I'm pretty sure "Rendez-Vous" was the first album I ever bought. Whilst the copy I own today is the same UK pressing, it isn't the same record I acquired in 1987. This is largely because I ruined my original through a combination of carelessness and abrasive cleaning solutions to the point where only the sleeve survives.
"First Rendez-Vous" is a highly atmospheric opening piece featuring a menacing growl that gives way to a beautiful languid melody. Wihtout further ado, we launch straight into the first movement of "Second-Rendez Vous". Bombastic horns beat out the melody as we are showered with effects derived from an AKS synthesizer. A new horn melody emerges for the second movement as Jarre cunningly develops the themes and melodies.
Part three of the "Second Rendez-Vous" sees the mighty Elka Synthex play an irresistible melody over a beat box. This is the piece Jarre will mime to with his famous Laser Harp in concerts such as Houston and Lyon. The final movement sees the opening theme restored and then elevated to a fitting crescendo. Original CD releases merely used index marks (remember those white elephants?) to differentiate between the movements but newer CDs and digital releases splice them into individual tracks.
I've mentioned before that a lot of what Jarre does is smoke and mirrors, and in my youth I was led to believe so much that turned out to be a lie. I don't care what the credits tell you; there was no "Laser Harp" involved in the recording of "Third Rendez-Vous". The reality was that Jarre pulled out his Elka Synthex, dialled up a preset and played a tune he had written 11 years before for Gérard Lenorman. As good as this track is, that is what it amounts to. No cool shades, no asbestos gloves and definitely no lasers.
The standout piece on the record is "Fourth Rendez-Vous" which has arguably the most memorable melody Jarre had produced since "Oxygene Part IV". The Casio "BRASS ENS. 1" blasts away as a heavily disguised TR-808 pounds out the beat. Until I began this post I had no idea that there were two different album mixes issued for this track. I haven't knowingly heard both versions, but I can't imagine they are vastly different.
"Fifth Rendez-Vous" is less melody driven and moves through three movements. The fist movement is in triple time and has a stirring melody that sounds like it was played on shimmering glass. There is a cameo appearance by Jarre's son who plays a couple of themes from the album on a home keyboard as effects swirl around him. Distinctive Fairlight strings underpin the final movement which recycles the music from "Music For Supermarkets Part 3". For me this is one of the best pieces on the album. I'm not a fan of "Last Rendez-Vous" as it is overly long and I don't like the sound of saxophones. Despite the drab ending this is generally a good album that remains entertaining. 4/5
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