1978's Cyclone is often maligned by many Tangerine Dream fans. The reason for that were the inclusion of vocals. At this point, Peter Baumann was gone, releasing the occasional solo album (like Trans-Harmonic Nights and Repeat Repeat), and eventually in charge of the Private Music label (in which TD recorded for during the late '80s/early '90s). Two new members came in. Klaus Krieger on drums, and Steve Jolliffe on wind instruments and vocals. Jolliffe was once a member of the old British blues-rock band Steamhammer, and apparently a member of TD in 1968, before they ever got to record. Here the band decided to go for a more prog rock album, thanks to the inclusion of vocals. "Bent Cold Sidewalk" shows that. The vocals are pretty peculiar, and that's what throws many off. The middle part of this piece is more typical Tangerine Dream, dominated by Franke's sequenced synthesizer. "Rising Runner Missed by Endless Sender" isn't as bad as some say it is. It has this pulsing rhythm, with string synths, and again vocals. The side-length "Madrigal Meridian" is what saves this album, even to detractors. No vocals here, it's basically an electronic piece as you expect TD to do. A lot better than some say it is. If you like their music and don't mind vocals, get this album.

In late 1977 Edgar Froese, the founding father of Tangerine Dream was very busy, indeed. At the time he recorded yet another of his solo album, and looked hard for replacement of the irreplaceable, namely Peter Baumann. Since the motto of Tangerine Dream in the 70s was - experiment, innovation and spontaneity, he decided to employ two new members of the band, momentarily diverting from the unspoken rule that Tangerine Dream was, is, and shall remain a trio. Perhaps there is nothing extraordinary in the mere fact of expanding the band, but considering its history, the changes were indeed revolutionary. Why? The new members were: Klaus Krieger, a drummer, who played a standard jazz hand-made percussion, and Steve Joliffe, a vocalist and multiinstrumentalist, who used a new generation of Fairlight synthesizers, and played analog instruments like bass and tenor horns, bass and alto flutes, piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet, and grand piano.

Although yet again Tangerine Dream had a member playing flute, the sound of Tangerine Dream Anno Domini 1978 did not resemble their previous recordings. The compositions on "Cyclone", which was recorded in early 1978, are more aggressive than ever, more rock-oriented, while still complex and touching. The album was a shock for the electronic community. Ever since the audience has been divided - for "Cyclone" is a very controversial album. The attitude has been: love it, or hate it. Most of the audience objected the introduction of vocals, and even the essence of the Joliffe lyrics was objectionable to most. Still, the album is very coherent - it might be even christened a concept album, the expression we usually associate with Pink Floyd. Perhaps it's not a coincidence, for the first two tracks slightly resemble the older songs by that famous British group. The resemblance is slight, for the vocals are unique, while the overall impression is that of originality.

The album withstood the flow of time, and is still considered among the very best that the band ever conceived. This is also due to the multiinstrumental fugue of 'Madrigal Meridian', the last and the longest, purely instrumental composition on the album. There, the excellence of the musicians shows and we cannot help but admire the perfection with which the track was recorded and performed. Just like in the old times of "Stratosfear", the composition is multithreaded, albeit much more dynamic - it features melodies, ostinata, solos of various instruments interlaced together in the fugue. This is the work of genius, indeed.

Usually it's the case that the artists try to develop their own, unique sound. This certainly applies to Tangerine Dream, but how many artists, how many bands can boast of so many innovative, unique compositions that have little in common? In the 70s, Tangerine Dream produced many albums, each of which could be considered as the discovery of new lands, of new ways to express the mind. Each one could be very well followed by a few epigone albums, just as is so often the case with other artists. Tangerine Dream were not the slaves of their own work, of their own success - not in the 70s. Within such a short time, they invented, expanded, and created the whole universe of music, the whole genre. No one before or after was able to match their originality, even the band itself in later years. "Cyclone" is one of the unforgettable masterpieces, whether you like the vocals or not. Personally, I love them.

I bought this Tangerine Dream album on vinyl less than a week ago and it simply blew my mind. From the first chords of "Bent Cold Sidewalk", I was simply hypnotized by the beautiful blend of analog synths, sequencers, drums and acoustic instruments. I was completely unfamiliar with the work of this seminal german band, but became an instant fan.

What is perhaps most impressive about this album is the manner it segues and mutates. Every track is a gem unto itself, a trip into spacy territory that reminds me of the Ozric Tentacles and such, but with a distinctly german edge. The moody synths, drums and acoustic instruments create a near-psychedelic yet crisp soundscape that wraps you in tendrils of electronic sound that you will not soon forget.

