RICOCHET

Tangerine Dream are in full force on "Ricochet" and after being entranced and in the end having my senses dulled to a mindless halt by their droner "Zeit" I will admit to approaching this live album with a certain degree of trepidation. I like some rhythm to my music listening and at least some semblance of melody and "Zeit" threw me for a loop. I am also not a massive fan of the much heralded "Phaedra" as that takes an eternity to develop also. I much prefer "Rubycon" or "Stratosfear" as the sequencers are a delight and it paints some gorgeous soundscapes in my conscious. "Ricochet" does all that and more. In fact it is the best thing I have heard from TD without a doubt. There is something strangely compelling about the way it draws you in with its spacey power, and it refuses to let go. I love how it does not stay on one idea for too long, which is where "Zeit" and "Phaedra" lose my interest. One does not have to have infinite patience to enjoy "Ricochet" and it is one album you can return to comfortably knowing that you are in for a treat on every listen.

We hear the crowd at the beginning and end but nothing during the concert. I believe it is common knowledge now that the band indulged in overdubs of studio sounds and additions to perfect the sound but, overdubs or not, this is still a transfixing ride. The music takes you on a journey of some otherworldy locale, maybe you may feel as though you were floating in space, or perhaps in the Command Module of some craft as it orbits Jupiter; trapped like spam in a can. There are some dark passages that may conjure images to freeze the soul, though nothing as disturbing as on "Zeit".

I adore the sequencers how they bounce off one another at times out of sync and off time but still totally in union with the synths. The addition of the guitars is a welcome relief but I am more enamoured by the percussion, as a drummer myself I can appreciate the complexity and ingenuity of the patterns and syncopated tempo. It is an outstanding album, ahead of its time, inspirational, spacey to the max, and certainly took me by surprise. I am inspired to listen to more TD after this.