Tangerine Dream - Alpha Centauri Dlx (4 tracks) +Album Reviews

Really beautiful.

Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 10/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album proves that you can make powerful, amazing music without being the best virtuoso, having the best equipment, or the most theoretical knowledge. Music is about sound and the feeling that creates lasting impact. _Alpha Centauri_ emphasizes these factors with its stunning, primitive space rock.The synthesizer equipment on this album is totally old-school. Although primitive and limited, these tools are powerful in the hands of Tangerine Dream. In some ways it reminds me of the composers Riley and Stockhausen, and minimalist classical music in general. The overall feeling is far more "narcotic" and "cosmic," however. This is very definitive psychedelic-space music. It's pretty hard to describe each piece. I'm stuck mostly with the lasting images they inspire. "Sunrise in the Third System" is like the force of Creation descending upon Nothingness...all in under four minutes! "Fly and Collision of Comas Sola" rises from distant, softly-strummed electric guitar and heavy organ into shrill analog synths, exotic flute, and rumbling, stormy drum rolls amidst the omnipresent crush of organ. On "Alpha Centauri", at first wailing synths move in and out of a shimmering fuzz of sustained electronic sound. Some flute brings a touch of "worldliness" to the entwined chords of synths, the sounds of which are becoming increasingly more "unworldly." Then there is this low-moaning oscillator stretched and it sounds like a soul being torn between the physical and ethereal. The music continues on, with the flute reappearing from time to time with different melodic motifs, and synthesizers becoming more light and airy. It's quite a great piece, with an amazing ending (at around the 18:00 mark). A monotone voice begins to speak in German, with a dramatic church-like scale progression on the organ. The German monologue dissipates, replaced with these strange disembodied choir-like sounds and laserbeam synths blipping randomly as it fades out. The bonus track, "Ultima Thule Part 1", is okay._Alpha Centauri_ is 40 minutes of prime space music. Tangerine Dream is one of those artists that needs to be in your CD library as one of the definitive artists of their form. _Zeit_ should be your first choice, then _Alpha Centauri_."

The First Space Music Album In History!

Edgardo Beckham | Jacksonville,Florida | 01/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alpha Centauri is believed to be the first space music album ever made.This is Tangerine Dream's 2nd album.Released in 1971,this release sees TD abandoning their rock sound from their previous,debut album and swapping it for a much more,mellow,almost ambient,style of music,and I am glad to say it worked.Tangerine Dream had found their stride,thanks to a new band member,namely Christopher Franke,who would end up contributing to Tangerine Dream albums for about 16 years before leaving.Needless to say,his contributions greatly affected the band's sound,and improved it for the better.Chris Franke also was the one who first introduced the synthesizer to the band,which would end up becoming TD's most loved and permanent musical instrument.However,because it was only 1971 when this album was first released,the band's synths at the time were of the primitive,VCS 3 model,and if you would never had read the liner notes in the album,you would never notice the strange sounds heard on the album were coming from actual synthesizers,albeit primitive ones.In terms of description,Alpha Centauri is a space/experimental album,containing both beautiful and eerie music and soundeffects,that are so dominant and well-used in this album,that you could actually swear this is what outer space would sound like,if sound actually existed in space,that is.While the album opens with the haunting,Phantom Of The Opera style organ and eerie,wailing synth heard on "Sunrise In The Third System",this is not a preview of the rest of the music on the album,because as soon as the short opener is finished,it immediately turns over into the mellower,hauntingly beautiful piece,"Fly And Collission Of Comas Sola",complete with organ,synths,and beautiful flute,still with a touch of spaciness and eerieness.Only Tangerine Dream knew how to do that perfectly without ruining the space experience.The title track,"Alpha Centauri",is a long,epic journey into the mysterious depths of the universe and back.In my opinion,it is the best piece on the entire album,and best captures the feeling of floating in space,without actually doing it.A truly amazing piece of early ambient art.

Note:This re-release of Alpha Centauri comes with a tagged on bonus track,the early TD single,"Ultima Thule",which is not from this album,but is an early TD single from their rock days,and is not a big addition to the disc,even though it is rare,because it ruins the space atmosphere created by the real album,and therefore,ruins the experience.It was a stupid decision to add this to the disc.My advice is to play the disc until the end of its original content,so when the title track,"Alpha Centauri",is finished,stop it there,that way,you can enjoy the album the way it was meant to be.Other than that,this album is great.Don't let that bonus track deter you from this wonderful work of space/early ambient music.Trust me,this album is a must-have for ambient/space fans.Enjoy."

