Kaleidoscope:Tangerine Dream Original '67 PSYCH PROG

£ 270

$ 358

£ 270 Sold For

Aug 5, 2008 Sold Date

Jul 26, 2008 Start Date

£ 10 Start price

14 Number Of Bids

Great Britain Country Of Seller

eBay Auctioned at

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Description

"Relax your eyes/For After all/We can but share these minutes..."

And with those hesitant words against a delicate two note backing begins this certified classic monster rarity that should need little introduction to record collectors everywhere:

KALEIDOSCOPE: Tangerine Dream (1967 UK Fontana Records TL 5448)

I mean take a look at that cover - it says everything you need to know about this record. This band were going to wring every last drop of psychedelia from 1967 and this is the record they produced from that idea.

What a sound. For my money, this has one of the great opening tracks of all time - "Kaleidoscope" by "Kaleidoscope" - as optimistic, mad and pure 67 a noise as you could wish for - when people try to affectionatly parody or pay tribute the period, this is the groove they aim for.

As a whole "Tangerine Dream" provides eleven gorgeous and riveting slices of original psychedlic heaven - and while there were not too many takers at the time how the passing years have rewarded this work.

It is hideously hard record to find in it's original forty-one-year-old form...but here it is.

The vinyl is clean and gleaming with the light still flashing from it's shiney jet black grooves. The old head who originally owned this certainly took care. Yes, there are hairlines here and there but they are literally that. Ultra thin minor surface lines that overwhelmingly need a lot of searching for under the light. I transferred this onto tape not long ago and the sound is sumptuous. Heavy vinyl showing it's unmatchable sound. CDs and downloads simply do not do this.

This is the mono version. Like many 60s records, this is how it should be heard. The stereo to me sounds thinner and a little primitive/gimmicky now.

The cover is bold, unfaded and stupendously colourful - that this unlaminated delicate sleeve is completely without the inevitable ringwear is a minor miracle. I detect there is a minute 1/8th of an inch nick at one part of the opening edge but this is extremely hard to note and, again, takes searching for.

The one-time pure white of the reverse has a few little "rust" spots and the main body with it's magnificent over-the-top hippy prose - "After many hours of travelling (on an eagles back) they came to the tiny village of Now...The Sky Children. A Fairytale dream. A Wish. Please listen to the pictures." - is slowly giving way to the sepia of ageing, not drastically but the passing decades are beginning to show. In an almost faded lilac, one "Dave" has also left his small mark in a corner but without "Dave" I doubt if we'd have such a lovely copy anyway. Love you, man.

Anyway, look, fact is if you saw this copy in a record store you'd surely snatch at it. Too many albums from this period don't really deserve their reputatations (or price tags!). This beautiful and much revered record truly does. It is not a museum piece this album. It lives.

KALEIDOSCOPE: Tangerine Dream (1967 UK Fontana Records TL 5448)

Good luck, heads. Time now, as the cover says, to "...board the next flamingo for the Sea Of Silk...please be first and last in the queue."

The starting price is low and there is no reserve.

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