Apology, Tangerine Dream, Recent Anarchistic Bullshit

["ROSSI J.A." <rossi@nusc.ARPA>]

1. You are absolutely correct, Larks Tounge in Aspic pt III on Three of a
   Perfect Pair. 

2. Tangerene Dream :

It appears that many of the subscribers to this digest are probably quite
a bit younger than me.  I have been a devout TD fan for over 15 years.
Yes, they do go back that far, however the early LPs (all German imports)
are reasonably hard to come by these days.  Their music has changed quite
a bit over the years and I seriously doubt that any current TD fan would
care for their initial release 'Electronic Meditations' which featured
Klaus Schulze, by the way.  If you are into the pseudo-random textures
I suggest a listen to Alpha Centauri if you can find it as well as Atem.
Atem was unique in that there is percussion, some of it natural, which
disapeared afterward not to reappear till Force Majure (SP).  My personal
TD LPs are Ricochet (live circa 1974, it does have some percussion), and
Tangerine Dream Live (2 sides, 1977 tour).  After thinking about it,
Poland (there latest live release is also good).  Unlike most groups
which are extensively electronic synth based, TD is remarkable in live
performance.  Where most people use sequencers to create mundane 
repititions and ostinatos, TD was using sequencers (computers actually)
to control all of the electronic eqiupment they use on stage.  Unless
you saw them perform, you have a hard time believing so few people can
create such textural effect without the aid of a multi-track recording
studio (they were doing this years before MIDI).  Aqua, their first
USA release (Virgin) did terribly, although it was the transition LP
between the Atem meta-physics and the modern TD sound.  Rubicon (also
a U.S. release, was so similar it was hard to believe that it wasn't
produced at the same time.  About 1975-76 they started getting into doing
soundtracks, and this is where thy got their biggest American exposure.
They did the Scorsese (sp?) film Sorcerer (for which there is a sound-
track album.  They recently did Firestarter which also has a soundtrack
release.  Most recently, much to my delight, they have done the soundtrack
to RAN (which I have neither seen or heard, but in correspondence with
several German friends, it is apparently their best work to date.  
If you really like this stuff, you might also check out work by Klaus
Schulze, which parallels Tangerine Dreams throughout the periods.  Schulze
stuff, until recently, is much more spacey and textural, however recent
coloborations with Arthur Brown (Fire, fame) have changed his sounds as
well as the GO experiment with Stevie Winwood and Stomu Ymashita.  If
you really, really like this stuff then you can also try out Michael
Hoenig (Escape form the Northern Wasteland), and the solo works of
Edgar Froese (leader of TD) who has released about 5 solo albums from
1975-pres. [If you like the textural, mood stuff, Epsilon in Malaysia Pale
is the best, but if you want to see the genesis of what clicked in TD
between Rubicon/Ricochet and Force Majuer - get Stuntman].

Sorry to run on since this is Kate Bush radio, but couldn't miss the chance
to do for TD what Doug attempts to do for Kate.

I am personally interested in corresponding with other persons who have
followed and enjoy works by the Berlin School [TD, Klaus, etc].

Anarchism :

Musicians should not starve.  <-- period

Unfortunately, in this instance Madonna is right.  This is a material world
(Christ, even George Harrison recognized that 13 years ago), and successfully
living in it requires money.  If you are an artist, you have two choices
(or maybe I don't see the alternatives, however, I might have missed a few
between the LSD and Mescaline), sll you art as a means of survival or work
a normal 9-5 job and creat in your spare time.  Hofmann, how much really
creative stuff do you get done musically after you get home from adjusting
books for the Govt?  [oops that was sell your art above].  Maybe a lot,
but my guess is that if you were doing music full time, didn't have a
cushy GS job, and lived off your talent (or lack thereof) you would spinn
a different tune concerning the megalopolitical empire of the record
industry, successfull commercial artists.  None of us may like Lionel
Richie (Ritchie?) but hge does have a right to produce music people want
to hear and they have a right to buy it.  If you don't like something
don't buy it.  It is easy to call a sellout of a talanted musician, but
then again, armchair quarterbacking is an American pastime ain't it.

A lot of stuff that is mentioned on this Kate Bush radio station is entirely
new and foreign to me 
I'm not sure how much I want to hear any music which presumably requires
a chemically altered state to appreciate.  Didn't that idea go out with
Hippies 
Tom Wolfe, and the Hell's Angels about 15 years ago.  I made the stupid
mistake of tripping at a Who concert in Tanglewood (Tommy tour) and I
managed to miss (I was there but simultaneously in another galaxy) what
was proported to be an excellent live performance, of which I had only
foggy recolections days after.
I agree, do real drugs if you want to do real tripping.  I fail to believe
that musical appreciation can be hightened by any chemical substance.  If
you can't open the door to musical understanding manually, either the
musician sucks, you shouldn't be there because you don't relate to the
music, or you are confusing musical appreciation and schizophrenia.

Doug, sorry to occupy so much space.

'Where all of the people just cut off their hair'

John

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