What will TD be remembered for?

[Peter Beasley]

In popular music encyclopedias, if Tangerine Dream get mentioned at all, it is normally for Phaedra and not much else. The implication of this is that TD peaked relatively early in their long career and have done little of note since. Dedicated fans know better of course, but as far as the masses are concerned TD is remembered chiefly for an album that was recorded 34 years ago.

Obviously journalists and the media have played a large part in keeping Phaedra in the limelight. Certainly the album was a breakthrough where innovative electronic music successfully penetrated the masses, though both Rubycon and Ricochet are greater artistic and technical achievements in my opinion.

One recurring theme of the music press in the mid to late 70s was whether TD really were the future of rock and roll. I don’t suspect for a single moment journalists ever contemplated this with a serious tone and when punk took over their attention in 1976, the prospect of side long semi-improvised instrumental electronic compositions being the future of rock and roll seemed about as likely as Elvis Presley joining Kraftwerk.

[24db]

Bit early for an Obituary Peter

thankfully Journalists don't dictate memory, especially these days. I'd say TD would be remembered for pioneering electronic music as rock and for showing what could be done beyond the academic and into the pure emotional side of music.

On a less serious note....Are the journalists doing anything different than fans who have written off anything post 1987? white washing history to suit their own taste. Mind you better to be remembered for one classic album than for nothing. I wonder how many of the TD pretenders will still be remembered in 40 years? 1? 0?

Btw 'popular music encyclopedias' are dead as a dodo...most 'online' versions these days have a bio on TD that would put most printed works to shame

[Peter Beasley]

You're right Andy. Even though I have strong reservations about the direction TD has taken since 1990, I would like nothing better for them to surprise me!

[bigmoog]

Excellent post Andy. I agree totally with it

T D will be remembered by all those that travelled and travel with them, retrospectively in the future when all here is dust, someone will write a concise overview of exactly why this band existed and their far reaching influence across many artistic media.

If all T D are remembered for is Phaedra, then that is enough, as its the specific origin of all popular electronica, its a singularity in time: ie no Phaedra no T D or EM as we know it, that's a fer sure. [opinion based on guesswork]

Greatness need no commentary from us or journalists as really the music speaks for itself, all one need do is seek and ye shall find.


The agreeable moog (in transit)

[24db]

You're right Andy. Even though I have strong reservations about the direction TD has taken since 1990, I would like nothing better for them to surprise me!

Well, that's all down to personal taste. If it doesn't appeal then no waffle/praise will change your mind....and neither should it.

I do find it funny though that several people write off TD's current direction and CDs...and yet I know for a fact they haven't even heard a second of the bands latest music. They've pre-prepared their statement, a bit like a journalist who know's nothing about TD, asked to write a short article on TD, a quick search on the net...'Oh yes, Phaedra'....'I'll wack in a few cod phrases....hippies....Krautrock...not cool these days...Kraftwerk...Neu!....blah blah'

Fans seem to think that TD were airbrushed out of Rock's hall of fame one second after they stopped liking them (choose your own date....1973 Julian?)....where as in reality TD probably peaked in music paper coverage in 1976. But...(I must stop using this phrase)...they've had more than their 15 minutes of fame. As long as there's music and people with time enough to listen, then TD's legacy will go on (it's kind of what music is all really about...playing it! ). Music fans will discover them again and make their own mind up about the importance or otherwise of the band that started in sept 1967. Rumour has it they're still going now...surely not?

[SydneyFC]

I just got the book "1001 records you must hear before you die" which is published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation but contains recommendations from over 90 "respected" critics worldwide. Predictably the only TD record is Phaedra. The section on Phaedra comments about how their use of synths shaped the future of music etc.

While I was disappointed that other TD releases were overlooked the book itself is excellent.

[Chris Monk]

I know I keep saying this but I'm at an age now where I don't much care what anyone else thinks, as long as I've got my TD to listen to, I'm happy. I think I'm commonly referred to as an Old Git. What critics, journalists and music industry people think or say is of no interest to me.

As for me, I will remember Tangerine Dream for dozens of great concerts, hundreds of great albums and countless hours of great entertainment.

That old cliche about "providing the soundtrack to my life" could hardly be more appropriate for me.

[epsilon75]

I know I keep saying this but I'm at an age now where I don't much care what anyone else thinks, as long as I've got my TD to listen to, I'm happy. I think I'm commonly referred to as an Old Git. What critics, journalists and music industry people think or say is of no interest to me.

As for me, I will remember Tangerine Dream for dozens of great concerts, hundreds of great albums and countless hours of great entertainment.

That old cliche about "providing the soundtrack to my life" could hardly be more appropriate for me.

