''Force Majeure'' is the twelfth major release and the ninth studio album by the German group

Tangerine Dream Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...

. It was originally issued on transparent vinyl. Following '' Stratosfear'', the album developed Tangerine Dream's further evolution toward the more melodic sound they would adopt in the 1980s, with a heavier presence of guitars, drums and distinct musical suites in the tradition of

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

, rather than the band's 1970s output of Berlin School. The distortion of the bass sequence on "Thru Metamorphic Rocks" was the result of a burnt-out

transistor upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink). A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch e ...

in the

mixing desk A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic instr ...

. When the band heard the result, they decided to keep it. ''Force Majeure'' is Tangerine Dream's fourth-biggest-selling album in the UK, reaching No. 26 and spending 7 weeks on the chart. Monique Froese's rear cover artwork collage includes an image of a man's lower face, apparently a photograph of a sculpture, which looks extremely like classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven. His musical influence (heard particularly in some of the harmonic and melodic progressions in Tangerine Dream's music) may possibly be the 'force majeure' to which the album title refers.

Use in other media

Remixed excerpts of "Force Majeure" and "Cloudburst Flight" titled "Lana" and "Guido The Killer Pimp" respectively, were used on the film soundtrack of ''

Risky Business ''Risky Business'' is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Brickman (in his directorial debut) and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. Best known as Cruise's breakout film, ''Risky Business'' was a critical ...

'' while a remixed excerpt of "Thru Metamorphic Rocks" titled "Igneous" was used on the film ''

Thief Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

''. A heavily remixed version was played live in 2003, and later released as "Meta Morph Magic" on the '' DM 4'' album. In 1991, Christopher Franke played "Cloudburst Flight" as part of his solo ''London Concert''.

Track listing

A 2019 CD version, re-mastered from the original master tapes, includes a 1979 Christopher Franke solo recording, 'Chimes and Chains', as a bonus track.

Personnel

;Tangerine Dream *

Edgar Froese Edgar Willmar Froese (; 6 June 1944 – 20 January 2015) was a German musical artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for founding the electronic music group Tangerine Dream in 1967. Froese was the only continuous member of the group ...

– keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, effects *

Christopher Franke Christopher Franke (born 6 April 1953) is a German musician and composer. From 1971 to 1987, he was a member of the electronic group Tangerine Dream. Initially a drummer with The Agitation, later renamed Agitation Free, his primary focus eventu ...

– keyboards, sequencers * Klaus Krüger – drums, percussion ;Guest * Eduard Meyer – cello

Production

* Produced and mixed – Christopher Franke, Edgar Froese * Engineered – Eduard Meyer * Painting and cover design – Monica Froese.

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Force Majeure (Album) 1979 albums Tangerine Dream albums Virgin Records albums