STRATOSFEAR

I guess 'Ricochet' was an indicator of things to come. From here onwards guitars are prevalent on all Tangerine Dream albums. The good news is that here, they're all highly treated and tampered with.

'Stratosfear' was clearly their most accessible album up until this point. Some great echoey 12 string guitar opens the first track which gives way to some almost pop-like electronics. A brilliant outro sees the return of those lush 12 stringed guitars and waves of laid back keyboards.

'The Big Sleep in Search of Hades' is about as acoustic as Tangerine Dream ever got in the 70's, but it still retains that creepiness that I always associate them with from this era.

Side two swings from the 'nice 'n relaxed' to all out electronics, but somehow without the intensity of 'Phaedra' or 'Rubycon'. Maybe it's the fact that the arpeggiators are rarely at the forefront on this album.

This is the last of their high quality albums - maybe with the exception of 'Force Majeure' . From here onwards it's a gradual and painful slide into middle of the road mediocrity.