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Edgar FroeseAges- Studio, released January 1978 -
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CD release UK 1997
Design & Photo: Monika Froese | 
CD release Germany 2005
Design: Edgar Froese
Photo: Monika Froese | 
Download release 2007
Design: Edgar Froese
Photo: Monika Froese | 
CD release Japan 2009
Design: Edgar Froese
Photo: Monika Froese |
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| Tracks | | | |
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| Details | | | | | | Recording date | August - November 1977 | | Recording site(s) | Amber Studios (Berlin) | | Composer(s) | Edgar Froese | | Musician(s) | Edgar Froese, Klaus Krüger | | Producer(s) | Edgar Froese |
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| Notes | | | Edgar Froese's fourth solo project Ages was recorded after TD's US tour of 1977 and after the internal differences with Peter Baumann had reached a point of no return. According to Edgar Froese, Ages was recorded at a very emotional time in his career. Peter Baumann had been asked to leave Tangerine Dream, and the group had to cancel a lot of dates and could not take on any new obligations. So Edgar Froese recorded Ages during this time, long before the next Tangerine Dream album Cyclone. The inspiration of Ages was the Park Guell built by the Spanish architect Gaudi in Barcelona. Seven years later, TD recorded another track obviously inspired by this garden: Gaudi Park (Guell Garden Barcelona) on their 1985 album Le Parc. | | | |
There was so much material that Ages became an double album. The track Metropolis was inspired by the Fritz Lang movie of the same name; while the longest track of the album, the 21-minute Tropic Of Capricorn was inspired by Henry Miller's book of the same title. According to Edgar Froese, for many years he read everything by the two American authors Henry Miller and Walt Whitman. As far as music can reflect words, he just tried subjectively to transfer his feeling about Miller's book into music. | | | |
While most of Edgar Froese's solo productions had been released on CD in the eighties, fans had to wait nearly 20 years for a CD release of Ages, and due to the limited capacity of a single CD, Virgin decided to leave out the closing title Golgatha And The Circle Closes instead of making this a double CD release. | | | |
In January 2005 a reworked version of Ages has been released by Edgar Froese. This version again features only eight of the original nine compositions (two of them slightly misspelled in the track listing), but opposed to the 1997 CD release which omitted the last track, Golgatha And The Circle Closes, this re-release leaves out the track Children's Deeper Study. Unfortunately, Edgar Froese did not use the opportunity to include this track on one of the other re-releases (like Stuntman, e.g.). Compared to the original version, the track order has been changed, and all tracks have been 'tangentized', that is, remixed and partially re-recorded in a similar way like on Beyond The Storm and the Ambient Highway series. This results in an overall warmer and fuller sound. Anyway, like with similar reworkings Edgar Froese has done before, it is left to the subjective opinion of the listener whether he prefers the original or the new versions. Though the inner page of the 2-page insert clearly states that the material is re-recorded and remixed, this fact is not recognizable from the outside. Furthermore, the information on Edgar Froese's home page and the cover credits wrongly state 1979 (instead of 1977) as recording year of the original version. | | | |
Like on all releases since 2003, the artist's name now includes his middle initial W. on the cover and in the credits. The cover artwork is completely new, using an excerpt of an photo that was used for the back of the original release. The order number is neither printed on the package nor the CD, but the number given below is the order number the Eastgate Music Shop lists this release. Copies sold in the UK have been found with an additional barcode sticker showing the TDP number listed below. | | | |
In January 2007 this release became available as MP3 download at the Tangerine Dream Download Shop. | | | |
In June 2009 Ages was re-released in Japan as part of a series of HiQualityCDs with mini LP paper sleeves featuring a slightly changed cover artwork, leaving out Edgar Froese's middle initial again. |
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| Releases | | | | | | Australia | - 1978: Virgin
- Promo-2LP [a]: L 45803/4; red labels with sticker, foc
- 2LP [a]: L 45803/4; red labels, foc
- 2LP [a]: 25 756 XBT; multi-coloured labels, foc
| | Europe | - 1997: Virgin
- CD [b]: 844 377-2
| | France | - 1978: Virgin/Polydor
- 2LP [a]: 2676 715; green labels, foc
| | Germany | - 1978: Virgin/Ariola
- 2LP [a]: 25 756 XBT; green labels, foc
- 2LP [a]: 25 756 XBT; red/green labels, foc
- 1984: Virgin/Ariola
- 2LP [a]: 25 756-406; red/green labels, foc
- 2005: Eastgate
- CD [c]: eastgate 002 CD; white/silver/red disc; matrix code: 49002
| | Greece | - 197?: Virgin/Polygram
- 2LP [a]: 2776 715; green labels, foc
| | Italy | - 1978: Virgin/Dischi
- 2LP [a]: AVIL 212507; multi-coloured labels, foc
| | Japan | - 1978: Virgin/Victor
- Promo-2LP [a]: VIP 9903/4; white promo labels, foc
- 2LP [a]: VIP 9903/4; green labels, foc
- 2009: WHD Entertainment
- HQCD [c]: IECP-10187; cardboard sleeve, obi; limited edition
- Promo-HQCD [c]: IECP-10187; same as regular release, but with additional red promo sticker
| | New Zealand | - 1978: Virgin/RTC
- 2LP [a]: VD 2507; green labels, foc
| | Spain | - 1978: Virgin/Ariola
- 2LP [a]: 25 756 XD; green labels, foc
| | UK | - 1978: Virgin
- 2LP [a]: VD 2507; green labels, foc
- 1997: Virgin
- CD [b]: CDOVD 480
- 2005: Eastgate/TDP
- CD [c]: TDP CD008
| | Worldwide | - 2007: Tangerine Dream Download Shop
- Download [c]: complete release or individual tracks as MP3
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