ENCORE (LIVE 1977)

Late Seventies I entered my favourite record-shop. While looking around, one cover was a real 'eye-catcher': the double-LP "Encore" from TANGERINE DREAM (1977). Sometimes you do have the feeling that a special cover contains special music and this was such a moment: the 'Stars And Stripes' banner in the middle containing a picture from musicians who look part of their giant modular synthesizers, "those magical machines with all the knobs and wires". Without listening I bought "Encore" and went homewards. There I stepped into another world, as fascinating and soothing like my first time snorkelling on Aruba. The album "Encore" has also become "my gateway to the electronic galaxy" because I was highly impressed by this new musical experience: a splendid blend of keyboards, sequencers, electronic drums and electric guitar play. The captivating thing about "Encore" is the interplay between Peter Baumann, Chris Franke and Edgar Froese with the frequent waves of Mellotron, hypnotizing and pulsating sequencers and all kind of sounds from famous vintage (modular) synthesizers from Moog, Oberheim, ARP and PPG. Along this TAANGERINE DREAM offers inventive colouring of the music by the Steinway acoustic piano (great intro in "Monolight"), the Fender Rhodes electric piano (beautiful conclusion with Mellotron and sensitive synthesizer chords in "Desert Dream") and distorted electric guitar in "Coldwater Canyon", emphasizing how alternating TANGERINE DREAM's music was on this 2-LP. From the next day I went on a quest for more like KLAUS SCHULZE, NEURONIUM, GANDALF, SYNERGY and KITARO but I never got that exciting feeling back as on "Encore" from TANGERINE DREAM. Magical!