VANGELIS

VANGELIS sequence bontempi!! 1Beaubourg, Part I ... yes sitting down to this slightly out-of-the-ordinary album is like walking a tightrope without a hook; yes this Beaubourg raises questions about its musical meaning; yes Vangelis had fun with his unique Yamaha CS-80 as an instrument, working with the IRCA while for me it takes me back to the work of the FIRM, another story of acronyms; a scary start; around 7 minutes we recognize the tunes of some pieces from the future 'China', yes we say to ourselves that he must have loved the film 'Starwars' and its robot R2-D2; yes we say to ourselves that Eric SERRA must have really liked him to find his atmospheres in his 'Subway'; yes at the beginning many like me just found a parallel between these syncopated, detached, unstructured notes and the homage of the creation of the center of the same name. Even if it was just the neighborhood where he lived before, he paid tribute to it ... to the unstructured mouths of the center ... Yes, the last quarter with its blanks is indeed the sign of musical fragments stacked, not put endabout and not beaubourabout ... Yes, personally, his works remind me much more of a child playing with this keyboard without really knowing what he can do with it, yes VANGELIS was looking for himself after the fabulous 'Spiral' and he had to evolve ...

2Beaubourg, Part 2 Krautrock, space music, the wild experiments of POPOL VUH, an avant-garde piece, a musical research, his personal trampling, a sound of the wonderful and sinister 'Alien' which will appear the following year? In fact, this second side is more accessible because it was the only one I had kept on a K7 recording, the first one read my feelings above!!! In short, here I found bits of musical tunes like in the first TANGERINE DREAM, yes listen again to 'Atem' and 'Zeit' and you will find striking analogies, go visit the 4th side of the wonderful 'Encore' and you will be surprised that in 1977 there was already some Beaubourg already!! Halfway through and the macabre side becomes obvious, looking for it when 'Nosferatu' was released in theaters... 1922 ah that's a bit young, but Herzog released one in 1979 if I'm not mistaken; in short, a cinematic experience before its time which can at least give the impression that everyone could become a very good musician, provided that 'China' is released the following year; in terms of Hi-Fi system settings go to around 15 minutes and you will have the perfect disc to test it and show the seller that he doesn't know much about it; Well let's be clear, finding art in these 2 pieces is unconsciousness, but to miss it is progressive sacrilege because VANGELIS we listen to him and we criticize him not; 18 minutes and you have '2001' which appears in front of you, yes, yes, what more could you ask for? You were not born, that's good, neither am I; you have a zest for unequaled musical creation, which will make CARPENTER considered as a cult synth man finally. Well I'm going back to my Bontempi!

This is pure brilliance misunderstood by many people who think this kind of music is some kind of contractual obligation or just someone playing with a new synth. To be honest, this experimental and avant-garde stuff is celebrated when made by other artists, but I think some people lambast Beaubourg just because it is made by a musician and composer that was known for doing other things.

Vangelis, as a composer, was much of a free-spirit and often puzzled his fans (for example, with albuns like Soil Festivities and Invisible Connections not long after releasing the popular Chariots of Fire). Beaubourg, as a follow-up of Albedo 0.39 and Spiral certainly shocked many of the casual fans.

Avant-garde and minimalist in nature, the album is all about fragmentary melodies here and there, experiments with tones, sparse sounds and no rhythm at all. It is very experimental in the sense that it experiments with characteristics of the sound itself: heavy reverberation, stereo effects, relying heavily on the synthesizer filters and effects rather than the oscillators. There are lots of silences and pauses that are very important to the nature of the composition. Vangelis manages to fill 40 minutes of the album with a great listening experience for fans of the genre.

This is, of course, out of reach for many people, because it is simply not their genre. But for people who dig this highly experimental and avant-garde compositions in the tradition of the classical composers of the second half of the twentieth century, it is a tremendous work. And that is why it deserves a high rating, even if it is not for everyone.

What is interesting about China is that it mixes two different characteristics of Vangelis work: the somewhat folkish sound with traditional Chinese flutes, percussion and even a bit of violin by the longtime collaborator Michel Ripoche and the distinctive soundscapes using now polyphonic and digital synts, with their raspy sounds (at least at the end of the 70s and beginning of the eighties) and pianos, to a great effect.

One thing that amazes me on those works by Vangelis, including the celebrated elsewhere victim of some prejudice among prog fans "Chariots of Fire" is that, composing and playing almost everything, the Greek composer and musician knows exactly what should go where in every song, even with the countless possibilities that the synthesizers bring. One has to recognize that it seems to be much more complex than prog composers that compose the general flow of the songs on their main instrument and then use the talents of their bandmates to fill in the arrangemets of their own instruments.

