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
Raw Materials and Residuals cover

Raw Materials and Residuals

Famoudou Don Moye, Julius Hemphill, Abdul Wadud
See God (1985-1986) cover

See God (1985-1986)

Dredd Foole & the Din
Morton Feldman: Trio cover

Morton Feldman: Trio

Marc Sabat, Rohan de Saram, Aki Takahashi
Mandance cover

Mandance

Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society
Dragon’s Head cover

Dragon’s Head

Mary Halvorson
SuperBigmouth cover

SuperBigmouth

Chris Lightcap
Superposition cover

Superposition

Superposition
Wood Flute Songs cover

Wood Flute Songs

William Parker
Black Beings cover

Black Beings

Frank Lowe