Phaedra

I love a good bit of ambient and electronic music, like Oval, Boards of Canada, and OPN, so I absolutely see how this was important as an influence to these genres. I definitely feel like it has to have influenced game soundtracks like in The Talos Principle or Myst as well. Super bizarre and anemoic, and I love it for that.

It was a bit of a struggle to find this on my streaming service but I eventually tracked it down as the first four tracks of the album 'The Virgin Years: 1974-1978'. Basically it is 'ambient music' with some annoying use of stereo imaging. I am sure this was 'important in terms of the development of electronic music' and all that, but Roger Eno does 'ambient' so much better if that's your want. A 2/5 from me.

I would use this album in some kind of dystopian intergalactic futuristic movie. I'm not a fan of electronic music in general, although it was mysteriously good for studying mathematical analysis.

It sounds incredible still but it’s more a mood than an album

Does not quite do it for me Will I listen to again: 0%

This was a very neat listening experience and something I would not have normally ever heard of. I found it to be quite a relaxing experience. My favorite track was Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares. It was a very beautiful track.

This is kind of nothing. It pretty quickly went right into background music for me and did nothing notable to pull me back in. That might be the point of Berlin School electronica? If it is, it's definitely not for me, but I'm bored and moving on.

I didn’t listen to it in full. I tried, but I couldn’t get into it.

my introduction into more cosmic rock. it brings you into a musical atmosphere that leaves you room to imagine the space you’re soaring through or random shapes and abstract ideas. I throughly enjoyed this one.

Nice enough soundscapes and would probably be great for working to as background but over all didn’t really engage me.

This is like if “On The Run” was a full album instead of a song. Got this on wax, always gets lots of play around spooky season.

Oooo yes this good stuff right up my alley these days. Feels like I’m sailing through space

Sorry wrong timing.. listened to this when I hit the gym. Feeling seasick…

40 minutes of ambient computer sounds is not really my jam

Well, I listened to it. I won’t again unless I randomly need some ethereal electronic music.

Boring spa music

Their fifth album. Electronica. Avant garde and captivating. These guys were doing things ten or twenty years ahead of time. Not for everyone, but an important stepping stone in electronic music.

I'm more familiar with Tangerine Dream's work on film scores, but Phaedra is good. I enjoy the motorik rhythms of krautrock combined with the synthy ambience Tangerine Dream are known for.

These are the sounds you hear when you're on an ayahuasca trip. Favourite Track(s): Mysterious Semblance At The Strand of Nightmares Least Favourite Track(s): Phaedra

Surprised how much I liked it! Several years ahead of its time. Definitely an influence on electronic music and soundtracks.

Could only find the title track on Apple Music, but I fuck with it big time. Kind of shit you’d hear in a planetarium or on the Space Odyssey soundtrack Bet dropping a tab and listening to this would go so hard

Absolute nothing 'music'. And I hate to be one of those dickheads who puts the word 'music' in quote marks, but honestly. I quite like a bit of sci-fi synth, but much of this is so ambient as to barely register. Just a slight whisper of pretension on the air. I didn't even realise it was there half the time.

I'm not sure which review to print: This is either an amazing album or I accidentally left the wet vac going in the basement fifteen hours ago. Eventually this album ended and the sound continued, so I think it was the overextended wet vac I was mostly grooving to. Or Did they make another Exorcist movie and I missed it?

Quite a mellow album. I kind of feel like we got this classic album instead of Pink Floyd's "Meddle" just to share the wealth of atmospheric albums, and if so I'm grateful (as much as I enjoy most Pink Floyd albums). The title track is very very long, obviously, but an interesting progression, especially for early synthesizer compositions. (And fascinating to read about how challenging it was to set up and play and record the Moog equipment they used for aspects of the tracks.) I'm not sure I'd necessarily listen to this again, but I'm glad to have finally heard Tangerine Dream, who sound nothing like the 80s pop/new-wave band I always assumed they were from their name.

I think this would have been a lot better if I was wasted and at a laser light show or maybe a planetarium.

A masterpiece. Along with their peers Kraftwork, the music landscape would be very different to what it is now - particularly EDM and Trance - Tangerine Dreams direct influence on bands such as The Orb, Orbital, Aphex Twin, The Future Sound of London, Jean Michel Jarre and DJ Shadow are apparent. But Phaedra's chilled out Kosmiche Muzik, extends far beyond modern Electronics. Look to some of the soundscapes created by post-rock luminaries Porcupine Tree, Pelican or Red Sparrows, or the album "Celestial Lineage" by American Black metal outfit Wolves in the Throne Room. It seems Phaedra has wormed itself into so many facets of creative culture. From pop culture references such as Pulps "Sorted for E's and Whizz" (Yes, hitting up the opening title track transported me back to my early twenties, in which I spent much of my time dancing in a field thinking a spaceship had landed) to 1880s sci-fi movie soundtracks such as Blade Runner (Phaedra was released 9 years before the film). Phaedra is an album well worthy of being on such an influential list, so roll yourself a couple of blunts or chew on an edible, sit back and listen to it in full

Beautiful! Creepy!

Lovely atmospheric tunes to drift away

Wow that was great. ethereal, spacey and just kind of mesmerising to be honest and that’s without any crazy headphones which I’m sure would have made it even better. The sequencer and synthesisers create such a trance like sound which is further encapsulated by the random sound effects from what I believe is a mellotron and a keyboard for some parts. It feels alien-like as well for mostly side B with the wispy voices which almost sound like wind, sometimes it sounds like being lost in a blizzard which kind of fits what I interpret the album cover (like an imprint in the snow). I’m not used to ambient albums too much but this was excellent. Favourites: all. Overall, 8/10.

Frickelicious

Good alien landing music. But I don't get it

For anyone who likes progressive or experimental music, this is a must-listen album. I highly recommend the deluxe version, which includes many additional tracks and remixes, including a couple by Steven Wilson. This album was a huge step forward for electronic music. A good portion of it was created through improvisation, giving it an organic, fluid nature. They used gear like the Moog synthesizer, Mellotron, and sequencers, pushing this equipment to its fullest capacity, considering the limitations of the time. The use of tape manipulation, layering, and other studio techniques added a lot of texture and depth. Overall, the music is trance-like and euphoric, with an experimental edge and a lot of color and texture that adds to its atmospheric, ambient tone.

