SPIRAL

Probably my favourite Vangelis album.The opener is just stunning.The sweeping rolls of cascading electronics are impressive especially when listening through the headphones.Ballad is a more laid back peice which offers a nice contrast while Dervish D is one of those very familiar peices that you will instantly recognise.The best track though is 'To The Unknown Man'.(Snooker fans may remember this as the peice that the BBC regularly used to accompany a collage of moments at the end of the world snooker championship). I love the way this builds and Vangelis control on the drum kit is excellent.The final track is a little bit of filler maybe but not bad.Overall this is one of the best Vangelis albums..maybe even the best??!

I like this album even better than its excellent predecessor "Albedo 0.39". "Spiral" recaptures and maintains the aforementioned album's spirit, although I find the material in this album more solid and cohesive in terms of composition, despite not achieving the same level of excitement in the most epic passages. The amazing namesake opener is yet another Vangelis classic, catchy, atmospheric, and full of well crafted adornments: the section that fills the last two minutes is pure keyboard-centered progressive music, indeed, pompously seasoned with drums, tympani, bells and other orchestral percussives. After the splendid climatic closure the listener has to feel stunned and excited about what will come next. And the following track turns out to be an instrumental ballad precisely titled 'Ballad': keeping a similar symphonic flare to the previous track, this one explores more intimate realms, with a fluid interaction between the electric piano and the synths providing romantic nuances. 'Dervish D' is more pop- oriented, with a catchy motif and recurring synthesized sequence played on a funky pattern: I remember that, back in the late 70s, there were lots of Spanish TV and radio programs that used this track and 'Spiral' as background ambience and/or promo jingle. The most prominent touch of solemnity is reserved for the last two tracks, 'To the Unknown Man' and '3 + 3'. The former is constructed as some sort of symphonic poem, instilling a mixed ambience of melancholy and majestic celebration; the martial rhythm pattern is increasingly enriched by the addition of various textures and orchestrations craftily ordained, until the fade-out smoothly slides away. The latter is more frontally bombastic, almost Germanic (Wagnerian, may I say), albeit keeping a strong cohesion regarding the album's overall splendorous tendency. In conclusion, "Spiral" stands out as an absolute gem of electronic music's tradition, and of course, it serves as a vehicle for the expression of Vangelis' musical ambitions in a crossroad of electronic avant- garde and symphonic prog.

Vangelis certainly put his sequencers to good use on this album. And, unlike so many synth artists who hit the "on" switch and let the sequencer play the same thing for way too long, Vangelis knew when to say when, tweaking the sequence a bit or adding enough other tracks to keep things varied and interesting. I would say that some of the tracks could have been shortened, especially the first half of "To The Unknown Man". At the time, this album seemed way ahead of its time.

Spiral is an excellent album: the keyboards really begin to be more modern here. There are some drums and percussions parts. The sound and style are comparable to the previous "Albedo 0.39" album, except the compositions here are more accessible, more simple & melodic, and less jazzy. The track "Spiral" will surprise you with its sequencer driven into an infinite loop: impressive and dramatic: it is followed by symphonic & anthemic keyboards: very catchy! "Ballad" is a mellow track with some inoffensive vocals and accordion-like keyboards notes. "Dervish D" can almost be danced: it is very melodic and accessible. "To the unknown man" has modern floating & melodic keyboards, and it sounds like the on "Opera Sauvage" album: Vangelis will definitely keep this modern sound later. Finally, "3 + 3" has a very melodic & complex sequencer through melodic keyboards notes and floating + symphonic ones.

Rating: 4.5 stars

A landmark, if flawed release by new age electronic composer Vangelis, 'Spiral' is a departure from the artist's bombastic 'space jazz' style as he adapts his synthesiser stories to more commercial, hook-oriented songs along the lines of Jean-Michel Jarre. This electro-pop direction would never dominate Vangelis' output completely, as by the 1980s he became more skilful at balancing both strands of creative output, leading to the successful (and in one case, Oscar-nominated) soundtracks for 'Blade Runner,' '1492: Conquest of Paradise' and 'Chariots of Fire.'

