Even at a remove of 50 years, it remains remarkable that a largely melody-free soundscape created by then-unconventional instrumentation not only ramraided the UK’s album charts, but became so influential that its ramifications are still being felt to this very day.
Not least as Tangerine Dream had evolved from Berlin’s radical Zodiac Free Arts Lab, a venue that effectively charted the growth of Germany’s post-war underground’s gradual estrangement from the influence of American and British blues and rock and into something wholly contemporary and original.
With no concessions to what had come before, the trio of Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann seized the emerging technology of sequencers and Moog synthesisers and created music without precedent.
The majesty of Phaedra’s title track is a testament to pushing the boundaries of what can be accepted as music, given its calling card of sound effects, eerie passages and a delivery that demands nothing less than total immersion on the part of the listener.
Likewise, Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares stands temptingly on the verge of convention, but eschews that route in favour of a more cosmic journey.
Throwing open the doors of Tangerine Dream’s vaults, the 50th-anniversary edition reveals more information about the original’s creation with a veritable treasure chest of previously unreleased material that are every bit the equal of what made the final cut.
While Steven Wilson’s mixes of Seqent C and Phaedra are already in the public domain, the two discs featuring of outtakes amaze: 2nd Side Piece’s solid drone foundation is sprinkled with a cascading piano that ushers in waves of sound that could be a dry run for Bowie’s Warszawa, before giving way to minimal echoing percussion.
The live recording of their UK debut makes for an incredible audio journey
Flute Organ Piece does exactly what it says on the tin, with bouncing flutes pinging off powerful drones. Elsewhere, 2nd Day incrementally increases in hypnotic intensity before galloping sequencers make themselves felt at the 13-minute mark.
The two-disc live recording from Tangerine Dream’s UK debut at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre in 1974 makes for an incredible audio journey. In no hurry, the trio revel in soundscapes before the sequencers kick in after nearly 30 minutes. From there on in, the music undulates, throbs and seduces before the sound decays into distant echoes, sound effects and audience applause.
It’s all too easy to get cynical about anniversary editions, but this one confirms Phaedra’s brilliance, illuminates its creation and, crucially, enthralls throughout.
Phaedra – 50th Anniversary Edition is on sale now via Universal Music Recordings.
