Stratosfear

Track Listings

1. Stratosfear

2. Big Sleep in Search of Hades

3. 3 AM at the Border of the Marsh from Okefenokee

4. Invisible Limits

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Consisting of four parts, Stratosphere reworked the Tangerine Dream trademark sound--a heady mix of electric guitar, drum, and assorted other electronic instruments--into a form more readily available to those new to the genre than their previous works. A rich blend of racing sequences, dramatic chord structures, and a stranger-than-strange bluesy treatment of a track called "3 am at the Border of the Marsh from...." A surreal experience indeed. This was the last Tangerine Dream release to feature long time associate Peter Baumann, who left the band a year later. --Paul Clark

Stratosfear,Tangerine Dream,Atlantic / Wea,Electronic,Germany,New Age / Meditation,Popular Music,Prog-Rock/Art Rock

Stratosfear

Tracks:

Stratosfear
The Big Sleep In Search Of Hades
Am At The Marsh From Okefenokee
Invisible Limits

Amazon.com

Consisting of four parts, Stratosphere reworked the Tangerine Dream trademark sound--a heady mix of electric guitar, drum, and assorted other electronic instruments--into a form more readily available to those new to the genre than their previous works. A rich blend of racing sequences, dramatic chord structures, and a stranger-than-strange bluesy treatment of a track called "3 am at the Border of the Marsh from...." A surreal experience indeed. This was the last Tangerine Dream release to feature long time associate Peter Baumann, who left the band a year later. --Paul Clark

Customer Reviews:

Tang's hay-day.......2007-06-27

In my opinion, this album the pinnacle of this genre of music, not only for Tanagerine Dream but inclusive of all compositions of this type I've heard to date. This composition is not as slow moving and nondescript as some of their early work or for that mater many other artists and yet it can still be considered "ambient". I believe Tang's only other piece that reaches near this level competience is Ricochet. I highly recommend that as well.

It was just aiight for me.......2007-06-20

Stratosfear was a landmark album for Tangerine Dream. The album was doing the rounds at all of the colleges in Europe and the U.S. and gave the band the largest bit of noteriety they had ever had at that time.

The music, though, is a major departure from what they had done with the likes of Rubycon and Ricochet. The seemingly endless forays into sequencers and synthesizers took a back seat to shorter and more structured compositions that contained heavy doses of guitar and even harmonica.

The title track is interesting, but the plinky sequencer rhythms seem to overwhelm what's being done on the surface and makes the song seem almost cartoonish. The ending, however, laced with Edgar's guitar and mellotron voices, seems to be the more traditoinal TD that people had grown to love.

The Big Sleep In Seach of Hades has an interesting harpsichord sound that dominates what is probably the best track on the album. The other two tracks are somewhat lackluster although Invisible Limits does have an excellent piano part that could be heard live at many of the TD concerts performed in the '70s (can also be heard on the 1977 live album Encore).

This one was OK and I listen to it occasionally, but TD has done much better things before and after this release.

A Paramount listening experience.......2006-08-10

I only had listened to Phaedra until buying this album. In a nutshell, Tangerine Dream is the only act to say absolutely everything they intend to without word one. This album is my next step into a world away from diva front men and women, and everyone else who has something to say.

Take with you a grain of salt with the the words I say as I am a person who yearns to be entertained and transported into another world, if this describes you, you will thoroughly enjoy this production.

A nice mix of psychedelic styles and pulsating electronica.......2006-07-23

This is a great album released in 1976 that shows the band weaving aspects of psychedelic rock into their electronic compositions.

The musicians on Stratosfear comprise the classic TD lineup and include Chris Franke (mini-moog, Hammond organ, percussion, loop mellotron, and harpsichord); Edgar Froese (mellotron, mini-moog, 6 & 12 string guitars, grand piano, bass guitar, harmonica); and Peter Baumann (mini-moog, Project electronic rhythm computer, Fender electric piano, and mellotron). Just a quick scan of the instrumentation indicates that this is a mellotron-heavy album with instruments typically associated with a rock band, e.g. guitars, bass guitar, and (believe it or not) a harmonica. Trust me, they do a great job of making the harmonica sound "otherworldy" and eerie and it fits right in with the generally creepy mood of the album.

