One record at a time: 455. Jon and Vangelis - The Best Of

After Jon Anderson and Vangelis put their collaboration on hold, Polydor Records decided to fill the gap with a compilation. The imaginatively titled "Best Of" gathers together the highlights from the band's first three albums and includes their two top ten singles. Released in 1984 this LP broke the top ten and earned the record company a good deal of money for minimal outlay. 

"Italian Song" from the album "Private Collection" might not be the most energetic opening, but it does at least have a strong melody. The hit single "I'll Find My Way Home" is another strong composition but keeps us in the 'easy listening' space a bit too long. 

Things really start to kick off with "State of Independence" which was originally released as a single in 1981 but it sank without a trace. The song was reissued to promote this compilation and it did manage to scrape into the top 70 at the second time of asking. Despite relatively poor commercial success this is undoubtedly one of the pair's best songs and the success of the later Donna Summer version attests to this. The edited version presented here is nice enough but I'd have preferred the full version that was featured on the album "The Friends of Mr Cairo".

Speaking of "The Friends of Mr Cairo" we actually get the full twelve minute version of the title track on the second side along with the rather limp "Outside Of This (Inside Of That)". There's a nice flourish at the end of the album with "He Is Sailing" and "I Hear You Now" rounding things out in style.

Whilst there are two or three tracks on this compilation that don't exactly set my world on fire, I can't think of much else in the band's back catalogue that would replace them. The record company made a good effort with what they had and this is probably the only Jon and Vangelis album you will ever need. 3/5

One record at a time: 454. Jon and Vangelis - Private Collection

Having achieved commercial success with their two previous albums, Jon Anderson and Vangelis decided to team up again and release "Private Collection". Here I will be listening to what Discogs says is an original UK pressing, but as the sleeve has references to a compact disc version, I am not convinced it is from 1983.

Opening track "Italian Song" has a wonderful melody and as Anderson translated his nonsense lyrics into Italian they are much more digestible. "And When the Night Comes" is a good track right up until the point Anderson starts trying to tell us, "A woman needs to feel alive, a woman needs her sex". Even if I judge these lyrics in historical context I still can't digest such sexist nonsense. 

Whilst the music on "Deborah" is pretty strong Anderson rather lets things down with his clumsy lyrics. Only "He Is Saling" comes up to the mark with its vocoder tinged vocals and superlative CS-80 bass. The final track "Horizon" is a very odd one. Imagine twenty two minutes of fairly tuneless synths and Andersons insistent vocals drifting along with no real purpose and you get an idea of just how boring this piece is. I'm glad when it is all over. Any marks here are for "Italian Song" and "He Is Sailing", everything else in this collection was probably best kept private. 2/5

One record at a time: 453. Jon and Vangelis - The Friends of Mr Cairo

"The Friends of Mr Cairo" was originally released in 1981 but despite the band's high hopes, it did not sell well. The pair's first album "Short Stories" had been propelled to chart success by the hit single "I Hear You Now" but an edited version of the title track from this album didn't even manage a chart placing. 

A despondent but determined Vangelis set to work writing a new single and after a brief recording session with Anderson, "I'll Find My Way Home" was born. Once the sides of the disc were flipped and a photo sleeve was added alongside the new single, the album finally charted in the top ten and achieved the sales originally expected. 

Today I will be listening to the original six track version of the album with the white cover. Whilst I had owned the newer version of the LP for a long time I was intrigued by the original cover and decided buy a cheap copy from eBay. Unfortunately the wonderful people at Evri managed to partially destroy the sleeve on its journey between the eBay seller and my front door which made my purchase somewhat pointless. However, the disc itself is near perfect and is one of the best I have ever encountered. I have no idea what makes this copy sound so good but it has very little background noise and Vangelis's instruments spring across the sound stage as if they are in some kind of pseudo 3D format. 

Aside from the single "I'll Find My Way Home" this album seems to be the sound of Jon Anderson having some sort of a mid-life crisis. The lengthy title track is essentially a reminiscence about the gangster movies he watched in his childhood and comes replete with impressions of Jimmy Cagney and James Stewart that stretch the credibility of the song to its absolute limit. "Back to School" (or "Back to School Boogie" depending on which version of the artwork you are looking at) is a load of old 12 bar blues nonsense where Anderson tells us he wants to go back to school where it was safe (inconceivably this was actually released as a single!). "Beside" seems to be an aimless story about reflecting on the past but none of the lyrics really make much sense. 

"Outside and Inside" is a fairly unremarkable ballad but Vangelis adds some nice synth flourishes that elevate is just enough to be worth a listen. The pulsating "State of Independence" is the highlight of the record and the version here is somewhat longer than the single cut. "The Mayflower" is a bit of a Marmite track: some will love it, others loathe it. Vangelis's music is pretty good, but the sci-fi nonsense theme and the butt-clenchingly bad voice over do drag it down. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 452. Jon and Vangelis - Short Stories

I know, I know. If I was following my self imposed alphabetical system this record should have been looked at over two years ago; but for some reason I keep Jon and Vangelis filed under V. So here we are.

