Phaedra Revisited (35th Anniversary Edition)

This was the one that changed everything–not just for Tangerine Dream but for electronic music in general. The German band's fifth album (and first for Virgin), Phaedra marked a definitive turn away from the post-psychedelic abstractions of Tangerine Dream's early output in favor of a more structured, more overtly melodic sound relying heavily on sequenced synthesizer patterns as a rhythmic device. This pretty much started the highly influential style of electronic music that became known as the Berlin School. Phaedra also broke Tangerine Dream worldwide, becoming their biggest success up to that point. The album's four pieces, led by the masterful, 16-minute title track, create as much of a celestial feeling as the band's previous albums—but they do it with a sense of forward motion rather than an ethereal atmosphere. So despite the contemplative vibe, you feel like you're hurtling through space rather than merely floating around in the cosmos.