LIST OF THE TIMELESS BEST

Artist: Bo Hansson
P: 1970 / 1993
These musical visualizations by the Swedish composer-musician almost seem to have arisen from the very pages of the book. The track titles bear the names of chapters from the story in sequence ; "Leaving the Shire, the Fog on the Barrow Downs, the Black Riders,& the Flight to the Ford", & so on until the ending "the Grey Havens".
I admit to being a fan of Bo Hansson since the appearance of this album & I would go as far as accrediting him with having introduced storybook fantasy music to the broad realm of rock. Other artists soon followed with their own rock music adaptations of popular stories, historic,& folklore themes.
It must be remembered this music was created way before state of art digital electronic keyboards & computer enhanced sound. These were the days of the Hammond organ & the original Moog synthesizer. On this album Hansson plays organ, Moog, guitars,& bass, & most of it was compiled whilst he lived reclusively on an island off Stockholm.
It is worth noting that Bo was held in high regard in the British music scene in the late sixties when he played & recorded with fellow Swede Janne Karlsson. This unusual rock duo released their own albums under the name "HANSSON & KARLSSON" [see my review] & had a number of jams with none other than Jimi Hendrix. Bo's organ playing was considered by many to be ground breaking at a time when keyboard provided mainly backing for most rock bands.
Bo was one of the very first rock musicians to put the keyboard up front, often without an electric guitar anywhere in sight,& was one of the earliest to make full use of the Moog synthesizer as an exciting new lead instrument. In 1970 a tiny number of artists were just beginning to use electronic keyboard for this kind of musical imagery. These were really pioneering times & this album was a milestone at the start of an era of many keyboard masters & solo multi-instrumentalists, so one can see how many have been influenced by Hansson.
If you enjoy the "Lord of the Rings" story &/or you have a sense of fantasy consider this classic album from a very creative man.
This release contains some more tracks from the two albums: Magician's Hat and Attic Thoughts.

Artist: Brainwork
P: 1993   
Berlin School its very best! Chris Franke (Tangerine Dream) Sequenzing in a modern Style.

Artist: Brian Eno
P: 1978 / 1987
This is one of the origins of the style: ambientmusic. Brian Eno played this style for the first time way back in 1978 and this is still a milestone in history of ambientmusic.

Artist: Christopher Franke
P: 1991
This 1991 release was Chris Franke's first CD as a solo musician, after splitting from Tangerine Dream in 1988.
Recorded in January 1991, "Pacific Coast Highway" is the first studio album of Christopher Franke solo. Exactly at that time, Tangerine Dream burned out as an ensemble, and Franke has already tasted freedom from the band, having scored a few films on his own with the help of Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra he founded. A studio album was due, and Chris was full of ideas as to where he might travel in the sound space. He was always associated with the heavier touch within Tangerine Dream - he was the man behind the rhythmic section, he operated the sequencers, he provided the arpeggiated pulsating background, and did much of the underlying compositional work in the 80s. Thus I am not exactly surprised that for his first album, an album by which he would be judged, he chose something completely different, undertook a different musical path - the lightness of touch. Indeed, "Pacific Coast Highway" is a very light album, almost easy listening, one might say. With an ossacional guitar and orchestral touch, this album is mostly a selection of light electric piano songs. Every song has its own soul, and is perfectly executed, and let's face it - pleasurable to listen to. Millions of Tangerine Dream fans bought this album either expecting him to continue where he broke off at Tangerine Dream (and thus failed in their assumption), or expecting him to create something new, explore new lands with his music; take a step further. "Pacific Coast Highway" does just that. It's a small beautiful album, which to this day is a sweet collection of light songs that brighten my life so much. It bears the compositional stigma of Christopher Franke, and yet it's completely new. When I first heard this album, and the following live album, "The London Concert", I felt close to getting wet. Great music is alive again.'Black Garden View' provides a short overview of the garden where Franke roams with his musical ideas. Excited, we move to 'Mountain Heights', which with a light touch of basso continuo, introduces us to the mysteries of the green land. The third composition, 'Lontano Mystery', is one of the most beautiful electronic ballads ever composed. Harpsichord-like oscillating melody, pulsating, but delicate bass, and electric violin synthesizer. 'Big Sur Romance' is a miniature for piano. Just piano. And I have always thought that only Schmoelling can compose small pearls for piano... I strongly associate this music with America - perhaps this was intended? Driving into Blue is another, syncopated piano tune, this time more cheerful and more dynamic, a classic Franke composition, which hints at his later exploration on "The Celestine Prophecy" of 1996. The sixth track, 'Purple Waves' is a comeback to the times of heavier compositions. In his concert later in the year, Purple Waves was expanded and augmented with a long dynamic arpeggio which tore at our hearts, and convinced the reich of Tangerine Dream fans that the music is alive, that Franke is in fact the sole carrier of Tangerine Dream tradition. 'Malibu Avenue' is another piano song, with electric flutes providing the rhythm. Franke is fond of dynamic piano songs, where like a butterfly, the sounds vibrate in the sunny air. 'Cinnamon City Cliff', recorded with the help of his orchestra, is a sad composition, which hints at his later soundtrack work (at the time we were unaware of his continuing efforts in this arena). Violins provide the desired suspense, and then the bass metronome measures the remaining time to the finale, just like on "Force Majeure" or "Near Dark". After that brief adventure with orchestration and the past, Franke delivers 'Wheels on Beach Park', another light piano song, this time accompanied by the delicate percussion rhythm. After two minutes of a dreaming variation on a theme, 'Sunset Destination', we are treated to 'Crystal Tree', a classic Franke composition, as it later turned out. This track summarizes what "Pacific Coast Highway" is about, and what Franke mostly wanted to achieve. Hinting at his electronic roots, not forgetting his inspirations of the past, he created something completely new, a concept album with a very bearable lightness of being, so to speak. A fascinating collection for summer listening. The album ends with 'Electric Becomes Eclectic', where a misty flute melody waves us goodbye, much like on Tangerine Dream's 1973 album "Phaedra".

