Tangerine Dream are considered a pioneering act in electronica. Their work with the electronic music Ohr label produced albums that had a pivotal role in the development of the German musical scene known as kosmische ("cosmic"). Their "Virgin Years", so called because of their association with Virgin Records, produced albums that further explored synthesizers and sequencers, including the UK top 20 albums Phaedra (1974) and Rubycon (1975). The group also had a successful career composing film soundtracks, creating over 60 scores, which include those for the films Sorcerer, Thief, The Soldier, Risky Business, Flashpoint, The Keep, Firestarter, Legend, Three O'Clock High, Near Dark, Shy People, and Miracle Mile.
From the late 1990s into the 2000s, Tangerine Dream continued to explore other styles of instrumental music as well as electronica. Their recorded output has been prolific, including over one hundred albums. Among other scoring projects, they helped create the soundtrack for the video game Grand Theft Auto V. Their mid-1970s work has been profoundly influential in the development of electronic music styles such as new age (although the band themselves disliked the term) and electronic dance music.
Their most recent album of all-new music, Quantum Gate, was released on 29 September 2017. In December 2019, the band released Recurring Dreams, a compilation of new recordings of some of the band's classic compositions.
The group is currently working on a new album as a four-piece to be released in 2021 via Kscope.
Tangerine Dream began as a surreal rock band, with each of the members contributing different musical influences and styles. Edgar Froese's guitar style was inspired by Jimi Hendrix, while Christopher Franke contributed the more avant garde elements of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Terry Riley. Yes-like progressive rock influence was brought in by Steve Jolliffe on Cyclone. The sample-based sound collages of Johannes Schmoelling drew their inspiration from a number of sources; one instance is Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians on parts of Logos Live, and the track "Love on a Real Train" from the Risky Business soundtrack.
Classical music has had an influence on the sound of Tangerine Dream over the years. György Ligeti, Johann Sebastian Bach, Pierre Boulez, Iannis Xenakis, Maurice Ravel, and Arcangelo Corelli are clearly visible as dominant influences in the early albums. A Baroque sensibility sometimes informs the more coordinated sequencer patterns, which has its most direct expression in the La Folia section that comes at the very end of the title track of Force Majeure. In live performances, the piano solos often directly quoted from Romantic classical works for piano, such as the Beethoven and Mozart snippets in much of the late 1970s – early 1980s stage shows. In the bootleg recording of the Mannheim Mozartsaal concert of 1976 (Tangerine Tree volume 13), the first part of the first piece also clearly quotes from Franz Liszt's Totentanz. The first phrase is played on a harpsichord synthesizer patch and is answered by the second half of the phrase in a flute voicing on a Mellotron. During the 1990s, many releases included recordings of classical compositions: Pictures at an Exhibition (on Turn of the Tides), Largo (from Xerxes) (on Tyranny of Beauty), Symphony in A Minor (by J. S. Bach), and Concerto in A Major / Adagio (by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) (both on Ambient Monkeys).
Since the 1990s, Tangerine Dream have also recorded cover versions of Jimi Hendrix' "Purple Haze" (first on 220 Volt Live) and The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "Norwegian Wood".
An infrequently recurring non-musical influence on Tangerine Dream, and Edgar Froese in particular, have been 12th–19th-century poets. This was first evident on the 1981 album Exit, the track title "Pilots of the Purple Twilight" being a quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Locksley Hall. Six years later, the album Tyger featured poems from William Blake set to music; and around the turn of the millennium, Edgar Froese started working on a musical trilogy based on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, completed in 2006. Most recently, the 2007 album Madcap's Flaming Duty features more poems set to music, some again from Blake but also e.g. Walt Whitman.
Pink Floyd were also an influence on Edgar Froese and Tangerine Dream, the band in its very early psychedelic rock band phase playing improvisations based on Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive". Madcap's Flaming Duty is dedicated to the memory of the late Syd Barrett. The title refers to Barrett's solo release "The Madcap Laughs".
