Klaus Schulze - The Essential 72-93 (1994)

The Essential 72-93 is a makeshift best-of, piecing together some of Klaus Schulze's most alluring and interesting electronic offerings. With 14 tracks from over ten albums, this compilation is a generous retrospection into this former Tangerine Dream member's material. Many of his masterpieces are included on this double CD, like the swirling electronic breeze of "Wahnfried 1883" from 1975's Timewind, or the out-of-body atmospheric waves of "Floating" from Moondawn. Also breathtaking is the ten minute synthesized soup of "Ludwig II Von Bayern" off of the monumental X album, and the chilling glaze of "Freeze," a superb example of keyboard artistry as Schulze precipitates an icy climate from basic tonal applications. A good cross section of his work can be regarded all at once throughout this compilation, making for an insightful trip across this musician's many different periods. While his single albums convey one precise mood or atmosphere from beginning to end, this set investigates a variance of his electronic compositions, and is pleasing on that aspect alone. As an historical journey, this album serves it's purpose, but Schulze's albums should still be heard in completion to fully admire this genius' ability to produce phenomenal electronic music. ~ Mike DeGagne

Tracks:

DISC 1:
1. Irrlicht
2. Totem
3. Wahnfried 1883
4. Floating
5. Stardancer II
6. Ludwig II Von Bayern
7. Death of an Analogue

DISC 2:
1. Weird Caravan
2. Freeze
3. Mediterranean Pads
4. Dresden Five
5. Brave Old Sequence
6. Silence and Sequence
7. The Dome Event


Track 1-1 taken from Irrlicht
Track 1-2 taken from Picture Music
Track 1-3 taken from Timewind
Track 1-4 taken from Moondawn
Track 1-5 taken from Body Love Vol. 2
Track 1-6 taken from X
Track 1-7 taken from Dig It
Track 2-1 taken from Dig It
Track 2-2 taken from Angst
Track 2-3 taken from Miditerranean Pads
Track 2-4 taken from The Dresden Performance
Track 2-5 taken from Beyond Recall
Track 2-6 taken from Royal Festival Hall Volume 1
Track 2-7 taken from The Dome Event