Optical Race [Import]

Thus began the new era in the musical heritage of Tangerine Dream. Not only the means of expression have changed substantially, but also the musical direction per se. With the release of "Optical Race" in the spring of 1988, Tangerine Dream entered the realm of pop music. It did so with grand fanfare indeed. This album can't possibly disappoint anyone, even those of us dedicated to the musical experiments of the past. It's simply too good to walk over. Doing away with the length, with experimentation, with orchestration, with the atmospheric climate of the past, Edgar Froese and Paul Haslinger delivered a set of 10 pop instrumental songs which are a pleasure to listen to this day. "Optical Race" withstood the flow of time, and is as stunning today as it was in 1988. We had every right to be optimistic.

The album opens with a perfect, dynamic song of 'Marakesh', the best vibrating syncopated melody for years to come. It's simple excellent, perfectly composed in a classic structural way, and equally perfectly executed, no doubt thanks to the new super-precise computerized equipment. This song has soul, it has dynamism, it has the nerve. It's a scream of joy. Just like the next song, 'Atlas Eyes', it carries you to the faraway lands of the desert, to the land of the Mosques, the sand, the magical carpets. Desert it was, indeed, for the following two songs, 'Mothers of Rain' and 'Twin Soul Tribe', seem to have been an astounding accompaniment to the sand dunes journey on a camel's back. With the final erg of the desert overcome, you quickly descend to the oasis of 'Optical Race', a speedy title track where Edgar and Paul showed off with their new percussive digital instruments. It's perfect. Only once they came ever so close to the mastery of this song - on the following studio album of 1989, "Lily on the Beach" - with the madly dynamic track, 'Gecko'. If you are a fan of the black-and-white silent movies of the 20s and 30s, you will notice that Optical Race heavily borrows from the accompaniment to those old classics. If not for the drums, Charlie Chaplin would probably never notice the difference!

The second half of the album brings us sunny love songs, which to me seem a perfect beauty. Yes, they are completely different than the heart-breaking tunes of the past, but nevertheless they are beautiful and touching. Ever since I heard this album, I associate 'Cat Scan', 'The Midnight Trail' and especially 'Sun Gate' with love, with romance. Everything good must end somewhere, a sad property of life on this earth, and thus with 'Turning Off The Wheel' we cross the desert fort the last time, in the sunset, to finally embark on the ship, and sail off into darkness with 'Ghazal', a goodbye song from Tangerine Dream.

What a beautiful album. What a pity they never after released anything that came close.