THE ANALOGUE SPACE YEARS

My favorite ear of TD. I picked this up mainly because it was all the store had that interested me by TD, and the price was decent. This was back in 2000 or so. I've picked up a couple later albums since then, and while I prefer Klaus Schulze to TD in this genre, TD's early works are comparable.

As another reviewer mentioned, this set focuses on the pre-Phadra albums, and because of this has some consistency. The only odd ball tracks are the ones from the first album. I've never heard that album, but it sound more like Pink Floyd's early 70's live improvisations than anything TD has ever done. It features Schulze on drums, and a more conventional approach to guitar by Froese.

The best tracks for me are Alpha Centauri, Atem, and Green Desert. A big reason I got this was the fact that there are no "edited" versions, as often happens with compilations of bands that have long numbers. So these tracks are in all their 20+ minute glory. I've always liked Zeit as well, and having the two shorter tracks from that album here, spaced apart on separate CD's makes them a bit more digestible. That album is no doubt TD's most "difficult" in terms of holding attention. Very much an organ drone experiment.

Overall, a great compilation to hear the early years of TD. If you like ambient space music, you will enjoy this most likely. If not, definitely give it a pass. But if you are curious about TD's 70's output, this wouldn't be a bad place to start. For myself, I give 4 stars with the caveat above. Space fans only.