Spiral is one of Vangelis' most popular albums, and catches the Greek composer in the midst of his most creative and productive era. It's questionable whether the album truly innovated anything, especially as some of Vangelis' most notable work was already behind him, as was that of his contemporaries such as Tangerine Dream and Jarre, but its approachable catchy, modern / futuristic sound (1977, remember) lends these consumer-friendly tracks to appropriation and over-playing on TV adverts internationally. The length of the tracks needn't be off-putting either, as the extension of 'Ballad' and 'To the Unknown Man' is essentially just that: the song sequences stretched out and jammed until their time is up. To Vangelis' credit, none of the pieces here really outstay their welcome, as the more progressive songs that demand the listener's attention (as opposed to those that can essentially act as background muzak) cease long before the ten-minute mark.

To clear up any confusion, this is all Vangelis' own work. He plays all the instruments (mostly synthesisers, but there are 'real' percussion instruments in there somewhere) and programs the album's trademark sequencers, prominent throughout. The album features no lyrics or real vocals, except for a distorted sample repeated throughout 'Ballad' that sounds like a male voice saying 'bim-bam' and reminds me of the living-toys nightmare scene in the Manga film 'Akira.' Vangelis also handled all production work, leading to crystal clarity, perfectionist use of stereo techniques and a flawless mixing and layering of instruments. Along with Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon,' this is a record that obsessive audiophiles can use to test their home stereos.

Vangelis self-produced the iconic sleeve art depicting an amplifier plug snaking through a cloud-filled sky, that at first glance could be anything. If I'm going to read too much into the album cover, this focus on the Earth's atmosphere could suggest Vangelis finally coming 'down to Earth' and simplifying after the excess of his previous releases. 1975's 'Heaven and Hell' was his first real success, a grandiose and amazing electronic suite in the opposing realms of the afterlife, and 1976's 'Albedo 0.39' was a stripped-down collection of spacey synthesiser tunes, occasionally inflated by introducing loud organs. The final, eponymous track of Albedo focuses on the pollution content of the Earth's atmosphere, leading us seamlessly to the following year's 'Spiral.' (Vangelis' next major album, 'China,' would focus on specific areas of the planet's surface, with tracks such as 'Himalaya'). Do these five songs, therefore, possess a more human quality, connecting more with earthly concerns?

Nah, not really. It was a nice thought though.

The rapid, elastic-band-esque sequencer loop that opens 'Spiral' makes it evident that Vangelis has leapt forward since 'Albedo,' at least in his handling of production techniques. The echoes of Spiral add a depth that was previously lacking, and would have made the lunar landscapes and immense cosmos all the more convincing on that release. Prominent lead keyboards slowly fade in, making for a calm and measured but very loud introduction before the fragile bass loop collapses in on itself and leads into the song proper. This is one of Vangelis' more accomplished standard-length songs, and the crazy lead keyboard melody is one of the highlights of the whole album, forming the bulk of this track. The finale is more understated than the grand opening, and fades out modestly to make way for the more subdued, melancholy tone of the next song.

'Ballad' is a little overlong, but that doesn't matter immensely as this one is all about setting and maintaining a mood. It plods along a little tediously in places for those listeners who are paying attention, but the keyboard highs and lows keep things fairly interesting, as does the constant hypnotic vocal, mentioned earlier. All things considered, not one of the album's high points. The third track, 'Dervish D,' goes for completely the opposite approach, but also fares disappointingly. This commercial-oriented dance piece is, apparently, inspired by swirling Dervish dancers, but that isn't really prominent in the music which, apart from a fairly catchy lead keyboard hook, does nothing to enhance the enjoyment of the album and, if anything, only spoils the pleasant atmosphere generated by ballad and continued after this six-minute interruption in 'To the Unknown Man.'

