SORCERER (OST)

Tangerine Dream is a German progressive band that was founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. They helped to develop the German musical scene known as "kosmische music" (cosmic music). The work of these electronic pioneers can be subdivided in several phases. The initial phase, 1970-73, also called "The Pink Years", started with the avant- garde and misleading title "Electronic Meditation" released in 1970. It was an album partly influenced by Floyd's "cosmic music". Only on their second album "Alpha Centauri", which was released in 1971, are used synthesizers. Until then you came out without any electronic instruments. After that they released two more albums "Zeit" in 1972 and "Atem" in 1973.

It was only after the recordings for "Green Desert", originally recorded in 1973 but only released in 1986 in a revised form that probably the best Tangerine Dream's line up, Froese, Franke and Baumann, signed a record deal with Virgin Records. And then the second phase began, 1974-83, which is known as "The Virgin Years". This is the phase that began with the groundbreaking Tangerine Dream's works, "Phaedra" in 1974, "Rubycon" and "Ricochet" in 1975, works of the so-called "Berlin School". "Berlin School" is a sub-genre of electronic music and the pioneers are Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, who were based in Berlin in the 70's. After these albums, Tangerine Dream released two more albums, "Stratosfear" in 1976 and the soundtrack "Sorcerer" in 1977, before the departure of Baumann from the band.

"Sorcerer" is one of the many soundtracks that Tangerine Dream composed and recorded all over the years. All began when the film director William Friedkin, who always will be remembered best for the classics "The French Connection" from 1970 and "The Exorcist" from 1973, asked Tangerine Dream if they were interested in making the soundtrack for his new film. The band reportedly composed and recorded nearly one hour and a half of material, and handed it over to Friedkin who at this point didn't have the slightest idea about what film he was going to make. As a result, the final film was actually inspired by the soundtrack instead of the far more usual other way around. The film was titled "Sorcerer", which is a remake of the 1953's French film "Le Salair De La Peur" (The Wages Of Fear) directed by Georges Arnaud.

"Sorcerer" tells us the story of four criminals hiding out in Nicaragua who are given the chance to make a lot of money, by driving 200 miles with unstable dynamite, which could explode if exposed to extreme vibrations or shock, needed to help put out a blaze in an oil field. They inevitably meet lots of dangers along the way, including bandits, a fallen tree blocking the road and a ddodgy rope bridge, which is the image chosen to be put on the front cover of the album.

Sadly for Friedkin, the film became a flop in addition to being a critical fiasco. But, the soundtrack itself ranks among Tangerine Dream's classic albums. The original material that had been sent to Friedkin was edited down to a single album. The best way to approach it is to forget the film and instead, view it as a regular Tangerine Dream's release.

The most significant difference from this and the other best and classic works from the band was the number of tracks and their length. There were no less than twelve tracks here, several of them with two or three minutes range. But, it doesn't matter at all when considering the overwhelming quality of the material. "Creation" and especially "Vengeance" could both have been taken from "Stratosfear", while the rhythm of "Rain Forest" is very reminiscent of "Phaedra". And the lengthiest track of the album, the seven minute "Abyss", has certain similarities to "AF 765" from Froese's "Macula Transfer" album. "Search", "Grind" and "Betrayal (Sorcerer Theme)" are all short but classic themes in Tangerine Dream's catalogue, perfectly demonstrating the band's classic sound even within the short running time. "The Call" is two minutes of pure atmospheric beauty at its most pleasant, and "Impressions Of Sorcerer" have a surprisingly funky rhythm that fits well along with a superb Mellotron work. "The Journey" has the Mellotron-flute that was so typical for Tangerine Dream. "The Mountain Road" reminds me new age with its electronic ethnic percussion sounds.The weirdest and most experimental piece on the album is "Main Title", consisting of five minutes of sinister and dark synth sounds.

Conclusion: While we listening to "Sorcerer", it's hard to deny that the music really sounds as if it was made for a film. It can fits the images of the film very well. The music is mostly performed with Mellotrons, electric guitars and many synthesizers. But, it sounds rather strong compared to other soundtracks of Tangerine Dream made some years later. Therefore, many people who fancy Tangerine Dream's music consider "Sorcerer" to be the best soundtrack the band ever recorded. The music on this album is quite similar to the music on their preceding albums "Phaedra", "Rubycon", "Ricochet" and "Stratosfear". This is maybe due to the fact that Tangerine Dream stuck to the electronic sounds that they also recorded on their previous releases. Those albums are loved by most of their fans, in which I include myself. Therefore, the music was very recognizable and enjoyable for most band fans. "Sorcerer" is a classic Tangerine Dream.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*

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