Seven Letters From Tibet [Import]

Tangerine Dream | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 29, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 29, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Tangerine Dream Intl
• ASIN: B00004W5EJ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,355 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Red Blood Connection

2. Orange Breath

3. The Golden Heart

4. The Green Land

5. The Blue Pearl

6. The Indigo Clouds

7. The Purple Of All Curtains

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars At last!, September 19, 2000

By 

Neil Thompson (Birkenhead, Wirral United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Letters From Tibet (Audio CD)

Okay, this is not the album that replaces "Rubycon", "Phaedra", "Poland" and the rest in my pile of favourite TD albums... BUT (and it's a big but) at last we've got something that is worthy of the TD heritage!

No-one has been more appalled than I at the steady decline of TD over the last ten years, but maybe, just maybe, this album could spark something of a revival. With not a hint of the tedious rhythm tracks that have so marred the TD sound on recent albums, this is, dare I say it, a liitle jewel.

"Seven Letters..." didn't seem to get the same sales push as "Mars Polaris" (see my review), but it's by far the stronger album. Fans who've listened to the samples on the TD website may, like me, have been sceptical but listened to as a complete work, it stands proud and complete, there is a return to the compositional "flow".

There is huge majesty and grandeur in the synth voicing on all tracks, "The Blue Pearl" is a bit harsh on the ears, but is this down to the over-brightness of the production? "The Red Blood Connection" begins ominously, huge, rich chords remind me of Schmoelling-era film work and the clarinet melody is fitting rather than intrusive.

"The Orange Breath" is lighter in tone, but with beautifully soaring pads; reminiscent of Eric Serra's "Big Blue" score in parts.

"The Golden Heart" is more of the same; powerful and heroic. There are no twee instruments or mindless sequencing to mar the atmosphere.

"The Green Land" could be an outtake from TD circa "Optical Race"; TD fans of that era will recognise that "Marakesh" ambience (well, I did)!

"The Indigo Clouds" has some very strange and interesting soundscapes, remember the beginning of "Horizon"? The lilting rhythmic pulse that underpins the rest of the track is a masterstroke. This is the kind of visionary synth ambience we've been waiting so long for!

"The Purple Of All Curtains" closes the album with a soilo flute intro, reminding me of "Sequent C" from "Phaedra". The flute is joined by a string ensemble to build the intensity and then the track fades, leaving me wanting more... a felling I haven't had about an original TD album in I don't know how long!

So, an album with a menacingly eastern flavour, tremendous ambient soundscapes and original voicing. Isn't this what TD fans have been crying out for? Congratulations to Edgar and Jerome for giving me original work that will stay in my cd player and stop me pining after previous triumphs...

Okay, what's next?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice In-betweener, September 3, 2002

By 

George Zucco 3rd (Fort Myers Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seven Letters From Tibet (Audio CD)

7 LETTERS won't be in any TD's fan's top ten, but hardly as bad as some of the negative reviews suggest. It's a mellow Hearts-of-Spacey work, a little haunting and a bit sugary. Each piece dips a toe into a potentially enchanting or exciting realm.

I wish it hadn't been split into 7 separate tracks with fancy titles; every track could easily and smoothly seque into the next; I know this sounds like armchair editing, but give it a listen on a good system and you'll hear what I mean; every track "artificially" closes when it could easily melt into the next, forming a solid [liquid?] journey.

If you look back in their discography, TD's "decline" began with their decision to focus on packaging, breaking works into marshmallow-treat-sized bits. Ok for soundtracks but not for extended works. TD has a long & faithful following (today, fans like us are simply referred to as "niche marketing.")

In short: 7 LETTERS is pleasantly meditative, even romantic, and may grow on you with repeated listenings. But it will leave the die-hards longing for the days of STRATOSFEAR, LOGOS and POLAND.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's not that bad...!, July 26, 2005

By 

Matthew D. Barton "Matt Barton" (St Cloud, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seven Letters From Tibet (Audio CD)

I've been listening to Tangerine Dream pretty incessantly lately, though I've been listening to electronic work for much longer (coming to TD via bands like Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode). When I first started listening to them, I thought, "Elevator music," or the sort of drivel you listen to at special "mood music booths" at the local Wal-Mart. Then I found a list on Amazon of someone's favorite TD albums, and gave old albums like Phaedra and Force Majuere another listen. Suddenly I realized the possibilities of TD for working my imagination. You can lie back in bed at night with TD in your headphones and really let your imagination take you places.

Now, with that said, what do I think of "Seven Letters from Tibet?" Well, as others have said, it's not the best. Still, I must disagree that it is their worst. The attempts at vocals (Tyger, Inferno) are much worse. I really appreciate the setup of this album; the "seven letters" work well, and the opening notes of the first track are very arresting.

This isn't an album that really draws your attention to it while it's playing. Instead of a crashing thunderstorm, what we have here is gentle rain that is just barely discernible outside; it relaxes and soothes without distracting you. I find it positive.