Ambient Monkeys [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Digitally remastered reissue of 1997 fanclub release featuring the pre-concert studio tracks that generated the mood just before the shows on their 1997 European tour. Six tracks. 1998 TDI Music release.

Ambient Monkeys,Tangerine Dream,Tangerine Dream Intl,Electronic,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Popular Music

Tracks:

Token From Birdland
Symphony In A-Minor
The Seventh Propeller Of Silence
Calyx Commander
Riddle Of The Monkey Tribe
Moon Marble
Concerto In A-Major/Adagio
Lemon Vendor Khaly
Campera De Mon Glyan
Virtue Is Its Own Reward
Pantha Rhei
Myopia World

Album Description

Digitally remastered reissue of 1997 fanclub release featuring the pre-concert studio tracks that generated the mood just before the shows on their 1997 European tour. Six tracks. 1998 TDI Music release.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered. Contains the Pre Concert Music Atmosphere from the 1997 European Tour. Studio Tracks.

Customer Reviews:

I actually really liked this..........2005-05-31

It's fun and entertaining to listen to. If you're having a boring day, it's great to listen to while working. It makes me feel like I'm somewhere else, in some sort of surreal fantasy forest, rather than in my office. Also, if you have pet birds, they would absolutely LOVE this, and try to sing along!

Just what on earth is this supposed to be about?.......2004-10-18

I'm not in the arena where the detractors of TD's more recent works reside in because I really love this group but this is the most bizarre releases I've ever purchased. That said, "Ambient Monkeys" on it's own is not a terrible release, I've heard worse but the circumstances behind it's making are perhaps one of the most clumsy I've ever heard.

Spread out over just 45 and a half minutes, this CD contains 12 noodlings where ambient jungle sounds of the Amazon or some other rainforest sound are recorded as a backdrop with previous recordings laced into the background. But while I enjoy such natural sounding music with the sounds of Mother Nature, but among the seven TD CD's I own as of writing this review, this album is the most poorly produced work TD have ever done. The music is barely audible against the natural jungle sounds that it's nearly impossible to enjoy. I've heard so much better material from others who did similar things. Look at Ah-Kin's sadly out-of-print "Ring of Gold" CD or the Earthtone Collections one, two and three where they brilliantly incorporated the sounds of waterfalls, monkeys, and other sounds of animals and weather and incorporate the music brilliantly into them.

None of that happens on "Ambient Monkeys". This is just a shoddy excuse for someone trying to slim down his/her wallet when it's too big to fit in one's pocket. I really don't like to write an unfavorable review on Tangerine Dream because they are an incredible band but "Ambient Monkeys" is an album that would not cause grief should it be taken out of print.

If you want something from TD, I would strongly suggest "Optical Race" (Wonderful classic), "Quinoa", "Rockoon" (Criminally underrated), "Tyranny of Beauty", and their early recordings. "Ambient Monkeys" is the most tedious and dissapointing purchase I've made in years. End of review.

As if we had too much money in our wallets.......2002-01-19

The year 1997 brought us an enormous flood of releases from Edgar Froese's new label, TDI. He wanted to have his own company for a long time. Finally, when he started doing business on his own, we were treated to a dubious selection of releases, barely a half of which should ever see the light of day. The band's followers have always demanded more releases from the past, since there is no real obstacle to produce CDs with concerts, soundtracks, whatever. TO some extent, TDI met our expectations, and to date, three albums from the Classic Era and Hyperborean Era were released, either as compilations of rarities like "Ancient Dreams", or full-fledged albums like "Soundmill Navigator" or "Sohoman". Still, as I said, some new releases are hard to justify, and the album I am reviewing is among them.

"Ambient Monkeys" is indeed a bizarre release. In spring of 1997, the Froeses visited England and Poland, touring to promote their newest studio album, "Goblins Club". Every gig was preceded by a prerecorded tape with ambient "environmental" sound wallpaper, into which a tune or two was interlaced. Sure, when you await a concert, standing in a crowd, often in a cold air, you might just as well listen to some muzak than to nothing at all. Such is "Ambient Monkeys" - a mere mixed collection of these tapes. The quality of sound is abysmal, and I think on purpose, since everything is muted away, giving priority to screams of monkeys, synthesized trains, and other voices of nature. Well, sampling is interesting if there's an actual message the composer wants to convey. Here, this is a background music. At least the band had the minimum minimorum of decency to admit that on the album cover, so that you know what you're buying. Yes, I was tempted, since I saw a few classical numbers in the tracklist. What I got was 20 seconds of Bach, 15 seconds of Mozart, and so on - all to the accompaniment of samples of screaming monkeys. I wonder, have I woken up in an asylum, or what? Hello?????????? Is there anybody out there?????????

For diehard TD fans only.......2001-12-10

Strange, almost incoherent mix of TD's usual layered electronica and ambient nature and animal sounds. There's some of the expected TD sound, and the music isn't bad, but the animal noises are just too much to overcome. Might be good as background music at the zoo. A real disappointment from the usually reliable Edgar and Jerome.

huh?.......2000-09-16

Be very careful with this one.. You might want to hear it before you run out and buy it. Lots of screeching mokeys on this, not alot of music. It is still kind of interesting in terms of the sounds used in it..but remember, it's called AMBIENT. great for playing quietly in the background but not one to throw in the cd player while driving...This stuff reminds me of something Frank Zappa would have done..Good luck..

Pop Music:

Pop Music

pop music

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