What are you listening to?

[Ross]

After a bit of an uncertain reaction to Boosters III and IV, I'm back on track with albums and listening to Summer in Nagasaki. Surprisingly very strong given it's an Edgar solo record (also, it's the first totally solo TD record, isn't it?). Meanders a little, but for the most part it lives up to the expectation of it being a strong album.

Will give this a bit more time to sink in properly, then I'll be queuing up Views From a Red Train on YouTube I think.

[seedy]

my next TD will be ambient monkeys

[Ross]

Skipping Tyranny of Beauty eh?

[seedy]

i did because i've heard that one in the past and own it
i started my TD career pretty much from the inception and on

though obvs some newer releases have slipped through the cracks over time

[dell1972]

Told you Summer in Nagasaki was decent. Autumn is worth it as well just because there's a bit of a change in sound palette, but the last two I remember very little about despite listening to them a fair bit. The next decent album really is when they started the sonic poem series and Edgar started doing a few eighties style sequencer vamps (plus Thorsten's stuff which really stands out).

[seedy]

ross after this TD journey we should take a klaus schulze one

[Ross]

Glad to hear there's a change for Autumn. I've heard a few from Winter on Booster III and wasn't keen, but I'll give it a listen nevertheless. There's Red Train and the first Chandra in between them, and the off to the Sonic Poems. I'm giving the cupdiscs a miss, because I don't think I can actually deal with that much TD from one era, especially as there doesn't seem to be enough variation to warrant so much material.

seedy - Ha, yes, at some point. Let me have a little break first though. I've still not got my head around The Seven Letters From Tibet, Mars Polaris or Goblins Club yet, despite having copies for a while now.

[dell1972]

You could argue that Views from a Red Train was the last proper album in that it was the last album that was a proper band effort as opposed to Edgar plus one or two Thorsten tracks. Chandra was a bit forgettable for me, it's another Edgar solo album. That said, I have Chandra 2 on order. The cupdiscs are largely covered in the Booster series, with one or two exceptions. Seven Letters from Tibet is the Funeral album isn't it? The really ambient one that was dedicated to Monika Froese. He pretty much announced her death with the dedication to her.

[Ross]

You could argue that Views from a Red Train was the last proper album in that it was the last album that was a proper band effort as opposed to Edgar plus one or two Thorsten tracks.

The irony being it began life as an actual Edgar solo album. But yeah, it seems to be the only one after Jeanne D'Arc that is a proper band album. Other than Madcap's Flaming Duty, which I refuse to acknowledge the existence of.

Chandra intrigues as me as the stuff I've heard from it has been a bit more textural and abstract than Edgar's usual solo approach of 'meandering sequence with a beat for ten minutes'. Suppose I'll see how I get along with those when I come to them.

Seven Letters is the one dedicated to Monika, yeah. All new age pads and such. Comes totally out of the blue after Mars Polaris, but there are some very pretty tracks on there, even if it's fairly flat sounding. I seem to enjoy it more each time I listen.

[Pandemonium]

(...if only we had discussions like these about the D/C releases...)

[Ross]

If TD's catalogue was as consistently great as Dougans & Cobain's we wouldn't have anywhere near as much to talk about.

I just gave Autumn in Hiroshima a spin actually, surprised how enjoyable it was. Quite a varied set, a couple of tracks that could have been on Hyperborea, some interesting vocal effects, and a lack overly-long tracks.

[dell1972]

If Gaz and Brian are reading this, don't get any ideas with the above post, firing off a stinker to get discussions going would not be great! I did actually give ISDN black a spin this arfo mind. Given I've mostly listened to the actual broadcasts from this era in recent times as opposed to album itself it came as a surprise revisiting this, how you can second guess something bit of dialog that you know is about to crop up that just gets cut off. For example it one point I heard the beep from the start of the answerphone message bit with the elderly Australian lady. Never noticed it before...

See, I didn't mention TD at all there, or the fact I was giving Mala Kunia another spin on the way home and am quite liking it actually... Oh, bugger..

[epitome]

The Orb - Bicycles and Tricycles

[seedy]

The Orb - Bicycles and Tricycles

IN THE LAND OF GREEN GINGERRRRRR

[epitome]

Gotta say, I'm not enjoying a lot of this album so far. I've had 3 listens, maybe it will grow on me - but there seem to be a lot of annoying vocal samples (or just annoying vocals), which, if anything, will get more annoying the more I listen to it.