For the German newspaper, see Die Zeit.
Zeit
, Original 1972 LP album cover / 2002 CD album reissue.
Studio album by Tangerine Dream
Released
August 1972
Recorded
1972, Dierks Studio
Genre
Ambient
Length
74:29
Label
Ohr
Producer
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream chronology
Alpha Centauri,
(1971)
Zeit,
(1972)
Atem,
(1973)
Alternative cover
1986 reissue
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source
Rating
Allmusic
Uncut
Zeit (English: Time) is the third album by the German electronic music group Tangerine Dream. A double LP, it was released in August 1972, being the first release featuring Peter Baumann, who joined then-current members Christopher Franke and Edgar Froese.
Overviewedit:
The style of this album is slower and more atmospheric than their previous albums. Its atmospheric drone music tone is similar to ex-member Klaus Schulze's solo album Irrlicht (released the same month) as it stemmed from a common idea that Schulze and Froese could not agree on and parted ways about. Florian Fricke from the Munich-based group Popol Vuh, playing Moog synthesizer, and four cellists appear on the first track. The album cover depicts a solar eclipse.
As explained by Paul Russell for the 2002 reissue, "Zeit, which means 'time', was based on the philosophy that time was in fact motionless and only existed in our own minds." And concluding, "Without doubt Zeit is a Krautrock master work still capable of surprises without having to shock. The album which took the band to the edge of international recognition, still sounds timeless 30 years on."
Music critics often refer to Zeit as being one of the first (or perhaps the first) examples of dark ambient music.
Running times and releasesedit:
Before the 2002 reissue, there were two common releases on CD: a single CD release and a double CD set. The single CD release from Castle Music Ltd in 1999 has catalog number CMACD 555.
The double CD set from Relativity in 1987 has catalog number 88561-8070-2, and is slightly longer by a few seconds, mainly because of longer inter-track gaps. Relativity also put out a single cassette, 88561-8070-4, with the following song timings: 20:00, 18:00, 20:12, 17:43.
The sound of the two releases is also strikingly different, the original Relativity release having a much brighter and more detailed sound. The Castle release was remastered from the original master tapes over a decade later and there seems to have been a deterioration in quality since then, as it exhibits a notably muddier and bottom-heavy sound. The double CD set has a light blue border on the front and back covers.
The 2011 release includes a second CD with the 25 November 1972 Klangwald concert at Cologne's WDR Sendesaal hall in West Germany, previously released as Tangerine Tree 52: Cologne 1972.
Track listingedit:
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Birth of Liquid Plejades"
19:54
2.
"Nebulous Dawn"
17:56
3.
"Origin of Supernatural Probabilities"
19:34
4.
"Zeit"
16:58
Personneledit:
Musical
Tangerine Dream
Edgar Froese - sound generators, gliss guitar,
Peter Baumann - keyboards, vibraphone, VCS3,
Christopher Franke - keyboards, cymbals, VCS3,
Guest musicians
Florian Fricke - Moog synthesizer on "Birth of Liquid Plejades",
Steve Schroyder - Organ outro on "Birth of Liquid Plejades",
The Cologne Cello Quartet -- Cello intro on "Birth of Liquid Plejades"
Christian Vallbracht,
Joachim von Grumbkow; credited as Jochen von Grumbcow; co-founder of Hoelderlin,
Hans Joachim Brüne,
Johannes Lücke,
,
Technical
Dieter Dierks - Recording engineer,
Graphical
Edgar Froese - Cover art,
Monique Froese - Cover and sleeve photography
