Le Parc

Expect the distinct Schmoelling sound with his instruments much like the previous albums but now shorter with 9 tracks and more commercial but still drilling. JS last studio album with EF and CF. The Esoteric release comes with a lavish booklet, photos, story line and a cd jewel case in a box. I already have the jive electro release and bought this solely for the booklet which the Jive does not have. The bonus track is a radio mix of LA streethawk and slightly different from the original. Sound quality is hard to tell whether it's far superior to the Castle or Jive releases but surely remastered as claimed. I bought this since there is nothing new worth buying from TD and also for the price under 13 bucks this is a good deal. So if you want to complete your TD Esoteric catalogue buy this but if you are happy with your Relativity, Castle and Jive releases,this reissue can wait.

Love tangerine dream.

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Le Parc(1985). Tangerine Dream's 20th(?) studio album.Although Germany-based electronic music group Tangerine Dream has been around since the late 60s, their career can technically be divided into several different periods. Not by the decades per se, but rather by their tenure with certain record companies throughout the years. For instance, the first several albums from the late 60s until 1973 all came from what is known as the "Pink years". This was when TD were exploring what kind of sound that they wanted to perform, highlighted with albums like Alpha Centauri(1971) and Zeit(1972). In 1973 they signed a ten year contract with Virgin Records and went through the "Virgin years" phase, considered to be their most popular period, starting with Phaedra(1975) and ending with Hyperborea(1983). 1984 was a low profile year for TD, seeing as they were involved with many soundtracks at the time. However, they managed to sign another contract which resulted in the "Blue years". It's not their most well known period, and it only lasted a few albums, but it was the last really important phase to date, and churned out a few masterpieces of instrumental synth-score work. This is where Le Parc comes in.By the mid 80s, keyboard and synthesizer technology had advanced far enough to incorporate a wide variety of soundscapes which had drastically improved from the beginning of the decade. Afterall, pop music groups were (attempting to) utilize this technology in their own ways, although very few could pull it off well. Thank god for TD to show the rest how it's done.Le Parc is somewhat of a departure from previous TD works, the most noticeable differences being in that the dark atmosphere of albums like Exit(1981) and Hyperborea is pretty much gone and the tracks are now all shortened in length and quite numerous. Nine tracks on an album was literally unheard of for TD up to that point. Of all the 80s albums that came out, I can see Le Parc being the one that might put off the older fans the most. However if you follow me, you'll see that this change isn't necessarily a bad one. In fact, the results are actually quite astonishing.Le Parc draws its inspiration from various natural and unnatural locale settings from around the world, being sort of a concept album. They had already done "theme-based" concept albums in the past, but this is probably the first one with a specific idea in mind. The music here is very accessible, yet layered enough for listeners to find new things in the music each listen. At first, only a few of the tracks caught my attention and I wasn't thoroughly convinced, but since then repeated listens have opened up the rest of the songs, and now I love Le Parc. Yes, it is definitely very mid-80s sounding (you know what I'm talking about), and there are no broodingly trippy passages from their 70s albums in sight, but you'll find that TD know how to incorporate a rich keyboard array with various instruments from time to time.Onto the tracks... 'Bois De Boulogne (Paris)' begins the album on a light note and slowly introduces the new sound that is employed on the album. Flutes are used in small parts. Then 'Central Park (New York)' picks up the pace to a more exciting, upbeat, and rhythm driven theme, clearly reminding you of being in a bustling city. One thing TD definitely kept intact from earlier releases was its ability to make you imagine all sorts of settings - very cool. 'Gaudi Park (Guell Garden Barcelona)' picks up the pace even more and manages to pulsate with a very memorable melody. Then the album takes a more relaxing turn with the next two tracks: 'Tiergarten (Berlin)' and 'Zen Garden (Ryoanji Temple Kyoto)'. The former is a brief and peaceful piano-based theme, whereas the latter abandons the rhythm structure altogether for a moody fusion of bass synth and Asian instruments. After it fades out, 'Le Parc (LA - Streethawk)' blazes in with full force and brings the pace back up to the top. 'Hyde Park (London)' is mostly lightweight, but is backed by a powerful melody as the song builds up. 'The Cliffs Of Sydney (Sydney)' feels much like a simple dance number, though it does have a nice melodic bridging section. Finally, the album ends with a glorified winner in 'Yellowstone Park (Rocky Mountains)'. Kicking off and ending with a symphony warming up, inbetween them is a somber theme with many different instrument usages. There is even a female vocalist in there, but there are no words and her voice is used more as one of the instruments, flowing in and out of the other instruments with ease.Replayability: medium. Gets better over time.Le Parc is a bit of a blacksheep in the massive TD discography, but it shines in its own ways and after many listens I am thoroughly impressed. I wouldn't start new fans off with this one because of its differences, though it is very good for those who take the time to get used to it. It's just a bit under 40 minutes, but the variety of tracks here keeps the rating locked at 5 stars. I would actually look into the next album Underwater Sunlight(1986) as the first Blue Years release to get before looking into any of the other three. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.NOTE: There is very little difference between the old and remastered editions, being both the price, sound quality, and availability. So any edition works. Good luck finding them in a non-online store, though.Other Blue Years material:-Poland(1984), Firestarter soundtrack(1984), Green Desert(1973), Underwater Sunlight(1986), and Tyger(1987).