Well said Chris

[Six By Nine]

I think TD's influence is wider than you give them credit.

For example, before the Astoria gig I was out with my brother enjoying a few ales when we bumped into a group of girls from his work, when asked what we were up to I rather sheepishly admitted "going to see Tangerine Dream" expecting the usual "who" or "are they still going", but to my surprsie the response was something along the lines of "oh, they do all those movie soundtracks".

And I've lost count of the number of modern electronic artists who quote them as an influence - they (and Kraftwerk) will always be considered by lazy journalists as the "godfathers of trance/ambient" whether they like it or not.

[krismopompas]

imo kw, ks & td have influenced nearly all kind of music which became popular since the 80s.

[Peter Beasley]

I was out with my brother enjoying a few ales when we bumped into a group of girls from his work, when asked what we were up to I rather sheepishly admitted "going to see Tangerine Dream" expecting the usual "who" or "are they still going", but to my surprsie the response was something along the lines of "oh, they do all those movie soundtracks".

Nice. Though it would've been even better if the girls had been heading to see the gig as well. TD could do with some youthful audience blood!

[AtticThought]

Interesting post...however for me personally who grew up enjoying TD in the 70's and early 80's I find their music since 2000 onwards has really metamorphosised brilliantly. Madcap's Flaming Duty as an example as strong as any of their 70's offerings

Also whilst the critics still harp on about Phaedra, as incredible as it is, I prefer Rubycon or Ricochet even more.

I think in many years hence TD music will continue to evolve as a work in progress with the " Froese" legacy firmly imprinting their genetic splendour within TD music. To think the pioneers of ' Space" music will know that in their own right they will be revered as highly as the likes of Bach, Mozart, Pink Floyd( to name a few) in cneturies and millenia to come.

I am currently listening to the Rim of Schiaparelli. This is as good as it gets!!!!

I envy those visitors to Mars in years to come lsitening to TD music on their Ipod or equivalent

No obituaries for these guys ever!!!

[Michael66]

Our societies are heading for global disaster, so I can't see a lot of people listening to TD in 30, 50, 100 years. Worst case scenario: People with hungry stomachs, in a world where electrical energy becomes a luxury item won't care much about music from a different time.

Also, the survival of TD music for future generations depends on functioning storage systems. My first CDs from 1983 still play fine, but would they work in 50 years? We all know we can forget CD-R's, DVD-R's for archival purposes: The number of people with complete, playable sets of the Tangerine Trees & Leaves is already deteriorating because of DVD-Rs losing their data faster than we all thought. Harddisks? I've no idea how long they keep their data, but they're not built for eternity either.

It all depends on people caring enough about TDs music so that they feel motivated to copy it to the most reliable storage systems available. It's a question of whether such technology will become available for TD fans like you and me - and that very soon, we're not getting younger, and today's younger generations listen and care mostly about "their" music. Otherwise, in 100 years all that is left of TD will be "Phaedra" on a storage system in a high-security world library for the money elite, guarded by librarians who are indifferent to the music.

Imagine how much we'd know nowadays about the music of J.S. Bach without printed scores. We don't have the digital technology equivalent to the longevity of printed paper yet. Could be the best we have yet for the survival of TD music is - vinyl. Vinyl well stored is probably still playable in 500 years, and it won't need a genius to figure out how to play LPs! Magnetically or electrically charged discs or chips can't compete with that...

[sparrow]

Great post Michael and it's all true.

[bigmoog]

Interesting post, which mostly I agree with. Never forget though that there will always be music and always means to replay it

Lets look at history, the longest surviving human artifacts are generally stone and papyrus, think Pyramids, Dead sea scrolls, early man's tools etc.....If we want to archive ourselves, the medium needs to be immune to the ravages of time. Digitized data archiving is not the best answer because it is by its nature, transient. A properly stored paper (read tangible) artifact will outlast a digital equivalent..I would say that within 100 years technology will be such that everything we know, our entire civilisation will be locked inside a series of 1's and 0's....which for our descendants would be madness.....Imagine a society in 500 years....or more...would they be able to retrieve the data? I doubt it, most people have trouble extracting data from a ten year old PC....

A vinyl record will outlast a CD, hardrive etc.....as its part of a mechanical system, its not a phantom technology, its real.....in 500 years, yes a record will still be playable....and after all, at this moment some 10 billion miles out from earth aboard the Voyager spacecraft is a record in gold and copper, containing sounds and music from earth.....for retrieval by who ever comes across it - this is pure sense - the record should last millenia and still be playable....I just hope the Aliens enjoy the music.....the NASA scientists forgot to put TD on it......