Album review: TANGERINE DREAM – The Bootleg Box Set Vol.2 (7 CDs, Remastered)

Cherry Red [Release date 13.01.23]

As the instigators of sequenced electronica, and pioneers of German ‘Kosmische’ music, Tangerine Dream have no equal. Add to that their 60 plus movie scores – cultural statements as well as music to match the heightened emotions of psychological thrillers such as “Sorcerer”, “Near Dark” and the “Tatort” series. Plus the occasional shading of Progrock and New Age, and you have band who can rightly claim to be unique.

As fans already know, the beauty of the band’s live concerts was the deployment of improvisation. You could attend gig after gig, and never hear the same performance. It’s also well documented almost everywhere online that the band generally included large amounts of previously unreleased material in concert.

So, when you’ve got your unreleased material and you’ve got your improvised material you’re staring at a unique visual and / or audio experience. Thus the band’s bootleg recordings are very attractive and have considerable value.

This 7 CD boxset chronicles the band’s march across the western world during the late seventies and early eighties, recording five major concerts spread over two continents.

We’ll set it up with the primary logistics.

The best known band line up comprised of founder member, Edgar Froese (who died in 2015, RIP), Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann.

It is this line up who play on CDs 1, 2 and 3 – Nottingham Albert Hall, 1976 (£2.50 for a balcony seat) and Washington Lisner Auditorium, 1977.
The first CD includes no named material (that’s how they roll).

CDs 2 and 3 include class tracks like ‘Octagon’ and ‘Cherokee Lane’. These two, along with ‘Monolight’ were the foundation material for that series of international tours.

By CD 4 – Hamburg, in the winter of 1978 – Peter Baumann had gone. Steve Joliffe and Klaus Kruger were now on board. This gig has something of a reputation among fans as one of the band’s “most interesting” performances, in that much of the music went way off the New Age page. New influences, new (ish) sound.

CDs 5 & 6 – Back in the UK now, Newcastle City Hall, 1981.
This gig received a mixed reaction from fans. ‘Sobornost’ and ‘Bondy Parade’ were previously unreleased tracks that eventually found their way into the TD cannon, in a mutated but more attractive form. In fact several tracks here are clearly prototypes, being shaken and shaped on stage. No surprises there.

CD 7 – Recorded in Frankfurt in 1982, as a tribute to German actor/ director, Rainer Fassbinder, who had died that year.
It’s a short suite. The CD times out in a little over the half hour. More of a sampler in construction, with short versions taken from the band’s Poland and Logos live recordings plus some Of Froese’s movie material.

Bootlegs often get a bad press, for obvious reasons. The quality of sound across this batch of CDs is variable, though the remastering unquestionably helps.

More importantly perhaps, as a demonstration of a band’s artistry as played out in the live arena, there will be few better boxsets. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)