One record at a time: 436. Vangelis - The Dragon

"The Dragon" is an album culled from the same sessions Vangelis recorded in 1971 that resulted in the "Hypothesis" album. However, unlike its counterpart, "The Dragon" actually has something to recommend it. Whilst there are elements of the dreaded jazz music on here, Vangelis tends to borrow more from psychedelic rock this time around.

The title track that occupies the first side of the record is a fifteen minute long jam with a Middle Eastern bent. I can hear session musicians playing drums, guitar and violin, but I have no idea what Vangelis's contribution would have been. Unfortunately this track is so repetitive you could edit it down to a two minute burst without losing anything meaningful. Listening to the last four minutes is akin to torture with the same four bar loop just going around and around and around and around...

"Stuffed Aubergine" or "Stuffed Tomato" are softer sounding tracks that occupy the flip side. It's actually much easier to discern Vangelis's keyboards on these songs and the repetition isn't quite as pronounced. Still, not something I will be returning to anytime soon. I've read Vangelis didn't consume drugs or much alcohol during this period - but it sure as hell doesn't sound like it. 1/5

One record at a time: 435. Vangelis - Hypothesis

In 1971 Vangelis travelled to London and recorded some jam sessions as an experiment. The resulting recordings weren't considered to be of any merit and the whole project was unceremoniously shelved. 

Seven years later Vangelis had found commercial success and his albums would regularly sell 100,000 copies. Sensing an opportunity, the executive who originally financed the recording of the 1971 jam sessions sought out the tapes and decided to release them. Therefore "Hypothesis" is a classic cash grab that contains sub-standard material that was not approved by the composer or performers.

When I say sub-standard, I mean it. Even Vangelis himself went to court to stop distribution of the record: not because of the money, but because the product was so bad. The music takes the form of experimental jazz improvisation. The quality and the mix of the instruments isn't very good and there is little cohesion between the various performers. I bought this album out of curiosity - but my ears haven't forgiven me for what I subjected them to. Let's face it, the best thing about this record is the artwork. 1/5  

One record at a time: 434. Vangelis - Beaubourg

Until I owned this record I did not know that "Beaubourg" is a reference to the environs of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Having visited the building in 1977, Vangelis was inspired to write the music on this album and it was released the following year. 

My copy is a reissue from an unknown date that doesn't seem to be listed on Discogs. However, I'm not inclined to submit the details to the website as fellow users tend to pounce on even the slightest mistake with an aggressive zeal worthy of history's greatest despots - something I can do without. 

Listeners should be aware this is not a commercial album. Yes, it consists almost entirely of electronic music, but it seems Centre Georges Pompidou inspired the abstract and experimental side of Vangelis. "Beaubourg" is split into two parts which are contained on either side of the disc. However, unlike earlier 'two part' Vangelis albums, these are continuos pieces of music and not just separate tracks sandwiched together.

The internet tells me this album is largely the sound Vangelis manipulating the ring modulator of the Yamaha CS-80 synthesiser. Metallic noises are smeared across the soundscape as Vangelis experiments with various tunings and discordant notes. These noises go on for forty minutes. If you are persistent you may be rewarded with a short passage of melody here and there, but there is no real concession to the listener. This music is hard work. 

As this was his last album for RCA, there has been some suggestion that Vangelis simply threw down this recording to complete his contractual obligations. Personally I think this was a sincere effort to do something different and push the boundaries a bit - but this doesn't mean I have to like it. 

