Exit

Now a trio of Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Johannes Schmölling, Tangerine Dream's first release of 1981 was the soundtrack to the film Thief in April. Although it reprised material from Force Majeure (as was often the case with soundtracks), the band would record another three studio albums for Virgin Records, beginning with the not-to-be-missed Exit in September. Offering six discreet tracks, it's a contemporary, if not timeless album of electronic music. "Kiew Mission" offers a slight return to vocals, albeit disguised in the spoken chant of continent names of its first section; the second half spryly skips over a trio of synths before fading off. "Pilots of Purple Twilight" offers a more conventional theme, but equally thrives from its use of space; "Choronzon" dances to a brisk, drum-like tempo. The second side contains some of the finest TD on record. The slow moving "Exit" ambles over an undulating sequence, while "Network 23" blasts open with a tight groove, approaching song-form. Yet it's the closing "Remote Viewing" that most heralds the return to their 70s glory: A powerful, monolithic wall of sound gives rise to a hypnotic and detailed sequence, one both sinister and epic, and full of the band's expert sound design as it goes for the long fade. Brilliant. Both the soundtrack and the studio album (oddly enough) rose to No. 43 in the UK, while seeing release on Elektra Records in the US. Henceforth, Tangerine Dream would further concentrate their work on soundtracks and film scores—effectively a replacement for their live shows, which had all but disappeared after a final European tour in 1982. From Hollywood blockbusters (Risky Business, Firestarter, Legend), to lower budget films (Wavelength, Heartbreakers), they would foot the bill for the band. But by 1983, their contract with Virgin Records would expire, and by mid-decade Schmölling had left the band. With Paul Haslinger on board, Tangerine Dream would relocate to Los Angeles. Their subsequent output would have little, if any, resemblance to their work from the 70s and earliest 80s.