The collaboration between Jon Anderson and Vangelis lasted throughout the nineteen eighties and resulted in the release of four studio albums and one compilation. "Short Stories" is the first album released by the duo in 1980 and this is a copy of the original UK pressing.

The opening track "Curious Electric" features a long introduction with lots of keyboard parts and live percussion. After about three minutes Vangelis takes to the ring modulator on his trusty Yamaha CS-80 and Anderson chimes in with some nonsensical lyrics about sitting inside a television. A little while later another piece seems to emerge where Anderson throws down some ad libs as Vangelis fires up the sequencer. After nearly seven minutes things grind to a halt and the listener is left wondering what the hell they just heard.

Anderson features more prominently on the second track "Each and Every Day" which has a more contemporary (contemporary for 1979 anyway) pop feel, but it lacks a strong hook. This song is a fine example of the inherent weakness in improvisation as everything sounds a bit aimless. I also find that Anderson's nonsense lyrics can be a real roadblock to enjoyment. 

Yet somehow Anderson and Vangelis managed to pull a hit single out of this auditory chaos and "I Hear You Now" is actually quite catchy. Clearly this song is more than an improvisation as there are a considerable number of overdubbed backing vocals and, unless Vangelis has four arms, dubbed drums. Side one rounds out with a very strange track called "The Road" where an acoustic guitar and Vangelis's "Blade Runner" synths take turns to drown out Anderson's vocal. 

There's little respite on the flip side as "Far Away in Baagdad" (sic) and "Love Is" do little to right the sinking ship. There's a Rhodes infused ballad called "One More Time" that seems to creep onto "Best Of" compilations, but I have absolutely no idea why it warrant such adulation. Penultimate track "Thunder" is just absolute nonsense that sounds like it was written for a failed stage musical. The final number "Play Within a Play" is a rather limp affair for the first three minutes but suddenly a sequence and some energetic drumming emerge in a true prog-rock juxtaposition. Unfortunately this burst of excitement is soon snuffed out and we return to the more languid mood of earlier. Strange and confusing stuff. 1/5

One record at a time: 451. Vangelis - Rosetta

"Rosetta" is the final Vangelis album in my collection (well almost the final one, but more on that later). Released in 2016, this is a double 180g set with a gatefold sleeve and is pressed by Optimal. 

The music on this album belongs to the latter part of Vangelis's career when he seemed to adopt a rather generic sound palette to improvise semi-classical pieces on the hoof. The music may have been created using synthesisers, but they are chiefly being used to imitate the sound of the orchestra or piano; the majesty of the Yamaha CS-80 had well and truly been left behind. 

For the initiated there are lots of references to his other works with the first track "Origins (Arrival)" making a fleeting reference to "Spiral" followed by "Exo Genesis" flashing us an element from "The Motion of the Stars". "Perihelion" then tips its hat to the "End Titles" from "Blade Runner" and there are generally enough twinkling synths to remind us of the maestro's masterwork.

Unfortunately, aside from these asides, there's little else here I enjoy. The sequence on "Albedo 0.06" is nice and the afore mentioned "Perihelion" can be entertaining, but everything else is a little bland. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this album, but I do wish it had some teeth. In fact, I became so tired of the constant ROM-pler strings bathed in reverb that I took a break between discs. I can see Vangelis now sitting in front of his custom keyboard rig throwing this stuff down without a second thought, and ultimately it's that lack of thought that drags this album down. There's a distinct lack of ideas in "Rosetta" and it just becomes background music: "Vanilla" might have been a better title. A sad way to sign off the Vangelis section of my collection. 2/5

One record at a time: 450. Vangelis - Blade Runner

As a result of various contractual complications, the original soundtrack to the film "Blade Runner" wasn't released alongside the film. When it was finally released in 1994 it was only issued on compact disc and cassette (there was an LP released in Brazil, but good luck finding one of those). Therefore, when Audio Fidelity issued a newly remastered vinyl to members of their subscription service in 2013, it proved to be very popular. The initial five thousand copies sold out quickly and only when a second batch of unnumbered records was released did mere mortals such as myself have the opportunity to acquire one. And buy one I did.  

