By the time "Hyperborea" came along in 1983, the TD line-up of Froese, Franke and Schmoelling was well established and was churning out high quality, original composition for film scores, live performances and the annual studio releases.

To be objective, there isn't a great deal of difference between "Hyperborea" and "White Eagle" (the previous studio album) from a sonic perspective; the same studio set-up, perhaps? There does seem to be more use of sampling (orchestra stabs and bells most noticeably) than on most TD albums,but it's never intrusive, certainly TD didn't embrace the Fairlight with as much enthusuasm as, say, Jarre!

"No Man's Land" has an Eastern flavour, synthetic sitar and toms working well together and slowly building to quite an intense ending (with the aforementioned orchestra stabs). This is the most radical track on the album, and the trick of taking an ethnic theme (in this case Indian) and synthesizing it was used later on the "Poland" album, with the Polish polka of "Tangents".

The title track is treading on "Cloudburst Flight" (from "Force Majeure") territory, and while the atmospheric theme works beautifully, the track is somewhat spoilt by the uninspired drum track. (Well, I did say it was almost flawless)!

"Cinnamon Road" is one of those 4 minuters that you get the feeling Johannes Schmoelling can knock out all day; catchy tune, strong voicings; one for the live encore!

The track that dominates the album, however, is the awesome "Sphinx Lightning". The opening chords are immensely powerful, this is the track that clearly inspired much of the "Poland" performance, with sounds and sequences from this track popping up all over the place on that album. From the dramatic opening we have one of the great sequences... ever! Similar in style to "Mojave Plan" from "White Eagle", but with strange vocoded voices lilting across the surface. Ten minutes through and the composition breaks down to a single melancholy sitar and introspective pad before the rhythm begins to resurface. Fans of Froese's solo work will recognise the opening sequence of "Pinnacles" in those watery droplets...

From here it's drama all the way; huge power chords and a soaring melody lead us to the climax; this is TD at their best. 20 minutes of ever changing themes, held together by ethereal meandering. For fans of the Schmoelling era, this is one of the defining moments. For further listening, try out the soundtracks from the same period; "Firestarter" and "Flaspoint" most notably, and for live genius, nothing tops "Poland".

I listened to this CD during a journey through the Austrian Alps a few years ago, and I found the music very stimulating. Taking a closer look, "Hyperborea" is just an arty patchwork of difficult anti-rhythms and well-known space-rock ingredients. And that's exactly the point why TD's early-'80s work is so attractive and easy to listen to. The title track with its slow, relentless beats and mighty synth sounds is impressive and corresponds to the cover image. "Cinnamon road" is sparkling and refreshing high-tech pop in the style of TD's early-'80s soundtracks like "Flashpoint" and "Risky business". "No man's land" and "Sphinx lightning" are densely percussive tracks with a somehow claustrophobic atmosphere. Although this album contains music which is as stiff and desolate as an Icelandic glacier, it's well-devised and enjoyable. After this, Schmoelling's departure proved to be a severe blow for TD's creativity. When Franke also quit a few years later, this once pioneering band had already slipped down into the realm of mediocre adult alternative music. So, I would say "Hyperborea" is TD's last album which shows some progressive elements.

The year 1983 marked the beginning of the very output-productive period in Tangerine Dream's career. Unlike in the past, the band worked continuously, having signed multiple contracts with filmmakers all over the world, and in addition toured many countries, and composed new studio music in the bargain. The workload never decreased, which was partially the reason for Chris Franke's abandonment of the band in 1987.

One might wonder if the quality of the new recordings was affected with the sheer number of soundtrack music often exceeding ten per year. While on average one might say that yes, this is exactly what happened, one must also admit that the best of issued albums were still pretty impressive, innovative and pioneering. "Hyperborea", recorded in late summer of 1983, is one of the high points of their 1980s career.

In fact, this album is nothing short of archetypal, since the musical trend it introduced influenced various musicians all over the world, and provided the sound "mainframe" for a significant number of albums directly following its publication. A few months later the band visited Poland and gave a series of live performances, also recorded and published by Jive Electro. These concerts featured themes from "Hyperborea", with the prevailing dark, nostalgic and reflexive mood, being one of the best concerts Tangerine Dream ever gave.

"Hyperborea" features four compositions. The third track reminds us of the previously recorded sterile albums of 1982, and as such is not too inventive. The introduction to the album is frivolous, featuring sampling of folk instruments. Never before and never after Tangerine Dream tried to repeat this experiment. Although the public had mixed feelings about it, I believe that from the almost 20-year perspective, the pluses outweigh the minuses. The most important compositions, however, are the second, title track, and the over twenty-minute long suite, 'Sphinx Lightning', which closes the album. The former is simply crystal beauty, one of the most romantic melodies ever recorded. The unique sound of Tangerine Dream, the originality of this melody, the feel - all this brought tears to eyes of audiophiles ever since. The title track is worth all the money you will pay for this CD. Eight minutes of bliss. As if it were not enough, the closing suite will bring you on your knees. Having turned the light off, you can completely get lost in thoughts. This album, along with the immediately following "Poland" - changed the way I thought about music, and changed my life altogether. You are startled out of your wits with the first forte accord, the keys hit hard in the powerful staccato. The 'lightning' strikes, one after one, and the surrounding sound overwhelms you completely, you have no choice but surrender to the feel of the gothic Tangerine Dream music in its very best. The atmosphere is denser by the minute, and finally the famous keyboard ostinato emerges from the confusion of melodies - to bring the good old times of the 70s. If you loved "Rubycon" and the instrumental suite on "Cyclone", you'll love this. Like a spinning F-16, you screw through the misty clouds, vibrating all the way, until the grand finale, when everything smoothes down, with another ten minutes of calm introspective music allowing you to recover your wits.

