Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

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cosmicdolphin
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Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

Post by cosmicdolphin »

In a few weeks for my 45th birthday, I am going to treat myself to a new turntable/record deck. The last time I had a turntable (and most of my vinyl) was 24 years ago.

Back in the mid to late 80s a good friend played me many of the the Tangerine Dream albums, and Edgar Froese solo albums on vinyl. These were UK Virgin pressings, including the Atem/Alpha Centauri 2LP set that came out through Virgin in the UK. In fact probably all were virgin records pressings from the mid/late 70s.

In preparation for my return to the world of records I'm looking at picking up some early pressings of Alpha Centauri, Atem, Zeit, and also Epsilon in Malaysian Pale and Aqua as a treat to myself.

I've been checking out prices, and possible editions. I would be interested to hear which pressings, from the various labels people feel sound the best. Ohr, Brain, Virgin or any others. I would, I think like to own at least 1 OHR pressing, they seem like an artifact from another age :-)

I figured you guys know :P

Regards

Rich
sparrow
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Re: Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

Post by sparrow »

If you can afford them the Japanese versions are good so Im told. Can be pricey though.
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burningbrain
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Re: Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

Post by burningbrain »

Virgin first pressings (UK or Germany) from the 70s got the best sound.
Same for the OHR original pressings (all reissues, even Japanese were cut from 2nd or 3rd generation copies).
Edgar Froese original BRAIN (green label) are also great.
Hipgnosis
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Re: Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

Post by Hipgnosis »

Hi,

The early IC records (Klaus Schulze) had some fine stuff and hopefully you can get that Robert Schroeder album that can be played at 33RPM AND at 45RPM ... and it is better if you play it at 33RPM, because it sounds "heavy" and "moody" and really different.

Other than that, I have already let go of most of those LP's and i'm not sure I have any of them to say it, but I can tell you that the experience of listening to those things on a very good system, is completely different than the mp3 idea and most of the CD redo's that came about.

However, I would like to caution us on one of the most important things in "music", or a "novel" ... that the recording of it, and Ohr LP is not what it is about ... it enhanced the work, but the artistry behind it is the SOURCE of the feeling and we should not be thinking that those LP's are superior because of A or B or C ... which is the same as saying that the artist is not worth his beans or curds! You don't go around saying that to Stravinsky or Beethoven or Mozart! Likewise, a novel written 75 years ago on a typewriter, was better than when it was written on a computer, and that is just total hog-wild-poop! What got you was its totality and inner feeling, not the paper, typewriter or computer!

So, pay attention to your "inner" feeling with the music, before you try to find something that is almost an illusion to your mind, and then one day you put on the Rolling Stones, and they sound terrible in that system, that you thought Edgar Froese sounded great!
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Michael66
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Re: Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

Post by Michael66 »

I have an OHR pressing of Alpha Centauri, unfortunately not in good condition. But behind all the crackling, there shines a recording that (to me) is superior to all the Alpha Centauri's on LP or CD that came after. If I had the spare money for a mint pressing of Alpha Centauri on OHR, I'd buy it immediately. If you can get one, please report back with your impressions. Good luck!
Hipgnosis
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Re: Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

Post by Hipgnosis »

Hi,

I have been removing most of the LP's in my collection and getting CD's. For an old man, carrying around over 2500 LP's (now down to 1500 or so) was not easy and it was heavy and a headache.

The one thing I can tell you is that I purchased in the late 70's a very nice turntable (Pioneer LD120) with a very nice cartridge at the time (Stanton 681 EEE) and these lasted over 25 years, when I had to get a new stylus (cartrige was OK) and in 2010 it all finally died! A super receiver and outstanding speakers are VERY IMPORTANT in this equation, so the quality can spread itself out.

What made TD special for me, was that those systems were designed for music that danced around your ears, and then some ... and you had these things which helped the trip content to an extent, but they were not the answer.

Again, it's like we're looking for better acid, or better dope, to be able to feel things better, and that's an illusion! There is "better dope" out there, but the day you see them, you are long gone from this earth anyway to tell us anything about it. Thinking that any of those things can help you "live" something better than otherwise, is not exactly smart ... it might enhance your listening if you are a person that knows the intricacies of the details of sound ... check out the Rheingold CD with Klaus Schulze and his discussing a piece of music with an engineer !!!! it will blow you away, on a detail that you and I can not even hear!!!! But it also tells you how a recording can TRAP you into experiencing something that was not there on the original, and as such, the visionary experience is tempered with ... and not always a smart thing to do, as it can sidetrack the whole thing unintentionally.

I can tell you this today, honestly, because I have tried this, and I also experimented with some extra sensory drugs, all of which made it look like the experience was actually bigger than it really was ... and that is a factor of your imagination, not the artist's work!

At 64, you learn that the drug is not an illusion, but it CREATES ONE, that you don't need!

However, that is your choice, and I will not discuss the electronics further ... one needs to "feel" that art ... and a better stereo or LP is not going to help it all ... albeit, it needs to be way better than the mp3 not good that you can buy on the net!
Sequent C'
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Re: Early Tangerine Dream Vinyl Pressings Questions

Post by Sequent C' »

I have Japanese "Ricochet", "Phaedra", "Zeit" and "Cyclone" as well as a French "Stratosphere". If you can't get a first pressing, I would personally say that Japanese are the next best, and French is not bad (definitely better than American)
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