Peter Baumann - Romance 76 (c) 1990 Virgin
Artist....: Peter Baumann
Album.....: Romance 76
Type......: Album
Source....: CDDA
Tracks....: 06
Genre.....: Electronic
Label.....: Virgin
Catalogue#: CDV 2069
Encoder...: LAME 3.97
Quality...: VBR kbps / 44.1KHz / Joint-Stereo
URL.......: http://www.discogs.com/release/662133
Tracklist:
----------
01 Bicentennial Presentation 04:52
02 Romance 06:09
03 Phase By Phase 07:42
04 Meadow Of Infinity Part 1 03:49
05 The Glass Bridge 03:46
06 Meadow Of Infinity Part 2 06:46
Total:44,4 MB / 33:04 min
Release Notes:
--------------
While still a member of Tangerine Dream, Peter Baumann released his
first solo album, Romance '76. It's not far removed from the music that
TD was making at the time -- in fact, references to Rubycon, Ricochet,
and Stratosfear pop up in various places -- but Baumann's arrangements
have an added clarity and directness. On a song like "Phase by Phase,"
the results can seem circumspect, and too much open space allows the
listener's attention to seep out through the cracks. But the rest of
the record finds Baumann expertly controlling what he wants the
listener to hear. For example, "Romance" introduces new sounds
carefully and for calculated effect, a style that would reappear on the
Baumann-produced Grosses Wasser by Cluster. This and the opening
"Bicentennial Present" are remarkably accessible for electronic music
from the '70s -- the latter especially feels like the best parts of
"Stratosfear" distilled -- but never at the expense of sounding trite.
Baumann shows off different styles of electronic music on the first
three tracks, only to challenge the listener's expectations all over
again with the semi-classical "Meadow of Infinity." Mixing orchestral
instruments (cellos, human voices, percussion) and electronics, the
composer creates a tone poem using only the sounds he needs to describe
the action. In many ways, "Meadow of Infinity" (along with "The Glass
Bridge," which connects the two parts) transcends what Tangerine Dream
was able to do, taking greater control over the listener's journey from
point A to B by eliminating extraneous sounds. Of course, listeners
won't be surprised that Romance '76 is less cluttered than a Tangerine
Dream album from this period, but that it produces the same effect
without the sequencers and layers of synthesizers is a minor
revelation. Definitely a good choice for TD fans who want to broaden
their horizons without getting suckered into 30 minutes of hum or
Euro-disco.
-allmusic