Search - Tangerine Dream :: Sorcerer (1977 Film)

Next time you transport TNT

N. P. Stathoulopoulos | Brooklyn, NY | 11/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is as fascinating as the underrated William Friedkin film. First, Tangerine Dream never saw a frame when they wrote it. Armed only with a copy of the script, they worked away until Friedkin received 90 minutes of music one day while he was still filming in the jungle. (Sounds like a good value, actually. An hour and a half of music delivered before the movie was done). The result is a dark and menacing early electronic score that is unique. I wouldn't have the film any other way. The pleasant music that bumps along when the trucks begin their deadly journey is here, as is the energetic, sequencer driven bit when the Israeli forces close in on the terrorists in the prologue. And, of course, the sinister music of the end credits. A good chunk of the music on this disc is not heard in the film, but the tracks capture the atmosphere and tone of Sorcerer. Note that the organ cue that appears several times (as when the truck explodes toward the end) is not TD but Keith Jarrett (one of his `Sphere' compositions) and does not appear on the disc. Overall, TD's music captures the spirit of the film; indeed the Sorcerer 'Theme' (which plays over the end credits) is entitled 'Betrayal'. This is TD's first and most likely best soundtrack, featuring arguably the best TD lineup ever (Froese, Baumann, Franke). The tracks are shorter than most TD albums of the time; these are not the long compositions of Ricochet, for instance. Some of it is downright creepy; you may want to avoid listening alone in the dark. The atmosphere is mysterious, chaotic, and driving. Friedkin is very good at getting the right music for his films without using the standard Hollywood fallbacks. Even though much of the music here is not heard in the film, the sense of the characters' desperation and their setting is. Highly recommended for TD fans, Friedkin fans, and fans of electronic scores. Interesting trivia - A theatrical trailer for The Warriors (on that DVD) features the track Betrayal. (Trailers often reuse music from other movies). The Warriors is about another kind of deadly journey, and the music is a good fit."

The creepiest music they ever made

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 05/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all the albums Tangerine Dream released in the 1970s, this 1977 score for the film Sorcerer is undoubtedly the scariest. In fact, even the photo of the three band members (Peter Baumann, Edgar Froese, and Chris Franke) depicted in the liner notes is somewhat disturbing and menacing. Interestingly enough, William Friedkin's liner notes indicate that the music was written without any of the band members actually having viewed any footage. This is an even more impressive achievement when you consider that Freidkin felt that the film and the soundtrack were virtually "inseparable". The CD is approximately 45 minutes in length and the music is spread across twelve, uncharacteristically short tracks. Each track is dominated by loads of analog synthesizers including instruments by Moog, ARP, and Oberheim. Mellotron use (including the large Mark V) is also very heavy and should please most mellotron fans. Although I really enjoy this album, the only minor complaint that I have is that the tracks are just too short - just when I start being drawn into a piece it rather abruptly ends. However, the compositions all convey the same brooding and menacing mood, so the momentum is only slowed a tiny bit during the pause between individual tracks. All in all, I would have to highly recommend this album to all general electronica fans and Tangerine Dream fans. Excellent stuff."

One of the darkest soundtracks ever composed

Jeffrey J.Park | 09/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded before the end of 1976, and mixed in the spring of 1977, "Sorcerer" is the first soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. While William Friedkin directed the movie in the jungle, the tape was played for the actors to get the mood he intended. What's interesting is that Tangerine Dream recorded the music without seeing any of the footage. Indeed, since then it's been at times fashionable to cut the film according to the prerecorded sound track. Some of the tracks fit quite well, while others have no emotional connection with the corresponding scenes in the film. Still, they are compatible enough for the whole adventure to be successful, and one cannot say that about future soundtracks by this famous band that devoted most of their time in the 80s to cinematography.Instrumentarium used to record this album is slightly restricted compared to "Stratosfear", but still remarkable, and deliciously analogue. The main instrument, the one that is dominant in this album is the mellotron; a difficult keyboard instrument that allowed playing prerecorded tunes similar to the electronic choir or symphonic orchestral glissandi. The trouble was, no tune could be played longer than 17 seconds, and perhaps that very limitation contributed to the variability of the musical landscape Tangerine Dream painted on this moody album. Moody, for it's quite difficult to listen to, and certainly would be astonishment for an everyday musical listener. Since this is the first soundtrack album of Tangerine Dream, it should be noted that they freely used pieces and fragments of compositions previously recorded, and created completely new musical worlds with the help of these elements. These worlds were new indeed, but always those who know their studio or concert albums will recognize an album that instantaneously preceded the work on the soundtrack. In the case of "Sorcerer", it was "Stratosfear" that is a sibling sister. Since the latter is the masterpiece of electronic roots, it actually says a lot about the quality of the former. "Sorcerer" is an excellent work of excellent artists, and sad as it is to say, it's also the last one to bear the artistic stigma of Peter Baumann, the wild soul of Tangerine Dream."