. However, come 1988, he already had clear ideas as to where he would take the band, what direction it might choose. Tangerine Dream has always been the band of technology, more often than not at the frontline, devising the new solutions, new instruments on their own. In 1988, a new opportunity knocked on the door, the age of digital computers. Having decided to use that opportunity, and somewhat being forced to do so after the loss of precious equipment last year, Edgar Froese and Paul Haslinger cheerfully adapted the new investment, the digital computers of Atari and Steinberg.

Thus began the new era in the musical heritage of Tangerine Dream. Not only the means of expression have changed substantially, but also the musical direction per se. With the release of "Optical Race" in the spring of 1988, Tangerine Dream entered the realm of pop music. It did so with grand fanfare indeed. This album can't possibly disappoint anyone, even those of us dedicated to the musical experiments of the past. It's simply too good to walk over. Doing away with the length, with experimentation, with orchestration, with the atmospheric climate of the past, Edgar Froese and Paul Haslinger delivered a set of 10 pop instrumental songs which are a pleasure to listen to this day. "Optical Race" withstood the flow of time, and is as stunning today as it was in 1988. We had every right to be optimistic.

The album opens with a perfect, dynamic song of 'Marakesh', the best vibrating syncopated melody for years to come. It's simple excellent, perfectly composed in a classic structural way, and equally perfectly executed, no doubt thanks to the new super-precise computerized equipment. This song has soul, it has dynamism, it has the nerve. It's a scream of joy. Just like the next song, 'Atlas Eyes', it carries you to the faraway lands of the desert, to the land of the Mosques, the sand, the magical carpets. Desert it was, indeed, for the following two songs, 'Mothers of Rain' and 'Twin Soul Tribe', seem to have been an astounding accompaniment to the sand dunes journey on a camel's back. With the final erg of the desert overcome, you quickly descend to the oasis of 'Optical Race', a speedy title track where Edgar and Paul showed off with their new percussive digital instruments. It's perfect. Only once they came ever so close to the mastery of this song - on the following studio album of 1989, "Lily on the Beach" - with the madly dynamic track, 'Gecko'. If you are a fan of the black-and-white silent movies of the 20s and 30s, you will notice that Optical Race heavily borrows from the accompaniment to those old classics. If not for the drums, Charlie Chaplin would probably never notice the difference!

The second half of the album brings us sunny love songs, which to me seem a perfect beauty. Yes, they are completely different than the heart-breaking tunes of the past, but nevertheless they are beautiful and touching. Ever since I heard this album, I associate 'Cat Scan', 'The Midnight Trail' and especially 'Sun Gate' with love, with romance. Everything good must end somewhere, a sad property of life on this earth, and thus with 'Turning Off The Wheel' we cross the desert fort the last time, in the sunset, to finally embark on the ship, and sail off into darkness with 'Ghazal', a goodbye song from Tangerine Dream.

What a beautiful album. What a pity they never after released anything that came close.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An optical Treat for the Ears!, September 3, 2004

By 

Distant Voyageur "Nicholas Computer" (Io) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Optical Race (Audio CD)

Of the countless Tangerine Dream CDs that I own as of writing this review, this 1988 outing by Tangerine Dream is likely my favorite of them all. The album has a really beautiful summer afternoon tone to it and the songs are really innovative and powerful. While I strongly object to the negative output that their following albums have recieved, I cannot deny that TD haven't reached such a high point like they did with "Optical Race". The song "Mother's of Rain" alone makes this album worth purchasing but there are other amazing pieces on here that are highlights. The closing track "Ghazal" is a really joyous and optimistic closer to this fantastic CD. As of writing this review, this album is extremely hard to find and may not even be in print but if one can find it, it is a must have! I guarantee it. While the TD audiences may be a bit divided between the many albums they did during their 30+ year career, almost everyone will find lots to enjoy on "Optical Race".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cool and very intense!, December 31, 2003

By 

Brianna Neal (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Optical Race (Audio CD)

"Optical Race" is my favorite of Tangerine Dream's releases! I first heard the opening track of this CD played over the sound system in a music store, and it just blew me away. I bought it on the spot. Track #1, "Marakesh," is a terrific electronic composition, building, driving, transforming, and all the while losing neither steam nor interest. It's perfect motivation for a high-energy physical workout or just about anything else that requires a continuous output of vigor and enthusiasm. "Marakesh" is the sort of song that is worth the price of the whole album, but happily, "Atlas Eyes", "Optical Race" and "The Midnight Trail" follow suit, continuing the building energy and percussive vibrance of the opening number. Many of the other tracks also echo the intense mood and intricate textures, but in a more subdued way. Sometimes a lack of melodic focus in synthesizer music can make it boring and predictable, but Paul Haslinger and Edgar Froese have thrown in enough structural and textural twists and turns to keep these compositions excitingly fresh. Other Tangerine Dream albums, such as "Lily on the Beach" and "Melrose", have much the same tone and style as "Optical Race" and are also recommended!