Originally opening the second side of the LP but nowadays familiar more simply as track four, 'To the Unknown Man' is sometimes seen as Vangelis' second failed attempt to construct the perfect synth-pop classic, developing the piano sound he would achieve fame for with the 'Chariots of Fire' score. Personally, I think this song is much better, and although obscenely long at over ten minutes without much in the way of internal development, it achieves much more effectively the same mood and tone that the earlier 'Ballad' strived for. A deliberately simple five-note melody repeats endlessly throughout the song's duration and is gradually joined by other instruments that accompany and revolve around the guiding riff, evolving the song to include military drums. Perhaps the unknown man was an anonymous fallen soldier, and this is his funeral march? Similar to 'Alpha' off the previous record, only not as interesting and almost twice as long.

The pointlessly titled '3 + 3,' which likely holds some sort of useless significance (parts of the song are definitely in 3/4 time), contributes the final 'loud' song in the album's alternating pattern, but in a way it combines the best elements of what has come before. The groovy opening keyboards remind of 'Dervish D,' but the similarity ends there; this is more of a cross between 'Spiral' (prominently) and the two reflective pieces. Again, too repetitive and far too long, but well worth the listening time of any electronic or new age music fan. This song at least has the distinction of sounding unlike any of Vangelis' other works, something that can't be said of the rest of the album, although the reasons for this may not be positive.

In terms of popularity and sales, Spiral is a Vangelis classic, but its appeal is more grounded in its historical context than some of his other 'timeless' works. Leaving behind the artistic integrity of the epic 'Heaven and Hell' that would thankfully resurface and improve over the following decades up to the present, 'Spiral' sounds more like a dated synth-pop release that fans could rightfully label a sell-out. Vangelis would improve upon this sound in 'China,' his final work of the decade, before retreating to release some of his least ambitious and most overtly commercial work yet. To complicate matters, the following year's 'Beaubourg' is an indigestible, time-wasting 'suite' of pointless, arbitrary noise.

Spiral boasts some classic Vangelis compositions ('Spiral,' 'To the Unknown Man,' '3 + 3') and pushed forward the use of computers in the composition of music. As this would eventually lead to the outbreak of dance music, I don't know whether this is a commendable or regrettable accomplishment. While comparisons of electronic music to classical symphonies are hotly contested, Spiral is contentedly removed from such allusions. Weirdly, despite the album's fame as one of Vangelis' most well-known, no tracks from Spiral appeared on the best-of collection 'Odyssey,' although other collections regularly feature 'Spiral' and time-permissible edits of 'To the Unknown Man.' At the risk of heresy, such edits don't detract much from music like this, and Vangelis could have easily fit a couple of extra tracks onto this forty-minute album rather than a mere five, somewhat lengthy ones.

Perhaps more noteworthy today as a relic or eccentricity from a burgeoning electronic age (a fate that should hopefully render Jarre obsolete some day), this isn't one of Vangelis' most notable or enjoyable albums, but helped secure the fame that would lead to some of his finest work, including 'Blade Runner.' It's quite a fun album if you're into music history or a fan of kitsch stuff in general, but doesn't offer a great deal to anyone else when set against the multitude of superior synthesiser-based rock albums out there.

Excellent music. 1977 and this is probaly one of Vangelis's top three ' progressive' sounding albums. The album is beautifully composed with elements of dreamy like layered songs to the more feverish psychedlic suite like the phenomenal ' Dervish Dance'. ' The Title track takes one on a slow meander witha steady mood before leading into the melancholic and sad ' Ballad'. Dervish D makes you want to dance ( yes even to Vangelis'!). Side two starts with perhaps the highlight of Spiral- ' To The Unknown Man', what a title for a song too. Spiral shows Vangelis nearing his musical peak in the 70's decade and is a must have to any Vangelis enthusiast.

Fanfare for the unknown man

"Spiral" is for me Vangelis most accomplished work, due in no small part due to the inclusion of the excellent "To the unknown man". The album; which is entirely composed, arranged and performed by Vangelis; consists of just five extended pieces. These are largely predictable, falling at the more commercial end of the territory occupied by bands such as TANGERINE DREAM and their various solo offspring.

The synthesiser sound used by Vangelis is relatively unadventurous, the opening title track indicating exactly what to expect from most of the album. The piece is however an inspired composition, which builds well to a pleasing climax. "Ballad" is indeed a softer piece, but even disregarding the lack of vocals it is not a ballad in the traditional sense. The track has a trance like repeating vocal like synth motif with occasional louder bursts of symphonic synth. Ironically (given the title), this is the most avant-garde of the tracks.

