Tun Huang (Silk Road 3)

Artist: Kitaro
Label: Kuck Kuck Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio Cassette

UPC: 013711105841
EAN: 0013711105841
ASIN: B00002784Y

Release Date: 1992-11-03

Related Categories:

General

| International | Styles | Music

General

| New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation

| New Age | Styles | Music

Electronic

| Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Lord of the Wind
Fata Morgana
Sacred Journey I
Lord of the Sand
Tunhuang
Free Flight
Mandala
Tao
Sacred Journey II

Customer Reviews:

An album of fragile beauty.......2006-07-02

After having listened to this 1980 recording several times recently, I am still completely floored by this album. In fact, I still can't believe that I got this out of the New Age section and for only seven dollars.

As a fan of 1970s electronica and progressive rock, I was only vaguely familiar with Kitaro's work in the Far East Family Band, and even less familiar with his solo work: everything that I had read mentioned New Age this or New Age that. Only brief mention of Kitaro had been made in the prog circles, and upon consulting the Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Rock found that they had nothing to say about his solo work whatsoever apart from providing a discography and mentioning him only briefly in a huge section on the Far East Family Band. To further complicate matters, I have personally found three different release dates for this album (1980, 1981, and 1985) and the rest of his discography is equally confusing. As such, I entered into my first experience with the music of Kitaro blindly....more or less.

The instrumentation on this album is heavy on the analog synths and the dreamy, soft soundscapes that would not be out of place on a Tangerine Dream or (especially) Vangelis album from 1977 - 1979 are everywhere on Tun Huang (aka Silk Road 3). I would also throw 1975 Pink Floyd in there too, but that might be stretching it a bit...but not much I might add. The analog synthesizers used by Kitaro include instruments by Roland, Prophet (Prophet V), and Moog (mostly mini-moog), along with the mellotron - everything sounds incredibly warm and organic. Kitaro is also quite the multi-instrumentalist and plays a full drum kit and percussion on a few tracks, along with the sitar (on Lord of the Sand only), tabra, acoustic guitar, chanting bell, and wind chime. Joining Kitaro on this album is violinist Yasuo Kojima - he contributes some excellent playing.

It is however (as it should be), the music that has me so excited. It is richly textured, contemplative, deeply haunting and sad at times, exhilarating, sweeping - you get the idea. Musically, there is far, far too much going on in this recording to simply lump it with the static and motionless approach of ambient music or the homogenized mood pieces that characterize much of current New Age music. Harmonies are used to good effect, there is melodic counterpoint and dynamic range along with shifts in rhythm, not to mention variation in timbre. The pieces all flow together in one song-cycle suite which adds a bit of drama to the overall work, although there is a slight break between Tun Huang and Free Flight. All in all, this was a very nice way to draw the Silk Road trilogy to a close.

Well, stumbling upon this Kitaro album completely made my day and it is very highly recommended to electronica fans and open-minded proggers. For those folks that liked this album, you may also like Albedo 0.39 (Vangelis, 1976), Opera Sauvage (Vangelis, 1979), Force Majeure (Tangerine Dream, 1979), and Tangram (Tangerine Dream, 1980).

Kitaro's Best Studio Album.......2005-05-11

This was originally done during the peak of Kitaro's artistic talents, early to mid 80's. Smooth, flowing, melodic music that travels from one song to the next as a single organic piece of music. This was love at first hearing. There are several versions of this album: the original on the Canyon label, the US import on the Geffen label, and a new remastered version. The best by far is the orignal. I strongly recomend that you seek it out if you can. BTW, if you like this, you will also enjoy Ki, which came out immediately after Tunhaung.

Kitaro's Best... Bar None.......2004-10-30

Maybe it's because this was the first recording of Kitaro's that I heard. Maybe not. After all this time, it still reigns supreme as one of my favorite CD's. It certainly is my favorite Kitaro work. He's done so many fine recordings, but "Tunhuang" soars into the upper relms of beauty. Continuous, flowing melodies that build throughout the disc, culmitating in the sublime "Sacred Journey II". This disc is hard to find and a bit pricey but you owe it to yourself.

Excellent.......2003-03-22

Just like Silk Road 1 & 2. Excellent new age ambient electronic music, Kitaro def. deserves to be in the close circle.

Some of the best driving music.......2002-04-17

Again, it really makes the miles smooth out. Ebs and flows, even changes as the scenery does, I swear! I am switching to a cd version because I just got a new car that doesn't have cassettes. And this is the ONLY music I just have to have in cd out of many cassettes!

Music CD:

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

14 Exitos ~ Dueto Voces del Rancho

Evolucion ~ Jos%C3%A9 Pe%C3%B1a Suazo

Ese Soy Yo ~ Oly Trevino

Winter's Dream ~ Rob Whitesides-Woo

Hank ~ Hank Mobley

Power of Three-Live

Leapin' and Lopin' ~ Sonny Clark

En Concierto ~ Nilo Calvany

Con Loco Amor ~ Maldo

40 Artistas Y Sus Super Exitos ~ Los Rehenes