Zeit
Encyclopedia
Zeit is the third album by the German
electronic music
group Tangerine Dream
. A double LP, it was the first release featuring Peter Baumann
, who joined Chris Franke
and Edgar Froese
.
tone is similar to ex-member Klaus Schulze
's solo album Irrlicht
(released the same month) as it stemmed from a common idea that Schulze and Froese couldn't agree on and parted ways about. Florian Fricke
from the Munich
-based group Popol Vuh
, playing Moog synthesizer
, and four cellists appear on the first track. The album cover depicts a solar eclipse
.
As explained by Paul Russell for the 2002 reissue, "Zeit, which means 'time', was based on the philosophy that time was in fact motionless and only existed in our own minds." And concluding, "Without doubt Zeit is a Krautrock master work still capable of surprises without having to shock. The album which took the band to the edge of international recognition, still sounds timeless 30 years on."
Devotees of dark ambient
music often refer to it as being one of the first (and perhaps finest) examples of the genre.
The sound of the two releases is also strikingly different, the original Relativity release having a much brighter and more detailed sound. The Castle release was remastered from the original master tapes over a decade later and there seems to have been a deterioration in quality since then, as it exhibits a notably muddier and bottom-heavy sound. The double CD set has a light blue border on the front and back covers.
The 2011 release includes a second CD with the November 25, 1972 Klangwald concert at Cologne
WDR
Sendesaal in Germany, previously released as Tangerine Tree
52: Cologne 1972.
Tangerine Dream
With guest musicians
Technical
Graphical
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
group Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
. A double LP, it was the first release featuring Peter Baumann
Peter Baumann
Peter Baumann formed the core line-up of the German electronic group Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke in 1971. While touring with the band, Baumann composed his first solo album in 1976...
, who joined Chris Franke
Chris Franke
Chris Franke is an experimental poet from Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. His work includes concrete poetry, sound poetry, performance poetry, and various forms of conventional poetry. He has performed as a member of the Endangered Species Trio as a reader of his poetry to harp and flute...
and Edgar Froese
Edgar Froese
Edgar Wilmar Froese is a German artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for founding the electronic music group, Tangerine Dream. Although his solo and group recordings prior to 2003 name him as "Edgar Froese", his solo albums from 2003 onward bear the artist name "Edgar W. Froese".Froese...
.
Overview
The style of this album is slower and more atmospheric than their previous albums. Its atmospheric drone musicDrone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
tone is similar to ex-member Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze is a German electronic music composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried. He was briefly a member of the electronic bands Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across five decades.-1970s:In...
's solo album Irrlicht
Irrlicht (album)
-Notes:*On vinyl, "Ebene" and "Gewitter" were combined into one 29:00 long track.*"Satz" is the German word for the musical term "movement", therefore "1. Satz" is German for "1st Movement"...
(released the same month) as it stemmed from a common idea that Schulze and Froese couldn't agree on and parted ways about. Florian Fricke
Florian Fricke
Florian Fricke was a German musician who started his professional career with electronic music using the Moog synthesizer within the Krautrock group Popol Vuh...
from the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
-based group Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh (German band)
Popol Vuh was a German electronic avantgarde band, in the mainstream-media so called Krautrock, founded by pianist and keyboardist Florian Fricke in 1969 together with Holger Trülzsch and Frank Fiedler...
, playing Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
, and four cellists appear on the first track. The album cover depicts a solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
.
As explained by Paul Russell for the 2002 reissue, "Zeit, which means 'time', was based on the philosophy that time was in fact motionless and only existed in our own minds." And concluding, "Without doubt Zeit is a Krautrock master work still capable of surprises without having to shock. The album which took the band to the edge of international recognition, still sounds timeless 30 years on."
Devotees of dark ambient
Dark ambient
Dark ambient is a subgenre of ambient music that features foreboding, ominous, or discordant overtones. Although it had its roots in the 1970s, Dark ambient emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with the introduction of newer, smaller, and more affordable Effects units, synthesizer and sampling technology...
music often refer to it as being one of the first (and perhaps finest) examples of the genre.
Running times and releases
Before the 2002 reissue there were two common releases on CD: a single CD release and a double CD set. The single CD release from Castle Music Ltd in 1999 has catalog number CMACD 555. The double CD set from Relativity in 1987 has catalog number 88561-8070-2, and is slightly longer by a few seconds, mainly due to longer inter-track gaps.The sound of the two releases is also strikingly different, the original Relativity release having a much brighter and more detailed sound. The Castle release was remastered from the original master tapes over a decade later and there seems to have been a deterioration in quality since then, as it exhibits a notably muddier and bottom-heavy sound. The double CD set has a light blue border on the front and back covers.
The 2011 release includes a second CD with the November 25, 1972 Klangwald concert at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
WDR
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
Sendesaal in Germany, previously released as Tangerine Tree
Tangerine Tree
Tangerine Tree was a project from 2002 through 2006 that was dedicated to the collection, preservation and distribution of unreleased concerts and other audio material by the band Tangerine Dream. The creators of the Tangerine Tree project received permission from Tangerine Dream to release the...
52: Cologne 1972.
Track listing
Personnel
MusicalTangerine Dream
- Edgar FroeseEdgar FroeseEdgar Wilmar Froese is a German artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for founding the electronic music group, Tangerine Dream. Although his solo and group recordings prior to 2003 name him as "Edgar Froese", his solo albums from 2003 onward bear the artist name "Edgar W. Froese".Froese...
– sound generators, gliss guitar - Peter BaumannPeter BaumannPeter Baumann formed the core line-up of the German electronic group Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke in 1971. While touring with the band, Baumann composed his first solo album in 1976...
– keyboards, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, VCS3 - Christopher FrankeChristopher FrankeChristopher Franke is a German musician and composer. From 1971 to 1988 he was a member of the electronic group Tangerine Dream. Initially a drummer with The Agitation, later renamed Agitation Free, his primary focus eventually shifted to keyboards and synthesizers as the group moved away from its...
– keyboards, cymbals, VCS3
With guest musicians
- Florian FrickeFlorian FrickeFlorian Fricke was a German musician who started his professional career with electronic music using the Moog synthesizer within the Krautrock group Popol Vuh...
– Moog synthesizer on "Birth of Liquid Pleijades" - Steve Schroyder – OrganOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
outro on "Birth of Liquid Pleijades" - The Cologne Cello Quartet — Cello intro on "Birth of Liquid Plejades"
- Christian Vallbracht
- Joachim von Grumbcow
- Hans Joachim Brüne
- Johannes Lücke
Technical
- Dieter DierksDieter DierksDieter Dierks is a German record producer mostly known for his collaboration with the rock band Scorpions.- Youth :...
– Recording engineer
Graphical
- Edgar FroeseEdgar FroeseEdgar Wilmar Froese is a German artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for founding the electronic music group, Tangerine Dream. Although his solo and group recordings prior to 2003 name him as "Edgar Froese", his solo albums from 2003 onward bear the artist name "Edgar W. Froese".Froese...
– Cover art - Monique Froese – Cover and sleeve photography