Sounds kinda like a full album of Pink Floyd's On the Run.

Sometimes you wonder what the point of making that was. This is one of those times.

I got into this after it was featured on Black Mirror: Jabberwocky. It looks like Meddle. It sounds a bit like Meddle. But it’s not as good as Meddle. Good background music for writing along to, though!

Best "kosmiche" album I've ever listened to. Will almost certainly be the only I ever listen to but it wasn't bad for this kind of thing.

Atmospheric, ambient synth music. Interesting movements. Album kind of flowed together and many of the songs were in the 15 - 20 minute range. Definitely need a long drive or something to listen to this album or any individual song. Had an orchestral quality - except all synths.

This felt like a spiritual awakening

Wow! Om vi var besvikna på Fausts nonsenskraut tidigare får vi här andra änden av krautspektrat. Västtysk experimentalistisk ambient. Lager som sakta och mjukt vecklar ut sig och tvinnas i varannn, musik som tar tid på sig. Texturer som brottas med varann i en kosmisk dans, det är oerhört vackert. Lyssna på inledningen av spår två t.ex. det är nästan nåt andligt. Åsså det varma analoga soundet som smeker en, bäddar in en. Aldrig sövande eller stillastående, bara musik som långsamt förflyttar sig och försynt kräver uppmärksamhet. Jag har förståelse för att alla inte gillar det här eller möjligen inte förstår det. Det är kanske inte för alla (?). Men rent genremässigt är det närpå ett mästerverk. Fantastiskt! En fyra som snuddar vid femman

Mest en massa ljud. Var säkert på sitt sätt innovativ i hur man skapa elektronisk musik när den kom. Det gör det inte roligare att lyssna på idag. Ett plus att det fungerar att ha i bakgrunden när man jobbar. Att lyssna aktivt däremot? Nej tack!

Jag finner personligen ingen mening i ambient musik. Jag vill inte ha bakgrundsmusik, jag vill lyssna på musik.

Overall really interesting and worth a revisit (no pun intended on the note below). It's a bit airy, so its easy to zone out and miss some details, but it really fits in the cosmic vein of Pink Floyd and other spacey music from the early 70s. BEWARE: The "Phaedra Revisited" album that is linked to on Apple Music is NOT THE ORIGINAL ALBUM. I found the original recordings under "In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973-1979", the first 4 tracks.

5 5 5 Listened whilst reading Electronic Sound magazine ironically. synth heaven, the tue meaning behind a concept album - truly takes you on a journey from start to finish. One of my all time favourite ambient albums. An album for reading to on a Sunday afternoon

3.5/5

I’m still not sure what I was listening too tbh. Calming music for my nap on an early as flight tho so it gains a star for me.

All right.

Cannot believe this came out in 1974 but not what I’d call a pleasant listen for me

I understand how influential this one might have been, not my jam tho. 2.75/5

This could come in really useful, I was fast asleep after only 7 minutes. An insomniacs dream, if there is such a thing.

Not sure what it has to do with getting hitched to Theseus but it was quite nice.

15.10.25 klo 10, hima, varvas, spotify titteliträkki ei lainkaan kuunneltava, muut hyvinkin

Excellent

What makes an ambient album good? Like how does one delineate between bad ambient and good?

Ok for what others have described, not what I wanted when I listened to it

Fun electronic music in the vein of Jarre.

01) Phaedra - 5,0 02) Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares - 5,0 03) Movements of a Visionary - 4,0 04) Sequent C - 3,0 TOTAL: 4,25 (43/100) Current ranking: 671/690

Found it mediocre, even though I like tangerine dream. Did not see the connection the Pheadra, probably my fault. Too reductive for my taste.

How is this one of the best albums ever

It helped me achieve complete focus. I was listening at work and managed to get through a lot of routine tasks without getting distracted by my phone. Highly recommended!

6/10

I don't like ambient music. I strongly prefer when atmospheric music builds up to something big, and ambient very rarely does that. I like music to be actively engaging, but being in the background is the whole point of ambient, so I usually find it quite boring. I can’t say I hated this album. It has some good parts and interesting texture. But music this relaxed feels underwhelming to me. 5/10

Ambient music is one of those genres I'm still figuring out how to rate properly. The ambience of these tracks is incredible, yet at the same time I can't really see when I'd actually listen to this.

Very good, oddly fitting for a commute. I don't know if I would listen to it again but I enjoyed my time for sure.

Super moody / ambient tracks - very groovy

Trippy

Ok

okay but not really my thing

If I'm going to pull out something ambient, this will be high on my list of options. But there are other ambient albums I prefer. 4 stars.

This is adjacent to stuff that I like a lot, but I found it too aimless to be compelling. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't have enough forward momentum.

Meh.

?? electronica Krautrock, cool...! c

Not what I was expecting from 1974. Gives me a feeling of travelling through the milky way. I feel like this genre of music has popped its head up every decade. Wouldn’t bother listening again.

This my shit my guy

1/5 - bleh it's a skill to make something musically interesting sound so boring so props to that. Absolutely not for me though tbh. Gave me anxiety actually, kinda sounds like what a panic attack feels like...

Tangerine Dream’s Phaedra is tough to rate because it’s more of an ambient journey than a traditional album. It doesn’t work blasting in a truck at the beach—I tried—but in the right setting, like lying in the grass with a bowl watching a laser show, it could feel like the greatest music ever made. What’s impressive is how difficult this was to create in 1974, long before computers made electronic music accessible. Every sound was carefully shaped from analog gear - making this album was arguable much harder than the classic rock albums at this time. It deserves a 5, but for me, in the wrong environment, it’s a solid 3. Will settle at a 4 and possibly revisit later.

Pretty ethereal album.

Incomplete version on spotify… what I did hear was not very good… 2/5

Surrealistic and majestic. However, made me pretty sleepy, instead of compelling other interesting emotions like some other contemporary artists do.

got the legend soundtrack when i was 13. i love them.

