EDGAR FROESE THE THING WITH TWO HERDS

EDGAR FROESE THE THK1G LUITH TWO HERDS

ROBERT OUnCRR

BY

With his heavy German accent and low, measured tones Edgar Froese sounds remarkably like Henry Kissinger. Not that that matters. Edgar Froese is leader of Tangerine Dream, a popular German band that is part of a "new wave" of "Euro-rockers" currently invading the U.S. Not that that matters either, at least for now. Because Edgar, is more eager to speak of the Invention.

"It took three years to develop at a German technical university. Doctors vere trying to analyze ze causes and find ze cure for a medical problem vith ze ears. I heard about ze Artificial Head from friends at university."

Artificial head, huh? Catchy. Digging deeper into Edgar's prepared speech about the Head, one discovers that it's a lifesize black rubber replica of a human head sans brains with a nose, a mouth, and condenser microphones for ears. The thing was designed for hearing experiments and is supposed to accurately approximate human hearing, in that the entire Head vibrates in response to sounds, just like the real organic McCoy. Edgar saw this thing as a boon to recording in that it "heard" accurately, or rather, humanly.

So Edgar strapped a tape deck onto his back, plugged in the Artificial Head, and paraded around Berlin with both his heads held high taping traffic noises. Thus was born the Revolutionary Artificial Head System of recording. Edgar maintains that the traffic noises incorporated into his new album sound different than any stereo or quad traffic noises. No longer does the sound travel through the listener's head, but, rather, travels 360 degrees around, and is heard outside the head. Be sure to listen on headphones, adds Edgar. Also, be sure not to hold your breath in anticipation of the clear light. The Revolutionary Artificial Head System is, at best, an extremely precise refinement of recording techniques, and, at worst, WHAT?!?! Not that any of that really matters (if it does, you heard it first here), because the point is actually Edgar's music.

His solo album is called Aqua, and you can't exactly dance to it. Synthesizer, organ, mellotron, guitar, and taped effects all thrown together in a slow, somewhat mesmerizing melange reminiscent of a nighttime cruise down the Ulne with the Transylvanian Somnambulant Choir. As electronic mood music goes, it's not bad. But beyond that, the Revolutionary Artificial Head System is all that's revolutionary here.

Aqua is Edgar's first solo album. At the same time he continues to play with Tangerine Dream. Back in the mid-60s Tangerine Dream was a popular five piece rock "n" roll band doing mqch the same thing as all the rest of the bands in Germany, then and now — trying to imitate their favorite English or American group. Over the years two of the band members left, and Edgar became bored with rock V roll,' as he still is, calling it "a bit silly." Edgar's idea for a change-of-pace was to continue Tangerine Dream as a trio without drums and play improvised electronic music. Edgar cites the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Zappa, and Pink Floyd as the immediate inspiration for the band's move into less structured music. But, unlike before, the present music does not sound anything like other bands. Edgar's percussion-less improvisations are very far removed from the raucous, cacophonic rock jams we have become accustomed to. It doesn't sound like improvisation. If it resembles anything, it is Pink Floyd or the quieter moments of the Dead's "Dark Star."

The music is improvised because, Edgar feels this puts some much-needed spontaneity into the music, which tends to become, like the rest of electronics, cool and mathematical. Edgar feels his music reaches audiences on a more visceral level. He's right that it reaches them. Tangerine Dream's Phaedra did hover fairly high in the album charts for a while. But, though it might not be as frenetic and gimmicky as much of electronic music, Phaedra, like Aqua, displays little emotional range, remaining fairly slow-moving and lacking dynamics, pervaded by solemnity* throughout.

What Edgar and the band may be doing right for audiences is this. As electronic music becomes more widely accepted, if not popular, Edgar and Tangerine Dream are satisfying a yen for electronic music that is accessible. The music on Phaedra and Aqua contains no real experimentation and is thinly textured so that each part can be easily followed. Listening to these records could certainly allay any fears of being intimidated by electronic music. And, if ndthing else, after that, these albums can provide a mildly stimulating, certainly unobtrusive background.

The Revolutionary Artificial Head System may be something. I'll reserve judgment in case one of you recording freaks out there actually notices a big difference. But otherwise, Edger Froese and Tangerine Dream do not come across as outstanding, either as electronic composers or performers. And though Edgar notes Debussy and Lizst as his two greatest influences, he hasn't yet reached as high a plateau in even the pop-classical vein as his associate in the genre (who also happens to be on the same label), Mike Oldfield — let alone those two older dudes. Edgar's a very serious guy. Physically, he's also a very big guy. But does that matter? All I know is two heads or none, I just ain't scared . .. yet.