"Dervish D" takes us back to the Spiral theme (illustrated on the sleeve by a snake like image of a headphones jack lead in the sky) the track taking its inspiration from a Dervish dancer. The simple main theme will sound frustratingly familiar, possibly due in part to similarities with parts of RICK WAKEMAN's "White rock" album. There's no suggestion of one copying the other though.

Side two of the LP is split about 50/50 between two tracks. "To the unknown man" is essentially a simple repeated theme, but it stands for me as Vangelis best work. This ("Abadon's") Bolero like piece is structured around a five note call and six note response which builds through the nine minutes of the track to a climax and subsequent peaceful conclusion. At one point, snare drum is used to great effect to build the tension while symphonic synths drift behind the main theme. This is Vangelis' "Trilogy" or "Fanfare for the common man"; a wonderful piece.

"3+3" which closes the album is based around a sequencer theme. Such sounds were relatively new at the time, suddenly becoming familiar through the work of artists like Georgio Marauder (Donna Summer's producer). Instead of vocals though, Vangelis sticks to the familiar synth sound for the main theme. The piece has a slightly more symphonic structure, with occasional fanfares.

In all, an excellent example of the electronic prog genre. For those looking to dip a toe in this type of music, this is an excellent, largely accessible place to start.

Another inspired offering from Vangelis, which shows the Greek composer gradual increase in control over his output. Not only is the music on this album entirely arranged, composed, performed and produced by Vangelis in his own recording studio, the sleeve artwork this time is also devised by the composer. The sound quality on this album is crisper and clearer. Vangelis had by this time, re- equipped his Nemo studios with a better mixing desk, and had also purchased some more up to date synthesizers. This is clearly evident from track one. While sequencers had been prevalent somewhat on Albedo 0.39, they are at the forefront on the opening title track, and also appear prominently on three of the remaining four tracks on the album. Vangelis had obviously got hold of an ARP2600 sequencer and was showing that he was more than capable of producing his own distinct interpretation of the kind of music being produced in Berlin more famously by the likes of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Michael Hoenig.

But the synth that stands out the most on this album more than any other, is the Yamaha CS80 - possibly one of the greatest polyphonic synthesizers ever built, and it was to become Vangelis's trademark synthesizer; used prominently from now onwards on his albums, particularly on China and the Bladerunner soundtrack. The now archaic synth can still be heard on Vangelis's most recent offering; the new music CD on the 25th anniversary Bladerunner box set.

Both the CS80 and the heavy sequencers hit the listener immediately on the title track, which is a beautiful, frenetic and powerful slab of prog-inspired synth music. The sound is lusher than what Tangerine Dream was managing at the time - a more comparable sound might be Klaus Schulze/s Mirage album cut down into a seven minute track. Spiral again uses Vangelis's trademark technique of taking a simple theme and developing it over a period of time. What makes the music especially amazing is that it was probably completely improvised and later edited into a more structured shape - another one of Vangelis's famous techniques.

Ballad follows, and this piece is a showcase for the CS80 synthesizer, with its lush and beautiful arrangement. The sound here is fuller, and far warmer than any of the sounds achieved on his previous albums. Much of the melody is provided by a very unusual instrument for a Vangelis album - the composer's own singing voice; albeit distorted through a number of elaborate effects. Ballad is an apt descriptive title for the piece of music, but there is also a major jazz influence on what is going on in here.

Dervish D completes side one of the album with a strange mix of old and new style. The instrumentation at the time was cutting edge - again a mixture of the CS80 and sequencer-driven patterns underpinning the catchy and simple melodic figures. Vangelis's treated voice - this time possibly fed through a vocoder, but not the type of vocoder sounds that Kraftwerk were famously using at the time - again appears buried in the mix. But the music is simply an up-tempo rocky 12 bar blues! Yet the marriage of old rootsy music and modern technology works splendidly.