I have to admit, I have been looking forward to listening to this record for quite some time as it both sounds amazing and is perfectly packaged - it's not so fragile you daren't take it out of the wrapper, but at the same time it is a great object to pore over. The remastering is to a very high standard and the pressing is flawless. I seem to remember someone online quoting some pseudo-science about why red vinyl offers superior sound reproduction when this record was released, but I can't find any trace of that today - or maybe I dreamt it. The promotional sticker does rather pander to vinyl snobs by telling us it is pressed on 180g 'virgin vinyl' (read: not recycled. Coldplay would not be happy) and even the labels refer to this being an 'Analogue Pressing' - which seems a bizarre statement as I have no idea how you would create a 'digital LP' and the source file for the remastering was a digital file. Either way, the sound is astonishing even on my humble set up. 

Whilst most of the music here was featured in the film, some of it was not. There are more comprehensive collections available (both official and unofficial) but I think what Vangelis tried to do with this album was to create a listening experience rather than document the entire score. Most of the tracks are segued together and dialogue has been dubbed onto some pieces to create an atmosphere that is true to the film, but also provides a unique experience in itself.

The album opens with audio taken from a scene in which the main character Deckard enhances a photo to identify a suspect in his investigation. As Harrison Ford finishes his lines the "Main Titles" begin with a soaring Yamaha CS-80 brass sound, analogue strings and glittering sound effects. Magical stuff. 

More film audio segues us into "Blush Response" which features an arpeggio and what sound like hand claps from a Linn LM-1. "Wait For Me" is a mix of electric piano and CS-80 propelled along by a subtle beat. Everything is great on this track until the saxophone and harmonica come along and try to ruin everything - but it was the eighties, so I will let this one slide. "Rachael's Song" is a haunting melody sung by Mary Hopkin and Vangelis's slightly discordant synth backing track adds a wonderful edge to the piece.

As I said in my review of the compilation album "Themes", I'm not overly keen on "Love Theme" as it features a prominent saxophone that I don't enjoy. The next track "One More Kiss, Dear" is somewhat maligned in some quarters as it is not in keeping with the rest of the score. This song is a doo-wop pastiche sung by vocalist Don Percival and was designed to fulfil a particular brief for the soundtrack. Whilst the song clearly illustrates the breadth of styles Vangelis could turn his hand to, it does somewhat spoil the atmosphere that has built to this point. 

On the b-side, the first track is "Blade Runner Blues" which features the classic Vangelis combo of Roland VP-330, Yamaha CS-80 and the Rhodes piano. "Memories of Green" is the same track that was released the year before the film on the album "See You Later". Despite Vangelis's reluctance, the film's director Ridley Scott was insistent this piece be used to accompany one scene and it found its way onto this album as a result. 

Another standout piece is "Tales of the Future" which features the unique voice of Demis Roussos. Whilst Roussos was capable of singing at a relatively high pitch, his voice sounds like it was sped up through tape manipulation to my ears. "Damask Rose" is a short theme with Arabic influences that proceeds the majestic "End Titles" - which still sound like they were beamed in from the future. The album rounds out with the atmospheric "Tears In Rain" which incorporates motifs from the "Main Titles" to bring us full circle. 4/5

One record at a time: 449. Vangelis - 1492: Conqiest of Paradise

Until quite recently, the original soundtrack for the film "1492: Conquest of Paradise" was a rare beast on vinyl. When it was released in 1992, compact discs were dominant so only a limited number of records were pressed. Today, the price of a pre-owned copy of the LP is quite significant and Warner Music seem to have recognised this and released this "yellow flame" double vinyl in August 2025. 

Back when it was released "1492: Conquest of Paradise" dislodged Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells II" from my CD player and I would listen to it incessantly. There was something about the brooding tones of Vangelis's creation that matched my mood perfectly and I wallowed in its dark mystery for hours. I didn't really feel the need to see the film at the time, but when I did, it wasn't nearly as good as the vision Vangelis had laid out in my imagination.

Strictly speaking, this isn't an electronic score. Whilst Vangelis does use lots of synths, we can also hear the English Chamber Choir (a perennial favourite of Vangelis), various flutes, mandolin, violins and classical guitar. It is a spectacular and eclectic mix of instruments.

Almost every piece on this record is mesmerising, but I have a special regard for the majestic "Light and Shadow" which is so wondrous it makes my spine tingle. The main theme will probably be recognisable to many as it has been used on various commercials and at many sporting events over the years; but it is no less wonderful for this familiarity. Cues like "Deliverance", "Hispaniola" and "City of Isabel" demonstrate the sheer breadth of styles Vangelis could tackle whilst still producing evocative pieces of music 

As good as this vinyl pressing is, I can't help but feel this album is best consumed as an uninterrupted programme - they way I first heard it from CD. Having to flip sides and change discs a couple of times does somewhat interrupt the experience, but the quality of the music means I can live with this small inconvenience. As I sit and pore over the vinyl I can't help but think all of the money went into the coloured discs as the sleeve is pretty dull and the inners (admittedly poly lined) are plain. Still, I wouldn’t be without it. Magic. 5/5