This box set of Tangerine Dream live performances is massive. It is spread across seven CDs and includes more than six hours of music. The dates of the shows range from 1976 to 1983. Most of this is instrumental, but there are vocals on a couple pieces. This is largely made up of epic pieces of music. It's generally of the keyboard dominated, electronic sound that one expects from Tangerine Dream, but there is definitely quite a bit of range here. While this is supposed to be a collection of bootleg recordings, the audio quality is a lot better than that suggests. I can heartily recommend this set to fans of Tangerine Dream. The discs all come in cardboard sleeves, and it's a packaged in a nice cardboard clamshell box.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023  Volume 3 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

This piece runs more than 34-and-a-half minutes. Rising up mellow and melodic, the electronic keyboard textures paint an almost symphonic picture as they swirl about. Piano and other instruments join after a time. This is very much of the electronic music school. It has plenty of intriguing melodies and sounds here. This gets quite involved and powerful further down the road, while still building on the same themes and textures. It really feels soaring. There are some swirling parts later that bring an almost siren sound along with some space rock. It definitely turns toward Hawkwind space zones during that section. The cut continues to evolve from there, and at times feels more soundtrack like. There is a definite symphonic quality.

Spacey elecrronic textures bring this in. The track begins to resemble soundtrack music. We're taken into more standard electronic instrumental zones as it continues. This is much more purely keyboard oriented than the last couple tracks were. This carries in a rather straight line way, but still manages some surprises. This is 17 minutes of Tangerine Dream goodness.

Trippy keyboards bring get this one going. The track is still in epic zones at almost 13-and-a-half minutes. In fact, it's the longest piece on this third disc of the set. It works out in freaky, but cool space weirdness. It definitely feels like something that would have been at home as the music to an old episode of "Doctor Who" to me. This eventually works out to more of a killer electronic space rock jam that has elements of Pink Floyd and Hawkwind as reference points.

This redefines epic, running over 43 minutes long. It starts in a very classical, but also chaotic way with crazed piano. That works through for a while, and then we get into more of a melodic progressive rock jam from there. This works through a number of shifts and turns. It gets driving and classy. It's very electronic, but also feels more like a band treatment than some of the other pieces do. This piece contains such a wide swath of sound. It also includes some great melodies and electronic space rocking moments in parts of it. It turns toward more hard rocking zones, but still quite electronic and space oriented after the half way mark. That section definitely makes me think of Hawkwind. There is some smoking hot guitar work later in a jam that has a much more traditional prog meets jam band vibe to it. There are still some of those Hawkwind hints in there, though. More driving Hawkwind like sounds are heard later and there are some vocals, but they are more spit out and indiscernible and rather far back in the mix. That section drives onward but is eventually replaced by something a bit like noisy space soundtrack oddities. A more melodic piano-led movement takes over at the end to create the final moments.

Trippy stuff brings this into being. The cut grows out from there with something that's electronic and artsy, but at times almost funky, too. This is another piece that runs around ten-and-a-half minutes long. This works through as a classy sort of groove with plenty of electronic and space rock elements at play as it continues. There are some hints of world music at times on this track, and it works through some cool space sections. It gets into a mellower groove further down the road, turning even more sedate with a chiming based sort of section at the end.

The epic of this CD (at nearly 27 minutes long) starts this. It comes in percussive with a lot of real experimental weirdness at play. This gradually coalesces into more traditional electronic prog jamming. This continues to grow from there. Some of the sounds that come across make me think of early Pink Floyd, while the elements in the background holding it down feel more like traditional electronic prog. It gets driving and inspired as it carries on. This really gets quite intense. Around the half way mark space keys take control, bringing a real science fiction vibe with them. Then we get a percussion solo section. As other instruments join this begins to groove in a cool electronic way and then turns more melodic. The percussive and electronic concepts merge as it works forward. After evolving for a time, it drops down to a particularly mellow movement. It then begins a growing process from there, getting back into familiar themes and territory. Some mysterious keyboard sounds take over for the closing movement, feeling like something from a science fiction movie soundtrack.

The final disc is made up of one track that's about 37-minutes long. It comes in fairly mellow and builds upward gradually with a sense of mystery to it. There are some cool textures that emerge during this fairly ambient evolution. This gets into territory that has real sense of the absurd to it. There are some vocals along with a real percussive element. It works to more mainstream electronic music from there, with the vocals exiting. It drops downward, and then an almost symphonic sound starts to rise upward. The cut gradually works out to another keyboard based movement. This portion has a real sense of drama and magic. That section gives way to a somewhat mellower one. It sort of drops down to almost a false ending before keyboard sounds rise up to continue. This continues to grow and evolve from there in a decidedly classy electronic way. There are some great energetic moments along this road. Some of the melodies on this are particularly powerful, while the energy and driving concepts really help to propel it. This gets into much mellower melodic keyboard zones as it continues beyond that portion.