REVIEWS:
Post your comments about Jean-Michel Jarre
(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Part 2, Part 1, Part 4, Part 6. LOW POINTS: None.
There's no doubt that Oxygene is one of the most revolutionary electronica albums ever. Because of its easy accessibitity and stability, it quickly, at the time it was released, became the best-selling French album worldwide - and it still is. But twenty-eight years have passed...does the music sound dated? Well, not at all. Even now, Oxygene, made by a young synth wiz, is as timeless as it was back then. Or, well, almost. Two tracks ("Part 3" and "Part 5") seem a bit generic because of either a boring arrangement ("Part 3") or a boring arrangement AND a dated synth-loop ("Part 5"). Still, both tracks' values are redeemed by the clever construction and the amazing production that only further proves the record's greatness.
But there are still four tracks left to comment, and they're all...well, "ethereal" is probably the adjective that describes them all without missing further information. "Part 1" is a very gentle opener with lots of swirling string sounds along with a parade of wuthering sounds and effects. The theme used in here is very beautiful and suddenly, when the theme just vanishes, we're left with a very powerful "chorus" of a sort; the dark and nocturnal synth blasts are extremely intriguing...man, it sounds like staring at comets in space (not that I've ever tried that, mind you)! It's also very touching, perhaps the most touching moment of the album. When the blasts vanish along with the spooky strings beneath, we're left with nice swoops (sounds like dewdrops) on top of some spooky and creepy synth sweeps. "Part 2" is even better, though: it starts off with some very simple bass-loop along with all these previously-used effects and synth strings; with a new theme, though, it establishes a very "scared" mood and when the synthesized percussion along with a boppily light loop kicks in, I'm swept away. The loop does sadly not last very long, because suddenly we disappear from a paradise in major key and land in...a paradise in minor key. That part sounds very, well, holy and fearsome at the same time, and constructs a tension that just bursts out in one's face. As it fades out a couple of minutes after it came, we're left with some gentle swoops as always. "Part 2" could well be the electronica track that describes fear the most within its dreamy soundscapes.
"Part 3" has that boring and dreadfully simple arrangement I mentioned some lines ago, but still, it's redeemed by you-know-what. "Part 4" was the big hit, though: as far as I know, it was the first electronica track ever that was instantly played in the radio at that time. It's easy to see why: the very "singlish" elements are not very hard to find, and the simple and catchy theme can stay in your head for days, if you aren't too careful. It suddenly waves itself into "Part 5" that's pretty much Jarre's "Rubycon Part 2"; it has five very boring minutes to start off with, but as more effects are laid onto the repetitive string swoops, we culminate in a...boppy synth-loop! It receives the same treatment as the ambient part: more layers of sounds are put on top and Jarre even solos a mighty couple of times on his keys. Some time afterwards, the separate parts disappear one by one, only to crash into an effect that sounds like tidal waves at your local beach. And that's the beginning of "Part 6" which has a very pleasing theme along with soothing synth percussion and soloing. Enough said; I bet that you can figure the rest out by yourself. Oxygene may or may not be perfect, but there's no doubt in the influence it created; I see a few traces of what would later become known as synth-pop. Dang, I hate synth-pop.
Just kidding you, of course.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Part 3, Part 7, Part 4, Part 6, Part 5. LOW POINTS: Part 8.
After the amazing success of Oxygene, Jarre became even more inspired than ever before (though his inspirational peak hadn't culminated yet) and made Equinoxe, a "sound-track" for a documentary film about the Antarctica. Though the movie wasn't a great success (my bet is that it was never even shown), Equinoxe was. It's even spacier than its predecessor, yet it uses the same effects. But Jarre includes even more technology here; check out the liner notes for both albums and find out that Jarre actually uses ten synths more than he did two years ago (damn them salaries!). Plus, it corrects all what Oxygene missed or had wrong; the music never gets boring. Well, almost never. I'll explain that later.
