The Zoo of Tranquillity

Track Listings
1. Lawnmower    
2. Woodpecker    
3. Rise of the Smooth Automation    
4. Contemplating Mortality    
5. Anteater    
6. Zoo and Jonas    
7. Wedding Cake    
8. Zoo of Tranquillity    
9. Fluid Memories (For Flo)    

The Zoo of Tranquillity, Music, Johannes Schmoelling, Classical Composers, New Age / Meditation, Pop
The Zoo of Tranquillity
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Ill-advised remix of a classic album
  • Not as good as the original...
  • These two stars are relative...
  • Alchemy of the iron heart
 The Zoo of Tranquillity
Johannes Schmoelling
Manufacturer: Erdenklang
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | New Age | Styles | Music
MeditationMeditation | New Age | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00002SWI6
Release Date: 1999-11-15

Tracks:

  1. Lawnmower
  2. Woodpecker
  3. Rise of the Smooth Automation
  4. Contemplating Mortality
  5. Anteater
  6. Zoo and Jonas
  7. Wedding Cake
  8. Zoo of Tranquillity
  9. Fluid Memories (For Flo)

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Ill-advised remix of a classic album.......2000-08-15

I guess this review is an echo of the last one. What a letdown this newer remixed version of "The Zoo of Tranquillity" is! I too bought the original Theta cd when it came out way back in summer 1987 and was totally blown away. The creativity of Schmoelling's inspired samples and the overall fresh feel to the album was a revelation at the time. Pieces like "The Woodpecker" and the title track had such a quirky charm about them. An almost funky, playful indulgence is apparent in every track. If I was reviewing the original I would give it 5 out of 5 - no question.

But something went wrong with this remix. The two new tracks are hardly worth the effort of listening to and as for re-recording flawless classics like "The Woodpecker"....words fail. Someone else mentioned problems with the tempo on some of the rejigged pieces and I can see what they mean. Replacing delicious synthesiser solos with piano was also a mistake. Some guitar parts on the title track are missing in this new version and "The Wedding Cake" has been tampered with so much it is barely recognisable from the original.

Why didn't Schmoelling just re-release the original version? Has he got the same problem Edgar Froese has? That is, an irrational desire to ruin his own back catalogue of classic material? I hear next in the firing line is "White Out" from 1990. Perhaps I'm being cynical....I shall reserve judgement on that one until it comes out.

Just for the record I love all of Schmoelling's albums including the most recent one "Songs Without Words" - but this remix adds nothing to the original. A great pity. I would recommend getting the Theta version instead but that has become one of the most sought after cds ever. I'm hanging on to mine!

2 out of 5 stars Not as good as the original..........2000-07-27

I'm one of the lucky few to own a copy of the original Theta cd release of "Zoo Of Tranquility" that was deleted long ago.

At the time I was amazed at how far ahead of it's time it was; the use of innovative sampling techniques and Schmoelling's always wonderful melodies was inspired. It seemed a great leap forward from both Schmoelling's work with TD, but also from his (also excellent) first solo effort; "Wiuvend Riet".

Consequently I was not as eager to buy this re-release as some who had been unable to find the original, but being something of a completist regarding TD and the solo work of the members, I decided I had to have it.

What a disappointment! Gone are the curious sounds that made tracks like "The Anteater" quirky and amusing, replaced by acoustic piano; heresy to a synth purist like myself! And where has the tempo gone?

I think a re-re-release of the original mix is in order...

2 out of 5 stars These two stars are relative..........2000-06-28

...relative to Johannes Schmoelling's brillant 1987 version of this album with the same title and compositions. Two stars because the re-orchestration of this pinnacle of electronic music has become so undone in this 1998 reincarnation. sidebar: (this is not "classical music" as classified here, and "tranquility" is spelled correctly with a double "l" on the CD) With all due respect to Johannes Schmoelling, the 1987 effort is a five star affair, which expanded the evolution of electronic music as an art form, yet was pleasing to the ear. What went wrong here? Is it the reduction in tempos? Is it the introduction of acoustic instruments? One thing for certain is that the instruments reassigned to these 1987 sequencer tracks do not bring out the spice the music has to offer, although Schmoelling's genius still permeates the inadequate medium. In addition to the innovativeness of Schmoelling's stripped-down raw score, you can look forward to two new tracks which have been added since the 1987 version, which was on vinyl. But if I were you, I wouldn't get rid of the LP or tape over the cassette just yet....

4 out of 5 stars Alchemy of the iron heart.......2000-02-11

Johannes Schmoelling's second album is less synthesized than its much acclaimed predecessor, offering more piano and ambient sounds in the style of Harold Budd. The music was inspired by a British artist who built some 'mechanical animals' (are you thinking of Marilyn Manson right now! ), and Schmoelling tried to capture the magic of these funny, motor-driven machines. Overall, I have to admit that this album is not particularly innovative and some tracks are pale and boring. But the 10-minute title track is great and reminds me of Tangerine Dream's "Tangram set 1". Starting out with scanty, ringing sound, this tracks suddenly gets darker. Schmoelling adds rocky synth guitar chords(!), percussions, and other instruments, creating a dense and intriguing atmosphere. The first two tracks are very nice, too. All in all, I think this CD is worth the price for the incredible title track.

Track Listings:

  1. Theatre Music
  2. Traditional Cantoral and Concert Favorites
  3. Variations-Music for Ballet Class
  4. With Heart & Voice
  5. World's Greatest Arias
  6. Alma-Classic Choices Adagio's for Ballet Class
  7. An Eternal Harmony
  8. Au Louvre
  9. Bach: Mass in B minor [Import]
  10. Bach: Schübler Chorales, BWV 645-650

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

New Year [CD-single] [Import]

Schumann: Scenes from Childhood [Import]

Rising Son

Live from New York to Tokyo [Live]

Our Troubles End Tonight [Import]

Seize the Moment

Porgy and Bess/The Most Happy Fella

Rosa Mystica

REAL LIVE American Music

Standards and Warhorses

The Best Of James

Para Nuestra Gente

Musica Norteña

Enjoy Yourself

Body Heat: Jazz at the Movies