Side two is comprised of two lengthy ten minute compositions. To The Unknown Man is the most famous track on the album. Like Alpha and Pulsar before it, the piece starts simply, with a simple melodic figure on the CS80 backed by a pulsing 12/4 sequencer line. This gradually develops with more and more orchestrating synthesizers, before the piece crescendos as it reaches a new chord sequence. The drums kick in, and an excellent up-tempo long outro appears. The piece is purely magical.

The album ends with my favourite track - 3+3, titled due to the fact that the piece is in 3/4 time. I love this track - certainly the most progressive on the album - because of its lush sounds and the incredible driving energy of the very fast sequencer lines. Over the top of the ever changing backing sequences, is an extremely simple and memorable melody line. So the album almost comes full circle, ending in the same kind of territory that the album starts.

I bought this album in my early teens, on the same day I bought Heaven and Hell. While I don't think the record is quite as good as that masterpiece, I would still heartily recommend this album to all those unfamiliar with Vangelis's work. This album is certainly a great place to start for those in that position, and there is certainly plenty on the album to appeal to prog rock fans, thanks to its fast-paced and breathtaking sequencer lines. In the hands of anyone else, these sequencers would sound cold and robotic. Yet with Vangelis at the helm, there is warmth to them that makes them sound very human. Go out and buy this album!!!

Vangelis is the unknown man (at least in my record collection)

Vangelis is not the kind of artist that I thought that I was ever going to enjoy. However, some of his albums are indeed worth hearing. Spiral is one of his best (that I've heard so far, anyway). The album is instrumental and heavily dominated by synthesisers and this gives it a somewhat thin sound at times. But having that said, this is far away from New-Age music or music for relaxation. I wouldn't hesitate calling this progressive music even if there is very little rock in it.

Recommended, but hardly essential.

Back to the electronics, akin to Albedo 0.39, but again, this album is very different. Vangelis is clearly making the best use of existing technology. The title track explodes with an abrupt blast of sound, its arpegiations echoing into the cloudy distance. This pattern is the core of the piece onto which a dramatic theme is overlaid, powerful and majestic. The next track, Ballad, is a gentler piece accented by a vocalization and augmented with bombastic flourishes. Dervish D moves the album into a driving mid-eastern bit of techno. This song is not for the tired or those seeking relaxation. If Ballad had lulled you to drowsiness, Dervish D will wake you up. What was once the second side begins with To the Unknown Man. Here we have a melody, deceptively simple, that is repeated and orchestrated more and more grandly. A military drum beats a march towards the end, which brings the piece to a climax. Actually, this is one of those pieces that could go on for an hour and that would be just fine with me. Having already taking it where it needs to go, though, Vangelis fades this one out. The album closes with 3 + 3, a piece that is both driving and mellow at the same time. Sound processors provides the drive, in a pattern somewhat similar to the title track, but another deceptively simple melody overlays it. This piece, too, fades out, leaving a space behind it, as if we have been spiraled out into the infinite void. The absence of the sound is palpable, yet is also satisfying. Essential Vangelis, and not as eclectic as its predecessors, Spiral represents a new step in the development of an outstanding musical career.

The good Vangelis albums are following one another. The artist remains in the prog electronic territories, and as far as I am concerned, this is the best that he could do.

Imposing and bombastic church organ during the title track which is opening this work is setting the pace. We will be again confronted with some fine electronic prog. Some key lines are not far away from the great TD (but it is not the first time) and ELP fans should be attracted as well. It is an excellent opening number by all means.

"Ballad" is a soft and quite number which holds a recurring theme (some sort of vocalizing effects) constructed around melodic and ambient key lines. It is fully atmospheric. Not surprising, "Dervish D" is quite repetitive (these guys are repeatedly dancing around themselves).

The pièce de résistance of this album is of course the magical "To The Unknown Man". It is maybe some sort of a tribute to mankind (?) and this well known song is one of the best of the whole of Vangelis career. At least I feel so. It is not untrue that the theme reminds of the "Bolero". This song was aired quite a bit at the time of release (although 77 was not really the best year for electronic prog artists). It can be compared to some of JMJ best moments as well. This is THE highlight from "Spiral".

