POLAND - THE WARSAW CONCERT*

Tangerine Dream's Poland the Warszawa Concert is part of the double whammy live behind the Iron Curtain releases that also encompasses the stellar Pergamon which was performed in East Germany (DDR). In the mid-80s, East Bloc societies where quietly in shuffle mode, as their geriatric politburos where quickly tiring of trying to expunge any and all western influences. The revolution would not be that far away as by 1989 all had crumbled thankfully into the ashes of history, liberating 28 countries from one party oppression. Tangerine Dream never had to worry about censorship as they have no lyrics to dissect for some hidden neo-capitalist message of subversion. It was uniquely the music that made them seditious, seductive, inspiring and free of any bonds. The announcer describes their music as "electronic rock", a perfect description if there ever was one, nothing new age or syrupy here , lads except for hard-edged electronic rock that pulses, vibrates, careens and swooshes with unabashed ardor. The massive opener "Poland" is a glimmering tribute to a land that has always feared its neighbors (the Germans to the West and the Russians to the East) and rightly so, historically speaking, except that these Berliners come armed with a synthesized panzer army of peace and musical panacea. Froese lets loose some blistering guitar forages that tremble effusively in the synthesized mélange, reminding us that Edgar can rock with the best of them. The scintillating "Tangent" is one of my all-time fave TDream tracks, a desperately romantic yet robotic procession, a true collision of tangents that subliminally offers hope and salvation. From serene isolation to polyrhythmic sizzle, this venerable track contains all the elements to astound, including some calypso-like melodies on the lead synth that are uniquely genius, bringing a sunny disposition to an otherwise very grey People's Republic. "Rare Bird" suggests a little more than just sarcasm in its title and boatloads of feverish freedom in its execution. Cd2 reveals the equally sexy "Barbakane", a dreamy caravan of sound, overcoming dunes and ravines, with Chris Franke getting highly creative on his rhythmic synths, a fact that many seem to forget, he was the "rock foundation" on which Froese, Baumann and Schmölling could improvise and flutter. Edgar tosses in some Floydian licks on his Gibson electric that will make one shudder with delight. The hypnotic mid-section gets hot and heavy, propping up blazing sequencers and colossal binary booms, shuddering melodies of substance and form throughout. "Horizon" could have been sub-titled "Omen", a glimpse of what would happen 5 years later with the collapse of the ZOMOs (polish communist riot police) state , sinuously experimentally minimalist at first , suddenly morphing into a simmering bloom of future delivery and rapture. The delicate synthesized ornaments are propelled by a portentous beat that grows in stature, a wave of imminent social change within grasp. Classy T Dream at its finest

The concert was greeted by joyous exuberance, almost civil disobedience with colossal balloons bouncing within the crowd, and agonizing cries of "More! More!" from the delirious fans. Reports indicate that the militia did everything to turn the event ugly and isolating the autograph seekers completely, so the atmosphere was thick with tension and barely disguised effervescence. This exaltation is reflected in the music, a whirlwind of insurgency against classic rock formula, iconoclastic musicians playing rebellious instruments to a mutinous crowd. The energy must have been breathtaking to witness, especially in a "Room 101" universe of denial and prohibition, all of this seeping through in the recording of the performance.

Andy King's liner notes from the 2011 re-issue is historically poignant, and I quote" However over the decades since its first release in 1984, the reputation of Poland as a key album in the band's repertoire has grown steadily ?both as a firm favorite with hard-core fans and as an enduring snapshot of T Dream's breakthrough into Eastern Europe, the music alternating between darkness and light , glacial ambiance and human warmth , brutal force and melting tenderness- so suggestive of Poland's transition from the old order to eventual new freedom"

I fondly remember the number of times I have driven in the night in a rain or snow storm listening to this masterpiece and finding myself in an altered state of deep relaxation and mellow contentment!

5 tumbling bricks in the wall