Tangerine Dream
Tyger

Edgar Froese and company... singing.

After launching their "third phase" with the excellent Hyperborea of 1983, a real watershed album, Tangerine Dream traversed the rest of the Eighties with more or less interesting soundtracks and mostly dull albums.

The continuous and, in some ways, embarrassing lineup changes (among many, the departure of the excellent Johannes Schmoelling, a key figure in Hyperborea and also in the previous White Eagle) and a lost compositional clarity (and of intent) determined a sad downward trend in terms of acclaim and, no less important, earnings.

Among many, Tyger from 1987 is confused, at times boring and inconclusive. It is the hefty price to pay for having abandoned the cosmic drifts and the bold (albeit not always satisfying) experiments of the late Seventies: if "Tyger" fails to have the much-desired radio bite, despite its semi-catchy tune, the instrumental escape at the end of "London" does not even match the same intensity as a vintage "Thru Metamorphic Rocks".

Before closing with the embarrassing "Smile", the track that tries to save the situation is a pleasant "Alchemy of the Heart", which starts off excellently but falls apart disastrously at the end.

On one hand, the texts of William Blake, which permeate the album, certainly would have deserved more attention; on the other, the vocal effort of newcomer Jocelyn Smith makes the record unusual, and thus worthy of mention, within the band's discography: it is, in fact, after decades of career, their second album to contain vocal parts.

This small detail raises the appreciation bar and thus earns a pass. To be listened to, only if your curiosity is yawn-proof.