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Phaedra

 
Album Review:

Phaedra

  • Artist: Tangerine Dream
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: February 20, 1974
  • Total Time: 37:34
  • Type: Instrumental
  • Genre: Electronica

Review

Phaedra is one of the most important, artistic, and exciting works in the history of electronic music, a brilliant and compelling summation of Tangerine Dream's early avant-space direction balanced with the synthesizer/sequencer technology just beginning to gain a foothold in nonacademic circles. The result is best heard on the 15-minute title track, unparalleled before or since for its depth of sound and vision. Given focus by the arpeggiated trance that drifts in and out of the mix, the track progresses through several passages including a few surprisingly melodic keyboard lines and an assortment of eerie Moog and Mellotron effects, gaseous explosions, and windy sirens. Despite the impending chaos, the track sounds more like a carefully composed classical work than an unrestrained piece of noise. While the title track takes the cake, there are three other excellent tracks on Phaedra. "Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares" is a solo Edgar Froese song that uses some surprisingly emotive and affecting synthesizer washes, and "Movements of a Visionary" is a more experimental piece, using treated voices and whispers to drive its hypnotic arpeggios. Perhaps even more powerful as a musical landmark now than when it was first recorded, Phaedra has proven the test of time. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Phaedra Peter Baumann, Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke Tangerine Dream (17:45)
Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares Edgar Froese Tangerine Dream (9:55)
Movements of a Visionary Peter Baumann, Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke Tangerine Dream (8:01)
Sequent C' Peter Baumann Tangerine Dream (2:18)

Credits

Christopher Franke (Moog Synthesizer), Edgar Froese (Producer), Peter Baumann (Synthesizer), Edgar Froese (Mellotron), Edgar Froese (Guitar (Bass)), Peter Baumann (Organ), Peter Baumann (VCS 3 Synthesizer), Phil Becque (Engineer), Edgar Froese (Mellophonium), Peter Baumann (Keyboards), Edgar Froese (Synthesizer), Christopher Franke (Synthesizer), Edgar Froese (Guitar), Edgar Froese (Keyboards), Edgar Froese (Organ), Peter Baumann (Piano (Electric)), Edgar Froese (VCS 3 Synthesizer), Christopher Franke (VCS 3 Synthesizer), Peter Baumann (Flute), Edgar Froese (Bass), Christopher Franke (Keyboards)
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Phaedra(album)

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Phaedra

1974 LP album cover
Studio album by Tangerine Dream
Released 20 February 1974 (1974-02-20)
Recorded December 1973 (1973-12), The Manor, Shipton-on-Cherwell
Genre Electronic music
Ambient
Length 37:34
Label Virgin
Producer Edgar Froese
Professional reviews
Tangerine Dream chronology
Atem
(1973)
Phaedra
(1974)
Rubycon
(1975)
"Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares"
Single by Tangerine Dream
A-side "Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares" (excerpt) – 4:30
B-side "Phaedra" (excerpt) – 2:02
Released 1974
Format 7" vinyl Promo
Label Virgin/Atlantic

Phaedra (1974) is an album by the German electronic music group Tangerine Dream.

This is the first Tangerine Dream album to feature their now classic sequencer-driven sound, which kicked off the whole Berlin School genre. This album marked the beginning of the group's international success and was their first album released on the British Virgin records label. It achieved a six-figure sale in the UK, reaching No.15 in the charts in a 15-week run[2], with virtually no air play, only by strong word-of-mouth. It also earned the group a gold disc in Australia, and yet amazingly in their native Germany it sold barely 6,000 units. Alpha Centauri outsold it by nearly four-to-one.[3]

The title track was originally based on an improvisation that happened to be recorded in the studio, and unintentionally exhibits one of the limitations of the analog equipment used at the time. As the equipment warmed up, some of the oscillators began to detune (they were highly temperature-sensitive), which was responsible for some of the changes in the music towards the end of the piece.

The title track and "Movements of a Visionary" rely on Christopher Franke's use of the Moog analog sequencer as a substitute for bass guitar. "Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares" features Edgar Froese soloing on a Mellotron which is treated to slowly sweeping filter effects. "Sequent C'" is a short but memorable piece by Peter Baumann on flute, with tape echo.

Phaedra is listed in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[4] In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #38 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums". [5]

Contents

Track listing

Side one
# Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Phaedra"   Christopher Franke, Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann 16:45
Side two
# Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares"   Froese 10:35
2. "Movements of a Visionary"   Franke, Froese, Baumann 7:55
3. "Sequent C'"   Baumann 2:18

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1974) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[2] 15
US Billboard 200[6] 196

References

  1. ^ Bush, John. "Phaedra > Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wifyxqugldse~T1. Retrieved 12 October 2009 (2009-10-12). 
  2. ^ a b "Chart Stats - Tangerine Dream - Phaedra". http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=3392. Retrieved 12 October 2009 (2009-10-12). 
  3. ^ Berling, Michael. "Phaedra". Voices in the Net. http://voices-in-the-net.de/phaedra.htm. Retrieved 12 October 2009 (2009-10-12). 
  4. ^ Dimery, Robert (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. ISBN 0789313715. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/1001albums.htm. Retrieved 12 October 2009 (2009-10-12). 
  5. ^ Q Classic: Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, 2005.
  6. ^ "Phaedra > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wifyxqugldse~T3. Retrieved 12 October 2009 (2009-10-12). 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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