ROMANCE 76

From 1971 to 1977 Peter Baumann was a member of the legendary German progressive band Tangerine Dream, the inventors of the electronic music that became known as the "Berlin School". So, Baumann was a member of Tangerine Dream during its influential 70's period. Baumann was on board with Tangerine Dream for the albums "Zeit" from 1972, "Atem" from 1973, "Phaedra" from 1974, "Rubycon" from 1975, "Ricochet" also from 1975, "Stratosfear" from 1976 and "Encore" from 1977, which are considered by most Tangerine Dream's critics to be among the group's best works.

Peter Baumann was born and lived his youth years in West Berlin, at the time when the city was still partitioned in the aftermath of World War II. A classically trained performer, he performed in cover bands as a teenager and formed his first rock band and appeared in a series of short lived groups before joining Tangerine Dream in 1971. In that year, he befriended Chris Franke, and Franke invited him to join Tangerine Dream. With only a few temporary breaks, Baumann remained with the project of Tangerine Dream for seven years, expanding the new parameters of the electronic music.

While a member of Tangerine Dream, Baumann released his first solo album, "Romance 76", which as the name suggests was released in 1976. "Romance 76" heralded a move toward electronic pop structures. He left the group in the next year, releasing three additional solo albums between 1977 and 1983, "Trans Harmonic Nights" in 1979, "Repeat Repeat" in 1981 and "Strangers In The Night" in 1983. In 2016, Baumann released another album "Machines Of Desire".

"Romance 76" is very much what you could expect. This is typically German 70's electronic progressive music, with similarities with what Tangerine Dream was doing around the same time. "Romance 76" is a window to the young musician tick as an artist. The album is effectively split into two halves, melodic electronics on side one and moody, quasi classical music on side two. There are moments when the music recalls Tangerine Dream, but it also reminds me of Cluster, Kraftwerk and even Klaus Schulze. So, if you came into this expecting to hear Tangerine Dream, it's more than that. This is a well crafted album that uses electronic sounds in a surprisingly melodic, direct and enjoyable way.

The title track "Romance" reminds me slightly of Vangelis in the time of "Spiral". However, the similarities disappear when the typical Tangerine Dream's Mellotron starts. The main theme of the track is played on piano and I can't actually remember that instrument being used on any of Tangerine Dream's 70's albums. "Romance" sounds much more like Cluster than Tangerine Dream. "Bicentennial Present" and "Phase By Phase" sound much like Tangerine Dream's "Stratosfear", from the same year, which isn't a strange thing, really. So, of course, both tracks are excellent if you're into this kind of progressive music. "Bicentennial Present" introduces Baumann's affection for simple, heroic melodies and streamlined arrangements. In some ways, we may say it anticipates the Tangerine Dream to come, whose music grew increasingly more direct and melodic with time. "Phase By Phase" meanders a bit in the middle, but otherwise does a nice job of showing off Baumann's darker side while making efficacious use of electronic beeps. The side 2 of the LP consists of a long suite, a trilogy from the two parts of "Meadow Of Infinity" and "The Glass Bridge". Instead of electronics, it starts with strings and dark choirs. Here, Baumann unveils his more serious and classical side. Baumann experiments with a real orchestra, choir and percussion on parts of this suite. "Meadow Of Infinity, Part 1" introduces simple cellos and voices that create a Carmina Burana effect, ultimately ending in a frenzy of tribal drums. The suite is broken up in the middle by a percussive and mystical part "The Glass Bridge", where Baumann manages to make some haunting atmospheres. "The Glass Bridge" utilizes cellos, violins and the bass guitar to create modern classical music. "Meadow Of Infinity, Part 2" merges synthesizers, classical instruments and some clever headphone mixing for a trippy, classy ending to the album. The highlight of the whole album comes when the suite builds up to an orgasmic Mellotron finale with a Mellotron sound that only a member of the classic Tangerine Dream's line up could have created.

Conclusion: "Romance 76" remains pleasantly complementary to the work of Tangerine Dream. After all, there's no lack of original Tangerine Dream's albums to choose from, and if Baumann had simply sought to make the same kind of music, it would have been just another Tangerine Dream's album and, perhaps, not a very good one. Instead of that, "Romance 76" is a very good Baumann's album, probably the best he ever made. It may not mark the beginning of a lifelong love affair with Baumann's music, but it still is a very decent work and a great representative album of 70's German progressive electronic music. Baumann's ability to coax a piece of music to life and infuse it with emotional resonance is what makes exploring this album a challenging and ultimately deeply engaging work. So, this is a nice addition to any Tangerine Dream fans collection and to all listeners of the 70's progressive electronic music in general.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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