Customer Reviews

Phaedra

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If I could pick one of the over 60 Tangerine Dream albums, "Phaedra" would be it. Recorded in 1974, it was released during a time that was gloriously free of heavy drum beats or anything that detracted from the harmonious flow of the music. Track one starts out as a crescendo of electronic arpeggios that climax into a glorious, colorful burst, producing waves of major chords and sonic waveforms that seem to be in tune with the surreal portions of the mind. Although less than 40 minutes long, this wonderful composition marks the gem of the three best TD albums, the others being "Ricochet," (1975) and "Stratosfear" (1979). Unique, timeless and inimitable, music like Tangerine Dream is what the people of the future will be calling classical.

Aw, how the uneducated and those with no musical talent mark this album as something like "knob twiddling". If only there was a requirement to keep the uneducated from diluting the quality reviews that "Phaedra" deserves. No supporting premises, no argument, no respect. No matter though, we'll see right through it.

Most electronic artists like Edgar Froese and Chris Franke (the two geniuses of TD at the time) have a love for their work that is evident in their recordings and disdain mislabeling. Call "Phaedra" electronic or ambient, but don't call it "new age." I listen to it to escape the petty cares of this world and take off into space. Must have a good pair of headphones for "Phaedra," my transport into a blissful, meditative state. Not to be misunderstood for the tragic drama of Greek Mythology, Phaedra, daughter of Minos, 'Phaedra' from Tangerine dream will never get old. If I ever need to get to the year 3000 right now and forget about everything else, the headphones go on with bass boost and repeat all--then I'm gone, floating out there somewhere in space. Up here in my mind, I'm already gone. Not even Steve Roach, although quite masterful with his sequencers and home-made instruments and binural, innovative synthesizations, took me beyond the limits of my imagination for such a small, infinitesimal fare.

I've first came across Tangerine Dream in a second-hand record shop, where "Phaedra" was brought to my attention owing to its artistic cover with that blue blured, nebulous figure - I bought that record and played it at home. This was something I had never heard before - the mysterious "Phaedra" (the name derives from Greek mythology) starts with weird synth sounds, fading and rising into the heart of the track, where Moog sequencer is heavily used as a base, then layered by various assemblence of other voices like screaming birds, barking, all kinds of ethereal sounds and organ. TD's music is difficult to describe, it has to be experienced. Another master-piece, "The mysterious semblance..." is built on a short synth repeatitive theme, combined with strange copter, wind and snow sounds, which sometimes take over... this album is strongly ambiental, it's easy to picture all kinds of landscapes and different part of Earth or even a space for that matter. After "Phaedra", I've purchased several other TD albums like its successor, "Rubycon", but they've left me somehow dissapointed when I've compared them to "Phaedra". If you like Jean-Michel Jarre's earlier works or you're into ambient and techno, then this is a good CD to complete your discography.

I was introduced to Tangerine Dream by my Father back in the early eighties. He had this vinyl album, along with Rubycon and Zeit. This is definitely the best of those three, and stands as one of the best of all of the releases during their years on the Virgin label.

The title track is a brilliant in the way that it uses musical progressions and soundscapes to create an effect of movement, as if we were descending into a storm on a planet in another galaxy. Like the best pieces of classical music, Phaedra makes you think about what you are listening to at the moment you hear it. On one level, you admire the technical brilliance of the performers, and the literate nature of the music, while on another level you find yourself being moved in a way that you cannot describe.

Mysterious Semblance and Movements of a Visionary are also very well done. Since they follow Phaedra, however, its difficult not to think of them as the minor pieces of the composition.

The last track, Sequent C' initially seems out of place here. No synthesizers are used, and the only instrument used is a flute. However, it follows the same template TD used for the other songs, in that moods and feelings are evoked through the use of repetitions and slight variations on those repetitions. With this track, TD seems to be saying, "We don't need to use high-end synthesizers to accomplish everything. We only need to use one organic instrument to evoke the feelings we want to evoke."

