Tangerine Dream
Poland

Addressing the subject of Tangerine Dream is by no means easy, especially if this name evokes historic albums like "Alpha Centaury," "Zeit," "Rubycon," or even "Stratosfear." Certainly, I'm not reviewing a work here that, like its illustrious predecessors, has changed the fate of first experimental music ("Electronic Meditation"), then electronic pop/rock. However, what I want to talk about is an album, pleasant above all, which is a plus, and it also has some interesting aspects.

Starting with the trio formation, composed of the absolute leader Edgar Froese with the (at that period) faithful Chris Franke, with the addition of the newcomer (so to speak, his first appearance was in 1980 with the album "Pergamon"), Johannes Schmoelling, called to replace none other than Peter Baumann. And it's precisely with Schmoelling that I want to start because this sound engineer and great musician also engaged in the classical field (see his solo works "Wuivend Riet" or "White Out," which are beautiful among others) is, in my opinion, the one who managed to appropriately guide this group's last noteworthy period towards a musical identity of its own after Baumann. And thus works like "Pergamon", which I consider on par with "Poland" as the best work of the '80s decade, or "Tangram," or even less renowned but not trivial albums like "Hyperborea," "White Eagle" where the timing of the compositions begins to change, moving from the concept of cosmic music to compositions that are broad but with a more rigid and schematic framework, accompanied by rhythmic counterpoints (which will become the new trademark of Tangerine, up to the last triptych on the Divine Comedy), not indifferent like in the case of "Exit," and by the late '80s reaching shorter and lighter compositions with techno influences, such as "Le Parc." You might ask, what does all this have to do with "Poland"?. Well, the references to the works I've mentioned are not for self-indulgence but to create the necessary conditions to awaken your musical memories of these albums because "Poland," recorded live in Warsaw, can be considered the genesis and completion of the entire '80s period of Tangerine. Just listen to the opening track "Poland," which begins with a speaker coldly and authoritatively announcing the three members to an audience first murmuring then attentive, heralding the beginning of the concert. And the concert starts magnificently with a rhythmic cadence supported by electronic geometries, perfectly blending with the melody of the electric piano and the sonic backdrop of the various synthesizers, and then the music guides us through a warm, dense, humid, and plasmatic journey where melodies of tracks like "Warsaw In The Sun" or "Cinnamon Road" can be recognized. This all connects to "Tangent," the second track (in reality, it is a single suite as is the Dream's live style), which heavily draws from works like "Vulcano" or "Exit," yet maintains its own identity. There's an almost excitement in listening towards the end, as Froese's guitar manages to weave an engaging melody on a mesh of spatial sounds. The second CD opens with "Barbakane", a more meditative track that takes us to bucolic winter atmospheres, complete with morning fog; here Froese and Franke's hands bring us back to "Ricochet." The album closes with "Horizon," just a continuation, which takes the listener to the end of this work in a soft and muffled manner, giving the impression that the notes dematerialize.

In conclusion, I believe that "Poland" is the last truly great work worthy of the name Tangerine Dream, considering everything they did afterward, which was highly skilled but of dubious value, all aligning with the exit from the group of a certain Johannes Schmoelling.