Movements of a Visionary continues the journey begun on “Phaedra,” now with a toy-like pattern that makes the connection to Tubular Bells plainer. Ten years later, you could probably replicate this sound on a Casio synthesizer with the touch of a button, but at the time this was groundbreaking stuff. It is the most “musical” song from Tangerine Dream so far, featuring what sounds like an organ run through speed/tone-changing filters. Composed and mostly played by Edgar Froese, this has always struck me as an elegy/lullaby in space. Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds.

You (the listener) are still in space, only this time safely encapsulated in a spaceship with modern amenities. Where their earlier albums felt like sonic sculpture, “Phaedra” is the work of scientists in a controlled laboratory. This song marks the beginning of the tunneling journeys that many would associate with “classic” Tangerine Dream. The band’s sound had evolved at each step, yet there is the sense on the side-long Phaedra that you’re hearing something entirely new. Otherwise, the band was able to create a new kind of classical music with nothing but blips, beeps and whooshes. Almost all analog elements had been removed from the music except for the organ (which was a kind of machine) and the flute. The real achievement of the record, however, is the sophistication with which they were able to conjure electronic and alien sounds. Based not a little on the success of labelmate Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, the Dream’s fifth album found them incorporating rhythmic patterns- pulse might be the better word, since the music didn’t have a traditional beat-and melody into their music. Phaedra was Tangerine Dream’s international breakthrough album. Kronomyth 5.0: A musical Theseus statement. Noting the success of Tubular Bells, TD release their most accessible album yet and create an international sensation.

Tangerine dream phaedra