These are interesting and honest thoughts. I agree very much that Miracle Mile is a gem of a soundtrack album. It has mood, great melodies, and a real sense of two musicians working beautifully together. Also the music is rather poignant if one has actually watched the great film directed by Bobby Roth.

I do not dislike Melrose, but it did seem at the time it came out to have rather less sparkle, let's say, than Lily on the Beach and Optical Race. There is a softness about that album in places, an uneven quality...still, the best tracks on the album remain inspiring today. I always loved Dolls in the Shadow, for instance.

Seems like the right time to say that in my opinion Melrose is one of TD's best albums. No weak tracks. I never get tired of it.

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http://www.last.fm/user/Insvims

In respect of Miracle Mile, this is one of the albums I have been underwhelmed with. I must give it another spin.

I quite like Melrose and it has to be said, again, Turn of The Tides is an important TD album for me, kept me in touch with the band in my years away and I like it very much.

This thread just goes to show that the entire fan base has differing opinions on what is best and not so good. The volume of work that Tangerine Dream has produced is literally staggering. There is so much to listen to and explore.

It's the 70 s for me though . Has also to be said much of the most recent work has been of an outstanding quality. What a legacy !!!!

Miracle Mile is directed by Steve de Jarnatt, not Bobby Roth.

I don't agree at all about Electric Lion. One of my favorite tracks ever.

And I really like the Melrose album. Perhaps not as intensely as before, but I still like it. It's far better than Optical Race for instance.

Absolutely. I know a lot of fans like the 90s and J's input. I actually liked Rockoon a bit when it was new, but it hasn't aged well.



Without a doubt.



Optical Race is by no means a perfect album but the best tracks on it far outweigh anything I heard on Melrose that's able to engage me, i.e. not skip over. "Mothers of Rain," "Sungate" and "The Midnight Trail" easily elevate Optical Race above Melrose. I have to add that Lily on the Beach is also better. The title track, "Mount Shasta," "Valley of the Kings" and that "Chinchilla" track are great.

For me, the Melrose years are sort of a roller coaster ride.

In my opinion, "Optical Race" was the high point. I found it to be a refreshing turning point in TD's musical style and found the album warm and electrifying. "Mothers Of Rain" continues to be one of my all-time favorite TD tracks. "Sun Gate", "Turning Off the Wheel", "Midnight Trail", and "Cat Scan" are all, IMHO, amazing and expertly-crafted compositions. It is difficult to find a low-point on this album. Not every single track is a masterpiece, but even the "lesser" tracks are still pretty damn fantastic.

"Lily On the Beach" was a bit of a disappointment for me. Only two tracks really grabbed me; "Too cold for My Chinchilla" and "Alaskan Summer". As a whole, I felt that the album sounded a bit "cartoonish"; as if it were the background music to some zany, wacky cartoon. I found that "Lily" lacked any "warm-sounding" lows. It was all highs and treble; almost like I was listening to music being played from inside of a tin can. For me, most of the tracks lacked any sincerity or depth.

When I first listened to "Melrose", I said aloud to myself, "The magic is back!" Although not as good as Optical Race (IMHO), I felt that "Melrose" brought back those warm, atmospheric sounds that "Lily" lacked so much. "Electric Lion", "Dolls In the Shadow", and "Yucatan" (WOW!) were tracks that stood out to me and have stayed with me for 25 years now.

As for "Miracle Mile", I found it to be an amazing soundtrack. "After the Call" and "People In the News" both make the hair stand up on the back of my neck when I hear them. Although, technically the same song, I find "People In the News" to be the superior version with much more emotional impact. Again, just my own personal take on it.

To sum up the Melrose Years, for ME, I would put these releases in the ascending order of likeability:

Lily On the Beach
Melrose
Miracle Mile
Optical Race

Peace

In regards to the "Lily" songs I listed above, the song title I wrote keeps reading "Too cold for My Chinchilla".

I kept editing my post, but each time I did, the word cold appeared instead of cold.

Very odd.

cold cold cold

cold cold cold

I give up.

Apparently the forum does not like the word "H O T".

When you type the word in, it comes out as "cold" automatically.

A ghost in the machine, perhaps?

Edgar, is that you?

What happens if you type 'cold' in - do you get 'h o t'?

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Biggus Dickus

Obviously you don't!! Very strange, but I have had that with other words too, although I can't remember what they were now.

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Biggus Dickus

I've noticed that when listening to the live material from recent years, I tend to skip over "Long Island Sunset," "Three Bikes in the Sky," and "Sally's Garden." I seem to have little tolerance for those songs and no desire to waste time listening to them.

Pretty much how I feel about Optical Race. Apart from "The Midnight Trail," the bass sounds lack punch, like they're overwhelmed by all the highs and mids. The entire album has a very "airy" feel to it. Still a unique sound, and they got away with it.

The "zany" aspect of Lily escapes me. It has a vibrant, immediate feel, and you do get the impression of cruising through the desert and cities of California. A very "west coast US" theme is prevalent.



I said exactly the opposite.

For me, Lily ends with "Valley of the Kings."

As for Melrose and Turn of the Tides, I haven't listened to those albums in many, many moons, and I have no plan nor need to. I prefer to focus on the good stuff (and there's much of it).