The theme of this album is, as the title suggests, park spaces around the world. At first glance, the concept appears unassuming and hardly feels the topic for great musical expression. Bear in mind, though, that Tangerine Dream are masters of musical landscape and this topic certainly has given them scope aplenty to demonstrate this mastery. The hallmark Tangerine Dream electronic textures have been enhanced on several tracks by the inclusion of appropriate environmental recordings (of children playing, traffic passing and gulls crying over the sound of the sea) all of which add to the sense of actually being there.Thus we can't help but feel the bustle and vibrancy of 'Le Parc (L.A. Streethawk)', enjoy the expansive views from 'The Cliffs of Sydney (Sydney)' and become involved in the daring of the skateboarders of 'Central Park (New York)'. Every inch of this musical journey is a delight, from the well-ordered lawns of 'Tiergarten (Berlin)' and the impressive but civilised beauty of 'Gaudi Park (Guell Garden, Barcelona)' to the vast imposing grandeur of 'Yellowstone Park (Rocky Mountains)'. This latter comes complete with haunting Amerindian tonalities and Clare Torry's wordless evocation of an ancient and almost forgotten spirit-world. Particularly beautiful too are the synthesised oriental flutes, strings and drums that portray the mystical peace of 'Zen Garden (Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto)' and which provide a perfect setting for Katja Brauneis' exquisite wordless vocals.My only complaint about this disc is that there is simply not enough of it! Just less than 40 minutes in duration, it is decidedly slim fare by today's CD standards. You should be aware too, that the 5-CD set " Dream Roots Collection " contains 7 of the 9 tracks from this album (the missing ones are 'Hyde Park (London)' and 'The Cliffs of Sydney') so, if you are currently without this disc, and also " Tyger " and " Underwater Sunlight ", you might want to consider buying the box set instead of the single CDs. The box set versions are slightly different, but are in no way inferior to these originals. It would be a shame not to have the Sydney track, though...