One of the reasons that many of the soundtracks and other works Vangelis recorded are not available commercially is because he felt there would simply be too many releases if they were all made available. But maybe, just maybe, he could have kept this one to himself and let something else slip out of the vault. I visited the Centre Georges Pompidou in 2003 but it didn't inspire me at all. However, I like to think if it had, I would have produced something more palatable than this. 1/5

One record at a time: 433. Vangelis - Spiral

"Spiral" from 1977 is notable as it saw the introduction of two important elements in the music of Vangelis: the sequencer and the Yamaha CS-80. In fact the CS-80 became so influential that Vangelis would describe it as the most important synthesizer in his career. "Spiral" is also one of few Vangelis albums that sounds truly electronic. Much of the Greek maestro's early work uses electro-acoustic instruments and his later efforts revolved around orchestral sounds. "Spiral" seems to have hit a sweet spot in which synthesizers were used to innovate rather than imitate.

My copy of this record is a UK first pressing that is housed in a nice gatefold sleeve with an embossed inner. The disc itself has no flaws and displays a quality of workmanship that you just don't see in modern records - even if it does smell like it has been kept in a damp cellar for ten years.

The title track serves as a remarkable opener and stands out as the album's highlight. Vangelis creates various sequencer driven arpeggios and burbling synth noises before introducing a grand melody that builds into a crescendo. The second track "Ballad" is also hugely enjoyable and one of very few occasions in which Vangelis's vocals (albeit highly processed) appear in his music. The third track "Dervish D." starts well but descends into 12 bar blues with jazz licks on the Rhodes piano. Happily the driving synth arpeggios manage to dilute the less palatable parts of the composition and we end up with quite a good track. 

On the second side of the disc the track "To The Unknown Man" has a strong melody and the whole piece evolves into the most amazing crescendo. The closing track, "3 + 3" is another sequencer driven effort that sounds like an uplifting counterpart to the title track. Whilst both of the songs on the b-side are over nine minutes long, Vangelis continually introduces new ideas and arrangements that serve to maintain the listener's interest. 

Even though this record ranks amongst Vangelis's very best, it has never appealed to me in quite the same way as the work of his contemporaries did. I think this is because Vangelis has a tendency to borrow from jazz, blues and rock music. Even with Vangelis at his most electronic, I occasionally feel like I am hearing something hackneyed - it's just that it is being played on electronic instruments instead of traditional ones. 3/5

One record at a Time: 432. Vangelis - La Fête Sauvage

"La Fête Sauvage" is another soundtrack album for a French wildlife documentary that was released in 1975. The sleeve of my LP is rather curious as it features a porcelain tiger - but the documentary was actually about lions. I bought this record in 2018 and it has the distinctive bouquet that only a damp shed/cellar/attic could bestow upon it. 

Whilst nominally divided into two parts, "La Fête Sauvage" actually consists of numerous short pieces and cues lumped together on each side of the record. Most of the synths and keyboards used to make this album are the same as those on "Heaven and Hell", but the finished product sounds very different. As with much of Vangelis's early work, the one constant sound seems to be that of the Rhodes piano.

The first side contains a series of pieces that are largely tranquil with only the very first track making any impression. The opening of the second side offers something of a contrast where we hear driving percussion, a strong melody and crystalline synth flourishes. I like this piece even if it does sound a bit seventies disco in places. The second cue features African singers, percussion and various animal calls set against Vangelis's signature rising synth patches. As we approach the end of the record we hear ten minutes of traditional music performed by African musicians. This music may well have worked in the context of the film, but it isn't what I came to hear. This is one for the dedicated. 1/5 

One record at a time: 431. Vangelis - Albedo 0.39

Wikipedia tells me that if Vangelis went to record this album today he would have to call it Albedo 0.3 as the amount of solar radiation the Earth reflects back into space has fallen by 9% since this album was released in 1976. The title and the track names on this record make it clear this is a concept album based around astrophysics.

I bought this record from eBay in 2016 and it comes from an era in which a gatefold sleeve was seen as a fairly standard way of expanding the artwork rather than an extravagance required to hold two records. One interesting element of the sleeve is the fact that RCA seemed to feel the need to point out that the album could be played on a mono turntable if fitted with the correct pic-up head - but "those in doubt should consult their dealer".  