The sequencing machine is on-line for the closing and longest song "3+3". Grandiose and bombastic finale is the best of this track. It is of course difficult to follow such great a piece of music as "Unknown Man".

This album is pretty enjoyable and consists of very good tracks. Four stars.

When goes closer to Tangerine Dream or electronic prog in general Vangelis is able to reach his highest moments.

Spiral is opened by the title track that starts with an "electronic waterfall" that permeates the whole track, and probably is the sonic representation of a spiral, on which he puts first a symphonic part based on organ, then it's back to pure electronic. Unlike the disconnected parts that composed his two previous works, both soundtracks, Spiral is clearly a "composition" with a complex structure on which Vangelis gives the impression to have spent some time and effort.

On "Ballad" there's an unusual utilization of voices on a non trivial sequence of open chords with short interludes of orchestral accents. Even if the 7 notes which are the core of the song are almost always present, there's a number of changes specially in the second half of the track that I see as an ancestor of Blade Runner Blues.

The third and last track of Side A is "Dervish D". Inspired to the Dervish Dance, is famous in my country for having been used to open a TV news for years. It's a good piece of electronic music, but it doesn't transmit the sense of circular movement, or spin, that's the main characteristic of the Dervish dance. It's just a sort of electronic boogie on which Vangelis uses sounds that can be found also on "The Friends Of Mr. Cairo".

"To The Unknown Man" is repetitive and based on major chords. It's the kind f track that can be found on "L''Apocalypse Des Animaux". Relaxing and easy. At half of the track some drums give it a "martial" sense that transforms it into a bolero. The change into the pop realm of the last minutes is very similar in the structure to "Alpha", which opens the B-side of Albedo 0.39.

"3+3" is the final track. Another electronic track that could remind to Edgar Froese. With an important difference: It doesn't last 35 minutes as it's usual for the German instrumentist. The difference with Froese stays in the melodic line. Repetitions are important but are not the principal element of the track that evolves in a melodic sense.

A good work, really better than the previous two, but not essential.

3-stars

Spiral is Vangelis in a futuristic mode, without the underlying nostalgia that characterised his cyberpunk soundtrack to Blade Runner. Tackling the likes of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze on their own territory, Vangelis creates a finely sequenced and excellently produced synthesiser album here, and whilst he doesn't quite hit the high standards they attained so often during this time period he comes maddeningly close at points. A good enough album, although at points it does begin to sound like Vangelis just enjoying having access to all these cool synths and keyboards; whilst technically accomplished, it lacks emotional or compositional depth and therefore struggles to hold my interest.

A very exciting album, Vangelis' 1977 release, Spiral is a great accomplishment in the realm of electronic progressive music. It shows the artist very much finding the sound world he would be living in for quite some time, and also features some of his most virtuostic keyboard work. The synth sounds are very much his own, and the album is punctuated by great compositions like the title track, the very energetic and quirky "Dervish D", the supremely melodic "Ballad", the named after it's compound time signature "3 + 3" (9/8 over 3/4, I believe), and one of his most well known and accomplished melodic emotional builders, "To the Unknown Man." Strongly recommended, especially to progressive electronic listeners.

"Spiral" is a dynamic album from legendary Vangelis opening with a stunning synth powerhouse with the title track 'Spiral'. This track is a definitive Vangelis classic with huge arpeggios and ascending and descending synth runs over layers of lush keyboard pads. The melody is infectious and as good as anything he has set his hand to with later material. The spacey atmospheres are dazzling and if the rest of the album had been like thus it would have reached masterpiece status. Unfortunately it hurtles downhill after this brilliant start.

There are some bright lights along the way. 'Dervish D' has a nice melody but really is more a retread of 'Spiral''s themes than anything new and innovative, inspired by the whirling Dervish dancers. Occasionally the themes of tracks stand out but it really becomes quite uninspiring and drawn out at times.

'3+3' has an inventive use of a sequencer, reminding me of Pink Floyd's 'On The Run'. It finishes the note on a build-up of musical intonations and has a crystalline synth sound with interesting diversions into styles. The ending of the track changes into a fast paced rhythm with some wonderful violin soundalike flourishes.

