Turn of the tides (Tangerine Dream) (LP 4056 - 4061)

Tangerine Dream  Rubycon (CD, Virgin Records, 1975) ****  

Tangerine Dream  Force Majeure (CD, Virgin Records, 1979) ****  

Tangerine Dream  Valentine Wheels - Live at the Shepherd's Bush Empire London 1997 (CD, Eastgate music, 2008) ***

Tangerine Dream  Atlantic Bridges (CD, Eastgate music, 2008) *** 

Tangerine Dream  Silver Siren Collection (CD, Eastgate music, 2008) **** 

Tangerine Dream  Tangerine Dream (CD, Disky Records, 1999) **** 

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Fives, The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Cloudburst Flight (Tangerine Dream)

Gear costume: Beach Theme (Tangerine Dream)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: German electronica/ prog rockers Tangerine Dream are a perfect band to mark essays to because of their unfolding ambient, progtastic instrumentals.

Rubycon was their album after Phaedra (I used to have a copy but it went missing in a house move and I've chosen not to replace it). I find Rubycon much more interesting to listen to than Phaedra, although that was their breakthrough album in Britain. At this point Tangerine Dream were a trio of trio of Chris Franke, Peter Baumann, and Edgar Froese.

Force Majeure came out in 1979. At this point the band was 

Edgar Froese – keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, effects, Christopher Franke – keyboards, sequencers, and Klaus Krüger – drums, percussion. What this trio produced was more melodic, with a heavier presence of guitars, drums and distinct musical suites in the tradition of progressive rock.

Valentine Wheels is a live recording of their performance at the Shepherd's Bush Empire London in 1997. It's their sixth live album. The band at this stage was mainstay Edgar Froese and Jerome Froese - keyboards, Zlatko Perica - guitar. The music is prog rock with some Pink Floyd style dynamics at play. Zlatko plays some wonderful guitar.

The three other albums in my list are all compilations. Atlantic Bridges (detailing their evolution from 1988 to 98) and Silver Siren Collection are both latter day Tangerine Dream - so think Pink Floyd without the vocals. 

Atlantic Bridges is a long CD. As I said, good for marking to or putting on in the background.

Silver Siren Collection is a weird one - containing songs that have been partly re-recorded or contain live performances from previous releases.

The most representative compilation of the three is the one just called Tangerine Dream. Even then, it's concentrated on the seventies and eighties songs. Still - that's the era I enjoy the most, so this tends to be my go-to album.

I know it's a budget item, but I love collecting the el cheapo, knock off compilations. Minimal packaging, with a random as cover and a haphazard playlist. This one still covers all the necessary bases - all for a reasonable price.

It came from The Warehouse for $10, Bargain! And who doesn't like to get a bargain?

Where do they all belong? I'm drawn to the early seventies Tangerine Dream on Virgin so keen to pick up more from those years if I come across them.