Tangerine Dream

Tyger

- Studio, released June 1987 -

Covers

CD release Germany 1987 Design: Monique Froese	CD release USA 1987 Design: Monique Froese
CD release USA 1992 Design: Monique Froese Painting: Pogo

Tracks


		[a]	[b]	[c]	[d]
1.	Tyger	5:48	5:48	5:49	5:49
2.	London	14:22	14:22	14:24	14:24
3.	Alchemy Of The Heart	12:23	12:23	12:15	12:15
4.	Smile	6:08	6:08	6:11	6:11
5.	21st Century Common Man, Part One	-	4:49	4:49	4:49
6.	21st Century Common Man, Part Two	-	4:00	3:58	4:03
7.	Vigour	-	-	-	4:57
8.	Tyger (7" version)	-	-	-	4:27
Total running time		38:41	47:30	47:26	56:55


		[e]
1.	Tyger [1992 remix]	5:13
2.	London	14:25
3.	Alchemy Of The Heart	12:07
4.	Smile	5:53
5.	21st Century Common Man, Part One	4:49
6.	21st Century Common Man, Part Two	4:00
7.	Vigour	4:55
Total running time		51:22

Details


Recording date	1987
Recording site(s)	Dream Studios (Berlin), Eastgate Studios (Vienna)
Recording engineer(s)	Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, Paul Haslinger
Composer(s)	Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, Paul Haslinger
Musician(s)	Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, Paul Haslinger, Jocelyn Bernadette Smith
Producer(s)	Edgar Froese

Notes

"Look at the fingers of your hands if you want to know how things that are different can be the same."
- Mikhail Naimy

TD's 1987 studio album for Jive Electro, Tyger, was surprising, as once again it featured vocals, this time sung by guest artist Jocelyn Bernadette Smith from New York who joined composers Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Paul Haslinger in Vienna and Berlin in February 1987 to transform a series of poems by the English mystic and painter William Blake (1757 - 1827) into songs. This project was mainly an idea by Edgar Froese: "My interests in philosophy lead me to William Blake, whom I've admired for about 20 years as one of the greatest writers in the English language -- apart from Shakespeare. I myself had a problem with Jocelyn during the recording. She'd already got through the texts, but during the session she took the book and smashed it on the floor, saying, 'I'm an R & B singer and I don't want to do this schoolkid bullshit!' I still think she did a fairly good job, but she hated the lyrics, which are not easy to understand if you don't know the background. It helps to know what Britain was all about when Blake wrote the story. It was an empire and his words were partly political, social and esoteric at the same time. If you don't comprehend this then you may have a problem interpreting it correctly. Even my colleagues didn't understand, so I don't blame Jocelyn or anybody else. The recording session was very hard work, but it was my baby and I take full responsibility for that record."

In fact, using vocals once again after their previous experiment with Steve Jolliffe on Cyclone back in 1978 started discussions among TD fans. Many of them disliked the presence of Jocelyn Bernadette Smith's vocals and regarded the highly melodic nature of Tyger as further evidence of TD's decline into commerciality. Paul Haslinger later about Tyger: "This project was shaped by our desire for another attempt at vocals. I think we were successful in avoiding the norm, but overall we -- or at least I -- didn't understand enough about the singer's perspective to make it really work."

Monique Froese's cover artwork of the 1987 album releases would later become TD's official logo in the 90's. The CD versions included the two-part composition 21st Century Common Man that was not featured on the LP releases.

Re-Releases

In 1992 a different version was released in the USA with totally new cover artwork and a different track listing. While the title track Tyger was completely remixed, Smile was slightly faster (and hence shorter) than on the original release, and Alchemy Of The Heart was slightly abridged. Furthermore, the CD included the previously unreleased bonus track Vigour.

In summer 2012 the album was re-released by Esoteric Records on their Reactive label as part of a re-issue of the TD back catalogue of the Pink and Blue Years. The album was completely remastered and comes with a nice 16-page booklet including numerous photos plus an essay written by journalist Malcolm Dome. Like some other albums of this re-release series Tyger comes with two bonus tracks: Vigour (taken from the 1992 release) and the single version of Tyger that had never been released on CD before.

Releases


Canada	1987: Jive/BMG LP [a]: HIP 47; world map labels
Europe	1996: Essential/Castle CD [c]: ESMCD367 2003: Sanctuary/Castle CD [e]: CMRCD723; standard jewel case with additional cardboard wrapper 2012: Reactive/Esoteric CD [d]: EREACD 1030; multicoloured disc
Germany	1987: Jive/Teldec LP [a]: 6.26475 AP; world map labels CD [b]: 8.26475; tracks 5 and 6 appear as one single track 1989: Jive/Teldec CD [b]: 244 612-2
Greece	1987: Jive LP [a]: 40021; blue labels
Israel	1987: Jive/CBS Promo-LP [a]: HIP 47-1; world map labels; cover with promo sticker LP [a]: HIP 47-1; world map labels
Italy	1987: Jive/BMG Promo-LP [a]: ZL 71511; white promo labels LP [a]: ZL 71511; blue labels
Japan	1988: Alfa Promo-LP [a]: ALI-28084; blue promo label LP [a]: ALI-28084; blue label CD [b]: 32 XB-224; tracks 5 and 6 appear as one single track
Netherlands	1987: Jive/CNR LP [a]: 656.093; blue labels CD [b]: 100.097; tracks 5 and 6 appear as one single track
Portugal	1987: Jive/Edisom LP [a]: 614 448; blue labels
UK	1987: Jive LP [a]: HIP 47; world map labels CD [b]: CHIP 47; tracks 5 and 6 appear as one single track
USA	1987: Caroline Promo-LP [a]: CAROL 1341; picture labels, gsc LP [a]: CAROL 1341; picture labels CD [c]: CAROL CD 1341 1992: Relativity CD [e]: 88561-1055-2 1996: Sequel/Castle CD [c]: 1048-2 2000: Castle CD [c]: CMACD577 2003: Sanctuary CD [e]: 06076-81306-2
Tyger was also released as part of the sets Collection and The Blue Years Studio Albums.