Friday, 22 November 2019

Edgar Froese - Pinnacles (1983)

One more Froese/TD for now.  This would be Froese's final solo album for several years, and was recorded just prior to Tangerine Dream's final album for Virgin.  So for a clear indication of what Froese contributed to the early 80s TD sound, look no further.

The inspiration for Pinnacles came from a trip to the deserts of Western Australia that Froese took in the early 80s, with the title alluding to a group of ancient petrified rocks that stand in the desert.  So this is Froese on walkabout, and even includes a track of that name.  First though are the bright, flowing sequences and brisk rhythms of Specific Gravity Of Smile.  The Light Cone comes next, one of my favourite Froese tracks with its beautifully simple melody and a touch of vocodered voice.

Walkabout is the track that sounds closest to the TD opus that was just around the corner, with a slight Eastern feel mixed in to its darker-hued sequence.  Then, as with Hyperborea, Pinnacles ends with a side-long epic.  This finale, the title track, starts off on another upbeat section before gradually petering out after seven minutes for a brief ambient interlude and more vocoder.  Another sequence then takes over, and eventually changes down a gear for a gorgeous melodic ending.  Just like Stuntman, this is absolutely classic Froese.

link
pw: sgtg

Previously posted at SGTG:
Ages
Stuntman
Tangerine Dream at SGTG:
Phaedra (scroll past main post)
Encore
Force Majeure
Tangram
Logos: Live At The Dominion
Hyperborea

11 comments:

  1. This one and Epsilon in Malaysian Pale(orig ver. not the later re-make) are truly some of his best and personal works. I think each member of the early not later incarnation of TD truly brought their own unique vision to make TD(you can hear it in Baumann and Froese's solo releases) a unique project but Froese was a very creative chap solo! Thanks for this one.

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  2. Lovely date. Like 'Hyperborea' the same year, 3 tracks on side 1, 1 long epic on side 2. 'Pinnacles' the track beats 'Sphinx Lightning' any day though.

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  3. Fun memory : I recall purchasing this and the Depeche Mode "Love, In Itself" 12" together. When life was good.

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    1. Music the soma of sanity in todays world.....even if its older and better music!

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  4. Passwords don't seem to unlock files. I love what you post!

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  5. Disregard previous comment, except that I love your postings.

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  6. OOps wrong again. Password not working.

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  7. Sorry it does work, I must be dyslectic.Your blog is one of the best. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks- glad you got it! Was just about to check, I'm sure I've set the letters in the pw wrong way round once or twice...

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