For me, Le Parc was probably the last great Tangerine Dream recording (though Optical Race has some good moments). TD wrote music here that functions at the same level as their soundtrack work (nothing longer than 6 minutes, and most under 4), but with some awesome melodies.Not only had the structure changed a bit, but the complexity of the tunes was also greatly enhanced, there's all kinds of things going on to underpin that melody, which makes listening to this reissue even better. The sound, to me, is much improved. And although it suffers a little from the dreaded "Volume jump", it's not compressed to a level that it hurts the overall sound. Indeed, there is more detail here than I recall from previous releases, enhancing an already steller disc.As it happens, I own the Relativity CD of this one, and really, this one is better. Not only is the sound great, but as usual with these TD reissues, the booklet is just fantastic. Even the little details, like finally we get the names of the two ladies who provided vocals (along with the Pink Floyd connection). We also learn that the band were on the verge of breaking up when this was made, along with some great shots inside the studio at Spandau. The booklet runs to 16 pages.Finally, we have a bonus track here - the 12 inch version of LA Parc (LA Streethawk), now called simply Streethawk. It's a jaunty, electro version - tied of course to the TV Show for which is provided the theme. Still, it's certainly different enough to suggest it's more of a part II than a simple rehash (I prefer the original, but it's sure nice to be given the oppotunity to make that choice!)All in all, great sound, great booklet, and a bonus track - all at a reasonable price. My only worry is that this TD reissue program will end here. I had this pre-ordered, and I'd be mightly tempted to do the same should Optical Race see the light of day. Well done everyone involved! Enjoy!

Tangerine Dream's 1985 offering was a welcome surprise, and their first studio album away from the Virgin label. Its nine tracks supposedly represent various parks around the world. As a concept this doesn't really work, but nevertheless there are some fine tracks here.Paris's Bois de Boulogne opens the set but is no great shakes. It lacks a contrast in volume, resulting in the grand rising chord progression sounding not so grand after all. The lack of volume contrast can also mean that some themes can get lost in the mix, a feature that mars a number of tracks on this disc. But New York City's Central park has a good thumping beat and a brashness that suits the city's style.The title track has a banal theme but is rescued by an interesting accompanying oscillation that takes centre-stage now and then. London's Hyde Park has a reticent pomp that suits its image but the track also verges on the twee on occasions. The final track is the longest - just over six minutes: the voice of Clare Torry (Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project) provides a wordless accompaniment to some pleasant plodding in Yellowstone.For me, the only duff tracks are Berlin's Tiergarten and the following Zen garden. These are too clinical in their soundworld. For instance, the former, despite opening with a solo piano, develops into something very machine-like (no irony intended).As already mentioned, I'm not sure if the park concept really works; rather, this is an album of short soundbites and interesting textures. I like it - four stars.

This was one of the first CD's I ever bought, back in late 1985. Having had such good results from the other re-remastered TD albums, it was now the turn of this excellent collection of tracks to be re-purchased.Tangerine Dream at this time were, apparently, doing a lot of prep work alone, getting together regularly to compare notes and to finish and mix the tracks. I believe that this album was also the last studio outing for Johannes Schmoelling, who left shortly after to follow an excellent solo career.The theme of various parks around the world is an interesting one and works really well, the use of short tracks now being commonplace in their releases. Favourites for me are "Le Parc (LA-Streethawk)" and "Hyde Park", although there's huge merit in all the others, other favourites changing with familiarity over the years. I very much enjoy the difference in styles presented here and I've discovered that fans of the band all have their different favourites. Even Clare Torry, the lady singer from Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, makes a welcome appearance in the track "Yellowstone Park"I must admit to being a bit cautious when buying re-remastered CD's. Sometimes the original issue was awful and needed all the help it could get offered by modern technology. On other occasions, better master tapes become available, immediately giving a vastly better sound to re-issued CD's (and LP's). Mostly though, all that's needed is a little bit of what the good people at Decca once called "Beauty-Shopping" i.e. tidying up the levels here and there, carefully minimising hiss and cleaning up edits. This re-release sounds louder than my original CD (fortunately the loud bits haven't been totally squashed and butchered in the process, which can happen when the volume is lifted excessively when remastering) and it's easier to hear "into" the mix I found, helping me to enjoy less favoured tracks more.The inside of the CD *booklet* is also different to my original "Jive" CD, having info on the band at this time and an appraisal of each track.I very warmly recommend this (Castle/Sanctuary) CD issue.

Classic Tangerine Dream album. Away from the initial phase of long, repetitive experimental orchestral suits, this one is ripe with some beautiful songs like Tiergarten.

Good