GREEN DESERT

Tangerine Dream is, without any doubt, one of the most influential electronic groups of all time, if not the most of all. Their music has made an immeasurable impact on ambient, new age, techno, trance, and progressive rock, as well as modern film score composition. Founded as a psychedelic rock group in 1967 by Edgar Froese, the group was initially associated with the Krautrock scene. Their initial phase, also called "The Pink Years", started with the avant-garde rocking debut work that bearded the misleading title "Electronic Meditation". It was only after their debut that we have the transition to "Cosmic Music", partly influenced by Pink Floyd. Synthesizers were only used on their second, third and fourth albums "Alpha Centauri", "Zeit" and "Atem". Until then they did their job without electronic instruments. The recordings for "Green Desert", which were only released in a revised form in the 80's, will be the subject of my review.

So, somehow, "Green Desert" is a superb relic from the older days of Tangerine Dream. It was recorded in 1973 only by Edgar Froese and the relative newcomer, ex-Agitation Free drummer Christopher Franke. The absence of the third bandmate Peter Baumann can be explained because he left temporarily the band in 1973 for a few months to a sabbatical travel around Asia with his girlfriend exploring Tibet. Thus, for many people, "Green Desert" is the great lost Tangerine Dream's album from what is usually considered their golden line up. It's the missing link between "Atem" of 1973 and "Phaedra" of 1974, which was gathering dust upon the shelves from 1973 till 1986. According to the liner notes, "Green Desert" was recorded with the only purpose of being a taste for Richard Branson's Virgin-label. It worked because they signed a five year record deal with Virgin, beginning what is called "The Virgin Years" of Tangerine Dream, which are considered the golden years of the band. The money received was used to invest in new equipments.

So, "Green Desert" was set aside until Edgar Froese dug it out of the archives in 1984. This reformed version of the original recordings has some polishes added during the remixing for the original 1986 edition. In reality, Edgar Froese couldn't resist leaving the original tapes the way they were recorded originally. So he added quite a lot of overdubs with some new equipment that wasn't available yet at the time when it was initially recorded. It would be really interesting to know which parts actually come from 1973. This is especially felt by me with the first two pieces that seems to be from the 70's. For instance, "Green Desert" was one of the last instances where Christopher Franke would wield his sticks, on the first two pieces on the album, the title track and "White Clouds". The two other last pieces seems to me definitely from the 80's, because on them I can hear a lot of sounds that seems to me belong to a later Tangerine Dream's phase.

The album opens with the title track which was the A side of the original vinyl record. It's a broody and atmospheric piece that begins with synthetic humming and shimmering. This merges into an extended and carried guitar solo by Edgar Froese, accompanied by creative and driving drums by Christopher Franke, as well as all sorts of electronic sounds such as strings or choirs. The electric guitar falls silent as the process progresses and you only hear busy drums and floating carpets made of Mellotron and synths, till finally a lyrical melody supported by frugal chords begins. The theme continues in the tighter and compact "White Clouds". It has an interesting combination of lively drums and a bright synthetic backdrop. It can be seen as the most rhythmic track on the album due to the strong percussion parts. However, this track contains an overall mellow sound. The piece is pervaded by a cautiously optimistic melody, really. "Astral Voyager" is carried by a fast sequencer- like motif, and with its digital-sounding sounds much like an intensive Edgar Froese post-processing, more after 1984 than after 1973. If one knows Edgar Froese's pronounced "improvement vein", this assessment becomes almost to certainty. You may never know how it sounded in the original version, really. "Indian Summer" offers wave movements and scattered string chords that come across as suspiciously modern. This sound image is interspersed with delicate melody lines. Well, "Astral Voyager" and "Indian Summer" are adorable, but would most likely fit one of Froese's last two solo albums. So they will have little in common with recordings from 1973.

Conclusion: "Green Desert" is a Tangerine Dream's album of great historical value. The old master tapes are only used on two tracks, but they're already very interesting. I cannot say whether the other two pieces were completely re-written or at least partly based on old ideas. However, they convey enough retro feeling to revive the spirit of the 70's. The old Tangerine Dream's fans can still marvel at the unadulterated drumming skills of Christopher Franke, otherwise there is again an example of Edgar Froese's strange handling of old recordings, which in this case has brought quite convincing results. "Green Desert" cannot be a lost masterpiece, but those who appreciate the music of Tangerine Dream recorded in the 70's and 80's may find it rewarding. However, it was historically vital to the progress of the band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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