This album features a recording of about a half of the Tangerine Dream's performance in East Berlin on January 31st, 1980. Unfortunately, the second half of this magnificent concert was not included. However, what is included exceeds any expectations. It's an absolute masterpiece of this band, one of the memorable albums that appeal to almost everyone who has ever listened to them.

"Pergamon" compiles whatever is best in their music, namely experimentation, feeling, dynamism, nostalgia, melodies, chaos, thoughtful passages, vibrating ostinata, and the unique element, which may only be attributed to their ingeniousness. I would give everything to be present then and there, and lose myself in pure bliss of their live music.

The concert begins with a grand piano intro, played solo by Johannes Schmoelling on Steinway piano. When the melody slowly fades away, with the nostalgic fortissimo giving way to delicate pianissimo, other instruments come into play, creating one of the most touching and beautiful moments ever recorded. Pure Fantasy of Sound. Indeed, 'Quichotte I', the first movement on the album, is a perfect companion for reading books, which involve you personally. The reading experience is somewhat augmented.

The first movement features motifs from "Tangram", an album recorded a few weeks before the gig, and still in production at the time. However, in their best tradition, there is only an echo, a distant memory of the studio album, intertwined in their passion for experiment. The second movement is an over 20-minute-long passage of dynamic duo of Edgar Froese's guitar and the synthesizers. Yes, the famous ostinato is here in its perfect, crystal beauty.

It's useful to use a loop function in your player. You just can't get enough of this music. It's also their last album from the classic period, which only emphasizes its importance in the history of music. Highly recommended.

This disc is classic Tangerine Dream from their glory days (i.e. before they started sounding like just another rock band!) "Pergamon" is a remastered release of the 'Quichotte' set, recorded live at TD's concert at the Palast der Republik in East Berlin on 31st January 1980. This concert represented Johannes Schmoelling's first outing with the band (as well as the first concert of any western rock band in an Eastern Bloc venue!) and accordingly features as extended electronic piano solo from Schmoelling as its opening. It also features all the other things you'd expect from a TD concert: moody synth chords, distinctive synth and sequencer programming, and soaring Edgar Froese guitar riffs. Basically, in fact, Pergamon is a good solid example of the way Tangerine Dream gigs used to be: an interesting, continuous (and continuously developing) set, comprised of mostly improvised material played around themes from earlier TD music ('Stratosfear' prominent amongst it) and works in progress (principally 'Tangram Set 2', here). The only disappointment is that this is a straight remastering of the version that was released on black vinyl back in 1986, so retains the clumsy break for a side-change that was necessary for release of the music in that medium (as well as only 45 minutes of music--usual for the time, of course). Surely the side-break could have been dispensed with during the remastering for CD? This is particularly annoying when the cover crows about how an original artwork has been faithfully restored and a bootleg tape of the concert is in circulation to shows up how clumsy this edit is. Fans of late 70s, early 80s TD needn't hestitate to buy this, though. Great stuff!

I bought 3 TD cd's today (Alpha Centuri,Atem,Pergamon) and this by far is the best. The first track is worth the price alone, what can I say about Quichotte 1? Schmoelling begins this masterpiece with a beautiful piano solo. Even my girlfriend agreed it was beautiful (and she doesn't like TD). This piece is 23:16 long, which may seem lengthy but it's perfect, the song isn't rushed, it has time to grow and evolve into something much more complex then the piano solo that the song started with. I could use a bunch of descriptive words to describe the song but I couldn't do it justice. So I'll leave the song be. But I'll say this, if you buy it you won't disappointed

I own 26 TD discs and this is the most exquisite listening experience. This classic pre-dates the fall of the Berlin wall and is pure ectasy in every regard.

Those fans of the movie Wavelength will especially appreciate this work.

Pergamon is a live Tangerine Dream album that was recorded in East Berlin, 1980, shortly after Schmoelling was introduced to the band. One can hear elements of previous albums, such as Tangram, but there are exploratory passages that are unique to this album, that make the work stand apart. Thankfully, Franke was still in the band, and his signature sound, haunting and mysterious, is heard throughout, giving it an industrial air that will please fans of Rubicon. There's a lot of clever percussion, and at times one wonders if it will eventually overcome the musical elements of the album. The recording is not as crisp as TD's other live albums, such as Dominion, but each voice is distinctly heard and, overall, it is completely listenable. Listen to it before you buy it: fans will probably enjoy it very much, but newcomers may want to get more accoustomed to the TD sound before jumping in.