How could any red-blooded American male forget those delicious scenes of Tom
Cruise atop a writhing Rebecca De Mornay in the movie Risky Business
(remember the ‘choo choo’ train scene?). Behind all that carnal
mayhem pulsed the intricate ethereal soundtrack provided by seminal “krautrock”
band Tangerine Dream. Twenty years later, with countless albums under their
belts, Tangerine Dream has released Paradiso, based on the
third part of Dante Alighieri’s “La Divina Commedia” (Dante’s
“Devine Comedy” for us layman).
The creator and only original member through every incarnation of Tangerine
Dream, Edgar Froese teamed up with fellow West Berlin underground ‘arty’
types in the late 1960’s. Forming TD after studying under Salvador Dali,
of all people, Froese and company were one of the first purveyors of what has
been termed “krautrock.” Froese welcomed various members into the
‘Dream’ fold over the years, most notably, Christopher Franke and
Peter Baumann and most TD listeners — even those of us with only a passing
knowledge of the band — recognize their pulsating synths. Tangerine Dream
actually gained a solid reputation through their soundtracks for movies like
Legend, The Keep and Risky Business, and continue
to tour (as members come and go) with multimedia live performances. As testament
to Froese, it is said he welcomes new members as writing contributors and not
just players (as he did with Franke and Baumann). On the double CD Paradiso,
however, Froese composed and produced all of the music.
I do not doubt Freose’s talents. Translating the third act of “La
Divina Commedia” is a formidable task and one he manages well. But I feel,
for even the most ardent TD fan, Paradiso is a bit chewy. Of
the 15 songs here (more like the typical classical music ‘movements’)
the first CD (seven songs) are pretty thick, static stuff. Occasionally punctuated
by some high soprano singing (lyrics that don’t always translate all that
well in this form), I found the middle part of the first CD, “Mercury
Sphere”, “L’Era della Venere” and “Invisible Sun”
the most listenable of the first ‘set’. I still had some trouble
discerning where Froese’ keys and the orchestra ended and began (and maybe
that’s the point). I’m not sure really if anything here compliments
as much as it all meshes together to create a thick sonic whole (and maybe again,
that’s the point!). If that’s your kind of thing, cool, but there
aren’t enough dynamics from movement to movement to make it all that interesting
for yours truly.
As for the second CD, I like it yards better. First of all the pulsating Tangerine
Dream vibe is back in the first three songs, “Jupiter Lightening”
and “La Forza del Santurno” and “Stars In Distance Glow”
(‘Stars’ might be the most listenable track here). Sorry to say
the English lyrics still don’t work for me; they don’t fit too well
to what’s being played, kinda clunky, like bad poetry, but overall the
vocals are engaging, the synths arranged well with the backing orchestra, and
the end of “La Forza” features some really nice atmospheric touches
of darkening moods; it’s a nice way to begin the second CD after the slow-moving
first one. “Transformazione” is absolutely beautiful with some amazing
vocal harmonies and a heartbreaking orchestral score. This really is Froese
at the height of his compositional powers. “L’ Ultima Tromba d’
Oro,” the second to the last piece, is also notable for the vocal performances,
although it might be a tad bit too long and trying on ears not trained for this
sort of thing.
OK, Paradiso isn’t going to be earning the big download
numbers right next to Justin Timberlake’s latest. Tangerine Dream, even
in their most popular phase, the band’s celebrated “Pink Period,”
will never be a household name. But Edgar Froese has survived a 40-year plus
career with this group, welcoming in new members with their own style of playing
and writing, meshing the whole into a litany of albums and live performances.
A quick survey of what TD is up to lately and one sees a whole bunch of releases
released. Tangerine Dream are alive and well, and though the “krautrock”
tag might be a thing of the past, the whirling humping-beat synths a little
too lacking here, (the first CD here certainly delivers little to no synth relief,
but maybe that’s the point!) I still feel Paradiso is
a solid two-CD set.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