Maybe this album's trippy sound is not for everyone, but if you have patience, an open mind and open ears, this album will prove itself to be an experience that will not leave your stereo (or your brain) for days.

The previous reviews only go to show the difference in musical taste people have. I myself as a fan of music from minimalism/soul/jazz/folk/pop (and also a pianist/synthesist) find this to be the most satisfying TD CD for a number of reasons.

My first concern with TD was that they weren't fantastically equipped musicians with great soloing chops. Most of their work previous (and some may argue since!) revolved around very simple pentatonic lines (that even a five year old on a Bontempi could do!) that were frequently played very loosely but then that was part of the character I suppose, and I loved what they were doing anyway as it gave me the courage to follow my own convictions.

With this recording that changed, Steve Joliffes folk/jazz woodwind contribution is remarkable.. his lines evoke wonderful pictures of forests and old english imagery. To me it is essentially a Steve Joliffe recording he is the star of this CD and thats probably why most TD fans don't like it. TD fans can be a fickle bunch, completely obsessed with the band and their recordings frequently not seeing the wider musical picture and other artists and other musical genres. That was certainly me during the 80s and I see the same thing in TD fans now. Mores the pity really as there is a lot of good music out there if they could only see past TD.

Anyway back to the tracks(!), the first track opens with some vocoder and some progressive rock style vocals. I think possibly they had been listening to a lot of Jon Anderson and Yes by this stage! Theres some lovely Mellotron brass lines and Solina String Ensemble work which gives into some wonderful sequencer passages and lively chiffy flute work, oboe, soprano sax etc.. all by Mr Jolliffe.. absolutely killer stuff.. and his vocal shouts are just magnificent.. I love it.. really expressive and just going for it and putting his whole heart into it like a true jazzer should.

The 2nd track is a really aggressive almost punky track with some wonderful chugging sequencing work, dodgy vocals and wonderful synth FX thru echo and the obligatory Solina String Ensemble! Still great.. would probably have made a good single!

The final track is a real masterpiece, more Mellotron brass and sequencing which the drummer finds hard to keep in sync with but sounds fine anyhow. Great fast sequencer passages over Lyricon lines make for some wonderful and magical moments... this then gives into one of Edgars best guitar solos on record and this then goes into more Steve Joliffe woodwind.. which is just bleedin epic... theres a passge where the drums fade out and the overdubbed woodwinds and synths are all that is left.. absolutely beautiful work...

Really fantatsic stuff.. I've never heard any band do stuff like this before or since, it really is a unique recording.

So there you have it, my fav TD CD of all time.. like it or loathe it, its got some really unique moments that I think anyone with a wide appreciation of music (people who listen to a broad range of music not just Electronic material) would enjoy.

And then this band went onto make Rockoon..... oh dear! ;-)

Given the year this album was released (1978), it is really no surprise that Tangerine Dream wanted to move beyond the cosmic, "drifting through space" of their previous works and try their hand at musical styles including New Wave. Unfortunately, this experimentation came at some cost and not unlike the major English prog bands of the time that tried the same thing, failed. Oddly though, Tangerine Dream was also moving in a symphonic direction that had the faintest aroma of prog to it - for example, on Cyclone a rock drummer is featured and (gasp!) a singer.

The singer (Steve Joliffe) employed a style that would have been more appropriate on the Sex Pistols album or a Circle Jerks album than as accompaniment to the symphonic soundscapes of Tangerine Dream. That means he is more often than not out of key (sometimes horribly so) and has a ragged texture to his voice. It really is unfortunate because the three pieces on this album are not all that bad (the first two tracks feature vocals) and the epic (20'28") instrumental Madrigal Meridian stands among Tangerine Dreams finer pieces written during the late 1970s. I think that stylistically, the 5'00" Rising Runner Missed by Endless Sender features the most New Wave-ish tendencies with its pulsating electronic beat and Steve's vocals. This is also the weakest track on the album in my opinion. Although this may paint a pretty bleak picture, all is not lost. There are some nice moments on both Bent Cold Sidewalk (13'05") and Madrigal Meridian, and there are loads of moody sounding analog synthesizers that should please most fans.

I will admit that when I first listened to this album, I disliked it "intensely" and after a single listening, put it back on the shelf in between Encore (Tangerine Dream Live) (1977) and Force Majeure (1979). However, after repeated listening, I found that the album is not all that bad, although it is certainly far below the high standard of most of their albums.

Although it pains me to say this, I can't really recommend Cyclone very highly, although hardcore Tangerine Dream fans (like me) will want to have this album. For those of you that are new to the band, check out Phaedra (1974); Rubycon (1975); and Tangram (1980) before coming here.