For Tangerine Dream, 1987 is largely remembered for Chris Franke's final full-length release with the band, Tyger (the only pre-2000s TD studio album I refuse to have in my collection). However, although Canyon Dreams wasn't released on CD until 1991, it originally dates to 1987 as the band's first video-album. The band's first work for new-age label Miramar, the original release seemed to cement their reputation as a new-age group, yet the music itself is some of the most interesting to come from the group's post-Virgin era.The combination of soundtrack-like purpose and Haslinger's studious musical focus lends the album as strong sense of unity from start to finish. Elements of the band's then-synthpop leanings are in evidence, particularly on the energetic Canyon Carver, but much of the album is stripped back to a more ambient sound. Opener Shadow Flyer uses a staggered sequencer line to move the track forward, whilst Purple Nightfall and the beautiful epic Sudden Revelation are devoid of rhythm all together, and are wonderful additions the band's small but impressive collections of pure ambient pieces. A Matter of Time, at nearly ten minutes, runs through several different moods, and is reminiscent of the band's earlier epics. The mysterious Water's Gift is replete with eerie synths and light ethnic percussion, the most atmospheric track on the album. Even the bonus track Colorado Dawn, written especially for the CD release in 1991, fits quite well, despite being an example of Jerome Froese's energetic '90s TD sound.Canyon Dreams is one of the most unfairly overlooked albums in the band's catalogue, which sometimes gets classed as simply one of the band's multitude of soundtracks. Instead, it is a singularly consistent work which shows a subtlety and maturity to the group during a period when their music could be bold and brash. Highly recommended for those who are interested in Tangerine Dream's '80s sound.

What do you think of Jerome Froese's energetic 90s sound?