Klaus Shulze - Picture Music (1975)

                                Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection
4 stars. If Irrlicht is probably more important historically , because it came out first, Klaus schulze is reaching fast his maturity with this album. Somehow the music is very similar to Tangerine Dream (the group he helped found with Edgar Froese, but left after the first album), but you can also plainly recognize that this album is clearly a Schulze Oeuvre. By this time , the use of sequencers were relatively common (as with Eno , Jarre and Oldfield) but this was still clearly adventurous music.



Today , with modern technology , it is easy to write-off such album as saying that they were able to do this because they were the first to own such synthetysers , but back then , only a truly adventurous person (such as the ones mentioned above) could've pulled such great sounds. Not as excellent as Timewind or Blackdance but still much worth a spin.
Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Specialist

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Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars "Picture Music" was recorded in 1973 but not released until 1975 for some reason.This is a significant album as Klaus introduces those pulsating beats that TANGERINE DREAM hadn't started to do yet.This is a lot easier to digest than his debut "Irrlicht",although there is a passage on "Mental Door" that is a little difficult.The album features two side long suites. "Totem" features those pulsating beats while two different synth-like sounds play over top and around, which creates a spacey soundscape.The tempo picks up after 12 minutes and then settles somewhat 19 minutes in as the beat stops.Organ comes in late, and it ends on a very spacey note. "Mental Door" is spacey as well with different sounds passing in and out of the cosmic soundscape.A louder,disconcerting sound comes in with twittering noises 8 minutes in.I like when the drums come in after 9 minutes.The intensity is released after 17 1/2 minutes.This sounds so much better as it becomes spacey with some excellent drumming from Klause.I thought he retired from the drums.Haha.Great way to end the album. A must for the electronic-prog fan out there.

Tracks

1. Totem (23:34)
2. Mental Door (23:03)
Total Time: 46:37

Musicians

Klaus Schulze / all instruments

Releases information

1995 Tempel 14923

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