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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Zeit: A Masterwork of Experimental Music., April 4, 2004
German synthesizer pioneers Tangerine Dream reached the height of their early experimentation with their third studio album, 1972's "Zeit" (the German word for "Time"). This album marked the debut of the band line-up consisting of TD-founder Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann - the line-up which would go on to make some of the most influential music under the TD-band name over the next several years.
Unlike the psychedelic acid rock of their first two albums, "Zeit" takes on a different direction entirely. The album was conceived as a 'Largo in Four Movements' with each track taking up an entire side on the original double-LP. The music is completely void of rhythm and displays a dark layered textured sound. Synth pioneer Brian Eno would later coin this type of music as 'Ambient music'.
In addition to the band line-up of Froese, Franke and Baumann, the band employs several guest musicians on "Zeit" including former TD-member Steve Schroyder on organ, the late Florian Fricke of the experimental band Popol Vuh on the Moog synthesizer and a cello quartet consisting of Hans-Joachim Brune, Johannes Lucke, Christian Vallbracht and Jochen Vom Grumbcow. The band itself begins to add more keyboard dominance to its sound as demonstrated by the use of primitive VCS3 synthesizers (used here with outstanding results by Franke and Baumann), audio generators (handled by Froese) as well as the usual electronic organ.
The entire "Zeit" journey begins with the strangely-titled "Birth Of Liquid Plejades". This 20-minute piece is divided into three distinct sections. The opening section is domintated by the four cellists droning around a stationary A-minor chord. The eeriness of the cellos is further enchanced as the synthesizers begin to drift around the same chord. After the chilling cello section begins to fade out, a quiet organ passage peers in along with a Moog synth-lead from guest Florian Fricke. There is a certain calmness and peacefulness to this section which is a sharp contrast to the chaotic opening part. This is followed by a more dominant cathedral-sounding organ which takes the piece to its final fade-out.
The second piece "Nebulous Dawn" is an 18-minute track which is highly experimental and atonal. It begins with a series of dark grunting notes and shimmering vibraphones. The piece then shifts to rumbling wall-shaking tones along with random glass-like notes. The final half of the piece is dominated by siren-like noises and wigged-out spacey electronics which carry the piece the rest of the way. An extremely weird track indeed.
"Origin of Supernatural Probabilities" is another experimental piece that has slighter hint of melody to it as opposed to the previous track. Edgar Froese's guitar opens this piece with some quiet almost inaudible chords. This is followed by a choir of howling voices that sound like they were either created by synths or a slide guitar. This leads into a low-throbbing synth pulse accompanied by a droning cello and various outer-space noises and sounds. Several minutes later, the pulse synth exits the mix and the ghost-tones return along with whining shreiking background noises. Edgar's guitar intro returns briefly to bring this drone-fest full circle and to its logical conclusion.
The album closes with the 17-minute title track which is probably the most etherial track on the entire album. The entire piece consists of haunting wailing notes with dark forboding synth sounds. There is a brief passage of vibraphones from "Nebulous Dawn" heard towards the end of the piece as well as what sounds like a mistake played from Edgar's guitar (heard clearly at around 14-minutes into the track). The piece ends with the same passage of ghostly choir sounds that dominated the previous track. This brings the entire album to a close.
Since it's initial release in Germany in 1972, "Zeit" has gone onto become a classic of Tangerine Dream's early work. Although, it was not so well received when it was first released, it is now embraced with open arms by many musicians and critics alike. Many later electronic musicians such as Steve Roach, Robert Rich, the French band Lightwave as well as the aforementioned Brian Eno would go on to make music with the same asthetic as "Zeit". Edgar Froese and friends should be well applauded for their pioneering work on this album. What raised many eyebrows in 1972 is now well accepted over 30 years later.
"Zeit" is a timeless piece of art that can be listened to and studied over and over again and still have undiscovered elements emerge from the speakers. A Highly Recommended Masterpiece.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ultimate Cosmic Music, July 2, 2003
One reviewer said that this album is like a black hole that sucks you in, and I can say that I completely agree with that...
I'm most fond of TD's albums Phaedra, Rubycon, and Ricochet, so this album took a little more getting used to. First of all, it's a LOT darker than anything else that I've heard from them. The second track features throbbing organs, and in the middle of it, some weird gurgling sound that freaked me out the first time that I was listening to it. (Well, I do have to admit, it was in my bedroom, late at night with only a red light shining, so the creepiness factor was at a definate high.) Secondly, Zeit is much slower than anything else that they've done. I'd compare it to giant planets moving about in the cosmos, slowly rotating and floating. Finally, this is without a doubt the most uncommercial thing that these guys have ever done. If you're not in the appropriate frame of mind for listening to this album (you've got to be sitting down, relaxed and patient), you're going to miss out big time and not enjoy it at all. If, however, you let the album take you over and pull you into its dark cosmic glory, it will take you on a journey of outer space. I'm serious! This album has a really specific flow, and even each song blends into the one before it. Really cool stuff, but be forewarned that you might not be able to look at music the same way after getting into this album...
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
in the interest of full disclosure, June 14, 2004
By A Customer
The review credited to Kim Fletcher for this album was copied word for word from the liner notes for the Sanctuary reissue of "Zeit," written by Paul Russell. Otherwise known as plagarism.
Good album, though.
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