"Near Dark was the first Tangerine Dream soundtrack I purchased. I had just gotten into their music in 1987 and this was one of their latest releases.
I hadn't seen the film nor did I know what it was about when I purchased the soundtrack, but I had heard several other of TD's studio releases and was quite addicted to their music.
Just by listening to the music and looking at the cover, I imagined what the movie must have been about. Each eerie, dark composition brought up images, characters, and settings in my head. I practically made my own movie in my mind with the help of this soundtrack.
It wasn't until almost a year later that I got to see Near Dark and it was COMPLETELY different than what I had imagined.
THAT'S what intrigues me the most about the music of Tangerine Dream. Their music has the ability to evoke images, feelings, ideas, scenarios, settings, and a thousand other things. It is pure synaesthesia. It is amazing that TD is able to stimulate the creative center of my brain with their electronic compositions.
This is an excellent soundtrack that offers a unique fit to a film about, of all things, vampires. The album is dark, moody, scary, warm, endearing, sad, and suspenseful. What else could you ask for in a soundtrack?
This soundtrack will always hold a special place in my heart and memory."
Great stuff
Mike McAuley | Toronto, Canada | 09/06/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was really surprised how good this CD was. It really stands on it's own not unlike the way Thief does. One on their best last ones with Chris Franke. Though the opening track is a little cheesy the rest of the CD is well worth tracking down."
Power in the Hands of the Trio
Mr. Richard D. Coreno | Berea, Ohio USA | 11/25/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Recorded in 1987 and released a year later, TD captures the qualities of this horror movie in the soundscapes, which is paced by a shorter track (3:20), Caleb's Blues.
Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Paul Haslinger deliver nearly 47 minutes of power, that is strongly developed in the longer works - Bus Station (including Mae's Theme), 8:42, She's My Sister (Resurrection I), 7:22 - and a pair of numbers flow together at one tick over nine minutes, Fight at Dawn and Mae's Transformation.
The 1980s was an incredibly hectic time for TD - considering the number of side projects - and this is one of the underrated efforts."
Classic Vampire Movie With Stunning Soundtrack!
Martin Coyle | Glasgow, Scotland | 12/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Tangerine Dream's work for film deserves to be seriously re-evaluated. Two film scores in particular merit re-appraisal. These are the American version of Ridley Scott's classic fantasy 'Legend' and this wonderfully evocative score for Kathyrn Bigelow's superb 'Near Dark'. The music for "Near Dark' is quite simply perfect for this film and it's dark and moody electronica has not diminished over the years. In fact, the score sounds even better in retrospect. A great reminder of how good a purely electronic score can be. As with the seminal Vangelis score for 'Blade Runner', in the right hands, composers like these really know how to raise their game."