Edgar Froese - Ambient Highway Vol.2 (2003)

Volume 2 opens with the title track from the imperious 1979 album 'Stuntman'. It's subtitled 'Part 2' for a reason which escapes me, because it's basically the full track from the album supplemented with a few extra synth washes, and a slightly extended ending. Froese's earlier work shines out on this compilation, if anything growing stronger with maturity. 'Stuntman's melodic guile is undiminished and is a real high point to proceedings. Back to Earth with 'Moonlight on a Crawler Lane' which isn't that bad actually, an insistent beat and more of those wishy-washy synth pads which are pleasant enough, though it's a little irksome to realise that they sound like the self same patches which were layered onto 'Stuntman' only minutes earlier.

Vol 2 appears to feature 4 unreleased tracks, track 3 is the first of them - 'Raindance'. It opens purposefully with some heart felt guitar riffs before a sequence emerges, though it's the melodies which carry the day for the most part before the rhythm is beefed up towards the end of the 9 minutes. 'One Fine Day in Siberia' opens with some credible synth work, say what you want but EWF can really tickle the ivories and impart feeling when the mood takes him. 'Heatwave City' is an enjoyable rhythmic outing, solid pulsations underpin some choice synth leads. The sax sounds a touch schmaltzy but it deserves the benefit of the doubt. Next we get a five-and-a-half minute slab of 'Epsilon in Malaysian Pale' (again subtitled part 2?) which sounds brooding and mighty, though I'd hazard a guess that much of the ephemera which squirms over the sequence pulsations are more modern artefacts and really change the nature of the piece. If you've got the original however there's nothing wrong with variety.

To be honest 'Shores of Guam' is a very impressive piece, if any other artist penned this it would be raved about and it deserves no less praise here. The approach oozes confidence, it's obvious EF is totally at ease with his craft. Next up is 'Tropic of Capricorn' from his 1978 album 'Ages', probably the least familiar album to me and this confirms that I really need to revisit the whole album, it's a great excerpt. The closing trio of tracks are all previously unreleased, starting with 'Vault of the Heaven' which really is a strong piece, great melody and a fulsome rhythm. 'Koala Sunrise' is more laid back with a poignant theme which is soon accompanied by a chugging sequence, further lushness added by synth pads. Latterly a skiffle beat is thrown in for good measure which may not be to everyone's tastes but for me this is a class act. Finally we have 'The Morning Seal' which opens with a slightly foreboding nature before more rhythmics appear, all the better for a slightly menacing edge and atmospheric approach.

Overall Volume 2 doesn't disappoint, and there's not a bad track to be found here. The newer tracks are knocked out with utmost professionalism, my only slight criticism is the lack of light and shade, the darker more atmospheric moments largely come from the earlier pieces. But it's a minor point, this is an excellent album.