Tangerine Dream - Force Majeure

Major Force indeed!

I must admit that after buying and listening to "Cyclone", it was best for me to go back the original instrumental works done on Tangerine Dream's previous albums from the Virgin years. "Force Majeure" is just one pure example.
Beginning with the 18-minute plus title suite, it shows TD's triumphant revelations of acoustic/electronic conversions.
"Cloudburst Flight" (chiming in over 7 minutes) is reminiscent of Pink Floyd with a Quiet Storm twist.
Finally, the 14-minute plus "Through Metamorphic Rocks" takes you on a brief contemporary ballad leading an on-going sequence featuring hidden howls and squeaks. According to one of the websites, it's said the song found its roots when a sudden malfunction in the console board wound up in the final mix. Whew!
Overall, I really enjoyed this album, and highly recommend it for anyone who's new to Tangerine Dream. Trust me on this, you'll be pleased!
August 22, 2008

Great chapter in the TD archives...

After the disappointment of 'Cyclone', they wisely ditch the singer/flautist, but keep the studio drummer, as well as the electric guitar for a deeper, organic sound...and it works wonder. This whole cd could very well the soundtrack to some unknown movie. Of course TD has done numerous movie soundtracks, but this is one album that gives me cinematic impressions.

FORCE MAJEURE (8/10) I could listen to this one over and over...this is truly one of their best epics. It starts out ominously, like some kind of sonic boom...then with gradual washes of ambient sound (even sounds like birds chirping at one point), the pieces works up to a somber opening on the piano...then we're off! An awesome 10 minute flight over some far away, sun drenched plain, up in the clouds. The guitar, piano, cello really flesh this one out and the synths compliment it nicely.

CLOUDBURST FLIGHT (7/10) This one is more subdued, but the ambient soundscapes are still good. The electric guitar and drums play a more minimal role, letting the synths shine...alot of parts of this one sound like what was to come on Tangram (the next album).

THRU METAMORPHIC ROCKS (7/10) Strange piece...but I'll give them points for creativity. Starts out rather eerie, then builts to an epic moment much like the title track....then fades or shall I say strips down to an electronic beat and sequencer bass. Alot of strange noises and synth washes crop up making it truly out there. Unfortunately what brings the piece down is that the last half gets very reptitive...sometimes I have the urge to shut it off.

*shrugs*

Still, this is not a Tangerine Dream album to skip. It shows Franke/Froese could still compose excellent music before Schmoelling joined the ranks. Oh yeah, and the Virgin cover art blows big time, thats my only real complaint. The alternate cover (which is shown above) fits the album best IMO. Laters... January 22, 2008

Force Majeure = Superior Chemistry

Force Majeure: Is a 18 minute Track, That I could listen to over & Over again...What more can I say.. Besides Awesome !!

Cloudburst Flight: Basically Just Lay out on the grass & Watch the Clouds drift by & Listen too this Song.... Peace of Mind with a Tempo Here..Period!

Thru Metamorphic Rocks: Listen to this Track at Night, A Good Full Moon Will Be an extra Bonus too , But Plain & Simple, This Song Is My Favorite with out a Shadow of Doubt... This is a Great Album March 4, 2007

Words cannot describe...

This is the 2nd TD album I purchased (Exit was the first). I remember standing in my driveway at night waiting for my friend to pick me up. I had Force Majeure playing in my walkman. The sounds were simply awe-inspiring. After 20-plus years of listening to and collecting TD music, this album remains one of my personal favorites. The song "Cloudburst Flight" is, quite simply, and IMHO, one of the greatest musical compositions since the immortal Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart penned his first symphony. Absolutely astounding.

TD for life!

February 2, 2007

My first and favorite TD album

It was sometime in the early 1980's when I picked this 1979 album up (after watching Risky Business as I recall) and the band subsequently became part of my regular listening along with Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP, Alan Parsons, Rick Wakeman etc. As a teen-aged progressive rock fan in the early 1980's, I was really impressed with the brooding and symphonic sound of the album. In fact as an adult, it stands as my favorite TD album along with Tangram (1980) and Rubycon (1975).

Following the departure of Peter Baumann sometime in 1978(?), the TD lineup was in a state of flux and the previous album (Cyclone) had actually featured a singer and a rock drummer. Although a singer was not used on Force Majeure, the rock drummer position was maintained and filled by Klaus Krieger. In terms of instrumentation, like all of TD's albums, pulsating, throbbing and spacey synthesizer textures dominate. However, in combination with the drums, acoustic guitars, and the vigorous electric guitar solos, this album has more of a prog rock feel; especially in contrast with albums like Rubycon.

In terms of the pieces themselves, the opening 18' 17" epic title track is a personal favorite and is symphonic in structure. Specifically, there is an opening movement with distinct themes, a spacey interlude, and then a closing movement. Come to think of it, there is really nice development over the course of this piece. Cloudburst Flight (7'27") is another excellent track and the combination of acoustic guitars and brooding synth textures at the introduction of the piece is very effective, even if I feel that the bass-like ostinato on the synth in the middle of the piece goes on for just a bit too long. The 14'30" closing track is also very good and features a nice mixture of spacey synths, drumming, and Edgar's electric guitar parts. Unfortunately, this piece also features a repeated theme that goes on for a bit too long but is not really that distracting and certainly does not affect the overall quality of the album.

I guess it's worth noting that the cover art featured on this webpage is not the trippy original art (by Monique Froese) that appeared on the LP and was reproduced for the 1995 Dutch "definitive edition" of the CD. However, it does appear that somebody was kind enough to post it.

Overall, this is a fantastic TD album and is very highly recommended along with Rubycon and Tangram. September 17, 2006

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