Tangerine Dream - best Tangerine Tree/Leaves concerts to start with?

>>>>>As a member of a band who has to some extent followed in their footsteps (www.radiomassacreinternational.com) I can shed a little light I think...
a) you agree on the key you are in beforehand b) Off you go It is actually a `feeling' which comes with practice and playing together...knowing when NOT to play is as important..and with a three piece with a backdrop of sequencers, there is plenty of time when the sequencers are doing the bulk of the work. It becomes a matter of embellishment and soloing and letting the music evolve at a pace when you as an individual musician have time to think about sound selection....your `next move' if you like. The main thing is to think of the music as a whole, which somehow is happening outside of your perception ie you can't `hear' the whole, or stand outside of it at the same time as contributing TO it. It can be a very magical thing, but us three guys have been playing together for nearly 40 years, so it's not something which happens overnight But we generally play concerts in the same way...always the same, always different....the step sequencer we use (The MAQ16) is patched so that it will only play notes that are on the right scale ...each note can be individually selected and tweaked in real time...so that in effect you get an almost infinite number of note combinations. The key is to listen to what is coming out of it, and `compose' the sequences on the fly by making changes as you go along...shortening the length of the sequence from 1-16 notes and all points in between and playing the multiple lines off each other. In the wrong hands chaos can easily ensue...so that is where the skill comes in...in knowing intuitively what changes to make. It can be an exciting way to make music, especially as the audience knows that you are creating a new piece in real time in front of them. Amazing when it works...but occasionally you have to dig yourself out of the `disaster zone' Making sure the pieces don't sound the same can be as simple as picking a different tempo for the sequencers for example>>>>>>>>>>

 

I've never heard about their use of tapes in the 80's. Is there any more insight you can provide about that?

>>>>> It has never been admitted of course ;-) but I have it good authority from someone who had backstage access...and it really had to have been the only way they could have dealt with all of those complex sequences and transitions...and my young ears could hear tape hiss over the PA on the gigs I did attend. Another reliable eye witness from the balcony at the Fairfield Hall described Froese's hands as `Hovering' over the keyboards rather than actually playing them

 

Got The Clouds of Titan playing right now!

 

Does anyone know if the guitar solo that starts at around 9.20 into Poland (the title track) is guitar, synth or a guitar through a synth?

 

I am guessing it's one of Scmoelling's synth patches

 

Important notice (imo)

Cherry Red Records – Reactive / Esoteric Bootleg Box Vol 1 (7x CD) EREACD 71031

Having just acquired a copy myself (discount price) thought I’d better mention that Set 2 RAH (April 1975) CD1
has a total running time of 50.10 as opposed to another CD-R I have which has a total running time of 68.50

Although in my case the sound is a big improvement over a former CD-R still not sure what has
happened to the 18 + minutes, which I intent to add to yet another CD-R and so combining the two.

I have been in contact with ‘Cherry Red Records’ and it seems there are no plans to amend this issue with a V2.

 

As I recall, this was a deliberate edit. My copy of the complete show from Tangerine Tree Vol. 9 sounds pretty good to me.

 

From what I remember there is no mention of guitars in the instruments used section in the liner notes to Poland

 

As far as I recall, this was a `problem' with the first release of the box, it was then amended to the full version. When Reactive reissued the box it seemed like they reverted back to the first edition. A shame as it all amounts to one of the longest pieces they ever performed...in fact John Peel had to go on and announce that they would be coming back for a second half after the interval ! Many people thought the concert was over