In China, it is all there, and songs like Yin & Yang and Himalaya, that blend beautiful harmonies and soundscapes with experimental lead synth flourishes here and there make the work uniquely pleasant. Some other songs mix well the experimental aspects and the quasi-symphonic and traditional folk, like Chung Kuo. There is a good variety of compositions, some more straightforward, some more complex, and listening to the entire album is a very pleasant experience.

Of course, lots of people don't like very much Vangelis works because they are shy in the "rock" component (it is almost non-existent on this album), but it is a lot better musically than almost everything that was being done in the realms of the progressive music by 1979.

First of all, I take umbrage at the star rating system for this album, since it is not actually prog rock. It is experimental electronica. There are many reviews here that lambaste this album because it is not what they expected from Vangelis. However, one has only to listen to the modular synth electronica that is being made today to realize that Vangelis was only about 45 years ahead of his time. Also, if one wants to put this album in context, then one must listen not to other Vangelis music or prog rock, but to go back and listen to such works as Stockhausen's Etudes or Ligeti's Artikulations. Beaubourg is like those works, only less formal and more melodic. There are actually some really beautiful sections of Beaubourg -- for example, the first five minutes makes a very compelling composition, full of beauty and drama.

When I first got this record back in the early 80s, I didn't really know what to make of it. However, it is now my favourite Vangelis album. Another Vangelis album that I thought was really useless at the time is Invisible Connections. However, it is now probably my second favourite Vangelis album. These albums are pure abstract electronica, and they are very good in that context. In my view, much of the more accessible Vangelis music has not aged particularly well, but that certainly cannot be said of Beaubourg and Invisible Connections -- they stand up very well amongst the experimental electronica being made today.

VANGELIS with CHINA as a hidden chronicle, just for fun.

1 Chung Kuo with the intro cosmic waves or Chinese artifices that set the sky ablaze; immense apocalyptic, symphonic and majestic intro, the arrival of this comet sound, shooting star, flame-fall of the extinguishing fire?; in short we are at the dawn of the great journey on this binary air quickly chiselled by a Mandarin keyboard... the slap what... I had read at the time 'the long march of the mandarins at the time of the mellotron' yes I take it out. 2 The Long March for the melancholic solf'ge piano variation where a synth adds a little more spleen, shhh it's the break and it's not this crescendo that will scare us 3 The Dragon bam it goes to the right, to the left, the fire is not extinguished; return to 'Beaubourg' for preposterous synthetic experiments; good it's going a well restrained air arises for a conventional Asian dance; the minimalist break and the flight of synths amplified by the majestic percussion gives the expected relief, we are indeed in China to climb the great wall. Dantesque and eventful this piece 4 The Plum Blossom for the variation on the arid violin, the one that makes hair and other hair rise high, a tune that twirls, that moves like a salad basket supposed to dry this damn lettuce... ah the images scroll by, come on the theme Chinese in the final background. 5 The Tao Of Love for the variation of the Chinese air, the one where you see the cherry trees of Japan in bloom, yes we are going very far to change countries... in short, the theme dripping with marshmallow sweetness to ask questions hassles of everyday life, well I will take a tea with this synth that relaxes and imposes respect ... a bit of the child in the sea in the distance 6 The Little Fete and the characteristic tuba flute that we dream of hearing to symbolize our arrival on the ground, drum roll, crystalline arpeggio, drops of water... yes we have arrived, I take a bottle of wine, now I speak Chinese too... my shadow is never first? good barker title to make you think you're there when you're still here 7 Yin & Yang continues on the same path, synths, local string instruments to make you forget Europe, France, you're good there and nothing will make you come back, dong dong says this song ; the ambient variation which arises wisely on a guitar and harp arpeggio ennobles the air so that the wicked evangelical synths show the end of their keyboards; boo it would even become oppressive; small aside on this album chosen to try to raise awareness of the progressive extent through music, here we are; I have a soft spot for the percussion associated with these high notes raising the emotion to the firmament for the finale. 8 Himalayas for the piece of my favorite, yes Julien it's not just you; in short, a dark, sinister, evolving rise, a crescendical rise as one can only love, a hypnotizing and hypnotized sound, a bewitching air that I used in relaxation, that is to say; the title which runs for an hour, which makes you forget your temporal landmarks. As often halfway through an evolution, a break, here a musical will-o'-the-wisp with invading sounds, like one that goes behind my ear; good little Chinese symphonic explosion in the last third before the final monolithic plaintive declension 9 Summit for the dark happy ending, gloomy air, on a 'Blade Runner' when it was still only in the drawers; the progressive title so to come back to earth, finally to leave the great wall and land in Paris.... what did you not know that the great wall is a temporal passage, well at least I will have been used for something ; good this ambient title, latent on a musical structure in overloop, to put in phase anvil and stirrup.

Good this VANGELIS to rediscover art-rock, even if it's rather Japanese-rock here... and I have a Chinese friend who loves this pun. A good album by VANGELIS which is more OCNI than OMNI!!

