47: Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht

Klaus Schulze presumably left Tangerine Dream because they were not going in the direction he was interested in. So he made this record, released in 1972 (the same time as Zeit) which sounds not far off Zeit's younger sibling. I never bought these at the time - they seemed to be a bit throwaway. The follow up record wasn't even pictured in the picture section of the book, though the odd one out record, Cyborg, was. Outside of the established groups these records felt less essential.

But Irrlicht, which Wikipedia says is the german for Will-o-the-wisp, so expect dodgy cartoon tvs and bad jokes? Three tracks, two 20 minutes and one about 5. Considering Klaus was a drummer there's not much drums here. The first track bimbles along for 10 minutes or so, before being overtaken by a huge church organ (c.f. Zeit) drone. The middle short track is a break between the two longer pieces and to be honest is mostly synth and processed drones throughout. It's really good though, doesn't quite have the commitment of Zeit but has the sound to some extent. It's a beautiful record and hangs outside of music in it's own assured way. It's big but it's not huge.

One of the problems I find with drone records is that they need loads of listens (way more than a week allows) in order to really get into them. I think this was the first time I really fully appreciated Zeit for what it is. They also need to be given the space to really listen to them - you can't get away with  having it on whilst watching Masterchef or similar. My house is starting to feel quite empty - I'm going to fill it with synth drones :-)

46: Tangerine Dream - Atem

Atem means breath and this was John Peel's Album of the Year in 1973. After Zeit where could they possibly go?, well seemingly they could go back to a more structured and more Ash Ra Tempel like sound. Which is what they did - weird that there's little trace of the might of Zeit in this record. Slowly going through the mountain of crap I've acquired over my life (birthday cards from 2003?, Sweet wrappers from god knows when, Star Trek playing cards?), it's weird how these artifacts present a revisionist view of my past. I've owned Atem (it's unfortunately on the charity shop pile) on a twofer with Alpha Centauri. I always assumed that one followed the other but Zeit now sticks out as the elephant that should be in the middle of that record set.

But Atem. 20 minutes of noodles - not far from Zeit but with far less conviction. The first track starts with drums. Drums.  Before breaking off into space with much synthesisers. There is one reason to buy this record and that reason is Fauni Gena on the start of side 2. It's almost straight from the book o' Zeit, all creepy mellotrons and cave dripping noises. It builds and grows and is fantastic. Circulation of Events has the elements but not the drive - it's noise and ambiance but there's something missing. The last track Wahn brings back Electronic Meditation style experimentation with all crazy voices swirling around.

So in summary. Breezes. It's not nearly as good as Zeit but I think it's better than Alpha Centauri. But hell if you'd just made a record as mighty as Zeit, you could pretty much just live off that forever. Incidentally, the child on the front is Edgar Froese's son aged 2 years. He joined Tangerine Dream in 1990 thus making him a pub quiz question: Which band featured a member on the cover an album when they weren't a member. Something to ponder over perhaps...

45: Tangerine Dream - Zeit

Zeit. I am currently outside of time - my life is being dictated by Ikea. One 5x5 expedit of things I value but don't want to weight me down. One 4x4 of things I cherish and can't be without. Everything else is falling by the wayside. This process started before this week and so I was surprised to find my copy of Zeit, bought prior to going to University in the great pre-Sheffield Krautrock binge, lurking in the 5x5. I've rescued it - thinking that there was a lengthy essay in the CD case but ironically enough it's just a quote from the book.

Zeit is one of those bizarre musical mysteries. Tangerine Dream, prior to this, had been an interesting but wholly inconsistent affair - much too unfocused. On this record, everything, is spot on and turned up to 11. It's the krautrock tour de force - a double album of 4 tracks - or four movements. There is a string quartet. Popol Vuh brings his moog along for the first track. It's an almighty record - totally beyond peer or description. Like the title suggests it hangs outside of any notion of time.

It's all incredibly ambient - no drums, no real rhythms just an incredible array of sounds and textures - like Ligeti at times all screams. That Fricke only appears on the first track is surprising - it's heavily like In Den Garten Pharoas throughout but way more intense. Brooding and frightening. It's also a little bit like the elder to Selected Ambient Works II - much more focused and much more effective. That I was prepared to leave this CD behind was just idiotic - it's an amazing record and, perhaps, the best one on the list? Maybe?