The band's influence can be felt in ambient artists such as Deepspace, The Future Sound of London, David Kristian, and Global Communication, as well as rock, pop, and dance artists such as Porcupine Tree, M83, DJ Shadow, Ulrich Schnauss, Cut Copy, and Kasabian. The band also clearly influenced 1990s and 2000s trance music, where lush soundscapes and synth pads are used along with repetitive synth sequences, much like in their 1975 releases Rubycon and Ricochet, as well as some of their music from the early 1980s. The group have also been sampled countless times, more recently by Recoil on the album SubHuman, by Sasha on Involver, and on several Houzan Suzuki albums. Michael Jackson also cited Tangerine Dream as one of his favourite bands, especially their 1977 soundtrack for Sorcerer.
Kaleidoscope
Tangerine Dream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For after all,
We can but share these minutes,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleida,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Cars and people rushing by,
Watch them laugh, hear them sigh,
Satin sounds, lots of million coloured lights,
"Some vermilion"
Flowers move or fluoresce,
disappearing iridescent
rolling clouds, shades of night,
Faces black, Faces white,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleida,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Coloured shadows, alway haunting,
Drifting wild and undautning,
(???), distant daze, broken glass,
Coloured days.
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleida,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope
Please Excuse My Face
Silently, you wave good bye,
Lots of love untied,
If my shiny eyes look sad,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, smiling through the tears,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain,
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face.
The opening lyrics of Tangerine Dream's "Kaleidoscope" encourage the listener to relax and let go, as they attempt to describe the sensory overload and constant change of an urban environment. The repetition of "Kaleidoscope" serves as a kind of mantra, reflecting the way patterns constantly shift and morph as one's focus moves from one object or scene to the next. The song takes on a dreamlike quality, with a mix of concrete images (cars and people rushing by) and surreal, nonsensical ones (flowers that "move or fluoresce"). The lyrics suggest that it's impossible to take in everything at once in such an environment, but that the experience of trying can be mesmerizing and beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
Relax your eyes,
Take it easy, calm down and try to appreciate the present moment.
For after all,
Because in the grand scheme of things we are only here for a short time.
We can but share these minutes,
We can only experience life together, so let's make the most of it.
Kaleidoscope,
The world is a constantly changing and endlessly fascinating spectacle.
Kaleidoscope,
It's full of infinite variety and color.
Kaleida,
Every moment is a unique and unforgettable experience.
Cars and people rushing by,
Life is a constant stream of activity and motion.
Watch them laugh, hear them sigh,
We are all participants in this grand, vibrant performance.
Satin sounds, lots of million coloured lights,
It's a sensual, visual and auditory feast that we are privileged to witness.
"Some vermilion"
Perhaps a reference to the band's album title, Vermilion Sands, and the general theme of otherworldly surrealism and wonder.
Flowers move or fluoresce,
Even the most mundane things have a hidden beauty and mystery to them.
disappearing iridescent
Reality can often be ephemeral and fleeting, but that only makes it more precious.
rolling clouds, shades of night,
Nature is a constant source of inspiration and awe, with its ever-changing moods and colors.
Faces black, Faces white,
We are all part of a diverse and colorful human family, with our own unique perspectives and experiences.
Coloured shadows, alway haunting,
The past is always present, and its impact lingers on in unexpected ways.
Drifting wild and undautning,
Life is unpredictable and often chaotic, but we must embrace its wildness and find beauty in its rough edges.
(???), distant daze, broken glass,
Perhaps a reference to the fractal complexity of reality, with its infinite levels of scale and detail.
Coloured days.
Every day is a canvas waiting to be painted with the full spectrum of human emotion and experience.
Please Excuse My Face
Perhaps a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the fact that we all wear masks and struggle to express our true selves in a world that judges us harshly.
Silently, you wave good bye,
Life is full of goodbyes, but they are an inevitable part of the journey.
Lots of love untied,
Love is a force that binds us together and gives us strength to face life's challenges.
If my shiny eyes look sad,
Sometimes our emotions are too complex to put into words, and we can only express them through our eyes.
Please excuse my face,
We are all imperfect and flawed, and we should forgive ourselves and others for our mistakes.
