Customer Reviews

Quinoa

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

 

 

Tangerine Dream's original "Quinoa" album was a special limited edition pressing, produced exclusively for former members of the Tangerine Dream International Fan Club upon the demise of that organisation in 1992. This 1998 general re-release of the album is usually referred to as "Quinoa Extended" because it adds another 20-odd minutes of previously unavailable material to the original 28.

The opening `Voxel Ux' was originally composed for a Tangerine Dream web-site competition in 1996. (The competition involved finding other competitors with fragments of the work and then co-operating to re-assemble it. The details of how the competition was finally won make fascinating reading on Tangerine Dream's official web-site!) The work is a lively and engaging piece of some 8 minutes duration.

The closing track, `Lhasa', is a more drawn-out and contemplative affair. Consisting mostly of long, sustained organ-like chords, this work is suggestive at first of some very early Tangerine Dream works (and later of some of the quieter moments of "Miracle Mile"). It is, in fact, an early version of a track from the album "The Seven Letters from Tibet" now re-titled `The Long Distance Blue' (or possibly `The Blue Pearl' - the tracks of that album are given two sets of names on its sleeve). The version presented here is shorter but sits well on the disc, and provides material for both of the other tracks.

`Quinoa' remains the principal item on this CD, though. As well as sharing ideas with both of the other two tracks here, it at times harks back to the band's earlier successes, whilst also providing some tantalising glimpses of the way the father and son team were to head later. In short, it provides an excellent summary of the status of the band in 1992. The track is full of variety and imaginative playing and it is hard to see how any Tangerine Dream fan, old or new, could find anything to dislike here.

Even in its extended form, though, "Quinoa" has a far from generous total timing (and with 11 minutes-worth of the music being subsequently released elsewhere). Its contents are nevertheless entirely satisfying and should appeal to more than just the established TD addict. It is certainly well worth a listen.

Being the owner of 28 TD dics, I have to say this is my favorite. It compiles all that I've enjoyed about the old TD, with their spacial, eerie, made-for-headphones sounds, with some of the more melodic and rhythmic modifications made in later years. The opening track, "Voxel Ux" has surely got to be my favorite TD piece. It opens with a beautifully lyrical set, which builds into a musical tension, finally released with a carry-me-home melody driven by very good drumming, reminiscent of some of Phil Collins work with the now defunct "Brand X".

The title track, "Quinoa" is a series of synthetic sounds carried along in places by a somewhat repetitive percussion backing. Yet, when listened to eyes closed, one gets the sense that a journey is in progress, with a dreamy destination arrived at and deliciously sculpted from the 20th minute onward.

The final track "Lhasa" is without strong rhythym, and becomes a gentle set-down from the periodic energy of the previous two. Far from being meaningless meanderings, "Lhasa" is lovely in texture, exotic in depth, and is a place to allow ones imagination to wander carelessly.

This is an incredibly good disc, and the more so because of the absence of screeching electric guitars, which I personally find to be distasteful because of their aggressive interventions in some of TD's otherwise great work throughout the 80's.

"Quinoa" from Tangerine Dream has one of the most attractive covers I've seen, but I purchased the album simply because it WAS Tangerine Dream. Completely different in style and rhythm of earlier Franke and Froese music, this album definitely shows their progression. Containing only three tracks, they blend together to nearly form a continuous, musical piece, tranquil and upbeat. If you like any kind of ambient music, not harsh or "dark," then "Quinoa" will make an excellent addition to your CD collection. Recommended for daytime listening.

This album falls more along the lines of the early '80's TD style rather than that of the '90's, but is definitely an evolution, not a backtrack. Full, complex harmonics, more orchestral than pop. This album ranks as one of my three favorites, the other two being Tangram and Force Majeur, and the first track, Voxel Ux, may be their best single track ever, IMHO.

Tangerine Dream's Quinoa (1999) is a highly conceptual album which delivers quite well -- it is a joint effort of the father-son team of Edgar and Jerome Froese. There are only 3 songs on the disc: Voxel Ux (11:59), Quinoa (28:25), and Lhasa (9:49). If you enjoy long, dreamy, meditative, spacey works which develop over time, but are never completely overwhelming, this is your disc. The songs herein definitely have a beat and are catchy in their own spacey way -- you can easily kick back and let your mind go as you listen, or the album makes for a great background sound as you read or visit company. This album is reminiscent of the old Tangerine Dream conceptual albums from the 70s and early 80s. This is one of my all-time favorite Tangerine Dream discs.

Tangerine Dream's "Quinoa" is among the weirdest yet most interest CDs that they have ever released. "Quinoa" was actually a rarity recorded in 1992 and was a limited edition sweepstake recording handed out to winners in some kind of contest.

With only three tracks, they are VERY LONG! The title track is probably the long song I know of to date at 28 and a half minutes yet blend smany beautiful tapestries throughout never allowing it to get boring.

"Vonel Ox" is an atmospheric closer.

This CD is for all those early TD fans that believe TD is no longer capable of producing those rich slower melodies. The type of sound that should be produced by a full orchestra. Quinoa has the typical dream-like quality in the music that TD is famous for. The more I play this album the better it becomes. The depth of the music increases each time I listen. This CD has a rich multi-layered sound and is a fine addition to my collection. Reminds me of 'Shy People'.

Lured by the beautiful cover of the TDI release of 1998, all in golden tint, I bought this album against my better judgment. "Quinoa" used to be a rarity, a collector's item, since the CD was awarded to the fan club's contest winners (or whatever remained of the fan club) in late 1992. The new TDI edition of "Quinoa" is a fruitcake with three nuts in it. The original club track, 'Quinoa', and two more items, 'Voxel Ux', recorded in 1997, and 'Lhasa', recorded in 1998. The latter, along with the rest of its sibling material, was later included in the CD "The Seven Letters of Tibet" in 2000.

The first track, 'Voxel Us', and the main track, 'Quinoa', are symptomatic for the whole decade. Rehashing of the somewhat better ideas from other albums, they give us an impression of indolent remix, an endless repetition of the same, stretched over minutes and minutes of space. If you really have to own something from 1992-2002 era, you would do better purchasing some of the more original albums, and not reheated remnants like "Quinoa".

'Lhasa' should be really considered in the larger context of its sibling recordings, thus I will only briefly note that it's a solo work of Edgar Froese, with his long-standing tendencies present her in full form. Cheesy aimless wanderings, which seem to be a crossing between Klaus Schulze's early abortions like "Blackdance", and Froese's missed trials of the 80s, namely "Pinnacles". What 'Lhasa' offers is much like heated plastic cheddar from previous year, covered with mold. Bon apetit.

i bought this cd with a little hesitation. i had gotten melrose a few years earlier and i think think that is the worst cd of all time. it was so bad i sold it to a used cd shop. so i was a little apprehensive about this one. well i was slightly surprised. it is probably the best thing they have done in the 90s. i still think they haven't been the same without chris franke. he had something going with TD that hasn't been there since he left. but still i think this is a good cd.