Tangerine Dream
Phaedra

After the numerous accolades obtained with albums such as "Alpha Centauri" (1971), the first to bear the moniker "Musica Cosmica", the monumental double album "Zeit" (1972), and the meditative "Atem" (1973), Tangerine Dream had established themselves among the main protagonists of the new European electronic music and Krautrock. Alongside Klaus Schulze - who had also played as a drummer in the lineup for the debut "Electronic Meditation" (1970) - Tangerine Dream had created a new, surreal, and spatial music that took inspiration from minimalist masters like Terry Riley and Steve Reich and avant-garde composers like Gyorgy Ligeti, without forgetting the lesson of psychedelic rock: an album like "Ummagumma" (1969) was very influential at the time in Germany. Their leader Edgar Froese was ambitious and full of new ideas: following in the footsteps of many other German bands of the era like Can, Amon Duul II, Faust, and Klaus Schulze himself, Tangerine Dream sought greater visibility in the international market by signing in 1973 with Richard Branson's Virgin, who provided them with The Manor Studio to record their new album. Meanwhile, the lineup had stabilized with the trio consisting of Edgar Froese, Cristopher Franke, and Peter Baumann. From the sessions at the Manor emerged the new album titled "Phaedra" and released in February 1974.

"Phaedra" was a very important album and achieved resounding sales success in England, reaching 9th place on the charts. In this album, we still find unbridled creativity and cosmic and surreal atmospheres. One of the features of "Phaedra" was the first-time inclusion of the Sequencer in their instrumentation, a synth that from that moment on would become a sort of trademark of the group, thus indelibly marking the so-called "Virgin period". The beautiful and evocative cover is by Monique Froese. The first side opens with the long title track (over 17 minutes), a memorable Cosmic ride: the beginning is very atmospheric, then the settings become liquid and minimal while a beautiful mellotron melody stands out in the background: the sequencer then ventures into unknown territories, leading us to visit astral landscapes of unprecedented beauty. The finale is calm, meditative, and almost mystical, characterized by the sounds of mysterious alien birds, the buzzes, and the magnificent melodic lines of the Moog and Mellotron. The second side opens with the astonishing and evocative "Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares", a showcase of Edgar Froese who manages to create an eternal and moving Cosmic melody: the Mellotron wraps us in sinuous and shifting spirals. "Movements Of A Visionary" is instead a more experimental track based on electronic hisses and reverbs and the minimal sounds of the Moog. The short "Sequent C", a delicate flute melody created by Peter Baumann, peacefully closes the album.

"Phaedra" is probably the last truly brilliant work of Tangerine Dream: the group would later release more masterpieces such as "Rubycon" (1975), "Ricochet" (1975), and "Stratosfear" (1976), which would, however, be characterized by a more controlled and less creative sound. It is an epic album that everyone should know.