Stratosfear
Stratosfear | ||||
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LP album cover | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 1976 | |||
Recorded | August 1976 at the Audio Studios, Berlin, Germany. | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 35:39 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | Tangerine Dream | |||
Tangerine Dream chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C[2] |
Stratosfear is the seventh studio album by the German group Tangerine Dream.[3]
The LP reached No.39 in the UK, in a 4-week chart run, and eventually reached
Recording
Stratosfear combines Tangerine Dream's acoustic and electronic influences more tightly than before. For instance, at the end of the last track, "Invisible Limits", the deep piano/flute tune reveals the album's romantic flavour even after the earlier predominantly synthetic compositions (tracks #1 to last part of track #4). It was Peter Baumann's last studio album with the group.
The album marks the beginning of the band's development away from their uncompromising early 1970s synthesizer experiments toward a recognisably more melodic sound, a trend they would pick up again in 1979's Force Majeure. The title track "Stratosfear" has been played live many times and has been released in a re-mixed form on a number of other albums.
Critical reception
According to
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said "I respect their synthesizer textures in theory, but these guys should leave the accessibility to Kraftwerk. When they program in received semiclassical melodies and set the automatic drummer on 'bouncy swing,' the result is the soundtrack for a space travelogue you don't want to see."[2]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Stratosfear" | 10:04 |
2. | "The Big Sleep in Search of Hades" | 4:45 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "3 AM at the Border of the Marsh from Okefenokee" | 8:10 |
2. | "Invisible Limits" | 11:40 |
A new CD version was issued in 2019 re-mastered from the original master tapes. It contained the extra bonus tracks 'Coventry Cathedral' (previously unreleased), 'Stratosfear' (single edit) and 'The Big Sleep in Search of Hades' (single edit) both previously released on promotional only singles in 1976.
Personnel
- percussion, loop mellotron, harpsichord
- grand piano, bass guitar, mouth organ
- Fender Rhodes, mellotron
Single
A single was released in 1976 with excerpts from two tracks.[6]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Stratosfear" | 4:14 |
2. | "The Big Sleep in Search of Hades" | 3:50 |
References
- AllMusic
- ^ ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 15 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Berling, Michael (29 September 2016). "Stratosfear". Voices in the Net.
- ^ Kirkman, Jon. Tangerine Dream Official Web-Radio. Event occurs at 32:30.
- ^ a b Bush, John. "AllMusic Review by John Bush". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Berling, Michael (29 September 2016). "Stratosfear/The Big Sleep in Search of Hades". Voices in the Net.