"Part 1" is a short, but very appropriate opener for an album like this. It has a driving string loop along with neat synth swoops (get used to it!) and very gentle soloing (get used to it!). The way it rises from being majestic and suddenly becoming divine is absolutely mind-blowing and suddenly it just...well, falls into a deep hole and lets all of its real self go away (GET USED TO IT!). Enter "Part 2" which is an ambient track, but nonetheless a very good one; it's way better than the psychological pitter-patter we had in "Oxygene Part 5". Because of its simplicity, though, I can't count it in as a high point...after all, ambient music will make you sleep, right? "Part 3", though, is probably the first AND the best synthesizer waltz I've ever heard. And it is a waltz; everything about it is indeed very "waltzy". It starts off a very delicately light synth-loop and slowly swoops some strings and nice bleeps and blurps onto the loop. The theme coming out afterwards is very uplifting and lush at the same time. It also has a very significant rock-like structure, actually using verses, choruses, bridges and a long fade-out. Almost like a Stevie Wonder-track! It eventually fades into the paranoia of "Part 4" that's probably the spookiest track of this Jarre-era. The synth theme used here is very...well, scared. I suppose it's the equivalent of "Oxygene Part 2". The "bridge" (now, where is that confounded bridge?), though, remains one of the most insanely interesting moments of Jarre's career: it practically sounds like robots talking to each other, even if it's nothing but simple nudging around with another synthesizer. After a couple more of them verses and chorus ("and I'll be loving you aaaalways"), we're left back in nothing but pure silence.
The first seven minutes of side two are synth-pop madness. "Part 5" was the hit single of the album and rightly so; the theme is fantastically catchy and has a nice introspective feel, as it bops along with the usual synth swoops and solos. "Part 6", though, might be one of Jarre's most controversial tracks ever. Jarre basically "deletes" everything "Part 5" had and leaves the listener with percussion and a very very weird synth-loop. Then he slowly starts adding more synth-loops onto it and lets the harmonies rise to the skies and crash! He unleashes the madness of the drum machine and rocks hard! And the "bridge" in here is god-damn freaky: imagine speeding up a demo of a keyboard for kids along with wild percussion swoops and ugly bass-lines. There's your bridge! Jarre combines both themes in this track into one and prepares himself for a fade-out that slowly progresses: we're afterwards left back with a very mystical synth-loop that actually is a bass-line. He fiddles around with it for a while and prepares himself for the grand finale: "Part 7". It's just like "Part 4" except for the fact that it's slightly more confused, but softer. Jarre lets all the majesty of his 70's-era go into this one track; that basically describes everything else. We have our usual long fade-out afterwards. Believe me, if I had the ability to describe what happens in the track, I would, but as of now, it's impossible. Imagine the feeling you'd get when you'd dumped Julia Roberts and then realized what you had done. There's your "Part 7". Now, all would deserve a fresh 10 if the record had ended here, but we have to go through the agony of "Part 8". The first part of it sounds like a folk-band in a tavern (actually quite nice), but the last part...ewww. Sounds like a drunk keyboardist just smashing down the theme of "Part 5" in an ugly way. Brr. You will be really bored while hearing this one; just like I told you.
As I said, Equinoxe's impact can be discussed, but it's a tad better than Oxygene. Therefore, why shouldn't it get the very same rating?
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Part 1, Part 4, Part 3, Part 2. LOW POINTS: None.
This one's a bit underrated, though not much. The underrating probably rises from the fact that it's slightly less accessible than the previous records. But you see, Jarre had to keep with the times and thus updated his music into what we now know as the baaad 80's. So, of course, he does nothing but use lots of samples and such because he shouldn't sound too dated. Still, the album's inaccessibility lies in one spot: there's a side-long here. Yes, you heard right; 18 minutes of electronica all gathered into one spot that can drive you mad if you're not in the mood. There are swirls of sound, swirls of samples, swirls of everything...the track is pretty much a swirl in itself. But the quality...uhm. You know, you may not like it and all that, but there was a reason for it being my favourite cut by anyone once. Now, of course, other songs have taken its place, but still, it deserves the praise it mostly gets. I don't know if it's my favourite Jarre-track, but nevertheless, it would be a nice bet. The track starts off with a hopeless 80's synth-loop that manages to be incredibly catchy. And what do you know, he starts pumping it up with several bursts of manic and energetic sound that makes the whole track sound like a maze. Jarre breaks off about two minutes in with a soothing choir interlude, he does it again later on, but the breaks are well constructed and, of course, performed. That first part's awfully good, I tell you. But we have yet another two parts to take care of: about five minutes into the piece, Jarre commences deconstructing what he constructed before. All of a sudden, all of it becomes sadder, and within some minutes, we're left with nothing but a string synth and...well, typical swirls of sound.