Overall, this album sounds just as modern today as when I first heard it some fifteen years ago. (Comparatively, the work from a majority of artists based in synthesizers sounds dated within years after it was released.) Tangerine Dream's music may be uncategorizable, but that's why it always sounds fresh, interesting and moving years after it was released. The same cannot be said for anything in the Jungle, Drum & Bass, Techno, Rave, House Acid categories, which go out of favor as quickly as last year's fashions.

For more info on Tangerine Dream, be sure to check out their official web site.

Although Tangerine Dream had already carved out a nitche for themselves releasing four albums on the German Ohr label, it was "Phaedra", the band's fifth album and debut on Virgin Records, that catipulted the band to 'superstar' status so-to-speak. When the album was released in early 1974, "Phaedra" showed an amazing feat of making the UK top 10 with virtually no airplay or heavy promotion. Its success was purely due to word-of-mouth. 30 years later, "Phaedra" is regarded as a blueprint for techno, trance and ambient music and still sounds fresh and vibrant today.
Upon signing with Virgin, the Tangerine Dream band members (Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann) were given a large financial advance which allowed them to purchase the very latest technology on the market. Franke purchased a Moog synthesizer which became the primary vehicle for this album alongside Froese's Mellotron. The new equipment as well as a fresh new musical perpective made for what is undoubtely a landmark album.
The album opens with its 17-minute title track which begins with a long choir-like drone from the Mellotron accompanied by strange space sounds. From this, a Moog sequencer pulse emerges which sets the pace for the first half of the piece with its hypnotic shifting rhythms. As the rhythmic section reaches its climax, the piece shifts into an otherworldly collage with a droning organ and haunting Mellotron strings and choirs. After the main piece fades out, there is a brief coda of a recording of children playing in a playground.
The second half the album is taken up by three shorter pieces. The first is the nearly 10-minute "Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares". Despite its rather spooky title, this piece is actually a calm atmospheric piece by Edgar Froese performed on the Mellotron along with some embellishments from the VCS3 synthesizer. The mood of this piece definitely creates images of watching an ocean on a clear quiet night.
The next track, "Movements Of A Visionary" begins with what sounds like whispering voices in an echo chamber before giving way to Franke's frentic Moog pulse rhythm. Both Froese and Baumann embellish Franke's sequencer with long held organ phrases and subtle electric piano textures.
The album's closer "Sequent C" is a brief 2-minute coda by Peter Baumann which was either performed by a heavily echoed flute or a keyboard that sounds like one. The echoed and arpeggiated phrases aren't too different from that which is heard on the very early Kraftwerk albums (pre-Autobahn).
This album was only the beginning of Tangerine Dream's very successful run in the 1970's. The next several releases would also become groundbreaking classics which would lead to the band's first U.S. tour and first foray into film scoring. "Phaedra" was the beginning of TD's spot in the limelight and displays just how ahead of their time they were at this early phase.
This album is highly recommended not only for electronic music fans but also for those studying the genre's history. This is album that can be listened to and studied time and again and still have new elements be heard in it.
A Definitive Pioneering Opus!!

This album was my introduction to the real art of the synthesizer, at least in a less formal context (I had been a fan of Stockhausen, Xenakis, and other contemporary composers for years.) What strikes me most about this album after all these years is how fresh it still sounds, and how warm.

Along with several other synthesists (Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, Michael Hoenig, Wendy Carlos) Tangerine Dream pioneered the use of synthesizers in an ambient context. This style of music may not be your cup ot tea. But few albums do the style better than Phaedra. Each track is animated by well constructed looped sequences, and then surrounded by a vast assembly of sounds. This is not rhythmic music, as later Dream albums would be...rather this is inhabits a world where rock, Terry Riley and Gyorg Ligeti would meet. In fact, the dissonance of much of the opening track reminds me of some of Ligeti's famous cloud pieces of the 60s. (For those of you not familiar, think about the music for the trippy scenes of Kubrick's 2001. That's all Ligeti.)