The cover of the album is also worth noting, not a sci fi theme as many of Vangelis albums but a simple snaking depiction of a headphone jack spiralling from the sky towards us. Overall, it is a pleasant sounding album, not particularly brimming with brilliant master works, but relaxing and ebbing with crystal clear synths; and if that is what you are after, you will not be disappointed.

I certainly have not heard all that Vangelis has to offer, but I have heard enough to know that there is a good deal in his sizable repertoire that I really enjoy. Given the variety on offer, it is hard to know where to make the next move. Heaven & Hell and Albedo 0.39 while not perfect are among the most excellent and ambitious albums I have ever heard. The logical progression in mind was to pursue the next most highly rated album of about that era and thus, I arrived at Spiral.

What I found is an album which is technically proficient, but cold. The incredible fire which went into make those other works seems to have gone out or at the very least been pressed into service elsewhere. The best track on the album is the opener and title track which sounds like it could have been lifted directly from Albedo 0.39. To the Unknown Man is also pleasantly uplifting if a bit aloof. Afterward however, Vangelis seems content to mimic the mechanistic style of his German contemporaries, especially Tangerine Dream. What I always appreciate about Vangelis' music is that, even though he composes primarily using synthetic instrumentation, he brings a feeling and passion which pushes through the detachment of his chosen medium.

I can appreciate that this is the album that Vangelis wanted to make at the time, and I trust that he was still passionate about his work, but I'll take explosive and unpredictable if inconsistent over focused banal any day when it comes to Vangelis. To be honest, I do not particularly recommend this album. I consider myself a fan, but this album is not really possessing of the qualities which endear me to Vangelis. 2 out of five, for collectors/fans.

Spiral is an album of quality without a doubt.Vangelis displayed a fine futuristic sound here. The album is more melodic than "Albedo 0.39" and I find it more favourable in that respect but it doesn't share the same atmosphere and emotion as some of the composer's early works such as "Heaven And Hell". On a positive note though, this really sets off to a fabulous start with the flurries or 'spiralling' sounds from the sequencer, a new and impressive technology in 1977, so it is hard not to admire Vangelis both for his expertise and innovation apart from it being a solid composition. 'Ballad' is next. It is quite odd but certainly very different to anything he had done up to that point which is important to note. I've always loved the way Vangelis twists many styles which is often very clever and hard to notice at first, such as the bluesy synth solo on 'Dervish Dancer'. The highlight on the whole album has to be the much celebrated To The Unknown Man' it is a slow, majestic one with a very nice build up. Three solid stars

In 1977, Vangelis was already amassing a pretty impressive discography as a solo artist and was at a high point in his creative output, gaining impressive critical and popular acclaim after releasing 'Heaven and Hell' in 1975 and 'Albedo 0.39' in 1976, two of his most acclaimed albums. These, among with his numerous soundtrack albums, were proving to give him a great following and he wasn't quite at the point where he was going to change that yet.

So, for 1977, he released another conceptual album with 'Spiral', an album that would be based on the themes inspired by Tao beliefs of the nature of the universe moving in spirals. His album cover was simple, a spiraled stereo headphone chord suspended in air with a blue sky as the background, quite a fitting picture of music meeting with space and philosophy. The album isn't quite as well known as the preceding albums, even though it is based more on simplistic melodies meant to reflect the simplicity of the spiral philosophy. It would also consist of distinct tracks more than most of his preceding albums.

This also marks the first time that Vangelis would use what would become his instrument of choice for a while, the Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer, thus giving us the sound that he would be famous for. The first side consists of 3 tracks. 'Spiral' is based off of an arpeggio which varies throughout the track, broken up to create a melodic feel with a throbbing percussive feel deep in the background. Dynamics are used quite effectively to go from a dreamy to a stately feel with an organ style sound providing a regal melody. The music later boasts multiple layers teasing each other, the sounds and textures making this a nice kaleidoscope of sound even becoming busy at times. 'Ballad' is the only track that consists of any vocals, and they are processed wordless vocals sung by Vangelis which provides an understated melody. It features an electric organ and harmonica, builds to a percussive climax with timpani and brass instruments and then quiets down being led out with a beautiful harmonica melody. 'Dervish D' is explained in the program notes as having been 'inspired by the Dervish Dancer who by his whirling realizes the spiraling of the universe'. It acts in contrast to the previous more pensive track with its funky foundation created by a sequencer making it quite accessible and creating an infectious hook for the album along with a catchy synth melody.

