Electronic Meditation

Recording and history

The album was recorded in a rented factory in Berlin in October 1969, using just a two-track Revox tape recorder.

Electronic Meditation is the only Tangerine Dream album to feature the line-up of Edgar Froese, Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler. The 2002 CD reissue on Sanctuary Records revealed that there were two previously uncredited musicians: organist Jimmy Jackson and flautist Thomas Keyserling.

Content

Its style is a unique form of free jazz, electronic art music, and instrumental rock; or as Sound on Sound magazine described it, "free electronic rock". Its instrumentation ranges from conventional instruments such as the guitar, organ, drums, and cello to various custom-made electronic devices implemented by Edgar Froese and found sounds such as broken glass, burning parchment, and dried peas being shaken in a sieve. The backwards vocals at the end of side B are of Edgar Froese reading from the back of a ferry ticket from Dover to Calais. The original LP had a balloon inserted in the cover; the 2004 Japan CD release is a copy of the original LP cover and includes the balloon.

Reception

In its retrospective review, AllMusic wrote: "The album is not without its flaws, but it's strong in many ways and shows abundant promise".

Track listing

All tracks written by Edgar Froese, Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler..

Personnel