On Spotify, the "deluxe" version has the original songs as tracks 1-4 on Disc 1. So, that is what I will listen to. I associate sequencers with the 80's, not 70's. So this is pretty out there for 1974. This is the same year as Bennie & The Jets and Hooked On a Feeling. The title track sounds very space-like and like the soundtrack to Alien or 2001: A Space Odyssey or something. It really is quite expansive and it is amazing to think this was done so early in the technology. Oddly enough the record deal for this album was given by none other than Richard Branson. What a character! The windy sounds being created by the synths as well are so cool. I also really love how much stereo was a novelty back then - as layers of the music come in and out they may appear on the left or right and move around in space as well. Definitely an album to listen to with headphones in a quiet place where you can focus on the experience. I really enjoyed this album. It is ambient, avant-garde and put together like a classical piece. It is amazing that the background for the album was improvising with the Moog and seeing what came out. The organ parts in "Movements of A Visionary" are amazing. Easy 5 stars!

Kinda fancy elevator music to me. 2/5

70er deutsche elektronik

What was it like being the first person to try a mushroom? What was it like being the first person to figure out how to make wine? Dunno. But I do know what it's like being the (probable) first person to listen to this album while being totally sober. It's a trip. A sonic mindjourney.

I like hearing historically significant albums on this list. Is this an album I’ll come back to? Probably not. Am I glad that I am now aware of it? Absolutely.

not bad but not for me

Space sounds

So this has to be one of the first electronic synthesizer bands in the world. Their first album came out only 3 years after the Moog synthesizer hit the markets. This is certainly early pioneer sounding synth wave, but it also isn't bad at all. It's very ambient and chill. Kind of chamber synth sound.

Interesting...

first listen to tang. always though they were a bit eno/fripp "no pussy footing" but some of this is ok. I like FSOL. so will investigate some more

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background This is the type of album I'm on this list for. Do I love it? No. Is it interesting? Very much so. I'm not looking to listen to another dozen takes on the music I already like. I may not revisit this very often, but I feel the few hours I spent listening through this album a few times were quite worth it.

Honestly mindblowing. Really enjoyed this one

A good album, I liked Movements Of A Visionary the most.

Not my favorite, but I get the appeal

Phaedra // 2.5/5

This sounds great production wise. Hard to believe it’s 1974. It’s ambient music, so I need to be in the mood for it. These songs are good for a sound track. Each one is long and would enhance a visual. On their own they get monotonous.

This probably blew a ton of minds in 1974, and I had to keep that context in mind the whole time I listened to it. In 2025, it just sounds like someone playing an organ while their phone alarm goes off for 37 minutes. I'd compliment this for being good background music, but the phone alarm sound does trigger a little bit of anxiety.

The 35th anniversary edition album cover of this is just about one of the worst album covers I’ve ever seen in my life. Not bad electronic album though all things considered. Very ambient, good ideas from the like what was this, the 70s??

It was interesting to listen to but again just one of those things I don't think I will ever listen too (or remember) again

1/5

Its a weird one, kind of just let it wash over me.

It's something alright

Nice

This would be a good soundtrack for a late-night, drug-fueled pseudo-intellectual conversation in a dorm room, not so much for anything else.

Ambient, relaxing

Jesus slowly and bitterly wept into a tiny crystal cup. This is absolutely dreadful. It's barely worth describing, because it's just so infuriating and stupid. Talented guys making weird atmospheric noise without any purpose. I say this as someone who likes ambient, who likes quietness, and who quite likes weird, purposeless atmospheric noise, but it's just dreadful.

I have seen Thief so I know their stuff works great as a soundtrack. But I really enjoyed the atmosphere even without a film to accompany it.

If you want to listen to a majorly atmospheric album you should try Houmous & Chutney’s anti CFC record ‘At Most Peers’ directed towards the House of Lords when they didn’t pass a law banning them! 0.3 14/14 Organ Piece (I’ll be forever grateful for the final track ending my misery)

Very Spacey and ethereal

Interesting enough

I know this is an important album for electronic music and a landmark in the use of synthesizers, but as something I’d want to put on and listen to, it just doesn’t hit that mark. It’s interesting and influential, but more of a historical milestone than an album I’d return to for pure enjoyment.

Only half the album was available on Spotify but that’s all I needed. Boring soundscapes with no traditional song structure.

listened at the gym but then realised it would make good studying music -- i was right. but maybe i was wrong bc i genuinely found myself zoning out to listen to the music, it was so mesmerising. the sounds on here are so hypnotising and incredible. also very much impressed by the title track

Vibey - fell asleep before the end but that wasnt the albums fault

weird. not the kind of electronic i like. Didnt sound like music

Back in 1973 modular synthesisers and sequencers were expensive, complicated and temperamental things. For this album, the band spent their advance on buying the latest technology available from Moog and then had to spend hours each day tinkering with it before they could start recording. Even when you finally got the sounds you were trying for, the analogue capacitors in the machines would start overheating and affecting the output in unpredictable ways. This can be heard on the title piece, a seventeen minute improvisation in the studio, where the sound starts to go a little wonky towards the end. The end result is still something magical though - it has a warmth and random charm that is missing from modern digital synths and production technology, and the music points the way towards things like ambient and even acid house and dub sounds from decades in the future from when this was made. Genuine, pioneering musical genius. Synth-tastic!

It's funny to have a Tangerine Dream album after Nightmares on Wax... Because it is somehow in the same very broad category (chill electronic music) but Phaedra is much more exciting to listen to compared to Smokers Delight. Even more so when checking when it was recorded. This is the kind of genre-defining records I came to discover when starting this project.

Nog meer achtergrondmuziek voor Bassie en Adriaan, zo te horen. Ik kan het op zich goed hebben, maar het waait verder nogal onopgemerkt voorbij. Prima om een paar keer te draaien, maar uit jezelf zet je toch iets op wat iets meer opvalt. Kraftwerk of Jean-Michel Jarre of zo.

Duitsers en digitale muziek...altijd bijzonder... In dit geval levert het dromerige onderwatermuziek. Ik kan de jaren '90 varianten hiervan, zoals van bijvoorbeeld Moby, vaak moeilijk verteren. Dit komt echter al uit het begin van de jaren '70 en lijkt mij een voorloper van velen. Dat is altijd eng. Want vaak moet muziek eerst wat evolueren, voordat het acceptabel wordt. Maar in dit geval gaat dat niet op. Ik vind dit veel prettiger luisteren dan latere artiesten die dit ook doen. De muzikale lijn is nog vrij makkelijk te volgen, waardoor het net iets minder vaag is dan bijvoorbeeld de aangehaalde Moby.