On listening to this album I realise it presents a dichotomy. Whilst we hear some of the best electronic themes Vangelis ever recorded, we are also subjected to some terrible improvised jazz too. I find the track "Main Sequence" particularly distressing and I fail to see how it has any relevance to the theme of the album. This isn't electronic music; its just self indulgent, overblown and boring. 

And don't give me any of that, "You just hate jazz because it requires you to actually listen to it and your pea brain can't cope" attitude. I think I am accustomed to hearing something other than pop music in 4/4 as I grew up listening to an almost relentless barrage of Opera, I love most of Beethoven's symphonies (Fourth especially) and swing groups like The Ink Spots sound amazing to my ears. I think I am accustomed to various styles of music. I just hate jazz.

So the standout tracks are the wonderful "Pulstar" and "Alpha" with honourable mentions to the ambience of "Freefall" and the intriguing title track. Everything else you can keep. 2/5

Synth spotting in Heaven and Hell

As you may have read, I have recently been listening to the Vangelis album "Heaven and Hell". Whilst looking at the gatefold sleeve the images in the centre caught my eye. Both photographs show Vangelis's studio circa 1975 and feature a variety of keyboard instruments. For some strange reason I developed a sudden desire to know what all of these instruments were.

Ever since I fist saw a kit list on the sleeve of a Jean Michel Jarre record I have been a bit obsessed by what instruments my favourite artists used. As a child I would pore over images of Jarre's studio tying to identify the various keyboards and synthesisers and dream of owning them one day.  

Identifying the keyboards on the Vangeis sleeve wasn't very easy as the images are printed in halftone and the negative has been flipped horizontally. However, because the two photos were taken from slightly different angles, we can see different details in each. This would work to my advantage. 

The first thing I did in my geek quest was to flip the images through the horizontal plane and increase the contrast. As soon as I began to study the photos it was patently obvious that the instrument directly next to Vangelis was a grand piano. Equally easy to identify was the Fender Rhodes Mk I electric piano and the distinctive keyboards of a Hammond B3 organ. So far so good.

To help me in my quest I found an article from Sound on Sound magazine that gave me a gear list for Vangelis's studio in the mid-seventies. By process of elimination I soon managed to identify a Hohner Clavinet and a Farfisa Syntorchestra string machine. After another half an hour of squinting at the pictures and comparing them to images from the internet I had identified all but three of the instruments.

One of the keyboards I was having trouble with (11) looked almost identical to the Korg 700 I had already identified. After a bit of head scratching I realised there was actually an updated variant of the Korg that was designated the "S" version. Details on the 700S matched the image and when I saw the following footnote, everything made sense:

"Vangelis had more than one model of some of the keyboards in this list, to help cut down on overdubs, and to take advantage of the fact that different models of the same synth could have a different character." 

The second keyboard (7) was in shadow so I couldn't really make out any discernable features. The only clues were the presence of some sort of panel on the left of the keys and the number of keys themselves. A process of deduction led me to the Roland SHA3 as the only likely candidate on the list.

The final keyboard (9) is sandwiched between other synths and the only part that is visible are the keys themselves. However, the one tiny clue I could discern was some text nestled in Vangelis's armpit. Having zoomed into the image 'Blade Runner style' I could make out the letters "Torna". The SoS article mentioned something called a Tornado Keyboard and Google told me this was actually the Elka Tornado organ. Mystery solved. 

So here is the image and what I think are the instruments pictured:

1. Bösendorfer Grand Piano
2. Hammond B3 Organ
3. Hohner Clavinet
4. Korg 8000DV
5. Korg 700
6. Selmer Clavioline
7. Roland SHA3
8. Roland SH1000
9. Elka Tornado
10. Rhodes Mk I
11. Korg 700S
12. Elka Rhapsody
13. Farfisa Syntorchestra

P.S. Since I wrote this post I have found several photographs online from the same photo shoot that are much clearer. Happily these images seem to confirm my detective work.