Best Tangerine Dream Album - Progressive Rock Music Forum

I can go eenie meenie miny moe between 5 of them but recently I have fallen under the spell of Atem, John Peel’s sweetheart. Just something about it that really speaks to me.

Just an fyi: TD fans who haven’t yet checked out the recent Official Bootleg Series should get on it asap. To me it was like finding a new Ricochet as well as a more exciting Stratosfear.

“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams

Zeit. No album terrifies me in the way that one does.

The most dangerous man in America.

I am a big fan of another not listed: Poland.

The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"

As an avid listener of the music of Tangerine Dream for roughly 35 years, such polls never cease to present a conundrum for me. There is so much goodness in TD's discography up to a point, they blazed so many trails other continue to follow, that to even contemplate picking a single favorite album is simply doing them an injustice. For many years Stratosfear, Force Majeure, Exit, Poland and Underwater Sunlight have been my "favorites" (plural), interchangeably, depending on the mood and season.

But then you've got the equally immense Rubycon, Underwater Sunlight, and yes, even the "lost" album Green Desert (which some argue Edgar retrieved and "finished", but it doesn't matter), all of which bear the same landmark stamp for carving new vistas in progressive electronic music.

Tangerine Dream is just one of the most important prog bands out there. Yes, they took a severe detour into questionable realms in the '90s, and eventually made a comeback halfway through the mid-2000's (and did some nice stuff again, like Views From A Red Train), but the good far, far outweighs the bad and their detractors can't change that.

P.S. I cast a vote for Exit, because it's rather underrated and doesn't get a lot of love in polls. Worth the price of admission for "Pilots of Purple Twilight," the ominous title track, and the endearing "Remote Viewing" (one of the best ambient pieces ever recorded).

eBay

Ricochet > Rubycon > Cyclone = Stratosfear > α Cen

Encore. Of the choices, Alpha Centuri

Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.

I really cannot choose. Too many great albums and great listening experiences with TD.

Edited by Manuel - October 06 2018 at 20:22

it's still Force Majeure of the dozen or so I've heard

Lately I've been rediscovering Tangerine Dream by listening to some of their classics such as Zeit, Ricochet, even the much maligned Cyclone (which btw I believe is a very good album). Which one's your favourite?

Poll Question: Pick your favourite
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Electronic Meditation	2	[3.39%]
Alpha Centauri	1	[1.69%]
Zeit	8	[13.56%]
Atem	1	[1.69%]
Phaedra	10	[16.95%]
Ricochet	4	[6.78%]
Rubycon	10	[16.95%]
Stratosfear	4	[6.78%]
Cyclone	2	[3.39%]
Force Majeure	9	[15.25%]
Tangram	2	[3.39%]
Exit	1	[1.69%]
White Eagle	0	[0.00%]
Hyperborea	1	[1.69%]
Underwater Sunlight	1	[1.69%]
Green Desert	1	[1.69%]
Other	2	[3.39%]
You can not vote in this poll

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
Guldbamsen Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: January 22 2009 Location: Magic Theatre Status: Offline Points: 23104	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guldbamsen Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 08 2018 at 05:19
	I can go eenie meenie miny moe between 5 of them but recently I have fallen under the spell of Atem, John Peel’s sweetheart. Just something about it that really speaks to me. Just an fyi: TD fans who haven’t yet checked out the recent Official Bootleg Series should get on it asap. To me it was like finding a new Ricochet as well as a more exciting Stratosfear.
	“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams

Cambus741 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: August 12 2015 Location: Chelmsford Status: Offline Points: 1223	Post Options Post Reply Quote Cambus741 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 18:35
	Cyclone

Scorpius Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 22 2016 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 281	Post Options Post Reply Quote Scorpius Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 17:57
	Zeit. No album terrifies me in the way that one does.
	The most dangerous man in America.

micky Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 02 2005 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 46833	Post Options Post Reply Quote micky Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 17:46
	jeeze.. what a list of great albums... and somewhat like asking which are better, redheads, blonds or bruneettes... love them all but going with the redhead of the group for me... Phaedra
	The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip

Progosopher Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 12 2009 Location: Coolwood Status: Offline Points: 6467	Post Options Post Reply Quote Progosopher Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 16:14
	I am a big fan of another not listed: Poland.
	The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"