The individual tracks are somewhat short by TD standards and range in length from 4'32" to 11'35". My general impression of the overall sound is that along with the brooding electronica, there is a bit more of a psychedelic feel to the tracks (especially The Big Sleep in Search of Hades). Specifically, there are times when the music sounds like the dreamier moments of late 1960s Pink Floyd...the track Julia Dream comes to mind in fact. This has a lot to with the instrumentation, which includes passages of bass guitar, acoustic piano/Hammond organ (with minute modulations in minor keys a la Rick Wright) harpsichord, heavily echoed mellotron (with flute setting), and soft electric guitar. Of course this is a Tangerine Dream album however, and the psych passages pretty much take a back seat to the pulsating and brooding electronic soundscapes that made them famous. I just love the combination though.

All in all this is yet another wonderful album by Tangerine Dream and is highly recommended along with all of their albums released from 1970-1980.

Idea vs. Execution.......2006-05-07

2 1/2 stars

Attempting another soundscape masterpiece, Stratosphere has not aged so well. The music - simple, the production- dated, the performances- uninspired. There are attempts at greatness, hints of interesting fusions try to breathe a different life into the hollow art of looping. Mostly though this is more akin to like acts such as Jarre or Kraftwerk then their more inspired material. Whereas on an album like Phaedra, the mechanics of their repetition somehow liberated, on Stratosphere the mechanics enslave entire compositions into tight neat little boxes to look at, rather then truly feel. The self conscious songwriting further keeps the experience at bay, but if you concentrate more on the spaces in between the generically frustrating fast synth-bass-cheese, you might feel a few conceptual ideas worth the investment.

Average customer rating:

Stratosfear
Tangerine Dream
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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Tangram

ASIN: B00008EQ2G
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Stratosfear
Big Sleep in Search of Hades
3 AM at the Border of the Marsh from Okefenokee
Invisible Limits

Average customer rating:

joe from albany, ca March 6, 2001

Stratosfear
Unisex
Manufacturer: Double Agent Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Third Wave

ASIN: B000056PRK
Release Date: 2000-11-30

Tracks:

The Full Force of the Sun
Calmer Song
Departure Lounge
The Anti-Gravity League
A Second Swell
Sidekick & Emo
Midnight in the Stratosphere
Let the Night Roar
Autopilot
In Among the Breakers

Album Description

Stratosfear is a spacerock masterpiece exploring the outer reaches of inner space through a series of interrelated songs that represent unisex's bravest work to date. Highlights are the vocoder fazed tones of 'Full Force of the Sun', the sneaky drum &bass/jazz array of 'Sidekick & Emo', & the blissed out cosmic ecstasy of 'Autopilot', which features the lush harmonic unison of Telescopes, Stephen & Jo. Stratosfear is a fusion of chilled out vibes, organic grooves & cinematic melodies, the definitive soundtrack for night owls everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

joe from albany, ca March 6, 2001.......2003-05-23

Unisex is the aftermath of now defunct British psych rockers the telescopes. The telescopes were a brilliant band overshadowed by the much more popular groups of their time- Ride, MBV, spiritualized, chapterhouse, etc, etc... basically all of the bigger "shoegaze" groups that dominated in the early 90's. But alas, the telescopes managed to release one great album before breaking up on creation records, home of many influential groups during the aforementioned years. Now, after toiling in obscurity for some time, lead telescoper Stephen Lowry and bandmate Jo Doran head up the new direction of what the telescopes would have been "unisex". This is a great album, full of many nice space rock pieces that will keep any telescopes fan glued to the speakers. A bit different this time around, maybe a little rockier than the telescopes would have ever been but still in the right direction. Nice, guitar work shifting dynamics between rock, mellow, and psychedelic. Acoustic laden guitars with just that right amount of breezy jangle that keeps the music breathing. The voices of Stephen and Jo are perfect together, his scratchy yet tuneful voice over Jo's lush backing harmonies. This makes for a perfect sound, an evocative journey that should have been taken a long time ago, but finally came to us through a different moniker.