Side two consists of two tracks each in the 9 minute range. 'To the Unknown Man' is probably the most memorable track of the album. There are three main sections to the song. The first part moves along pushed by a moderately slow pulse and melody. The 2nd time through the melody, processed strings join in giving it a smoother and lusher feeling. A marching rhythm begins as the dynamics build up in the 3rd go round and brass embellishments are added in. You can hear some foretelling of 'Chariots of Fire' and other well-known Vangelis tracks in this track. After a while, the beat turns into a more rock-oriented style and the synths give up melody for a more improvised style based on that original melody. The last track is '3+3' which reflects the 6/8 meter that comes along later in the track. It all starts out with a fast running arpeggio-based line that sounds a bit complex even with a synth motif played almost in counterpoint. It sound a bit off-kilter until the percussion comes in and starts to divide everything up into a more accessible rhythm. The fast moving sequence that remains as a foundation gives this track the most futuristic sound of all of the tracks on the album. The music shifts from straight melody to a more improvised feel as it moves along and it is also the most progressive of the tracks.

This album is definitely one of the more structured albums from Vangelis, though it's not necessarily radio friendly so to speak as the tracks are all fairly long for radio play. However, it is more accessible than some of his previous albums. Even with this move towards the easier listening style, it is still one of his lesser acknowledged albums, though it is one that I feel is worthwhile with plenty in it to make it interesting and fun to listen to. It retains it's appeal much better than some of Vangelis' extremely accessible albums which were blatant attempts to steal some radio air play time. He doesn't resort to that quite yet, so this one is still great and interesting at the same time, though a slight step down from the last two non-soundtrack albums.

1.Spiral ah this spatial intro, the synths that come and go, back and forth, from left to right, ah this sound that comes from the center, from your head, it swells, what else can I say, it's very linear, yes but before there was nothing; so these redundant sounds, these sounds coming from the universe, amplified by this microphone elsewhere, what a cover that everyone remembers; the air that comes, dancing, symphonic and catchy; a sound that returns like a wave and that we would listen to for more 2 Ballad which takes me back to the album 'China' for its Japanese connections, the entry is symphonic, Chinese, grandiloquent; then with the voice-overs it deviates to an airy air, of the turbosphere I think; a synthetic violin which juggles with the folklore of the land of the rising sun, a musical image of plenitude, bells, percussion which amplifies and the return of this sampled sound, trademark of the master VANGELIS; a magnificent bucolic stroll 3 Dervish D with the trademark of electronic music, a tune on a rhythmic base, all one on top of the other, like a black hole absorbing a galaxy; it seems so outdated these days, so beautiful when it came out 4 To The Unknown Man and one of my first musical excitements with electronic music; yes there was TANGERINE DREAM, SCHULZE, JM JARRE; yes there was VANGELIS with this very significant title; a solemn tune, the perfect anthem, here before hearing the drum roll I imagined it; in short, stereo to brighten up, the sound that plays on the speakers, or that stirs your air in your headphones, more on the left side it is true; 3'50 and it arrives after this wave of muffled synths; the roll, yes you have to follow, makes the hairs on your back stand up, it was the fashion, yes the anthem becomes beautiful, tall, you can't be more... 6'20 and that's messy; boom, boom boom and the finale arrives... a little pink noise to bring that last musical, symphonic and airy touch, in short a simplistic and wonderful title at the same time 5 3 + 3 at the end for the final title which leaves me cold; too much synth kills the synth; it's too easy, too bland, I don't like it and listening again confirms my initial feeling; perhaps also that the other titles took all my emotion.