Lewian Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: August 09 2015 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14712	Post Options Post Reply Quote Lewian Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 13:34
	Tangerine Dream were a major discovery when I got into prog music, were one of my favourite bands for many years, and had a strong influence on my taste and concept of music and what it can do. They lost a place in the very top spots in the meantime (a number of their albums started to bore me after some time) but they still have a few albums that I love to pieces. Rubycon and Tangram have survived as favourites from my early days with them; Cyclone has caught up quite a bit and I'd know rank it fourth in their catalogue, but the no. 1 spot goes to an album that I have only really learnt to appreciate in the last 10 years or so, which is the amazing, dark and totally unique Zeit. Edited by Lewian - October 08 2018 at 09:49

verslibre Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: July 01 2004 Location: CA Status: Offline Points: 17109	Post Options Post Reply Quote verslibre Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 11:22
	As an avid listener of the music of Tangerine Dream for roughly 35 years, such polls never cease to present a conundrum for me. There is so much goodness in TD's discography up to a point, they blazed so many trails other continue to follow, that to even contemplate picking a single favorite album is simply doing them an injustice. For many years Stratosfear, Force Majeure, Exit, Poland and Underwater Sunlight have been my "favorites" (plural), interchangeably, depending on the mood and season. But then you've got the equally immense Rubycon, Underwater Sunlight, and yes, even the "lost" album Green Desert (which some argue Edgar retrieved and "finished", but it doesn't matter), all of which bear the same landmark stamp for carving new vistas in progressive electronic music. Tangerine Dream is just one of the most important prog bands out there. Yes, they took a severe detour into questionable realms in the '90s, and eventually made a comeback halfway through the mid-2000's (and did some nice stuff again, like Views From A Red Train), but the good far, far outweighs the bad and their detractors can't change that. P.S. I cast a vote for Exit, because it's rather underrated and doesn't get a lot of love in polls. Worth the price of admission for "Pilots of Purple Twilight," the ominous title track, and the endearing "Remote Viewing" (one of the best ambient pieces ever recorded).
	eBay

wiz_d_kidd Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 13 2018 Location: EllicottCityMD Status: Offline Points: 1423	Post Options Post Reply Quote wiz_d_kidd Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 11:01
	Ricochet is the best overall, although Cyclone is a close #2 (for me) because of one track: Madrigal Meridian. I love the (synth) violin and drumming.

someone_else Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: May 02 2008 Location: Going Bananas Status: Offline Points: 24294	Post Options Post Reply Quote someone_else Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 07:13
	Ricochet > Rubycon > Cyclone = Stratosfear > α Cen


octopus-4 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams Joined: October 31 2006 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14091	Post Options Post Reply Quote octopus-4 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 02:24
	Very hard to say. I'm going with Zeit but I have really enjoyed some of the last stuff, too. The sessions II is a great album, IMO
	I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution

Man With Hat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team Joined: March 12 2005 Location: Neurotica Status: Offline Points: 166178	Post Options Post Reply Quote Man With Hat Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 07 2018 at 01:12
	Encore. Of the choices, Alpha Centuri
	Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.

Walkscore Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 16 2017 Location: Toronto, Canada Status: Offline Points: 231	Post Options Post Reply Quote Walkscore Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 06 2018 at 20:45
	Their earlier albums were the most original. Rubycon for me defines not only their ultimate sound, but the possibilities that this kind of music presents.

Manuel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 09 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13338	Post Options Post Reply Quote Manuel Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 06 2018 at 20:22
	I really cannot choose. Too many great albums and great listening experiences with TD. Edited by Manuel - October 06 2018 at 20:22

BaldJean Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: May 28 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10387	Post Options Post Reply Quote BaldJean Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: October 06 2018 at 19:56
	"Rubycon" evokes the most mental pictures in me
	A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta

kenethlevine Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team Joined: December 06 2006 Location: New England Status: Offline Points: 8951	Post Options Post Reply Quote kenethlevine Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 06 2018 at 18:56
	it's still Force Majeure of the dozen or so I've heard

Squonk19 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: April 03 2015 Location: Darlington, UK Status: Offline Points: 4776	Post Options Post Reply Quote Squonk19 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 06 2018 at 17:37
	A real soft spot for Ricochet - seeing that Coventry Cathedral concert on the TV all those years ago made a big impression on me - even though I am still no means a Tangerine Dream fanatic.
	“Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.”

Morningrise Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 18 2009 Location: Buenos Aires Status: Offline Points: 2766	Post Options Post Reply Quote Morningrise Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: October 06 2018 at 17:06
	Lately I've been rediscovering Tangerine Dream by listening to some of their classics such as Zeit, Ricochet, even the much maligned Cyclone (which btw I believe is a very good album). Which one's your favourite?