THE FRIENDS OF MR. CAIRO

The Friends of Mr Cairo is a much more accessible album than Jon & Vangelis' first album "Short Stories". I like this work very much. By this, the second album of thiers, there are fewer dreamlike quailities and more simple and evocative structures. Some may find the electronic arrangements dated. I never had a problem with that, there are some lovely spacious moods in this music that some listeners don't appreciate. Perhaps you could say it is of its time, but that is what is fragile and charming about it in many ways. I have the second edition of the ablum and it starts with "I'll Find My Way Home" which is simple, catchy and very laid back. One of my favourite Jon & Vangelis tracks follows, it's called "State of Independence". I would forgive a lot of people for appreciating the Donna Summer version of the song more. She covered it a year or so after this album's release, and her version was good, but if you get to hear this version first, and give it plenty of spins, it kind of gets under your skin. In a good way of course. It has a nice bouncy rhythm but still manages to stay on a mellow key. I like the sax in this song. It brought in some interesting textures to thier music. There are some different ideas and themes that run through the songs and I think some listeners complain it is inconsistent in that respect, but don't let that put you off, just enjoy the music. "The Mayflower" and the titile track are good pieces and quite interesting but my favourite of all on the whole album is the last song "Outside Of This (Inside Of That)". It is very much in the same spacey vein as most songs from the previous album. A very good album for your collection. Three and a half stars.