44: Tangerine Dream - Alpha Centauri

Alpha Centauri eh? Whilst going through some records to take to charity (keep your eyes peeled at St Lukes in the coming weeks - there's going to be some good stuff up there), I found my copy of this Virgin twofer. Atem to follow but this is a new version of Tangerine Dream. Out are the Ash Ra Tempel drums and In is non-specific ambiance. They've gone space.

And I find these two mid albums fairly troubling - they're just not particularly interesting and a little bit (shhh) prog rock.

So what do you get for your money? Three tracks, 4 minutes, 13 minutes and 22 minutes. Some gough on the sleeve (though it might be just for this reissue - This album is dedicated to all the people who feel obliged to feel space). The best of the bunch is the 13 minuter which after a slow start builds to some crazy drumming over some laid back fluteage and a sudden ending. The first track is liek a low rent Popol Vuh. The 22 minute continues the low rent PV theme, and is pretty much organ all the way through. It's not got the oomph of PV though and so just ends up being somewhat boring.

So, this just leaves me a little cold and it's tendency towards sub standard Popol Vuh just makes me wish I was listening to Popol Vuh. Pah.

43: Tangerine Dream - Electronic Meditation

FREE BALLOON! Nothing appeals to fans of kosmiche than a free balloon. What's that you're playing with? It's my Electronic Meditation Balloon! I don't know but I imagine that this was the only freebie you got with an Ohr release. I first heard this record via Bristol Library, again bizarre that this was in the catalogue but it was. I can't quite recall what I made of it but I remember enjoying it. I think I was aware of the later stuff and knew that this was very different.

There's a great flow diagram of the meditation process on the gatefold but suffice to say this is more Electronic than a Meditation. Way closer to Ash Ra Tempel than any other krautrock stuff - tons of wibbles and heavy organ. Great titles too - like video nasties: Journey Through a Burning Brain. It's a trip for sure, but not a particularly memorable one. Lashings of fuzz guitar, loads of ambience and some backwards vocals for merits.

It's a trip - a continuous trip and a complete one. Very distinctive and interesting - I can't put my finger on why I don't like it more. It seems at times too abrasive and too jarring and while it does make a whole it's quite a static whole - there's not really enough colour in there to make it worthwhile. And, apart from the Balloon and the backwards vocals, there's not enough humour or light to lift it. It's good, but not great.

42: Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra

The preceding record makes this one all the more perplexing. I don't think I got this one fully when I bought it - I was more into Pharoas when I was younger but now I'm starting to think that this is the real gem in the set of Popol Vuh records. There's not real point in describing each track since they all go into one anyway.

It's basically completly spiritual, totally outside of any of the other records in the book. There's no motorik, and it borders on trad classical music at times. Mostly piano and guitar, with the occasional oboe and Djong Yun's stunning vocals drifting all over the top of it. Cope describes it as sounding like it was recorded in a retreat which I totally agree with. It sounds like the lake from Pharoas.

I didn't buy Affenstunde when I was picking up the first round of krautrock, and know I'm torn between that and this as being my favourite Popol Vuh's. They don't sound like krautrock and at times they don't sound like music. It's a stunning record.

41: Popol Vuh - Einsjager und Siebensjager

Falling behind again. This was always a bit of a weird one in the Popol Vuh canon and I never quite got it when I first bought it and I still find it perplexing. Cope put it in the wrong order which might explain it a little but it does feel like it's leading towards Hosianna Mantra rather than coming from it.

The artwork is horrific but it's an official Cosmic Courier release now. The first side is a bunch of shortish tracks with guitar and piano. It's a bit too un-cosmic for my liking and veers into plod rock on occasions which is never a good thing. Too hit and miss. The second side is a standard 20 minute track but again with too much rock influences. I'm aware that they could no longer plow the 20 minute psychouts they did previously but this feels like a completely different group.

It does make me wonder just how he picked out these records - surely the missing Amon Duul record is better than this? There's not much krautrock in this record, and it's not off the wall like Rastakrautpasta but it's just a little bit boring.