Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene (1976)

Review compiled from DooYoo.co.uk & Ciao.co.uk:

In 1976, Jean-Michel Jarre released his third album, "Oxygene". The first two didn't sell well, and are very rare today, but Oxygene became an instant best seller all over Europe. It's difficult to describe Oxygene, although most people will know part 4, which was released as a single; parts of the album are frequently used for TV adverts. Oxygene was feared to be an unlikely success due to its lack of vocals. It was recorded by a total unknown Frenchman, who in later years became well known around the world for his ability to put on huge laser/light concerts using citys as his stage.

This is an album for people that like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk or Can, but find them too repetitive. Oxygene is constantly evolving, and changing mood and tone like the sun setting over the water. The music is sectioned into tracks named Oxygene parts 1-6, but the tracks merge seamlessly into each other for one long playing symphony in lush analogue synthesizers. In the old days, I remember having to flip the record over. One of the great advantages of now having it on CD is to hear the full album in one go.

Originally written to be performed on stage, Oxygene was the first of Jarre's albums in this mode, and it is a style in which he has been writing ever since: blending synthetic instruments with samples of natural phenomenon and pieces of human speech to create sound pictures. There are very serene moments that contrast with uplifting, dynamic heights. Sequences, basslines and electronic percussion gather momentum, taking the listener on a journey. You could be slowly meandering at the bottom of the sea and then soaring into space, passing through a Star Wars X wing battle. It is difficult not to imagine or dream listening to this album. Jarre has managed to paint a kind of impressionist, abstract view of the natural world by conjuring, with the use of electronics, the wind, sea, birds and deep space. It has an organic quality.

It's a great piece of music, and well worth repeated listening. Jarre has done some great music since - Zoolook, Rendezvous, Magnetic Fields, Chronologie - but nothing that has yet surpassed this original masterwork.

For those of you who think electronic music is soulless, cold and automated, think again! It sounds rich, warm and has a minimalistic feel that is refreshing in this day of heavily produced music, crammed full of all manor of samples and new technology.

This is man in control of machine!





Digitally remastered 96Khz, 24bit technology by Scott Hull. Masterdisk, New York


Tracklisting:
1. Oxygene, Pt. 1 (7:40)
2. Oxygene, Pt. 2 (8:09)
3. Oxygene, Pt. 3 (2:55)
4. Oxygene, Pt. 4 (4:15)
5. Oxygene, Pt. 5 (10:24)
6. Oxygene, Pt. 6 (6:25)

Total Time: 39:48

Line-Up:
- Jean-Michel Jarre / organ, synthesizer, keyboards, mellophonium, rhythm, producer, mellotron, Farfisa organ, rhythm programming