Blushing, smiling through the tears,
Sometimes we have to put on a brave face and soldier on, even when our hearts are breaking.
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
Life can be overwhelming and exhausting, and we all need time to recharge and escape from the world.
I see you through crystal eyesight rain,
Despite the darkness and rain that may obscure our vision, love and hope can still shine through.
If see me on the street,
We are all strangers in a strange world, trying to make human connections wherever we can.
Please excuse my face,
We should approach one another with kindness and understanding, rather than judgement and hostility.
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
We are all doing our best to navigate the challenges of life and find our place in the world.
Please excuse my face.
Let's support each other in our journey towards greater understanding and compassion.
Contributed by Callie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@manescsali
1. Kaleidoscope (00:00)
2. Please Excuse My Face (2:14)
3. Dive Into Yesterday (04:25)
4. Mr. Small, The Watch Repairer Man (09:12)
5. Flight From Ashiya (11:55)
6. The Murder Of Lewis Tollani (14:36)
7. (Further Reflections), In The Room Of Percussion (17:23)
8. Dear Nellie Goodrich (20:43)
9. Holidaymaker (23:29)
10. A Lesson, Perhaps (25:59)
11. The Sky Children (28:41)
Total time 36:38
Bonus tracks CD release:
14. A Dream For Julie (36:47)
15. Just How Much You Are" (39:34)
16. Jenny Artichoke (41:48)
Line-up / Musicians
- Peter Daltrey / vocals, keyboards
- Eddie Pumer / guitar, keyboards, composer
- Steve Clark / bass, flute
- Danny Bridgman / drums, percussion
With:
- Reg Tilsley / conductor (4,9)
@manescsali
1. Kaleidoscope (00:00)
2. Please Excuse My Face (2:14)
3. Dive Into Yesterday (04:25)
4. Mr. Small, The Watch Repairer Man (09:12)
5. Flight From Ashiya (11:55)
6. The Murder Of Lewis Tollani (14:36)
7. (Further Reflections), In The Room Of Percussion (17:23)
8. Dear Nellie Goodrich (20:43)
9. Holidaymaker (23:29)
10. A Lesson, Perhaps (25:59)
11. The Sky Children (28:41)
Total time 36:38
Bonus tracks CD release:
14. A Dream For Julie (36:47)
15. Just How Much You Are" (39:34)
16. Jenny Artichoke (41:48)
Line-up / Musicians
- Peter Daltrey / vocals, keyboards
- Eddie Pumer / guitar, keyboards, composer
- Steve Clark / bass, flute
- Danny Bridgman / drums, percussion
With:
- Reg Tilsley / conductor (4,9)
@themaryrivers
thanks!
@hervequilichini3208
🙏✌
@matthewcalder1102
I love it more than pink flyod for 1967, awesome.germans💕💕
@peter.m.1825
I’m in my 60s , and I can’t believe I’ve not heard this one before, my first ‘Tangerine Dream ‘ album, Wow what a great album…. Very much reminded me of the early ‘Floyd’ albums. Great Music, you can hear all the instruments clearly, good voices and Lyrics. Thanks for downloading & teaching me something new. I will listen to more of Tangerine Dream now 🙂🙂🙂
@kaleidoscopesdannybrigman2061
Glad you found us and like our music much appreciated take care keep rockin cheers dan
@kaleidoscopesdannybrigman2061
We are kaleidoscope and this album is called tangerine dream cheers dan
@oracle707
Same . Had nothing from the UK band Kaleidoscope. However have one titled ' A beacon from Mars ' from the US band of same name Kaleidoscope.
@TomorrowChild
I am Russian, I heard this album only 4 years ago when I was 14, it made a huge impression on me and inspired me to write my material, I was the only teenager who listened to psychedelic rock and no one in my environment knew about it, now I'm 18 and I'm glad that such music exists and was found by me, I want to say a big thank you to those who created this masterpiece, we will never forget this album
@STKeTcH
happy for you man, just dont feel bad. most ppl that love this kind of music know 0 other humans that like it.