Tangerine Dream – Le Parc

This album lays the groundwork nicely for my personal favorite album Optical Race. That one was my first exposure to TD and as in most cases that one remains a favorite.

I remember it took me until around 1991 - five years after its initial release - to track down a copy on CD in the UK. It was actually a German import (in the "bargain bin" of London's Tower Records, for a mere three quid!). Looking at the multiple versions listed above, I see that Jive Electro, the UK label that the band was with at the time of the album's original release in 1985, apparently never did issue it on CD in the UK for some reason. That's despite the fact that the surrounding releases - "Green Desert", "Poland", "Underwater Sunlight", "Tyger" and "Live Miles" - *were* issued by them on CD in the UK. Weird!

Le Parc backwards spells El Crap, that pretty much says it all. Too many soundtracks had drained them of their creativity, marking the end for me of one of the most innovative bands.

Have loved this album since 1986 when I first heard it. It’s in top 5 TD albums for me no doubt. I still love it.

RSD states 1200 copies- is it correct m d e

Superb pressing, a real pleasure to listen ! I recommand it

A CLASSIC album from the pioneers of E/M. Something for everyone and a MUST listen.

When everyone refers to vapor wave now as some hot commodity. They should check this one out for some retro/futurism.

excellent remastering 24 bit/96 khz. after the vinyl the BEST edition for me.

Le Parc is the last album Johannes Schmoelling recorded with Tangerine Dream, having been a driving factor in the band's move from symphonic progressive electronic rock to new age synth-pop. In many ways, it epitomises that change perfectly, consisting of nine short numbers, largely led by catchy melodies. The pieces are so tightly structured as to remove almost all chance for the kind of improvisation that drove the band's music up to this point.

That first paragraph is very much a warning: this is a new Tangerine Dream; it also serves to explain why Poland is used as a cut-off point for many fans. Nevertheless, for those who enjoy poppier electronic music (Jean Michel Jarre would be a good comparison for much of this album), Le Parc comes highly recommended. Many of the pieces are written using a verse-chorus structure, such as the fun, bouncy Central Park, and the sentimental ballad Tiergarten. The title track is so catchy it should fall into the category of hit singles that never were. The concept of each piece being inspired by a park around the world fits the warmer, more 'human' feel to the music, as opposed to the more cosmic sounds of even their recent past.

In line with the rest of the albums from the Schmoelling era, Le Parc is a varied record, and not everything is a simple pop song. The moody Zen Garden is the probably the band's most truly 'ambient' sounding piece, with a gentle field recording and sparse Eastern sounding instrumentation; Gaudi Park is the most traditional TD sounding piece, reminiscent of 1983's Sphinx Lightning.

Like many, I was put off by the sound of Le Parc at first, but over time I've grown to appreciate how well written it is - if these weren't instrumentals, there'd probably be some '80s pop classics on here. As it is, the album has become one of my favourite Tangerine Dream records, and I recommend giving it a chance.