Vrij spacey, ambient, elektronische muziek. Ik kan me goed voorstellen dat dit redelijk baanbrekend was in die tijd. Het doet me ook wel denken aan de muzikale intermezzos die Pink Floyd op zijn albums zette, van die stukken zoals op the Wall die je dan het liefst skipt, want je wil David Gilmour op zijn gitaar horen spelen en niet Roger Waters op de toetsen. Een paar decennia later zouden ze hier een lekker (break)beatje onder gaan zetten en dan klinkt het iets minder zweverig denk ik. Het zou in deze vorm goed passen bij scifi-films uit die tijd, een Planet of the Apes of 2001: a Space Odyssey. Zet er dat beatje onder en de muziek klinkt gelijk 20 jaar recenter. Het is geen muziek die ik makkelijk luister en dus uit mezelf op zou zetten. Ik snap wel dat dit misschien een trendsetter is geweest voor veel andere muziek, dus het is wel tof om een keer te horen. Het is mij wel te veel Brian Eno (ik had die naam eigenlijk al veel te lang niet meer genoemd) om er echt veel plezier aan te beleven, en het voelt ondanks de 38 minuten als 1 uur en 38 minuten, dus ik ben bang dat het niet op meer dan een magere 3 uitkomt. En dan ben ik eigenlijk nog mild, want dit is niet mijn muziek.

Tangerine Dream: Phaedra: On one hand, this is some cool experimental electronic music for the time. On the other, its boring as shit and doesn't really go anywhere interesting. Its kinda just a lot of sounds put together. It is not cohesive, interesting, or enjoyable. It is not absolutely awful, I guess, but it is not for me. Pretentious comes to mind. 4/10

Better than Coldplay

I love some retro-futuristic synth noodling space music

Dreamy, hypnotic.

This ROCKS!!! WOW

Noises

Well I enjoyed this more than I did Prince's album. I accidentally listened to the 2hr 30 min extended version but it proved useful in quieting some noise in my head and letting me get some work done.

No easily digestible catchy pop hooks, no clear delineation of where one element ends and another begins, no tangible melodies or rhythms. While it's historic significance in the realms of ambient electronic hooting shouldn't be understated, it's not one to stick on at a party. Or at least, most parties*. It will increase the likelihood of a man named Graham speaking to you about oscillators and/or trains. Think of it more as performance art. Less to be 'listened to' in a traditional sense, and more to 'experience'. A soundscape describing a journey. Bizarre unearthly sounds coalesce, morph and congeal, evolving over the duration of the album like some great lumbering prog-mollusk. If you can get past the pretension and let yourself be immersed in the gently undulating, primordial sound womb, there are some moments of real beauty. Particularly in the second half of the album where things get a bit more dynamic. *Take lots of drugs. Wear something with tassels. You'll have a lovely time.

Sending meeeee uuuuunnnnndddeeeerrrrrr

Just some kraut wanking off his synth for fucking hours.

A tough listen because I thought it was shit.

This whole album felt like being edged by the Tardis and not in a good way. I suppose it walked so the Mass Effect soundtrack could run.

I bet at some point in time, before keyboards were available that this was some kind of revolutionary madness that set the precedent for many albums. That doesn't make it a musically good/enjoyable album.

it felt like I was listening to one continuous song

Crap

Loved this, held my attention from the first minute

early 90s first person fantasy game music

OK go off, spooky aliens

This is giving me anxiety because of the music and the font on the album cover. Make it stop.

I had to turn this off halfway through as it was giving me a headache. Definitely not for me

Ambient music that made me want to take drugs and look at space for a while

Listens: 3? Standout tracks: Phaedra (2018 remix) For a period of time, I got really into the idea of lucid dreaming. I used to try the WILD method, where you let your body physically fall asleep while you keep your mind awake. Not an easy feat, because you can't move around at all, and there's a strong sensation to do so. Anyways, to aid in this approach I downloaded a pack of Isochronic Tones, which are among the nebulous claims of spiritual healing, charkha balancing and such nonsense pseudoscience BS, are supposed to help get your mind into a particular sleep state, as well as the added bonus of helping block out other external stimuli. Some of those Isochronic tones basically sound like these tracks, except they was more monotonous and there was way more brown/pink/white noise, and lots of droning sounds. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I listen to this album. The second thing that comes to mind is this album or maybe just all of Tangerine Dreams' albums potentially being a precursor to some of the work guitarist John Frusciante did on his solo albums in the 2000s: A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence (Sphere) with Josh Klinghoffer, Shadows Collide With People (Negative 00 Ghost 27 and Failure33Object). If you like this music, you might really like those songs too. A third thought that occurred to me during an additional listen is possibly just how prolific, not necessarily any of these songs or this album, but this kind of music is in setting the mood in a movie or TV series. I am reminded of series like Netflix's Dark and other moody dramas, that employ a lot of the elements found in these songs. I enjoyed this album. I enjoyed it enough to listen to it, like, 3 times in a 24 hour period, that being said, it's way to fucking long. I wish I could have listened to the non-deluxe version that wasn't 2.5 hours long. If this album was 55, 70 or maybe even 90 minutes long, it would be even more enjoyable.

Sorprendido gratamente

A lot of the truly influential records on this list sound familiar because other bands approached the sound or concepts. This still stands out. More of a mood than actual music.

Hadn’t listened to this album before, knew a few tracks. Enjoyed it.

Electronic atmospheric layered sounds

Cool soundscapes, decent

Seltsam. Spotify zeigt nur zwei Songs in dem Album an, schreibt aber unten hin, es seien vier und das ganze 37 Minuten lang. Ansonsten gab es noch die 2 1/2 Stunden Deluxeversion. Nein danke. Ist nicht so meins. Nicht so nervig wie andere elektronische Alben hier, aber was war das? Das hat mich weder unterhalten noch berührt, es plätscherte einfach vor sich hin.

