TYGER

This is my very first TD album, however, not my very first encounter with their music. I first heard (consciuosly) excerpt from their "Rubycon" album on the compilation "Chillout Moods" and I was enchanted. I bought "Tyger" in a second hand store almost a year ago. The edition I have is one of the first pressings, way back in 1987, the Jive-electro release. On this album TD have made their second attempt at bringing vocals to their music. They invited an American soul/R&B-oriented vocalist Jocelyn Bernadette Smith to sing three songs on this album. The lyrics she sings are poems by the English visionary, poet and artist, William Blake. You can appreciate Jocelyn's passionate voice on the tracks "Tyger", "London" and "Smile". While the title track sounds more "poppy" with a smashing melody, the second track, "London" is more complex, featuring a couple of Blake's poems (not only the title "London") put into one track, which by no means sounds forced. The final part of this lenghty track is a brilliant guitar solo with a heavy beat. This is truly one of the best moments on this album. Next, an instrumental song, 12-minute-long "Alchemy of the Heart", which unfurls intriguingly and poetically ends with a slow piano outro. The fourth song, "Smile" features the vocalist again. The intro to this song is simply beautiful, as for me this is the essence of electronic music of the 80s. Jocelyn sings with a deep voice the lyrics by Blake with TD making two interludes, very dreamy and slow, making you lay back in your armchair and lapse into mental wanderings. I don't imagine listening to this album (as any other TD album) without headphones on and sitting on a regular chair. You need to relax to feel the mood of this album and let it take you far away. This album ends with two parts of "The 21st Century Common Man", which sound as if taken from entirley different recording. And yet they sound gorgeous, with heave drums and wonderful bass-lines, you can't help tapping your fingers to keep the fast pace. Simply fascinating. Well, this is certainly one of the most important albums in TD's discography, yet not the best one either. Mainly because of the lyrics the meaning of this album is profound and many critics didn't grasp it, tearing the album to pieces for its vocal parts. Fans and critics may quarrel whether TD+vocals is a good solution, yet for me, this CD is certainly worth to give it at least some attention. You'll like it, provided you're a fan of TD, and perhaps, Vangelis?