Now it gets scary. The next four minutes most likely consist of some of the creepiest noises and such that I've ever heard. It's like an industrial nightmare; a paradise for destroyers. It evokes several unclear images in my mind, but I know for sure that they ain't happy ones. Nevertheless, Jarre plays a very...well, creepy theme on his Elka along with this mess of samples that plays with your mind. It eventually becomes more and more majestic as it progresses, finally culminating in a state of unawareness about what will happen next. These swooshes of string and noises just tease you until you've had enough, and just you're about to turn it all off, you're hit by the noise of an airplane and crash, you're into the last part, the so-called "revival" that's mostly just a clone of the first part, just much more certain about direction. Jarre hits the major keys within this part until he unleashes a digital saxophone solo right at the end. I've always enjoyed this part fairly, but not the moment when you get a shock as "Part 2" enters with its clap-along rhythm (the side-long's name is "Part 1", by the way). Back then, I think it was released as a single, and rightly so: it's definitely accessible for the average pop-crap-buying public (not that the song is crap, mind you), and it's still awfully good. You'd certainly not expect a sound collage to emerge from its fade-out, would ye? Well, it actually emerges, and it practically sounds like your average day at a railroad station. Eventually, Jarre adds a mesmerizing string track that's probably the most ethereal synth sound I've ever heard (go listen - NOW!) and as he fades out the rails, we're left in the clock madness of "Part 3".
And he actually samples real clocks in here, but only for great effect: the track is drastically underrated, and can lift me to unexpected heights...maybe some sort of a musical Nirvana. Nevertheless, Jarre does his usual trickery and slowly lets another loop fade in. That leads us to "Part 4" that's one of the most uplifting electronica cuts I've ever heard. The theme is so beautiful and the effects Jarre uses to get the desired...well, effect, are totally out of this world. It's that wonderful. Though Jarre gives it the same outro treatment as "Part 2", this time with a construction yard or something, I'm still left drained for all kinds of sadness. And "Part 5", cleverly dubbed "The Last Rumba", sounds just like that. It's hilarious, in fact, that we have this silly thing that sounds like a keyboard demo right after more than half an hour of seriousness, but I guess he just left it there as a breather and as a...well, I don't know. The ending of the album as a whole, though, is slightly unsuitable. And that, on top of the fact that it all sounds too clean (I liked his previous productions better) earns the album a nine. But dang, it deserves it.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Fishing Junks at Sunset, Arpegiator, Equinoxe Part 7, Les Chants Magnétiques Part 4, Night in Shanghai, Equinoxe Part 4. LOW POINTS: None.
After the slow rendition of "Les Chants Magnétiques Part 1" in "The Overture" functioning as the opener for this mammoth release, a loop fades in. The loop will remind you of something off the latest studio album of Jarre's, but yet, it doesn't sound like anything else. Of course, I'm talking about "Arpegiator" that is one of Jarre's best - if not THE best - sequencer-driven tracks that flows so roughly but yet smoothly. The loop in there is awfully mesmerizing, and the arrangement is stunning. Everyone with the least interest in electronic music should hear this. It's heaven for a schizoid: just dig that percussion, the swooshes of choirs and majestic synths, Jesus, it's actually gorgeous, and the atmosphere it produces, is like nothing else. But that's just the beginning of Jarre's greatest release to date; whether live or not. Well, after all, the project in itself still was a pretty big event when it took place. As the liner notes state, "the concerts were the first performances of rock or contemporary music ever given in the People's Republic of China". Now, to celebrate this, Jarre began his experiments with laser, not only being used for the visual experiences within the concerts, but also for the music being performed, as you can hear on "Laser Harp". Jarre also brought in some very carefully chosen musicians to help him on stage, along with the Peking Conservative Symphony Orchestra to perform on one track ("Fishing Junks at Sunset"); as you can see already, Jarre also composed several new tracks for this special event ("Arpegiator", of course, and a couple of others). And when it all took place in Peking and Shanghai, over half a billion Chinese tuned onto the radio to listen to the extraordinary music that no Chinese people had ever heard before.