This was meandering and doodly, but I guess I found it a bit more interesting than similar stuff that can get a bit more monotonous. I'm happy to have finally heard this one.

Aye fine

Blegh! Gross, I hate seventies European electronic. Shed your ancestral guilt some other way. 2/5

Bad album cover (the revisited version I heard had a fucking blue alien as the cover), boring music

This is barely music. More a collection of ambient sounds. It's not actively unpleasant, but it only really works for me as a soundtrack to something more interesting. Not my cup of tea

huh, is this an album to listen and watch while getting high? Not my cuppa

#DÍA 20: 1001 Discos Que Hay Que Escuchar Antes De Morir (English Translation Below) Hoy celebramos los 20 álbumes escuchados viajando a otro planeta con Tangerine Dream. Dentro de la escena de Berlín del krautrock y la música electrónica, existía este proyecto musical que fue un pionero de la música de ambiente y del Space Rock. Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke y Peter Baumann unen fuerzas para crear un LP basado en el uso de las últimas tecnologías: el melotrón, el sintetizador VCS 3 y el Moog. Recomiendo buscar algún vídeo sobre cómo funcionan estos dos últimos, a mí me ha volado la cabeza. La primera pieza, Phaedra, se trata de una improvisación de los tres miembros de la banda, la cual a día de hoy sigue sonando absolutamente futurista. Parece que he sido abducido por una nave no identificada que me va a transportar a otro planeta, siendo el tercer tercio de la pista el aterrizaje, bastante más asolador y siniestro que el resto. Al parecer es que los osciladores se desafinaron por sobrecalentamiento, lo que llevó a los músicos a dirigir la pieza por otra dirección, asombroso sinceramente. El resto del LP te envuelve en una atmósfera prácticamente alienígena, sobre todo en Movements of a Visionary, cuya mezcla de órganos y sonidos electrónicos me hacen pensar que los extraterrestres de la nave del principio me están mostrando su religión en una catedral de su ciudad. Phaedra es un proyecto apasionante y ha despertado en mí mucho interés por escuchar más electrónica de los 70s. Tengo muy poco que criticar del mismo, principalmente que es muy corto, podría escuchar 2 horas de esto y sinceramente pienso que es lo que le falla, no tener mayor desarrollo, pero imagino que también son limitaciones de la época… Favoritas: Phaedra, Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares, Movements of a Visionary Menos favorita: Sequent C’ (supongo, ojalá fuese más larga) #DAY 20: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Today we celebrate 20 albums listened to while traveling to another planet with Tangerine Dream. Within the Berlin scene of krautrock and electronic music, there was this musical project that became a pioneer of ambient music and space rock. Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke, and Peter Baumann joined forces to create an LP based on the use of cutting-edge technology: the Mellotron, the VCS 3 synthesizer, and the Moog. I highly recommend looking up a video on how the last two work—it blew my mind. The first track, Phaedra, is an improvisation by the three band members, and to this day it still sounds absolutely futuristic. It feels like I’ve been abducted by an unidentified spacecraft that’s about to take me to another planet, with the final third of the track being the landing—much more desolate and sinister than the rest. Apparently, the oscillators went out of tune due to overheating, which led the musicians to steer the piece in a different direction—It’s amazing. The rest of the LP wraps you in an almost alien atmosphere, especially Movements of a Visionary, whose mix of organ and electronic sounds makes me think that the aliens from the beginning are showing me their religion in a cathedral in their city. Phaedra is a fascinating project and has sparked a lot of interest in me to explore more 70s electronic music. I have very little to criticize about it—mainly that it’s too short. I could easily listen to two hours of this, and honestly, I think that’s the only flaw: its lack of further development. But I imagine that was also due to the limitations of the time… Favorites: Phaedra, Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares, Movements of a Visionary Least favorite: Sequent C’ (I suppose—wish it was longer)

vu la couverture jspr que ce sera pas trop expérimental C'était purement instrumental

2.5 rounded up probably my favorite of the electronic albums on this list thus far, but still a bit too homogenous for my taste. hard to pick a favorite when they all blend together like that highlights: phaedra (feb 13 2026)

This is something unusual and yet can be considered as m-u-s-i-c , and not just a random collection of sounds! I like it for 3.5

3.5 Tangerine Dream is awesome but this is probably not my favorite album of theirs.

I still don't understand how all these one-off weird electronic albums get on this list, but some major artists/groups (mostly from the early 2000's) are left off. This is literally mass produced videogame background music.

Not for me

A little bit of a nothing playlist, it was just a bunch of sounds, not even LoFi, but just things happening as if they're on a very microscopic level. It was pretty much the same, but overall a bit meh.

Albums like this are an oddity on this list, because they feel less like a traditional album and more like a piece of music. It is also a good argument for why some albums work well as commercial listening and others like this probably benefit from a particular mood or setting, in this case after comically sized joint in an empty field at night where you can lay back and stargaze, or close your eyes and drift away. Pretty mad I heard this during my sober arc™ bc stone man Myles would have loved it. Considering the year this was made, its sound design and exploration is revolutionary. It is at times both beautiful and mesmerizing. Where it falls is that it often falls into boring passages between these blips of lush sounds. You need the between parts to tie it together but theres not enough in the between to keep your attention. I also listened to it on an extremely hot sunny morning while cleaning my flat so completely unoptimal listening experience. So idk, its got its moments, its pretty incredible for its age, and while I'm glad I heard it I don't think it belongs on this list.

Phaedra (2/10) Mysterious Semblance at the Strand if Nightmares (2/10) Movements of a Visionary (2/10) Sequent C (6/10) 3/10

Ugh. Electronica.

At best, its incidental / background music on a low budget 70s scifi. Tangerine Dream have done some good stuff, but this is not one of them.

This was pretty cool, especially considering the year it was recorded. There's a lot going on in this ambient stuff, which is really interesting and more engaging than some of the drone-based stuff.

I've always seen their albums in CD/record stores, but never knew what kind of music it was. "Dream" in the group name is quite fitting. It's quite spacey, but didn't really make me go places.

0,3/5

Rating: 0.9 This sounded like a group of room temperature IQ aliens released a mixtape and one of the unsold copies plummeted to Earth.