"Hyperborea" is a highly collaborative album with respect to actual composition. The musical outlook and preferences of each member of the band are reflected here in full swing. Schmoelling's classical training and preference for structured melodies is highly visible in the first half of the album. Edgar Froese's introspective tendencies are apparent in the very end of the 'Sphinx Lightning' suite, whereas Chris Franke's famous synthesizer ostinato and moody atmospheric music is in the heart of the album, making it stand out among other TD recordings of the time.

"Hyperborea" is one of the milestones in Tangerine Dream musical career, and it's a must have for collectors, at the same time being a perfect start for a newbie to the tangerine world of sound.

I first purchased this recording on cassette. I don't think CDs had been invented yet; they certainly were not common. Now I feel like I'm going to have to get "Hyperborea" on CD. This is easily one of my favorite TD recordings, and the title track by itself it reason enough to buy it: It's a slow, resonant, and very beautiful track that I cannot help but sing/hum along to. "No Man's Land" and "Cinnamon Road" are exotic tunes that are aptly titled, and "Sphinx Lightning" is a good example of the long, "shifting soundscape" format that the band no longer seems interested in. Above all, "Hyperborea" utilizes one of the broadest palettes of electronic sounds and effects of any TD effort. It's a truly inspired album that makes TD's most recent recordings seem rather vapid and even awkward by comparison. Somewhere along the way Tangerine Dream lost its muse; but before that happened, thankfully, there was "Hyperborea."

Hyperborea(1983). Tangerine Dream's 18th(?) studio album.

After indulging and pioneering the way throughout the 70s as an experimental free-form synth-score instrumental group, Germany's Tangerine Dream decided to start broadening their audience by adding in rhythm sequences and a more set structure to their themes. Force Majeure(1979) was the first real one to do this, but it wasn't until Exit(1981) that they started including more than 3-4 songs per album, sometimes shortening their lengths. During the early 80s synthesizer and keyboard technology were rapidly improving in quality, and oftentimes TD was frantically trying to keep up with the pace by releasing a multitude of albums in a rather short period of time. I've always enjoyed listening to their progress in both the sound and technology over the years, seeing as this electronic/rock group has existed since the late 60s.

While Exit and White Eagle(1982) both had a really high-reverb keyboard sound, by Hyperborea the technology had evened out somewhat, enabling a more fully exploitable array of sounds to be produced. Also, Hyperborea stands out a bit from the preceeding few and succeeding albums due to its more calming pace, though dark themes are still as prevalent as they had been at the time. Other sounds with cultural references to Middle-Eastern and West African instruments were starting to be incorporated into the music, so the keyboard themes are given plenty of breathing space for variety in tones. At times, the music can sound dated, but it's a bit less noticeable than some of the other albums. The feel given off by the album is that there is a dreamy and deep (sometimes dark, and other times melancholic) air all around, but when a frantic moment erupts from the calm its presence is felt to be contrasting and more powerful. I know all of this kind of sounds weird, but just listen to the album yourself and you'll also notice that the music here is very picturesque.

It begins with 'No Man's Land', the track bearing the most usage of this cultural instrument incorporation. In fact, most of the 9-minute opus is made up of these varying instruments. Other reviews here do a great job explaining which is what, so look there for more information. This is probably my least favorite track on here since it kind of drags toward the end, but that's not saying much because it still rules. Then there's the gloomy 8-minute title track which opens very powerfully with a ethereal keyboard melody and a dominatingly slow pace. Over time, it fades into a beat-driven ending section which to me sounds almost like a minor-take on the end of 'Kiev Mission's' ending section from Exit. 'Cinnamon Road' is Hyperborea's only short-length track, sporting a strong upbeat baseline and a catchy melody. It serves as this album's 'Midnight In Tula', 'Chorozon', or 'Le Parc - LA Streethawk' so to speak. Then we arrive at the final track, the masterpiece 'Sphinx Lightning' which spans about 20 minutes in length. It starts off with various synth flashes, and throughout the next 10 minutes or so it slowly builds up from an airy atmospheric distance into a more pulse-pounding rhythm array and strong keyboard line. It then calms down into a more somber and melodic low key, often reminiscent of Pink Floyd. Other instruments pop in at times, and then the song closes with a more optimistic finish, contrasting the dark passages of the beginning.

Replayability: Lower than some of the other albums, though it fits PERFECTLY if you're in the right mood for it.

Though Hyperborea may not be the best place for new TD fans to start, it's definitely well worth your time to look into once you've gotten your feet wet. Actually, if you prefer the more eerie and experimentally freeform styles of 70s TD, then Hyperborea may actually be a good place to transition the two eras due to the album's dreamy nature. It gets 4.5 stars easily, being that the album manages to last over 45 minutes even though there are technically only four tracks. It's not for everybody though, and some people may be put off by the sound, as indicated in some of the negative reviews, but Hyperborea is a somewhat forgotten and underrated gem in the vast TD back-catalogue. It was the final Virgin Years album after 10 years of collaboration, and so the Blue Years period would begin soon after (from Poland(1984) all the way up to Tyger(1987)). Find them cheap online somewhere due to the fact that the old and remastered cd editions seem to be out of print in most stores. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO TD FANS.

Other atmospheric TD albums:

-Phaedra(1974), Rubycon(1975), Stratosphere(1976), Force Majeure(1979), and Tangram(1980)

If you prefer 80s-styled TD, then get:

-Exit(1981), Thief(1981), White Eagle(1982), Logos(1982), Poland(1984), Le Parc(1985), Underwater Sunlight(1986), and Tyger(1987)