Logos Live
Tangerine Dream

D:Live [Logos]  [iš šio albumo [tadream] fanų elektroninės konferencijos]

Logos for me is an album of diversity and contrasts, with melodies andrhythms ranging from the rich and flowing Logos Part 1c, evoking an almostbaroque feeling, to the classic dark Berlin School rhythmic Logos Part 1a,to upbeat synth-pop rhythms. This live album is comprised of two tracks-one long, one short. The long track, Logos, is comprised of 10 distinctshifts; the second track, Dominion, is 5:44. For reference, I haveseparated these into alphanumeric designations. Where times overlap, themusic does, too.

Intro (0:00-0:17)"Dominion London, thank you for being patient. Please welcome... TangerineDream!" (Does anybody know who this is?)

Logos Part 1a (0:17-4:30)This passage starts slowly and builds to a rhythmic, metallic, drivingpulsing beat thatreminds me of a march- not in the traditional, musical sense, but in a sortof "march of the robots" kinda way. Relentless, driving, but not in anyparticular hurry. At 4:10 a slow, meandering bridge starts to take it into1b and 1a leaves at 4:30.

Logos Part 1b (4:10-6:46)Kinda reminds me of Cedar Breaks from Goblins Club at the beginning:formless and void, yet having substance, a kind of tactile sound that comesfrom everywhere, but nowhere. But while Cedar Breaks is mournful andmelancholy, Logos 1b is downright ethereal.

Logos Part 1c (6:46-11:50)One of my absolute favorite pieces of music of any album anywhere, steadyand slow, itevokes a very classical feeling, with sounds like harpsichords, coronets,flutes, thatalmost sing like voices. A majestically beautiful main melody that doesn'trepeat too many times. Just really beautiful stuff.

Logos Part 2a (11:40-13:20, but kinda goes on until 14:51)A gentle, drifting, atmospheric piece that has "space" written all over it.But at 13:20, the pipe organ begins to jump into the minor keys and prepareyou for the dangerous path into the next song...

Logos Part 2b (13:20-20:17)Distinguished by the "Wake up!" and group-shouting "Ahh!" samples and itsprominent use of heavy, ominous-sounding minor chords, I think it issupposed to be a call from Ed urging people to “wake up” regarding nucleararmaments, but perhaps someone else can clarify further on that (or is thatnot 2b?). A matter-of-fact, straightforward echoed-bass drum drives thisone until a key change at 16:10 allows it to bring in an the beginning ofthe underlying theme that permeates the next portion of this passage-evolving at 17:30 into a variation of the plinky rhythmic sound that was inthe background of "Love on a Real Train" (LOART) from Risky Business (LOARTpersists through Logos Parts 2c and 2d). 2b continues on here without a lotof change until 19:15, when the "Ah!" guys come back for one last hurrahbefore several sequences shut out, suddenly come back, then fade out slowly,leaving only the LOART theme remaining at 20:10, leaving an opening for thenext major passage,

Logos Part 2c (20:17-25:45)Another of this album’s strong points. Characterized by heavy, cascading,repeating bass tones, with an overlay of a strong melody played byrolling-note trumpet sound with an almost voice-like singing quality,similar to Logos 1c, though with a slightly less edgy filter. I love therolling drums that start to pop in and out at 23:35 and come back for a goodthrashing at 24:00. Instruments are trimmed off one by one, and thestructure of the song devolves into nothingness. Until...

Logos Part 2d (25:45-30:19)...a persistent low hum provides the backdrop to industrial, metallic clangsthat leap out at you, then takes you into another mysterious, spooky,spacey feeling that makes me think of a places where little kids shouldn'tplay. The clangs come and go, with wispy whooshes, bat-like sounds and“almostvoices”. A flute-ish instrument in the minor key adds emphasis tothe ominous subwoofer-rattling undertone… until a bright voice breaks themood like drops on a still pond...

Logos Part 2e (30:19 – 35:20)At exactly 30:19, a warbly, heavily echoed flute pierces the At first soundskinda like plucking a guitar string with paper stuck between the stringsover a monotonous bassline. Then cowbells or pipes, then plinky, then aflute in a minor key that would make a dog turn its head sideways, then aharpsichord, then a trumpet, an oboe... It’s a fugue. All the notes arestaccato. Parts of it remind me of how the LOART theme might sound sloweddown.

Logos Part 2f (35:20 – 42:15)This is the only weak part of Logos, IMHO. I’m no Scrooge, but this part isjust a little too happy-go-lucky early '80s for me. A little too disco-ey,or maybe not disco-ey, but synthpop big hair '80s kinda stuff. Thiscontinues on for about 7 minutes with very little evolution until a whooshsweeps in and mercifully takes me away to...

Logos Part 2g (42:15 – 44:48)This has a slow beat like in Part 1c. A brassy instrument starts it off anopening melody-of-chords, then a bouncy harpsichordy rhythm steps in for awhile until it takes a backseat to the strings, which completely become themain voice and build to a crescendo. The ending sounds like the echo of agunshot in the desert.