Sounds like I’m getting abducted by aliens

This turned out to be really good. Very atmospheric. And in 1974. Wow! Edit Mar 17 2026: edit 5 --> 4. It is more of a 4 for me

Sorry - too much

It sounds pretty epic and grand, like it could be a sci-fi soundtrack for a slowburn space drama or some kind of feverdream depiction of an early morning or late night of solitude in a foreign city. But it's not necessarily something I want to sit down and listen to for two hours straight.

Nüchtern eine 2/5 high warscheins eine 10/5. Reine "Instrumentals" für 30 Minuten wobei Affengeräusche und Raumschiffe auch vorkommen. Bis ich das album noch nicht high gehört habe 3/5

I'm a big krautrock nerd but not big enough to really enjoy Tangerine Dream. Other than the Thief soundtrack. That goes hard.

Favorite Track: Phaedra

Haven't listened to any of their music before. It was a really interesting, moody album. 3/5

Why?

Hard pass

Okay!! So this is NOT my jam but it’s cool!

Impressive for its time, but not something essential for all but the most dedicated electronic music fans.

This one wasn’t for me. I didn’t hate it or anything but there was nothing memorable about it. It very quickly became just background music.

In 1974 this was genuinely something new. But it all lacks power, movement, music. No, this is too little

This album sounds like an ancient, frozen, alien hell. Fantastic.

very cool ambient music. ethereal

Pretty terrible. I am not opposed to ambient music, but these tunes just went on for EVER. 1/5

Music of the spheres. Which means: Not very exciting or interesting or anything much at all, unless you're under the influence of mind-altering substances. Sure, the sounds are groundbreaking for their time, so I know why it's on the list. But I may just as well just listen to the surf rolling in and out again for hours at the beach.

In my book a record with two songs is a Single, not ana album.

Most of this album seems to be missing from the Spotify link. Had to open up a different album version. I had never heard of Tangerine Dream so went in with no expectations. I would have to be in a certain mood to enjoy ambient music like this. Maybe for a meditation. But in general it bores me, call me unsophisticated.

No thanks.

Why do we have to hear this? What’s the point?

Wake up and smell the coffee Tangerine Dream you'll never make a better soundtrack to The Social Network

Kiitos.K iitollisuuteni kiistatta upeasta avustasi on lähes rajaton. Ponnistelusi eivät ole jääneet huomaamatta. Arvostan todella panostasi yhteiskunnassamme, teet todella eron ja autat muita, maailma kaipaisi aina lisää kaltaisiasi ihmisiä. Voi luoja, miten kohtelias ja nöyrä kaveri. On suuri kunnia jollekin niin alhaiselle kuin minulle olla yhteydessä jonkun sinun kaltaisesi tason ihmisen kanssa. Kiitän sinua vielä kerran, hyvä ystäväni. Maailma ilman sinua olisi maailma, jossa en pystyisi elämään, ja uskon jakavani tämän mielipiteen useimpien ihmisten kanssa. Voin olla rauhallisin mielin tänä iltana tietäen, että autoit. Arvostan sinua ja kaikkea, minkä puolesta seisot, ja arvostan kaikkia maapallon asukkaita, kiitos. mysterious semblance at the strand of nightmares. non-pretentious name

Early German electronic music. Interesting but, being sequencer driven, a little boring.

I got halfway through this on Friday. When I found on Monday that I still had half to go, I groaned "Oh, God." And it didn't get any better. I see this crowd have 127 albums. I hope that at least one of them is at least a little better than this.

[A1] The title track is absolutely breathtaking, what a journey that song is. [B1] In Mysterious Semblance... you can hear what seems to be waves crashing at the end of the song. Near the end of it, one of the synths sound similar to Always Crashing in the Same Car by David Bowie. [B2] Movements... continues that wave crashing sound from the previous song just for a moment. Around 4 minutes or so in, it sounds a like the Minecraft song called "Cats." This track has such a relieving sound to it. [B3] 'Sequent 'C'' which is a good ending to all of what you just experienced This album has such great aquatic feel to it. I really like the album Low by David Bowie in which you can hear a bit of Phaedra on it, so it's great to hear some of the albums that influenced Low.

Nice little discovery. Would have blown my mind at the time

out there electronica nonsense from 1974. yes please

Nice kind of ambient stuff

So this is where all the massage music emanated from.

Nice.

Woah

Heck Ya early Electronic Krautrock

Very Pink Floydian. I have to imagine the first track was inspired by On The Run (from The Dark Side Of The Moon) for its fast-paced tempo, repeating ascending bass synth, and ever-changing synth texture in the higher register. Also lots of musical ties with modern ambient music, particularly around the 12-16 minute range when there's no obvious rhythm. It's an excellent track and well ahead of its time. I guess my only issue is that the track doesn't resolve at the end - it just kind of halts. Returning to the original theme might've tied everything together more neatly. The second track, Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares, uses a string-orchestra-like synth arrangement, combined with some whooshy synths. Definitely conjures some imagery of the great outdoors. The precipice of a windy cliff, gazing out into the aurora blanketing the night sky... At this point I have to imagine most of the 1- and 2-star reviews are from people who don't find imagery in music. Tangerine Dream's style seems to be entirely imagery-based, and they're darn good at it. Track 3, Movements of a Visionary, is a little more unsettling, especially the opening minute or so which is swamped by percussiony electronic sounds played very rapidly. After those fade out, the sound gets a little more relaxed, but there's still an air of uncertainty with the conflicting harmonies never quite resolving. Similar to parts of track 1. The album ends with the short Sequent C, which is essentially a flute-synth-based epilogue to send the listener off on a calm yet hopeful note. I do kind of see where people are coming from when they say Tangerine Dream is too noodly. The album pretty much lacks any melody or obvious hook. It also takes a long time to progress from one theme to another - though this could easily be considered a strength rather than a weakness. I could see myself coming back to this record, but only for something ambient rather than something to actively appreciate. Pink Floyd (and for that matter, King Crimson and early Genesis) did it slightly better. The 70s had some tough competition. 4/5 Key tracks: Phaedra

Opening song went hard but then didn’t hit those highs again. 3.5 stars

Unknown band for me. Not a fan of electronic music. OK album.

