[.ca] Cyclone

Underrated album from the masters of electronic music:
1978's Cyclone is often maligned by many Tangerine Dream fans. The reason for that were the inclusion of vocals. At this point, Peter Baumann was gone, releasing the occasional solo album (like Trans-Harmonic Nights and Repeat Repeat), and eventually in charge of the Private Music label (in which TD recorded for during the late '80s/early '90s). Two new members came in. Klaus Krieger on drums, and Steve Jolliffe on wind instruments and vocals. Jolliffe was once a member of the old British blues-rock band Steamhammer, and apparently a member of TD in 1968, before they ever got to record. Here the band decided to go for a more prog rock album, thanks to the inclusion of vocals. "Bent Cold Sidewalk" shows that. The vocals are pretty peculiar, and that's what throws many off. The middle part of this piece is more typical Tangerine Dream, dominated by Franke's sequenced synthesizer. "Rising Runner Missed by Endless Sender" isn't as bad as some say it is. It has this pulsing rhythm, with string synths, and again vocals. The side-length "Madrigal Meridian" is what saves this album, even to detractors. No vocals here, it's basically an electronic piece as you expect TD to do. A lot better than some say it is. If you like their music and don't mind vocals, get this album.

TEUTONIC TORNADO:
Bent Cold Sidewalk = Cruel Conscienceless Path, seems to be a blood thirsty psycedelic cannibal delivering men to hell Rising Runner Your Missed By the Endless Sender, possibly a spirit transmitting messages to an up and coming medium, not sure been 25 years since lysergic information gathering channeling. But none the less, rivals Pink Floyds Animals concept of humanity split between pigs, wolves and sheep. And the Lords prayer preverted into a satanic ritual murder. As well as Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and Peter Gabriels acid drenced observations and the selling of ones soul. the lamb serving as the sacrifice and the big production to much for him to handle. Only approx. 25 times in progressive music and or lyric has the band reached this level of surrender and therefore serves as a classic in the Anals of Psycedelic Progressive Music.

Never Mind the B*llocks, Hereýs Tangerine Dream!:
I am somewhat bewildered at the negative reaction among some circles of TD's fans towards this bold, daring and breathtaking album. The main complaint seems to be directed towards Steve Jolliffe's vocals. One has to remember that for its first twenty years TD was a band whose raison d'etre was experimentation, to push the boundaries of rock music, to challenge the listener. Cyclone represents TD at their most confidently pyrotechnic, blending abstract sounds with pounding rhythms and hard-edged melody to produce three rollercoaster tracks. Jolliffe's vocals can be viewed as simply another "instrument" within the music. What Johnny Rotten and co were doing for pop music, TD were doing for rock. Yet behind the "anarchy" there is a cold, baroque beauty and structure to the pieces - particularly in the sublime "Madrigal Meridian". Indeed instruments such as flute, violin, cello and harpsichord are used highly effectively to illustrate this. And the actual compositional skills of band are stronger than ever. It should be said, however, that for listeners more used to the "safe", "commercially aware" material TD have been recycling ad nauseum since 1992, Cyclone will come as something of a shock. As such I would recommend the uninitiated listed to 1978's Force Majeure first, which essentially adopted the style and tone of Cyclone but added warmth and dispensed with vocals. Overall Cyclone represents the peak of TD's brilliance in fusing the genres of rock, classical and experimentalism. Dig a little deeper than the criticisms of the "surface" and the rewards are easy to find and plentiful!

Jolliffe`s Comeback.:
This is Steve Jolliffe`s comeback album for Tangerine Dream, this time as a vocalist. Cyclone is the first album that Tangerine Dream used vocals to their music. Jolliffe was also part of T.D. on one of the first line-ups in the groups history, back in -68. This album was slaughtered by most of the fans, but not by me! His vocals suits perfect to this kind of music. He does a tremendous job on both "Rising runner missed by the endless sender" and "Bent cold sidewalk". The instrumental "madrigal meridian" is brilliant too!

• Bent Cold Sidewalk
• Rising Runner Missed by Endless Sender
• Madrigal Meridian