A classic remastered from 1971

Cruising through the ether | Arica / Chile | 12/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What wonderful offering from this band. Ancient album, but remastered and w an extra track.
The time period when this was made was characterized for using great sounding flutes, and on the second tune 'fly and collision of comas sola' we get treated to beautiful flutes.
The first and third songs are very good. The last - Ultima thule - great. A single that is and was very hard to find, but now you have it here on the CD. A GREAT tune. Enjoy this.JG"

Tangerine Dream Heads Into Space!!

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 09/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Alpha Centauri" is Tangerine Dream's second album (released in 1971) and is one of important significance for the band. Between their first album "Electronic Meditation" and this one, the band's personnel had shifted with Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler departing and Chris Franke and Steve Schroyder coming in to take their place with founding member Edgar Froese being the only holdover.

With the new band members also came a new musical direction. Unlike the free-form acid rock of "Electronic Meditation", "Alpha Centauri" adopts an ethereal darker experimental approach. More importantly, the album is also Tangerine Dream's first to feature synthesizers (which are played by Franke and guest musician Roland Paulyck). The synthesizer would eventually come to the forefront of the band's sound in later years when they would create some of their most innovative and pioneering electronic work.

"Alpha Centauri" includes three pieces that are musically similar yet different from each other. The opening track, "Sunrise in the Third System", is its shortest track clocking in at only 4 minutes. It begins with quiet strummed guitar harmonics from Edgar Froese which gives way to layered gothic organs, oscilating synthesizers and a high-pitched wail created on a slide guitar. While the style of the piece is largely experimental, it is still highly melodic and is almost classical sounding.

The 13-minute "Fly and Collision of Coma Sola" begins with a shrieking oscilating synthesizer. As the synth wavers and pulsates, the main motiff of the piece played on guitar and organ begins to slowly appear in the mix. When the synth oscillations disappear, the haunting motiff is exposed and begins to gradually crescendo until the sound fills the room being enchanced by flute (courtesy of guest Udo Dennebourg), thick layers of organ and a low-rumbling industrial synth. The highlight of the piece is its closing climax in which Chris Franke comes in with a thundering echoed drum figure which carries the track to a dynamic yet somewhat abrupt finish.

The album closes with its epic 22-minute title track, a tour-de-force of experimentation and spaced-out excursions. The piece begins with slow cymbal rolls and a quiet organ drone. As it progresses, the music becomes more strange with its echoed organ, freaky synthesizer noises, wandering flutes and melodic fragements drifting in and out of the mix. The piece moves into a completely different direction for its finale which consists of a haunting funeral-like organ phrase accompanied by a spoken German recitation and the band mimicing a dark mass choir. The slow fade-out of the piece is a very affective ending to this long epic.

While some parts of the album sound rather dated, "Alpha Centauri" is still way ahead of its time. The album displays Tangerine Dream's unashamedness to experiment with different sounds and the end result is undoubtedtly a classic of early Space music. After this album, keyboardist Steve Schryoder left the band and was replaced by Peter Baumann. Chris Franke would trade in his drum kit for a wall of synths and keyboards. This would become Tangerine Dream's first classic line-up which would begin with "Alpha Centauri's" follow-up "Zeit".

The Sanctuary reissue includes a new essay on the album and features a bonus track, the ultra-rare TD single "Ultima Thule Part 1". While it is a nice addition to the original album, it should be noted that the version of "Ultima Thule 1" included here is a remix and not the original version. The remix includes extra reverb on the drums and additional keyboard chords in the background. This version first appeared on the 2000 rarities compilation "Antique Dreams" and is the same version included on this reissue.

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CD Reviews

	Tangerine Dream Alpha Centauri (Dlx) Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Track Listings (4) - Disc #1 Sunrise in the Third System - Tangerine Dream, Franke, Christopher Fly and Collision of Comas Sola Alpha Centauri Ultima Thule, Pt. 1 [Single][*]
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