3.5

2.5

Innovative and beautiful in places, but I generally don’t go for ambient stuff. Going 3.5 as I admire it but probably won’t return.

This is kind of cool and kind of boring. It kind of reminds me of the stuff that Pink Floyd would do as interludes but for the most part they wouldn't go on for 17 minutes like that without going into either a song or a blues jam at some point. All in all given the right mood I could probably really get into this but it is definitely one of those where I'd have to be in the mood for this kind of like trippy hazy feel. Even at that I would probably more likely pull out something like "Echoes" over this. 7.25 ★★★½

Interesting, but would need to be in the right mood. 3.5 stars

I don't know about this one. On one hand, I can see how it's groundbreaking, but on the other hand, it doesn't do much for me aside from provide some nice background music. I don't know that it's something I'd ever return to. 2.5 stars.

2.5

Massive breakthrough album for Tangerine Dream on Virgin Records at around the same time as Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. This is the first of theirs to not feel entirely harsh and spacey and have a little semblance of softness and melody. Side-long opener title track is a mini-masterpiece, very ambient, wonderful, proggy, psycheldic and serene before it glides into a siren-blaring space station meltdown situation. Second side is sketchier and not quite as magisterial but overall still a class work.

I really enjoyed this album for being an early electronic music album. This album actually felt like it got the Odyssey feeling it was going for rather than just being a series of disconnected beeps and boops. I joked with my wife that this album sounds like someone trying to both make music and make love with a Pac-Man arcade cabinet at the same time. I would definitely consider listening to this one again even if it was just his background noise.

No interest in this. It may have beauty, or some tonal genius, but it's not what I look for in music, and I did not enjoy ut.

Not expected. Low vibe peaceful hum.

No. Triggers my misophonia

Nice wee ambient album. Spotify only seemed to have two of the four tracks on the album?

Electrifying would be the wrong adjective to use (though tempting for the pseudo-pun), but it's certainly evocative, haunting, uneasy. My mental library of ambient albums is very small so the comparison might not mean much, but it brings to mind Eco's later Music for Airport (discovered also through this list), though this one seems even more "dramatic", has more arcs, even if it is so translucent that one might miss it all. Transformative in the best possible manner, all in all; Phaedre and particularly Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares are incredible.

This is a without X, you wouldn't have A, B, C album, where A, B and C are equally fantastic.

Very surreal sounding. It has some strong Pink Floyd vibes, but I am not sure who came first.

A whole world of sound.

WOW very ahead of its time, I'm not sure how on Earth you would have made half these synth sounds this early on. I really like ambient music, so this is very appealing, I could see how it can be a bit boring, but the atmosphere and everything is perfect. I feel like there's also elements of 'space rock', and if drums were added to some of these sequenced bass parts, it would just straight up be techno music, like on the first song. The only downside I can see is there are some repeating parts which can become a bit stale, but also not really quite a lot of the time, as parts are constantly building up and down. Favourite songs: all Overall round 7/10

A good album though I prefer their album EXIT more.

I listened to this on a long drive outside the city and I'm pretty sure that helped me enjoy it more. Not much of a soundscape guy but this was a fun journey! Honestly try listening to this outside your home, I think it makes a hug difference.

Hey this was great! Even though I had to search it out on YouTube I really enjoyed it. Great moody synth stuff

Listening to this while digging out of emails after an extended vacation was perfect.

Trippy and good!

I don’t get it. If this was on in the background I wouldn’t even notice it

I don’t think this album existed in its entirety on Spotify. But it was kinda cool for it’s time?

Bweep, fwip, wooooo, waaaa, weeeee, ah ah ah ah, szzzzz, zeep! Really phenomenal stuff I want to listen to this in the cube at Virginia tech I need full immersion this is so good. Definitely a correct vibe album or it’s a complete miss but playing Superliminal and listening to this was the correct one.

Not the worst beeps and boops i've listened to, but it's still beeps and boops. I have nothing to quantify this with, but these beeps and boops sound of quality. Strong 2

Rather watch a documentary on how they made these sounds than listen to this. 2/5

Stranger Things Core

1+ Stars (3/15)

This is way to out there for me. Maybe I'm just not in the right headspace for it but 3 out of 4 songs i disliked. The last one was okay but sounded more like something that should be in the background of a movie scene then something that I would listen to when wanting music.

I get it. This album was likely monumental at the time. I also loved the soundtrack for thief and the one with the car on the bridge. But these are way too long.

Sounds much more recent than it is. I don’t usually feel like I really get electronic music, but I enjoyed this. Meditative.

Inte spännande nog att hålla mig engagerad. Tvåa

Not really my thing

one of the albums that has to be rated relative to the time that it came out. Mostly moog noodling, but they earned it and they were doing stuff no one else had thought of. Not sure it created anything too timeless, but solid for 73

Располагает к задумчивости. 7 из 10.

In a nutshell: komische musik to soundtrack an alien kidnapping. Overall: 4/10

Nautittavaksi tehty siinä täysin onnistumatta

There is a weird sort of magic to early synthesizer music. It requires something special to be determined to make truly great music with technology that feels, now, so limited. After looking into how this was made, it seems like a small miracle that it exists at all. There is an interview with the band where a member recounts taking 11 days to record approximately 6 minutes of music. Although, conversely, the meticulousness required to make something like this at the time results in an early ambient album that feels incredibly detailed, and lovingly assembled. I also think that the abstractness of this type of electronic music actually aids in its aging, Phaedra almost seems to exist out of time if you are in the right headspace while listening to it. The music on here is *intrinsically* synthesizer music, it couldn't really have been made the same way on anything else. This is an album shaped by rhythms and arpeggios and arguably most importantly, texture. And with these elements, Tangerine Dream conjures vast expanses: The sky, the sea, and whatever lies beyond. Also, for how abstract this is, it is remarkably accessible (in my opinion). This is valuable as one of the most important albums, by one of the most important electronic bands of all time, but it is also a stellar example of the capabilities of early electronic music technology and the possibilities for ambient as a genre. Wonderful.

Chill electronic music that isn’t really challenging or particularly memorable, but it’s easy to digest.

Bleepy, bloopy, & relaxing

Twaddle felt like i was l listening to a game load on the spectrum in the 80s.

