Mars Polaris

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The 'en route' soundtrack, from Germany's new age/ electronic gurus, for NASA's 'Mars Polaris' expedition, launched in January 1999 from Cape Canaveral & due to reach Mars in December 1999. 10 tracks. 1999 release.

Mars Polaris,Tangerine Dream,Tangerine Dream Intl,Ambient,Electronic,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Popular Music,Prog-Rock/Art Rock,Rock/Pop

Mars Polaris

Tracks:

Comet's Figure Head
Rim Of Schiaparelli
Pilots Of The Ether Belt
Deep Space Cruiser
Outland (The Colony)
Spiral Star Date (Level P)
Mars Mission Counter
Astrophobia
Tharsis Maneuver
Dies Martis (TransMercury)

Album Description

The 'en route' soundtrack, from Germany's new age/ electronic gurus, for NASA's 'Mars Polaris' expedition, launched in January 1999 from Cape Canaveral & due to reach Mars in December 1999. 10 tracks. 1999 release.

Album Details

'soundtrack'to Nasa's Mars Polaris Mission.

Customer Reviews:

The best of the best!.......2007-02-25

This is TD's best. There is plenty of creativity, excitement and imagery in this work. By far my favorite album from any artist. Check out google earth sometime while listening to this album! It's a sweet experience!

ONE OF THEIR BEST FOR SURE!.......2005-04-29

I HAVE BEEN A FAN SINCE RICOCHET (1975), AND THIS IS A VERY PLEASANT SUPRISE. WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THIS ALBUM IS NOTHING LESS THAN AWESOME! THIS IS IN MY TOP FIVE FAVORITE TD ALBUMS. IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO WEAR OUT A CD, I WILL FIND OUT WITH THIS ONE. I LISTEN TO THIS THE MOST WHEN I AM OUT CRUISING AROUND IN THE CAR OR WHEN ON THE COMPUTER FOR AN HOUR OR TWO. I HAVE YET TO LISTEN TO IT WITH HEADPHONES OR CRANKING IT UP ON THE HOME STERIO. I IMAGINE ANY OF THOSE WAYS WOULD MAKE THE HAIR ON YOUR HEAD STAND STAIGHT UP. JUST BUY IT!

This Album is awesome.......2004-03-11

This album very strongly reminds me of Christopher Franke's work in Babylon 5. It's awesome music to study to, and definitely needs a few run throughs to get the feel of it. I wasn't so impressed the first time I heard it, but it's really grown on me. Essential background studying music!

Wow!.......2003-11-03

Back in April 2003, I wrote that "Quinoa" was my favorite TD disc, that is, until I purchased "Mars Polaris". Incidentally, this one takes its rightful place amongst my top 5 favorites, in the company of "Oasis", "Architecture in Motion", "Quinoa", and "The Great Wall of China". Of course, "Mota Atma", "Hyperborea", and "Canyon Dreams" also deserve honorable mention. Conceptually, this disc completely encompasses all that they set out to do, i.e., capture the various moods one might associate with being part of the NASA Mars Polaris mission, from start to finish. At 11 years old, I stayed up all night and watched Neil Armstrong's first moonwalk, and have keenly followed the NASA space program all along.

It's hard to do a track review of standouts, because I like every one of them. Perhaps "Mars Mission Counter" is a bit less enjoyable, but the repetition is supposed to represent a mission COUNTER after all. The two openers, "Comet's Figure Head", and the "Rim of Schiaparelli" are incredibly good compositions, that draw you into the mood and intent of the CD with emotion, intensity, depth, and polish. On TD's website, they have a poll going to determine the best way to listen to TD. I prefer a powerful home stereo system to headphones, simply because headphones can't reproduce that subsonic stuff that literally moves the room. As on "Oasis" and "Architecture", there's lots of low-level stuff here that enhances the feel of the music, and has to be felt as well as heard.

Tracks 3 through 6 are all equally good, embodying their respective themes with imagination and skill. TD puts together multiple but simple layers better than anyone I can think of (excepting Camille Saint-Saens 5th symphony, 4th movement). This allows one to go back again and again, and always hear something subtle yet fresh which is integral to the composition.

Then we have "Astrophobia". I had this on in my office the other day, and the lady across the hall said it sounded like a soundtrack for a panic attack! Great review!!! The opening minute or two draw you into the phobic sensation David Bowie described in "Space Oddity" (here am I, sitting in a tin can). There seems to be some sense of duty and confidence building throughout the piece, but as it closes, the gripping inner fear is still there in its immobilizing influence.

"Tharsis Maneuver" has a majestic/mechanical feel similar to the use of "The Blue Danube" score used in "2001: A Space Odyssey", when the shuttle was docking with the earth orbiting space station. It's not as elegant, but just as effective. At places, you can count 12 or 14 melodies and soundscapes going on simultaneously - this is very good composition!

"Dies Martis" recalls some of the tones from TD's "Inferno", again with the layered washes of piano and synthesizer moving slowly around each other. I particularly enjoy the mood changes as they continually switch from major to minor keys with almost imperceptible seamlessness. This track embraces you - really - and draws a majestic finale to a 71 minutes of music which is STILL too short, because it's just too good to come to an end.

A better later album.......2002-06-18

I'm actually a huge fan of T.D.'s '70's and 80's material and never really got into anything beyond "Live Miles"- but I have heard all their albums. This album attracted me because the cover reminded me of their earlier album Zeit which was a heavy cosmic exploration and I was curious to see if they could pull it out again today. Nope. However I wasn't totally disappointed the music here is very much like a soundtrack to a detective mystery film and moves along quite well. The opening track is the best as the middle two or three tracks are very tedious and some what bland. If you were hoping for floating dreamy space music it ain't here it's all strong industrial beat driven stuff. Over all its a pretty good album- though, just once, I wish they had turned off that damn drum machine and floated in deep outer space for awhile. The music just stays in "Gotta rush" mode all the way through. What happened to stopping and floating in mysterious space- where's the damn fire!?