1. Theme From Antarctica for the electronic symphonism and the layout of the film's story; synths swirling everywhere, ethereal, solemn choirs, minimalist drums that still impose themselves with the rumbling of the gong that reverberates in your head; the melody passes, bewitches the mind, makes you levitate, there is a bit of 'China' that remains 2. Antarctica Echoes on a hovering, foggy synth, on the apocalypse of animals, which sends us back even further; or how with a few notes to open our ears to introspection, to the harsh reality that is brewing? A moment of sweetness that declines into an echo, in which the air becomes majestic Olympian; simplicity of the notes created that many Sunday musicians will not be able to conceive, yes it took a genius to compose that; the last notes tick away gently, letting the heavy atmosphere settle in like a sonar searching for an echo 3. Kinematic occurs, the heartbreaking moment of the story, or how to live and survive in an instant when everything was fine before? An agonizing synth comes to support the high notes; another whiff of 'China' for this dreamlike crescendo, another ode to life and survival all at once 4. Song of White or how to immediately make one think of the silence of the Antarctic without the noise of men, without their presence, without their help of food and warmth? This blood-curdling Japanese tuba is perhaps the best solution to express this feeling; after this doubt the second part of the piece on a redundant tune will deliver the dogs by giving them the choice of returning to their primary instinct, living alone and free; only we listeners will fear for them

5. Life of Antarctica with the beginning of the new life, a latent air to show that life will not be so easy, but that there is no choice; the Homerian synth pads return to the tradition of the keyboard player, more contemplative than incisive, letting the listener make his own film; a pad, a rumble of drums, a flute, a piano and the Dantesque atmosphere in front of this new life takes its way 6. Memory of Antarctica with a latent electro sound bringing doubt and introspection; a sweet melody where the synth seeks itself, goes from minimalist ambient to the sweetness of hearts, hearts of dogs some of which will stop beating; a hymn to Life, a memory of that moment when I cried just seeing a dog die at the cinema, and where I waited until the end to check that no harm had been done to the animals during filming, or that there were tears for that memory left there; the velvety synths respond to those crystalline keys bringing air and cleaning the tears 7. Other Side of Antarctica with the strongest title of the album; the loss of bearings, the feeling of being irremediably lost, this long invasive crescendo that begins to flow into our brain; there is some JM JARRE in there, it's beautiful; there is some VANGELIS who plays with incisively inflating the air of the piece to carry us, to bring us to the inevitable; the gong comes to amplify the emotion, the rise never ends, mixing the various albums of VANGELIS, between contemplative, admiration, divine joy; the finale on the incessant, symphonic and grandiloquent rise, yes I like these words because they perfectly express the feeling provoked 8. Deliverance immediately signals the long-awaited end; after having survived in the Antarctic hell, some dogs will recognize their masters who have finally arrived there; the music had to be solemn, it is; if you cry, tell yourself that it 'is for joy' and no one will blame you; the majestic synth, the OLDFIELD-style tune, you straighten up with the pompous notes that print the grandiose air that you can have of having also survived this film, this original and singular soundtrack; yes majestic.

1. Titles for one of the most striking titles of the VANGELIS era; a rise, a piano arpeggio, electronic cymbals, the gong in the distance, the artist's musical touch; and off we go to go far, further, faster; a flight of violins to magnify a major theme of electronic music and boost the film, who doesn't remember those athletes in long shorts running on the edge of the beach? 2. Five Circles with the contemplative, languid atmosphere, the synth on a solemn organ accompanied by a minimalist bell; the air that instills reflection and meditation, a grandiloquent zest, a tad repetitive that serves the cause well; ah the impression that VANGELIS was blowing into his keyboard keys 3. Abraham's Theme that passes without noticing; haunting, soporific but hypnotic, or the ballad that kills; very simple 4. Eric's Theme returns with this piece with an evangelical sound; church air, majestic; an eloquent march, a divine melancholy air, the thing that makes you vibrate with go. Very demonstrative 5. 100 Meters and musical doubt in less than 2 minutes; a hint of 'Beaubourg', synth sounds that spurt, a mysterious air that would come from space, yes indeed 'Flash'; the gong vibrates in the sidereal space, the drum rolls fall on our anvils with a crash and 6. Jerusalem continues with an Olympian church choir, ah no simply Christian but it's perfect. For once shh listen, it's clear enough like that

7. Chariots of Fire on the second side, did you change the LP? There it is 20mn non-stop, so slow start on wave noises, hey SCHULZE had already experimented; reprise of the theme in watered down with comings and goings in the universe of Evangelos; a piano arpeggio which breathes the central air and allows to escape at the whim of the waves trodden by the athletes; there is a roar, a brisk step, there are bursts of synth which make this piece epic, an ode, an offbeat and crazy musical work with trumpets and drums; the wink to the epic title of 'China' also for its melodic research, for its creation and its musical introspection. you have to wait 12 minutes to have the classical-symphonic flight with bass drums; piano arpeggio break before relaunching the air on typical Evangelical notes, pompous, grandiloquent, airy, eloquent and majestic; between soaring synth notes and velvety piano separated by the wind blowing on the beach, an ode to unrestrained sport, to the cult of the body and keyboards that dare the final musical fireworks. the final wind is still part of the title.