Artist: Frank Südekum
P: 2000
His debut is a beautiful mix of TD style sounds and melodies. His tracks had been produce and played along with Erich Schauder. The music reminds to TD's Exit till Poland area.
Played a lot with the PPG Wave. It was one of the best newcomer way back in 2000. Music like Rene Splinter, Arcane and Rob Essers.

 

Artist: Harald Grosskopf
P: 1999
This music was composed and played 1980, just during and after his collaboration with Klaus Schulze. This was his first solo CD and all his musical forces he learned since the seventies was melt into this powerful music. Even the famous radiostation WDR 1 with the radioshow Schwingungen selectet his track: "So weit, so gut" as intro. So what to say about this all:
it is one of the best synthesizer CDs ever made.
 

Artist: Jean Michel Jarre
P: 1978 / 2014
Equinoxe was released back in 1978 and synth albums from that period often sound outdated because of the progress with computers and synths in general, but Equinoxe will never become outdated. Jarre has a unique eye for detail. The album is complete, meaning that it never loses the atmospheric feel. The music isn't just in the room when you listen to it - it surrounds and embraces the room. Many have tried to recreate the feel of this album and all of them have failed miserably, no one has ever come close - except for Jarres own Oxygene. The "hit" songs of this album would be Equinoxe 4,5 and 7.

Artist: Jean Michel Jarre
P: 1976 / 2014
Digitally remastered edition of this influential Electronic album. Famed for it's melodic lushed spaced-out Electronica, this is the album that captured keyboard maestro Jarre at his zenith. The lead single 'Oxygene IV' is one the most recognizable Electronic pieces in recent history. With Oxygene, Jean-Michel Jarre brought electronic music to the masses and he did so without compromising the music. Oxygene, split into six parts, is a musical journey through surreal ambient soundscapes, electro-minimalism, synth-pop, and proto-techno. Even today the sound as well as the compositions stand out, so if you want to know how techno, ambient music, and trance started out, you definitely need to listen to this masterpiece!

Artist: John Kerr & Ron Boots  
P: 1990 / 1998 / 2015 
"Offshore Islands," by Ron Boots and John Kerr, was originally released in 1990. The unlikely pairing of John, known for his classical approach, and Ron, known for more cosmic soundscapes, was a stroke of genius. The resulting sound is a dramatic crescendo of energy and waves of unabashed sonic panache. The islands referenced in the title are offshore oil rigs, presumably in the North Atlantic. The album pays homage to the crews working the rigs and the hardships that they endure.
The music is crisp and clean. The diametric styles clash and conjoin, emphasizing the mutual respect that these artists have for each other and for their theme. The floating, gentle synthesizer washes of Ron Boots permeate this release, paving the way for his solo efforts to follow. John Kerr clearly influences this disc in terms of more melodic structure, and more than occasional new age leanings. However, Kerr and Boots seem to strike a balance, such that electronic purists who shy away from new age should not be too put off by it.


 

Artist: Kitaro
P: 1979 / 1982
Still one of his best releases so far. This album was way ahead at its time of release back in 1979. Here Kitaro wanted to produce something new and the sounds and the melodies are really dramatic.