Wow. What a tune of tunes. TD at one of their highest peaks. Great choicefor a live album. I'm sorry I didn't get to see TD for the first time untilthe following tour.

Track 2: Dominion. Was this named "Dominion" because it was aimprovisation, made there on the spot at the Dominion Theater? Was it anencore?Anyway, Dominion is not my cup of tea, unlike almost all the rest of thealbum. To poppy, too predictable.

Auuggh! I just went to get Logostype to compare it to Logos, and it's gone!This review was going to compare them, but I must have lent it out tosomeone. I guess this review will have to be "to be continued"...

joe

Another early '80s classic. Does it beat "White Eagle"? It's my job to findout.

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1. Logos

This can't really be described as one piece of music, so I will split it intothe movements declared in the liner notes (of the SBM version, at least).

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First movement (0:00-4:32)

"Dominion London, thank you for being patient..." etc. The music startsstrangely, with a repeating "dun... dun" bassline and strange bleeps andburbles like you might hear from a computer in an old science fiction movie.I love the eerie, vaguely choral sound that starts around 0:37. A slow,deliberate rhythm appears. (Is it an 808? I can't quite tell. If so, itdoesn't sound as cheap as usual.) The melody that starts a few seconds after2:00 reminds me of the second segment of "Kiew Mission." It doesn't changetoo much from there on, but I love the atmosphere.

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Second movement (4:32-7:01)

Long, sustaining synth notes take the spotlight in the second movement, overa busy, "alien" ambience. The background noises eventually develop into alouder, morphing buzz. Like the first movement, this one is rather eerie. Aplodding, slightly menacing beat appears in the last fifteen seconds, as amournful tone sustains for a bit and then drops off. This effect is repeatedthree times, and then...

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Third movement (7:01-11:50)

...everything becomes completely different. Any hints of menace disappear,replaced by a determinedly optimistic chord progression. (Wow, that was auseless description.) The soaring lead, wistful but hopeful, defines thismovement. There's a very nice flute sound starting at about 9:00, with a neattrill at 9:20. Well-earned applause finishes this segment.

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Fourth movement (11:50-20:16)

There's not much happening at first, just high-pitched synth drones, joinedby deeper ones shortly after 13:00. The atmosphere is tense.

Around 14:00 an unconventional beat comes in, joined soon by the samples of ascratching/scraping noise and the filtered "Wake up!" After a fewrepetitions, the most amazing two chords appear. I don't know how these wereproduced, but I love them. They don't sound like anything else I can call tomind. Kind of retro-futuristic.

This pattern--the samples, then the chords--continues for a while. Then theystart using the samples and the chords at the same time... and then the bestbass sound since "Rubycon" shows up. The part from 16:06 to 16:32, as thebass makes its majestic entry and the new, sparkling sequence arrives, isprobably my favorite part of the entire album.

It's followed by another great segment, as a more generic "ohh" sample isused melodically, combined with a buzzing keyboard lead. A wonderfulcrystalline sequence comes in at 17:25 and voyages back and forth across thestereo image "Oxygene V"-style. I love the part at 19:34 where everythingdisappears for a moment except the top sequence and the beat. The sequencegains another layer just before 20:00, and this double sequence carries usinto the next movement.

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Fifth movement (20:16-25:45)

The sequences and beat from the fourth movement keep going, along with aslow, powerful bassline and another airborne synth lead sort of like the onefrom the third movement. There's not really that much to say about this onebecause it doesn't change very much, but I like it almost as much as thefourth.

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Sixth movement (25:45-30:06)

Out of near-silence comes a subtle bass drone with and muted metallicclangings and scrapings. An eerie melody appears. That about sums it up,really. Wonderfully atmospheric.

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Seventh movement (30:06-35:11)

It's not immediately apparent that anything has changed, at first. The dronecontinues. Then a new sound effect shows up, a reverbrating burst of short,high-pitched tones, some rising and some falling. The effect makes me thinkof flowing water. A simple four-note sequence eventually appears, and at31:05 a slow lead melody begins. Now, I have no idea why, but for some reasonthis melody evokes the middle ages to me. I don't know how--it just feelslike something you might hear from a court minstrel. It's an interestingcontrast considering how futuristic the rest of the album sounds.

That melody goes away around 32:35, and things get more active, with multiplesequences and occasional synth buzzes. This part doesn't really grab me. Theaforementioned melody returns a little while later.

This movement really doesn't excite me, though I like the watery effect atthe beginning, and that old-sounding melody is interesting.

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Eighth movement (35:11-42:16)

The second-longest movement opens with what sound a little like horns and astrong wind. Things rapidly get more upbeat, though, as a beat and some kindof bouncy repeating percussion noises meet with a sequence consisting of asingle note.

At 36:10 it gives way to a major chord progression and thunderous tom-toms,with a really catchy lead line arriving soon after. These in turn lead into asection with a different major chord progression, a fun bassline and ahigh-pitched trilling sound. These two sections each repeat once, before another section begins, with (you guessed it) a third major chord progression, anda lead that I suspect is supposed to sound like a guitar.

