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Dark, disturbing yet beautiful crystalline waves of sound. Lovely and substantial experimental music.
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Tangerine Dream's 5th album,"Phaedra",released in 1974,is the result of TD's transformation from space music to ambient,but even here,the band is still clearly in the experimental bandwagon."Phaedra" was the album that launched Tangerine Dream into the popular spotlight for the first time,and gave them the opportunity to sign with Richard Branson's then new Virgin music label,which obviously influenced TD's sound dramatically,which is clearly evident after listening to Atem,their previous release,and then listening to this one.It can be safely said that "Phaedra" was the first true ambient release,(sorry Mr. Brian Eno)and because of that,Tangerine Dream really deserves a lot of credit for their amazing musical talents at a time when there was practically no competition.Anyway,getting down to the album,it starts out with the most popular piece,the great title track,"Phaedra",a legend in ambient electronic music.Waves after waves of lush and vivid synths engulf you and take you on a haunting journey where anything can happen.This piece is the tastiest of the ear candy on the album,and it is just full of emotion and depth,and as you can see,I'm having some difficulty describing this piece to you.Its just so beautiful and unique,that words just can't fully describe the feeling you get while listening to this aural artwork.Truly Tangerine Dream's masterpiece of all masterpieces in their entire 30+ years of making music.They haven't made a better opus yet.The 2nd track,"Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares" pales in comparision with "Phaedra",but it is still a beautiful piece of music,and is more mellow and relaxing than the title track,which makes for a nice contrast.This track is completly dominated by mellotron synth,and with great results.Track number 3,"Movements Of A Visionary",is another mellow,relaxing piece featuring electric piano played by TD bandmate,Peter Baumann,who does an excellent job on the piece.The electric piano work here is similar in vein to Harold Budd's style.Once again,Tangerine Dream has been able to create relaxing and peaceful music,but without sacrificing their dark electronic ambient style.Impressive.The final piece on this album,"Sequent C",is a very short,simple flute passage,where once again,Baumann takes the stand,and I must say that this piece is a perfect way to end a masterpiece of an album,with its haunting,yet peaceful flute melody.This TD album is an essential one for anyone who wishes to own a TD collection,and it is also a perfect place to start for newcomers who want to experience Tangerine Dream's early music.An amazing work of musical art and a true,classic masterpiece of an album.Very Highly Recommended!
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I suppose this is their best known classic. It was released in 1974, with new sound-textures and a thoroughly new world at the band's feet. Actually, I would give it 4,5 stars, as their next album RUBYCON is, as for me, greater than Phaedra. And yet, Phaedra is great, magnificent and terrifying. If Rubycon sounds timeless - you wouldn't guess it was released almost thirty years ago - Phaedra's unique sound is owned to the imperfect equipment the band had used. It sounds of the 1970's, but it doesn't mean it sounds obsolete. I like this sound:)
Phaedra is certainly a milestone in electronic music, and it is a must for everyone interested in electronic music...
The title track consists, more or less, of two parts. The first is dynamic, with the characteristic synthesizer beat with layers of sounds provided by the band, the second part begins as the beat ceases and the eerie wailing sound enters. This really sounds terrifying! Like a dying animal, trying to escape from a cold and dark place. The second part, I think, is more interesting than the first, mostly becasue of the emotins the sounds evoke in the listener. The wailing sounds are then accompanied by Froese's mellotron (I believe), which again gives you the impression that something disquieting is happening. Just let your imagination generate the images! It'll blow you away!!!
The second track, "Mysterious Semblance..." begins with children's laughter, it sounds so remote, almost like a dream, or some ghostly thing. Imagine a beach and dark clouds gathering above the people resting on the sand... The laughter ends abruptly and again the mellotron kicks in, this time it paints dreamy soundscapes, swirling and creeping lazily. Here you have no pulsating beat, just the magnificent mellotron for ten minutes. The track ends with strange noises (which I don't like if you ask me) and the music fades out.
Third piece, the almost eight-minute-long "Movements of a Visionary", is a fast-paced track with jazzy influences. I always imagine a flight over mountains and valleys, covered with mist. Then, the shortest, but maybe the sweetest, "Sequent 'C'" with the multilayered flute from Bauman, melancholic, beautiful in its simplicity. Towards the end of this track, we hear only the "solo" flute, which in a natural way ends this brilliant album.
PHAEDRA is certainly worth all the money, it is a music which evokes images in your mind and makes you repeat the word "wow!" several times after you've listened to it. I recommend both, Phaedra and Rubycon, they're both great and indellible!
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This beautiful album carries willing souls in a mesmerizing journey. Writing about such music is at once easy and difficult; easy because it is extremely evocative and varied, difficult because the experience it offers is hard to put into words. The title track, a masterful 17-minute electronic poem, is perhaps the most perfect creation on the album. After a calm, shimmering introduction, a perpetually morphing bassline enters and is the center around which subtle textures are developed; the bass eventually fades, as the introduction's calmness takes over again. The same kind of shifting bass reappears in 'Movements of a Visionary', an intricate, rythmic piece with many treated voices. On the other hand, 'Mysterious Semblance...' is not built around a center but rather evolves from a series of chord changes that evoke, among other things, a nocturnal procession. The short and flute-driven 'Sequent C' closes the album on a similar ceremonial note, and as a whole the album itself is akin to an initiation, inevitably putting its listener in a religious, peaceful mood. These soundscapes reveal new subtleties with each listen.
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If you're into more industrial/ebm style synthesizer music, stay clear of this title, instead get Tangerine Dream's 'Exit' album. TD uses alot of great textures in Phaedra, but it ends up sounding very bland. If you're into ambient electronic, this is almost beyond 5 stars, but most people that have heard later TD albums, will be disapointed with this highly praised early release. This is definately one for the collectors, or for ambient music aficionados. But this is a review, and not opinion, so if you like ambient/ethereal, purchase this one. If you want something more aggressive, yet still TD, get "EXIT".
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