For his 1979 album Stuntman Edgar Froese used for the first time digital sounds, wave tables created by the German angineer Wolfgang Palm from Hamburg, based on the analysis of waveforms. Edgar Froese: "It's the first time I left the acoustics out, and specifically it's a better way for me to record. To record acoustic instruments, it needs somebody else. I didn't want to do that; the things I've done took a long period of time. It's best this way. [...] I'm part of the band, so I can't forget it as soon as I start doing solo works; but it's a different sort of recording process, and also there are a lot of things I can create on my own that I can't do with the band." (Interview with Neumusik, January 1980)
Re-Releases
In 2012 the original album was re-released as part of the compilation box Solo (1974-1983) - The Virgin Years, which was carefully remastered and provides an excellent sound quality.
The 2005 Re-Recording
In April 2005 a reworked version of Stuntman has been released by Edgar Froese. All tracks have been 'tangentized', that is, remixed and partially re-recorded, though the differences to the original releases are not as distinct as on the re-releases of the earlier albums up to Ages -- which is not surprising as according to interviews Edgar Froese was very pleased with the original album. Four of these remixes appear to be identical to the versions that have previously been released as part of Beyond The Storm or the Ambient Highway series, while the other compositions, It Would Be Like Samoa and A Dali-esque Sleep Fuse, had not been remixed previously. As always, 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 album contains new recordings, this fact is not recognizable from the outside.
Like on all releases since 2003, the artist's name now includes his middle initial W. on the cover and in the credits. The early cover previews of the forthcoming 2005 re-releases used an identical style of artwork, featuring the same typeface and the reduced original artwork (or an excerpt of it) in a monochrome, wide frame, which made these re-releases some kind a of series. Of the final releases only Ages and, to a certain degree, Epsilon In Malaysian Pale used this artwork style. The re-release of Stuntman now features a completely new design using some collage-esque artwork and abstract shapes by Edgar Froese instead of the original photo by his wife Monika, though the shapes clearly resemble the helmet of the original cover. 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 the 2005 re-recording of Stuntman was re-released in Japan as part of a series of HiQualityCDs with mini LP paper sleeves featuring a completely different artwork (re-using the original cover photo) and leaving out Edgar Froese's middle initial again.
Releases
Australia
1979: Virgin
LP [a]: L 37134; red/green labels
Benelux
1979: Virgin/Ariola
LP [a]: 201 036; red/green labels
Finland
1979: Virgin/Polarvox
LP [a]: V 2139
France
1979: Virgin/Polydor
LP [a]: 2933 789; red/silver labels
LP [a]: 2933 789; black/silver labels
19??: Virgin/Eurodisc/Arabella
LP [a]: 201 036; red/green labels
Germany
1979: Virgin/Ariola
LP [a]: 201 036; red/green labels; some copies with sticker
1988: Virgin/Ariola
CD [a]: 251 036; identical to UK version; sticker with German number on jewel case
1993: Virgin
CD [a]: 787 218-2
2005: Eastgate
CD [b]: eastgate 006 CD; green/white disc; matrix code: 49006
2007: Eastgate
Download [b]: complete release or individual tracks as MP3