I don’t have the words to express how bad this was.

I just think a lot of people in the 70s didn't know how to start and end songs. Intros go on forever with nothing really happening, something mildly interesting happens for a couple of minutes in the middle and then the song sounds like it's done, but no! Surprise fake out! Have another 5 minutes. Urgh. I think punk started not as a backlash to all the animal noises and ambient bollocks, but just because they wanted to show it was possible to create a fully formed 3 minute long song. Anyway, I knew I was going to hate this from the first 3 minutes of the 17 minute first track. Either we've been extremely unlucky with the randomness of the generator, or the makers of this book were obsessed with 70s nonsense that feels like it'll never bloody end. This is nowhere near as unlistenable as some of my previous 1 star albums, but given it actively made me grumpy: 1/5

I guess it’s like a slow motion video of a flower opening, painstakingly slow but with promise of beauty by the end. The songs do unfold, painstakingly slow, but I can’t find the beauty. The problem might be my ignorance about this type of music. Perhaps it is very influential and that’s commendable but is it enjoyable? My ratings are based on my enjoyment of the album and little about its influence. I didn’t enjoy this.

It's good for what it is, but it's not for me

Once again, I feel like I'm writing the same review I do for virtually every ambient, early electronic album on this list. I know it's a pioneer. I respect the artistry that went into making it...but boy howdy is it just boring as hell to listen to.

More spacey soundscape journey than traditional album, Phaedra flows wherever your mind's guidance takes it, each ambient passage a gateway to your own inner exploration.

The story behind this record is quite interesting. But I did feel uneasy while listening

When I found out this was German, I thought “Yeah, that tracks.”

Cool to see influence in more modern electronic music.

Surprisingly good, chill, electro trance. Knew nothing about it going in, judging the book by its cover and length of songs was ready for a disaster. I rather liked it. Nothing special though. Well listen to again, good focus music. 6.5/10 70/1001

To say this was not my thing is an understatement. I almost want to apologize to the other albums that were given a 1 in this journey because this was next level below.

Interesting, but not really my scene.

Esse álbum é extremamente bizarro

First song is 17 minutes long fuck out of here.

I don't want to anger the Germans, but I did not care for this.

Enjoyable background music. There's some history there and they influenced a lot of people that came after them.

Super synthy. Loved it.

Did I make it to the end of track 1, or halfway through track 2? I have no idea since I didn't look when I hit stop, and the first two tracks were ridiculously long. It was some absolutely boring slop that wasn't even worth being background noise. It's like listening to meditation music to help you sleep, which I get why people enjoy... but it does not need to be anything you need to hear before you die.

Pleasant. Not offensive. Not likely to ever listen to it again. 2/5

Not for me

I’m just confused. What the hell? Am I supposed to be high while listening to this? Am I high right now?

So bad wtf

Meditative synth experiments at the early wave of ambient music, it's an absolute trip but hardly a hoot. I wouldn't reach for it very frequently because it's an austere experience - but I very much enjoyed rediscovering it.

Have to knock it down a point because it really needs your attention to get the most from it, but it's a great journey when you can give it that

Music from the heart of space.

An album with this little effort put in doesn't even deserve the dignity of a review.

I know that "this isn't on my streaming service of choice" is a bit of a cop-out, but literally can't find or figure out which is the original release anywhere, and based on the descriptions, I doubt I'd enjoy this very much, so it's getting a very generous 3.

This was great background music for doing some housework.

Very interesting - the Spotify link from here only has 2 tracks available but searching online, the 50th anniversary deluxe version was recently released and the whole 2.5 hours are on Spotify. I like weird ambient music so based on the 2 tracks, I'll give it a 4 but I'll listen to the deluxe version soon.

I always thought this was some kind of second-tier 60s jam band. I must have been mixing them up with a similarly fruit-titled band. Moby Grape? Anyway. This is great. In fact this kind of music is literally the soundtrack of 1980s B-movies which is my shit. Their wikipedia page is way more complex than I ever would have imagined. 127 albums and several dozen members. May 18, 2025 is the day I finally understood Tangerine Dream.

self indulgent shite

Phaedra is good, unsettling. I liked the calming balance then brought in by Mysterious Semblance At the Strand Of Nightmares Movements Of A Visionary is good Sequent 'C' is positively meditative. The tune of the second half sounds like the fireside song in the Narnia film. 2nd Day was fairly dull. Flute Organ Piece was ok, but pretty dull too.

When I checked the release date of this album it said 2011 and I thought "nothing special about this ambient stuff, loads more of that exists". Then I realised it was actually made in 1975, which surprised me. I wouldn't listen to it again but it was definitely ahead of its time.

2.5 I know this is really influential and important but honestly I didn’t get a lot out of it. Oh well!

Interesting soundscapes. A little directionless, but there is intent. Another in a long, long list of historically important albums that don't hold up for me.

German ambient synth, cool stuff - JayDee sample on Sequent wow

I'm sure it was groundbreaking for its time, kept waiting for the beat to drop or somthing, nah its just all tension no realse, better ambient music out there.

Really incredible synth soundscapes on this record

Ah yeah... cue the random noise generator. Not for me

Artsy people on this site will have sophisticated opinions about this album. I’ll roll my eyes as I read them and then throw on some more Billy Joel.

Really not for me don’t know if I’m not a fan of ambient or just this but was so bored the whole way through nothing going on

One of those bands I kept meaning to listen to, have finally done it. It was ok.

I'm just going to rate the main song Phaedra because I don't have 2 and a half hours to listen to this (sorry, not sorry) This song is nuts and I can't wait to listen to this after smoking the devils lettuce AND (although not at the same time) while driving

2.5 - Meh

++: Phaedra, Moments of a Visionary, Sequent C' +: Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares 8,5/10

Beep boop

i mean i can listen to this. it's good background working music honestly

You have to be in the right mindset to really enjoy this. But I like it a lot. And I can hear so much influence on current music that it doesn't sound outdated at all.

Not as much fun as kraftwerk

4 dreamscape songs that would be good if you like that kinda stuff I guess.

very strange listen but enjoyable listening on drugs would be wacky crazy time this came out in the 70s holy moly , devil work