FORCE MAJEURE

Never a band to follow trends, TD decide that 1979 is the year to release their most symphonic album. That's right, as prog as a whole continues it's punk-induced implosion, the band go completely the other way, and release a full-blown symphonic effort.

At thist time, Tangs are a proper band, with guitars, acoustic drums and of course, layer upon layer of wonderful synths. As such, I would describe this as one of the least typical TD albums, but at the same time one of their very best. Fortunately vocalist Steve Joliffe had departed, and this release is wholly instumental.

The title track is an out and out symphonic piece, with many twists and turns. It has stood the test of time well. It is the longest track on the album, and taking up a full side of vinyl, it is the album's epic. It's an excellent piece, and holds the listener's attention throughout, but it's not as good as the next one.

My favourite track is Cloudburst Flight, which starts with gorgeous acoustic guitar, before the synths enter the fray. Again it's symphonic, a lovely tune this one, and a fantastic ending with delightful synths leading over a laid back rhythm of acoustic drums. Great stuff.

Thru Metamorphic Rocks is much more typical Tangs, it's more electronic, repetitive and nowhere near as symphonic. The driving electronic rhythm which pulses throughout does it for me. I think this was a sign of things to come, as TD would return to a more electronic-based direction after this release.

In summing up, this is a superb album, and one of the first by TD that I bought on cd to replace my old vinyl copy. That I think says it all. For a fan of Tangs, it is an absolute essential. For a fan of symphonic prog, this is a perfect album to test the water with if you are interested in hearing Tangerine Dream. I always used this album when attempting to convert symphonic prog friends of mine to TD. It usually worked too!

I rate this above 4 stars, but not as high as 5. My rating is 4.25, which I will round down to 4. A mighty fine album.

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