The rest of the movement follows the same pattern, with each of the sectionsgetting a few repetitions in. This part is lots of fun, and is one of themost upbeat things TD had done at that point.

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Ninth movement (42:16-45:06)

A big whooshing sound brings in the final movement, and it does indeed havean air of finality about it, relying on a slow beat (kind of like the onefrom the third movement) and sustained keyboard notes. It's big andgrandiose, but more in the way of Mussorgsky's "The Great Gate of Kiev" (thelast piece from the "Pictures at an Exhibition" suite) than, say, the lastfew minutes of "Phaedra." Applause, naturally, brings it to a close. I'd becheering too.

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2. Dominion

But wait! There's more!

The applause leads right into "Dominion," a catchy track with an oddlyechoing (delayed? I have no idea) kick-snare beat and some very anthemic, high-flying keyboard lines. Lots of nice "Mojave Plan"-esque crashes, too.

Yeah, I guess it's a bit cheesy, but, as I said about "Midnight in Tula," Ilike it anyway. Actually, I think I prefer the version on "Dream Encores,"because of its funky bassline. Anyway, it's a fun way to close the album.

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Erk. Choosing whether I like this album more than "White Eagle" is evenharder than I thought. As I write this I want to declare "Logos" the winner,but I'm sure I'd change my mind the next time I listened to "White Eagle"(and then change it back when I listened to this again).

Hey, I'm almost on time with this one. Considering that this week'sdiscussion is about soundtracks I don't have, I think I'll start writing upthe "Hyperborea" review in advance...

--Daniel"Logos" was the first album from TD that I bought in late 1982. At thattime I was 13 years old and was mostly listening to Top 10 stuff on theradio (Depeche Mode, Human League, OMD, etc.)When I listened to the first 5 minutes of Side A it didn't take long torealize that this was IT:I found the ultimate band which produced the ultimate music. And withouta doubt "Logos" was Td at their most creative peak, putting out onebreathtaking melody after another. Every time I looked at the cover Iknew that I found the holy grail of EM music ;-) At that time listeningto Logos was more than just music to me, it was a journey or dream tounknown and bizarre regions and when the record was over I returned toreality. Ah, sweet days of youth....After I heard "Logos" over and over again I hunted down the old andgroundbreaking stuff and when I got access to the Internet and joinedthe TD mailing list it renewed my interest in our fave group. Yes, oldloves die hard...

Heiko

Logos

Such a perfect way of combining short tracks with more ambient, quitedisturbing landscapes of sound. It is very much "The Keep" and very much"Soldier" here.I remember noticing that they only used a couple of keyboards each.The Roland Jupiter 8 is very dominant and of course Edgar´s PPG.The use of the Roland TR-808 Drummachine also gave Logos a very modern andfluent touch.I think that the transitions/bridges are absolutely brilliant. Like acombination of Tangram and Exit. Unfortunately I didn´t have the opportunityto see TD live in those days. Sad... :(It would be great to read any concert reviews from this tour!

NP: Sting, Brand New Day

Arctic regards from a bitterly cold StockholmPatrik

Please welcome Tangerine Dream......BAM!!!!!! Left hook.......This album ROCKS....I don't even mind the drum machines....the first five minutes roll along with a classic TD structureThen we emerge into a whole different sphere where unseencurrents shoot you into oceanic depths......Then at 7:00 minutes, a stately rhythm rises up to bringeverything back to earth.... Harpsichords and searing leadsplayed with emotion ..... this is TD sharply focussed....11:30 the crowd bursts into applause oblivious to the steamrollerthat's about to flatten them.....the piece from this point on is in myopinion one of TD's finest, most hair raising moments..... I used tocrank this part very loud.... (ok, still do ;-).....WAKE UP!!!!!WAKE UP!!!!! ...... WAKE UP!!!!! Perhaps this is TD's attemptto startle people into a state of illumination..... hip gnosis indeed....16:12 ecstatic kaleidoscopes of minimalist bliss open like painfullybright flowers in what I consider the greatest rhythmic feaststhey accomplished...(sitting back, in rapture, not writing).......the rhythms twist and rearrange, and finally dissolve into the typicalTD night sky.....31:00 a neon waltz plays innocently, slowly growingdarker and more menacing... the sounds are now exploding with energythen the waltz comes back and calms everything down....35:00 a strange glurping rhythm emerges it seems to have a strangelynew wave feel to it ( you had to have been there) but it seems to haveaged better than Midnight in Tula, to my ears anyway....

I'm afraid that "Dominion" doesn't do much for me..... I like the Rhodeselectric piano part, but the snare drum sounds HORRIBLE......what were they thinking? ahhhh well overall this is one of my favoritealbums very alive, vital, and visceral......I applaud along with the crowdat the end....

Poly

Hi dreamers!

Have you noticed, that Logos Part One has two parts,but it takes 1 track on the cd. The second part beginsat about 11:54 after the applause. It would be so nicethat if I wanted to listen to the second part only, Iwouldn't have to sit on the fastforward button of theCD player. Okay, you can say Logos has several partsinside the two tracks. But if you hear an applause,don't you think that the song ended and the boys onthe stage will play a new one?

Attila