1 Pulstar typical intro, indescribable, everyone has it in their musical unconscious, a bit like that of 'Tubular Bells'; cascading, arrowing synth, violent percussion, a roaring drum; the piece which confirms to you that you are not like everyone else, a little above the ambient doldrums, ah that is relieving; the air grandiloquent with a chiseled synth sweetness. Extraterrestrial attacks, fireworks with the incorporated sound, in short the Vangelis sound with this majestic keyboard; it spins, ah at the first... o'clock... ok it's over; but it's still one of my best songs 2 Freefall follows, Japanese sound, typical little melody for traveling 3 Mare Tranquillitatis does the same with a more important space air than that you can't; we have just landed on the moon, we think of Mars, what can make us dream is put there; the voices of NASA astronauts during an Apollo memory mission 4 Main Sequence smacks of 'Beaubourg', an electronic musical search made of keyboards that jump, howl and a melody that sticks to it; you want some tablecloths, here you go; the side that I still don't like, too empirical, expressive, too crazy and lacking the melodic framework; the finale changes completely, an air of 'So Long Ago, So Clear', a bit of 'L'homme à la mer' to end with sensitivity, gifted Vangelis

5 Sword Of Orion for the musical sweetness, the unstoppable melody; delicacy, awakening of Nature, a musical bath at the time when we took our time and another varied piece 6 Alpha... speaking of melody, here's another unstoppable one; the rise, the roll of thunder pad, its symphonic explosion which rolls even louder, the head which moves suddenly, yes we are indeed ... at the head of a troop, of an army which inevitably goes to victory; a great symphonic musical fresco which shows that prog is everywhere; the finale at the majestic summit that does things to your back 7 Nucleogenesis, Parts 1 And 2 with an organ setting, Hey, Rick and Richard are there? Well a second title pure electronic research with variations, packets, notes which diffuse in the room going in all directions, a tad electro psyche, hold a new drawer; the finale on OLDFIELD, then the distinctive sound quickly returns with rolling drums; ah that phone call, what would he do these days instead? There I saw the telephone without a brand, just the one used to make calls, in short the decreasing end already 8 Albedo 0.39 to close this album in another space; Keith's voice to amplify the drift of our ship towards its destruction... no, I'm joking though; Albedo answer, answer; no, we're really reaching the end of the album.

Heaven And Hell, Part 1 starts... finally begins; a majestic intro that you immediately recognize, then swirling and screaming choruses of madness, that's it, you are in the world of VANGELIS; it shines everywhere, the layers of synths have a blast; this subtitle is called 'Bacchanale' yes we understood everything; the suite, a droning melody on Moog, Fender Rhodes and other Bösendorfer grand piano keyboards, keyboards for a 20th century symphony; choirs with The English Chamber Choir and you have the ingredients for this magical moment; a grandiose fusion of classical, religious, Oldfield bells and a musical fresco is created, shown before you, musical magic. The 3rd movement at the piano comes to set down this phonic deluge a little by offering a gripping religio-solemn ballad, a slow rise with the synth which imprints the Vangelis sound the first opus after the fantastic 'L'Apocalypse Des Animaux'

2 So Long Ago, So Clear sound coming from the stars... and a star yes Jon himself who comes to chat; memory of that time when his voice made the radio vibrate, yes he had passed over it... imagine the happiness of that time; good solemn title with the voice which responds to the synths, the Olympian choirs which respond to the flights of notes and this syrupy melody which remains attached to your memory, yes it was just sublimely Dantesque 3 Heaven And Hell, Part two and five movements on this side... did you change it by the way? A sinister, distressing beginning with these metal claws, these wanderings at the piano, these musical flames emerging from a cemetery; 'Needles and Bones' on OLDFIELD for sure, well it then evolves into its own space but still; it's difficult to access, I found fortunately that I had plunged into it; '12 O'Clock' for the major moment, the choirs, the drums, everything is done to upset us, to torture our ears; the finale with Vana as lead vocal and her murmured vocalizations melts the indelicate progue who thought it was simplistic electronics; hold the bell and the Gregorian atmosphere to bring him down; 'Aries' storms in and in the space of two minutes creates mayhem; sonorous, phonic rolling, dithyrambic explosions to bring the finale very gently; an 'A Way' which plays out gently, melodically perfectly, just to rest the ear which has suffered pleasantly from this long journey of 3/4 hours.

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.