Picture Music cover

Picture Music

Released

Schulze’s fourth album was actually recorded before its predecessor, 1974’s Blackdance, but held back. It consists of two side-long tracks, with a 33-minute bonus track added to CD reissues. The first, “Totem,” is a Tangerine Dream-esque journey through deep space, with some electronic pulses to create rhythm but an overall feeling of timelessness and floating. The second, “Mental Door,” is much more active and even hard-charging; some of Schulze’s playing verges on rock organ à la Jon Lord of Deep Purple, and he also sits down behind the drums (his original instrument), slamming out a mechanistic beat that boosts the energy level even higher.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
Torture Garden cover

Torture Garden

John Zorn, Naked City
Ka cover

Ka

Excepter
Of Human Feelings cover

Of Human Feelings

Ornette Coleman
Ascension cover

Ascension

John Coltrane
Watashi-Dake? cover

Watashi-Dake?

Keiji Haino
Koksofen cover

Koksofen

Caspar Brötzmann Massaker
Illusionary Sea cover

Illusionary Sea

Mary Halvorson Septet
Adnos I-III cover

Adnos I-III

Éliane Radigue
Arctic Riff cover

Arctic Riff

Joe Lovano, Marcin Wasilewski