HEAVEN AND HELL

The first Vangelis music I ever heard was from this album in the most unlikely of locations - at a rock concert between bands. The year was 1980, I think, and I went to see Kansas on the Audio-Visions tour. Alvin Lee opened the show, and burned the stage with his fiery guitar. Afterwards, as the crew was setting up for Kansas, somebody put on what I later discovered was Heaven and Hell. That music effected me more than the concert itself, and I have been a major fan of Vangelis ever since. Indeed, he has become my favorite musical artist. (Kansas gave an okay performance that night. Steve Walsh was a bit under the weather and Robbie Steinhardt could not quite fill the gap. Still, I am glad I saw them.)

Heaven and Hell is the standard by which all Vangelis albums are compared. It is when he came into his full maturity as an artist. It is as eclectic as anything else he has done while at the same time being very consistent with itself. Perhaps the built in theme of Heaven and Hell, or between soft and heavy (without being hard), helps it to maintain its consistency in its variety. Vangelis expands his palette as well, by bringing in the English Chamber Choir and the soloist Vana Veroutis. That Jon Anderson provides vocals for one song also makes this a standout Vangelis work. The two had become friends at some time and 1975 was when they did a couple of collaborations ? this one and Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow where Vangelis is credited for providing support.

This album is split into two parts, most likely because of the natural limitation in the l.p. Carl Sagan helped propel Vangelis by using many of his pieces in Cosmos and several are from this album, including a delicate section for the titles and one of the vocal pieces for the climax of the entire series. There is a majesty and grandeur in many of the sections here. Some of the sections are bald and blunt but still subtle and satisfying; often it is the rhythm that does it, much played on keyboards. But there are also sections of sublime beauty, including two or three that are among the most moving pieces of music I have ever heard. One of them, in part two, and much the climax of the album for me, I find so haunting that I can just think about it and my mind is filled with a particular image, one that actually motivated me to make several major decisions in my life: I am atop a cliff above the sea. It is night and calm covers both land and water. All the stars are out but the moon is also full, poised above the horizon line such that its reflection on the water generates a path for me across the sea, across the void, and into my true home, which is none other than the universe itself. I can feel tears in my eyes as I write this. Yes, I find it that moving. This particular section features a melody performed largely by the choir with synthesizer embellishments and a lead vocal by Vana Veroutis. The melody appears elsewhere but it is here where it comes out in its most profound sense. Heaven and Hell incorporates much of what he had done earlier in a completely new way. Many compositional elements were revisited in later albums. So rich is this album he still revisits it. If you only own one Vangelis album, this would be the one. A must have not just for Vangelis fans but for anyone interested in good music, especially those not afraid to stretch boundaries and feel some emotion.