Synthesis has made tremendous technical strides in the last 30 years. The advent of digital synthesis revolutionized electronic music in many ways. Unfortunately, it also changed the direction the music then took. Rather than searching for new and hitherto unimagined sounds, synthesis has devolved into the search for less expensive ways to replace studio musicians. Listening to TD albums from the 70s reminds you of the revolutionary nature of this style of music, a nature that has been lost in New Age tripe or over literal "MIDI orchestrations." TD's analog synthesis is still lightyears ahead of other groups. It's warmer, less imitational, and more original than most of what passes for synthesized music now. Yes the music is trippy...I certainly loved it back in my old ...days.... and it's still mind-expanding. Highly recommended!

Phaedra was the first Tangerine Dream album I bought. The first track is a labyrinth of beautiful analog textures and motifs, layered upon a rhythmic drone which pitches and yaws, varying in excitement and desire as it ascends to its zenith, then falls to earth, and is again reborn. By varying rhythm, volume, and texture, Phaedra creates a three-dimensional soundscape for the mind. One has the feeling of being physically transported across an alien terrain.

Phaedra is unlike any other musical experience I know of, and on the strength of this album alone I would rank TD as among my favorite musical groups. The only negative comment I can make about this album is that it does not last longer!

So many words have been said about this album that my marginal contribution can be only, well, marginal. Therefore I will not try to paint any landscapes, nor write essays. Phaedra was the first album that was discovered by masses and made Tangerine Dream enter into the hall of fame. That is not surprising, having considered the impact it had on artists within the genre and outside of it. Well, the genre itself was clearly created and defined by Tangerine Dream and for a long time they were the only real players in that field.

Phaedra stands out in one respect. Usually, their compositions were the product of cooperative work, with more or less input from each member. Here it is not the case. One track is composed and performed solely by Edgar Froese, much in the style of his following solo albums, yet another finale theme is exclusively Baumann's child. All three contributed to the remaining two tracks, but the monumental title track sequenced Moog arpeggio spawned from Chris Franke's skilled fingers. He is the father of the trademark sound we know Tangerine Dream for. Phaedra was the album where it makes the first real entry, overwhelming you right off the bat, from the very first minutes.

Their records at that time were extremely short, sometimes the length did not exceed 35 minutes, like on Rubycon. It is a good enough reason to be mortally offended, but what we are in fact awarded with, are their concerts. From 1974 on, they performed live quite often and most of their concerts were recorded by fans, and later issued in small editions known as unofficial bootlegs. Once you complete the legal recordings, this is the place where you should start to reward yourself with, and compensate the relative shortness of Phaedra and other classic titles. It's especially easy these times, as the CDR technology enables large volume distribution of cheap music. I am sure you will be hungry. In fact, so am I.

One word about the closing "Sequent C" by Baumann. This is the most sad and gravely recording in the whole electronic music I have ever heard. It sneaks straight into your heart and steals it. Flute. So, beware :)