I certainly hope, though, that everybody dug what they heard, because this is surely the best live electronic music performance I've ever heard. I mean, just read what I write about all of it; if you like the impressions, buy it right away. It's a real must-have. Now, after the previously mentioned "Arpegiator", we land in "Equinoxe Part 4" that has an even more ass-kicking arrangement than the original. The synthesized drums are banging loud and though the synths still are the same, I'm still fully satisfied: a great track is a great track no matter what, right? Which reminds of, by the way, that no tracks off Oxygene were put on this great release; I think it's a real shame, as I could have no problem in improving the record's quality with such classics as "Oxygene Part 2" or "Part 4", perhaps. But never mind, the record is still great. We have two other tracks off Equinoxe, "Band in the Rain" and "Part 7". While the former sounds just like the original (the beginning of "Equinoxe Part 8", you know), the latter is far and away the best live rendition of any track off any studio album of Jarre's (I was at the Aero concert, though, in 2002, and it was unforgettable; nothing can beat that). The track starts off with a long synthesizer solo that's really soothing and great as an appetite awakener. The loop kicks in somewhere around 1:30, and there you have the original studio track, just performed in a much much more powerful way. The fade-out of the track is made longer, but again, only for good effect. Classic, that is!
Off Les Chants Magnétiques, we have...well, all the tracks off it. "Part 1" was rendered in "The Overture" (though some track claims to be the real "Part 1" when it only lasts for thirty seconds and actually is the outro for "Part 2"). "Part 2", though, is - again - made longer, and though there's no big improvement of the original in there, you can pretty much feel that Jarre knew what he was up to. The "Part 3" and "Part 4" medley is even more wonderful than it was before: "Part 3" sounds like itself, but again like nothing else, and "Part 4" is just a really uplifting paradise of happy and boppy solos and loops. You know I love it. And, as a joke (hopefully), Jarre brought in "Part 5" that is shortened (yay!) and more suitable (double yay!), though it still was a serious project.
But the real strength lies in the tracks composed specially for the event. We had "Arpegiator", and then we have the wonderful pop tune "Orient Express" that has one of Jarre's best themes (it competes with "Oxygene Part 4" for the Best Jarre Theme Award in my mind right now) and just bangs and hits you whenever you'd like. Good stuff. "Laser Harp" must have been a real treat to see live with Jarre moving his hands over laser beams to play specific sounds, but you just hear and don't see what's going on, you can't really tell if it's a highlight; still, it's very interesting. "Night in Shanghai" is practically what I could "Arpegiator Part 2" (yay!); just with a longer introduction and a brighter loop. It's awfully good, man, you know what I mean. And "Souvenir of China" ends the record in a fashionable and indeed very suitable with its gorgeous bringing tears to your eyes (if you're in the mood; as of now, my dad has said that he wants this track to be played at his funeral which is very very touching). Enough said.
But words can't do "Fishing Junks at Sunset" justice. You know, it could just be an average classical Chinese "concerto" performed by a real Chinese classical orchestra, but it's much more than that: the track's value is in the skies because of Jarre's synthesizer use...I honestly don't know how he can make a synthesizer sound that beautiful...and all of it, even the wonderful classical music in between Jarre's electronic interludes, was composed by Jarre himself. I'm deeply touched by the theme that really evokes the images of a sunset shining upon a sea covered by all these fishing junks. I could cry happy tears any moment within the song...it is that good. You'll just need to listen to it. So there you have it. The best live electronica album ever seen in history. Enjoy it now, or enjoy it soon. But never miss the chance to buy it if you see it being sold.
Post your comments / reviews for this album
Index | Main band/artist reviews page