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Posted: |
Sep 8, 2019 - 6:39 PM
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By: |
drop_forge
(Member)
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Even Cyclone was a great if brief detour that somehow led to the creation of Force Majeure, one of Edgar's brightest moments as TD's composer-in-chief (until the arrival of Johannes). It's good to see someone else besides me has some nice words for "Cyclone". I thought it was a good record at the time and now I think it's better because the world seems to have caught up with it. When you hear something like "Endless Runner" today, it sounds not unlike anything you'd hear from various new wave groups 3 or 4 years later. "Madrigal Meridian" is obviously the one that sounds the most "traditionally" TD and the drums propel it forward nicely--and the violin coda makes for a welcome departure from the established norms. It's not the first disc I reach for, but putting it on once in a while is a fine departure. As far as I know, Froese more or less "disowned" it right up to the end and that's just sad. Artists are so frequently the worst assessors of their own work. I don't think it was the only album Edgar disowned. I know he didn't like it when interviewers would bug him with questions concerning TD's sound moving in completely different directions, i.e. away from their classics. He got those questions about the early/mid-late '70s, and then the '80s. Progression, evolution, whatever you want to call it, is going to happen (unless your band is named AC/DC). I don't think TD went off the rails until Edgar let Jerome drive the choo choo. When it comes to Cyclone, "Bent Cold Sidewalk" is a tune I really like to crank. It's cool to hear TD go full prog rock. Sans Jolliffe's woodwinds, it sounds like Eloy.
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Posted: |
Sep 8, 2019 - 6:46 PM
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By: |
drop_forge
(Member)
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Octoberman rolling his eyes is really not something I could care about, but I'll try to explain a bit about my TD-preferences: I heard TD for the first time as a 16 year old in 1991, the song was Streethawk from 1985, as heard on The Best Of TD compilation CD. I immediately had found my new favourite group, beating Hans Zimmer who had been my number 1 for a year or two. I enjoyed most of the other tracks on the best of CD too, but not Astral Voyager from 1973's Green Desert. That one was too simplistic and monotonous, and I quickly understood that I would prefer the more melodic stuff over the early, more experimental material. I continued to explore TD, both the stuff from the 90s and the 80s material. The times that I delved into the 70s, I usually came back rather quickly to newer material. That's not to say that I don't like their 70s output at all. What I have heard of the 70-73 stuff is quite unlistenable to me, the 74-75 material starts to get a little better, but the oldest TD track that I like is the title track from Stratosfear, but as I said, I have not heard the full album. I have not heard Encore or Sorcerer, but I really hate Cyclone and don't have it in my collection anymore. So, the oldest I have is Force Majeure. So, chances are high that I will buy more 70s TD albums if I find them cheap in my local shop, but I don't think I will actively seek them out and order them online. And buying an expensive box-set like In Search Of Hades from an era which I am not that much into, is, as I have said earlier, out of the question. Politically incorrect or not. Check the prices on the 2019 remasters on Amazon. They're inexpensive and they've got (most of) the associated bonus material connected to each album. Snap up Stratosfear and Encore, at the very least!
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So Goblin, it's been a few weeks. Do you have any more thoughts about the set in general (or specifics)? Aye, this!!! Buried alive in busy times, thanks for the remind! I did spin RUBYCON & RICOCHET since - both sound brilliant, like the rest. Ricochet pt.2 has that opening, error stick percussion bit restored. Yes, minutiae, but it made me happy. I need to fully play the new stereo Ricochet mixes with full attention- but the quick bite sounded gorgeous. To Be Continued ...
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Posted: |
Oct 15, 2019 - 6:22 PM
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By: |
Octoberman
(Member)
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The latest....I ALMOST had 40-odd minutes of undiluted focus time for the stereo RICOCHET mix! The CD was IN my changer!!! It still might be...alas, life. While here, did I mention the book is handsome as hell? Keeps reminding me to get the Froese bio....upon winning that old lottery. If it's even IN English, I forget. Had i the bread, Octoberman, I'd send you a copy of this, if just to get your thoughts! Keeping that synth torch glowing, Sean I'm a real sucker for hardcover books. Bit of a fetish, you might say. I just think that if a book is worth buying and keeping, then I might as well get it in the most durable form I can.
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Posted: |
Oct 15, 2019 - 10:28 PM
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By: |
GoblinScore
(Member)
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The latest....I ALMOST had 40-odd minutes of undiluted focus time for the stereo RICOCHET mix! The CD was IN my changer!!! It still might be...alas, life. While here, did I mention the book is handsome as hell? Keeps reminding me to get the Froese bio....upon winning that old lottery. If it's even IN English, I forget. Had i the bread, Octoberman, I'd send you a copy of this, if just to get your thoughts! Keeping that synth torch glowing, Sean I'm a real sucker for hardcover books. Bit of a fetish, you might say. I just think that if a book is worth buying and keeping, then I might as well get it in the most durable form I can. In that case, you are done for, my friend! There is a surfeit of ads & newspaper scribblings of the time, with less current narrative than I hoped for, but...oh well. Gorgeous book, gorgeous set.
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Posted: |
Oct 15, 2019 - 11:22 PM
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By: |
Octoberman
(Member)
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Well, that's okay--there isn't a whole Hell of a lot that the fans don't know about the group during that era, anyway. Personally, in a archive release like this I'd be less bothered by the lack of yet another band history in the liner notes than I would be about lacking some nice technical details about the assembly of the box set itself. I hope there is some stuff of that nature to read in the book. All the hubbub about this box got me feeling nostalgic so a few weeks ago I dug out my copy of the old '70-'80 box and I've had it on the turntable constantly since then. That was such a beautiful set for its time--it still is. Sweet sound quality, whisper quiet vinyl, great track selection. The only thing that I'd take a point off of it for would be that there was no track from the first album on it. It seems odd that they could not find space to stick in "Genesis", or maybe a short excerpt of "Burning Brain". The first record was in 1970, so it's not like they would have had to change the title. In fact, seeing as the first track on the box is the "Alpha Centauri" excerpt, then it really should have been called '71-'80. Weird. And I guess that including the "Ultima Thule" single on it would have been hoping for too much. Well, still a great box set nonetheless. Pulling it out again gave me a nice opportunity to geek out like in the old days.
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