Tangerine Dream's 5th album,"Phaedra",released in 1974,is the result of TD's transformation from space music to ambient,but even here,the band is still clearly in the experimental bandwagon."Phaedra" was the album that launched Tangerine Dream into the popular spotlight for the first time,and gave them the opportunity to sign with Richard Branson's then new Virgin music label,which obviously influenced TD's sound dramatically,which is clearly evident after listening to Atem,their previous release,and then listening to this one.It can be safely said that "Phaedra" was the first true ambient release,(sorry Mr. Brian Eno)and because of that,Tangerine Dream really deserves a lot of credit for their amazing musical talents at a time when there was practically no competition.Anyway,getting down to the album,it starts out with the most popular piece,the great title track,"Phaedra",a legend in ambient electronic music.Waves after waves of lush and vivid synths engulf you and take you on a haunting journey where anything can happen.This piece is the tastiest of the ear candy on the album,and it is just full of emotion and depth,and as you can see,I'm having some difficulty describing this piece to you.Its just so beautiful and unique,that words just can't fully describe the feeling you get while listening to this aural artwork.Truly Tangerine Dream's masterpiece of all masterpieces in their entire 30+ years of making music.They haven't made a better opus yet.The 2nd track,"Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares" pales in comparision with "Phaedra",but it is still a beautiful piece of music,and is more mellow and relaxing than the title track,which makes for a nice contrast.This track is completly dominated by mellotron synth,and with great results.Track number 3,"Movements Of A Visionary",is another mellow,relaxing piece featuring electric piano played by TD bandmate,Peter Baumann,who does an excellent job on the piece.The electric piano work here is similar in vein to Harold Budd's style.Once again,Tangerine Dream has been able to create relaxing and peaceful music,but without sacrificing their dark electronic ambient style.Impressive.The final piece on this album,"Sequent C",is a very short,simple flute passage,where once again,Baumann takes the stand,and I must say that this piece is a perfect way to end a masterpiece of an album,with its haunting,yet peaceful flute melody.This TD album is an essential one for anyone who wishes to own a TD collection,and it is also a perfect place to start for newcomers who want to experience Tangerine Dream's early music.An amazing work of musical art and a true,classic masterpiece of an album.Very Highly Recommended!

This 1974 release is a remarkable album that finds Tangerine Dream on a new label (Virgin Records) and beginning to forge the soundscapes-from-outer-space that would make them famous. Along with Rubycon (1975), this album also finds Tangerine Dream at a creative peak and features the exhilarating combination of gothic, brooding atmospheres and some of the creepy experimentation that was a carry-over from their earlier albums, particularly Atem (1973).

The lineup on Phaedra is classic Tangerine Dream and includes Edgar Froese (mellotron, guitar; bass guitar; VCS3 synthesizer; and Hammond organ); Christopher Franke (Moog synthesizer; keyboards, VCS3 synthesizer); and Peter Baumann (Hammond organ; E-Piano; VCS3 synthesizer; and flute).

The four pieces on the album range in length from 2:20 to the lengthy progressive electronica epic title track (17:35). As can be imagined, this album is loaded with pulsating, throbbing, and whooshing sounds on the VCS3, particularly on the lengthy title track. The mellotron (with string setting) also has a strong presence here, and is featured on the "mellotron saturated", cosmic, and minor key workout entitled Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares (9:43) (this is one of my favorite pieces on the album). Movements of a Visionary (7:57) is a comparatively more experimental piece and features otherworldly sounds generated on the VCS3 and driving passages generated on sequencers atop which long and drawn-out chords (with tiny modulations) are played on a "churchy" sounding Hammond organ. The closing track is an extremely sad and haunting piece, which features very spacey and heavily echoed flute and synthesizer parts. This is another favorite track and a great way to end the album.

Although this version has not been remastered, the sound quality is pretty good.

All in all, this is a superb album from Tangerine Dream and is very highly recommended along with Rubycon (1975); Ricochet (1975); and Stratosfear (1976). Other albums from the progressive electronica genre (Berlin School specifically) that are recommended include a few recordings by Klaus Schulze:(Timewind, 1975; and Mirage, 1977).

"Phaedra" was the album that brought Tangerine Dream to the attention of many outside of Germany and was John Peel's album of the year for 1974.

By this point, the Tangs had gone through monumental changes in the scope of their music, from the amazing blitzkrieg of "Electronic Meditation" and "Alpha Centuari" to the pre-cursor of modern ambient music with "Zeit," which was the band's first forays into the then still primitive world of the Moog synthesizer.

"Phaedra" is a very controlled effort, and shows that Froese/Franke/Baumann had made serious strides in their use of the Moog and other synthesizers. The results are beautifully spaced out, mixing the synths with Froese's still-present guitar (though not for long). Still, the pieces are easily accessable, and that makes it a classic.

While in my book not as groundbreaking as their first 3 lp's, "Phaedra" did open the door to international success for Tangerine Dream to walk through- and they have never looked back. In many ways their most realized effort.