One record at a time: 215. Jean Michel Jarre - Oxymore

I started reviewing the Jean Michel Jarre records in my collection back in April and today we finally reach the end with "Oxymore".

This album seems to generate quite polarizing opinions amongst fans with some happy to declare it Jarre's best work since "Zoolook" or place it amongst the best 3 albums he has ever made. On the other side of the coin there are those of us who regard this as self-indulgent nonsense that finds Jarre devoid of ideas.

Before this album was released I became wary when I noticed it was to be made available as a binaural recording. To me this was a big warning sign that the music was going to be all style and no substance. To a certain extent this assumption was correct as there is little on this record that stands out and it just amounts to sound design rather than composing. Having said that, it is still better that the preceding album "Amazonia".

One online review describes this record as, "a hard listen" and I think that sums things up quite well. Nothing flows, ideas move in and out at random and parts of it are just plain annoying. I must have very different tastes to the people who love this album as I regard it as amongst Jarre's worst. 1/5

One record at a time: 214. Jean Michel Jarre - Amazonia

The music contained on this album was created as the background score for a 2021 media exhibition about the Brazilian Amazon region.  

As this is a 'score', the album doesn't contain the themes or melodic pieces that you might normally expect to encounter on a Jarre record. What we are presented with is an ambient soundscape created from a combination of electronic instruments and field recordings. If you can imagine Deep Forest with toned down beats and no melodies, you're about there.

Like the majority of Jarre's more recent output, "Amazonia" is also available as a binaural or Dolby Surround recording. The predominance of these spacial mixes indicates to me that this is is intended to be a listening experience rather than a 'pop album'. Which begs the question why release it as an album? Like AIR's "Music for Museum" (sic) this would probably have been better left as an exhibition piece. Anyone who isn't a Jarre fan or collector can give this one a wide berth. 1/5

One record at a time: 213. Jean Michel Jarre - Welcome to the Other Side

I'll be honest, this record is unopened and unloved. When I first watched the virtual reality 'concert-event' this music is taken from I had no idea what was gong on. 

This 'event' occurred on New Years Eve 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and seemed to involve Jarre performing with IMU sensors attached so that a virtual reality performer could be animated. For some unknown reason Notre-Dame cathedral was chosen as the backdrop for both the real images and the VR representation. 

The music was even more puzzling as Jarre seemed to want to recreate a rave by playing a series of EDM influenced tracks and remixes. The fake applause and audience noise was ridiculous and it didn't take Einstein to work out nothing was being played live.

As a Jarre fan of 35 years I was pretty disappointed by the whole thing. I guess the concept for this event must have passed me by as I just thought it looked and sounded second rate. This record is basically a Armin van Buuren DJ set dressed up with some Jarre tunes. I'm off to listen to "Equinoxe". 2/5

One reord at a time: 212. Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe Infinity

In 2018 Jarre decided that revisiting "Oxygene" wasn't enough and it was about time he set about creating a sequel to his other seventies masterpiece "Equinoxe". Rather than rework the themes and ideas of the original, Jarre set out to create a new work which had little musical connection to the original album. 

Whilst "The Watchers (Movement 1)" features a small echo of the Eminent strings from "Equinoxe Part I" it is nothing more than a cursory reference. Tracks like "Flying Totems (Movement 2)" are in the old tradition of uplifting and anthemic pieces, but there is no doubt this is a new approach. This track is also the closest Jarre has ever come to sounding like his contemporary Vangelis. 

"All That You Leave Behind (Movement 4)" is a darker, brooding piece that has some very seventies touches harking back to the earliest material Jarre recorded on "Deserted Palace" and "Les Granges Brûlées". "Infinity" is another strong and jaunty theme that sounds almost like the classic Jarre of forty years ago. Another favourite of mine is the atmospheric "Don't Look Back" which sounds like it was recorded by a string quartet that has been wired up to the mains. Weird but good.

When I first heard this album I have to admit I dismissed it as being rather disappointing and haven't listened to it much. When I posted my initial thoughts on this blog, I went as far as describing some tracks as "cheesy" and "less than convincing". As I sit listening to these tracks today, I can see I was too hasty in my evaluation. 

I think I rushed to a conclusion due to the sheer volume of music I have access to. I am only limited by the amount of time I can spend listening to music and it feels like everyone is vying for my attention. Back in 1985 when I bought the original "Equinoxe", I only owned a few LPs and tapes. These four or five albums were my world and I listened to them over and over until I almost lived within them. In 2023,  I don't seem to be able to devote time to albums that might need repeated listens to make an impression. Going back to this record today has certainly made me appreciate it more and I now intend to listen to it far more often. 3/5

One record at a time: 211. Jean Michel Jarre - Planet Jarre

I knew I had a lot of Jean Michel Jarre records, but I'm beginning to think I might never reach the end of them. This feeling is caused, in part, by the fact that I' don't enjoy his more recent material. I've posted before about the inexorable decline in the quality of Jarre's output and with every step away from his eighties pomp, things move further away from the things I enjoy. 

Happily this "50 years of music" compilation box set brings together the cream of Jarre's output and might serve to remind me why I was such a fan in the first place. 

This is a four disc set where the tracks are divided into "Soundscapes", "Themes", "Sequences" and "Explorations and Early Works". 

"Soundscapes" presents a largely predictable selection of nine of Jarre's more minimalist tracks from albums such as "Waiting For Cousteau", "Equinoxe" and two selections from "Oxygene 3". There are a few edits and tweaks but this material is largely faithful to that heard on the parent albums.

To my eternal surprise the "Themes" disc doesn't start with "Oxygene Part IV" but rather goes for the second part of "Industrial Revolution". Whilst all of the familiar tracks are contained on this disc, there are some surprises as "Zoolookologie", "Magnetic Fields 2", "Rendez-Vous 4" and "Chronology 4" are all presented as new remixed versions. The mastering on the beginning of "Equinoxe Part IV" is very strange to my ears as it is over compressed and sounds like it is in mono, but this seems to resolve when the main theme begins.

"Sequences" kicks off with a new track called "Coachella Opening" that would go on to be included on the "Equinoxe Infinity" album later in the same year as "The Opening (Movement 8)". The fantastic "Arpegiator", new track "Hebalizer" and "Equinoxe Part VII" are the standout tracks on this disc with "Oxygene 8" also given a new mix for the occasion. Less satisfactory is the Edward Snowden collaboration "Exit" and the mix of "Revolution, Revolutions" is pretty dire compared to the original album mix from 1988.

Collectors and Jarre fanatics would probably have been most pleased to see a "Explorations and Early Works" disc that saw the first release of "AOR Bleu" and a "demo" of "Music For Supermarkets Part 1". The remainder of the disc was taken up with material already released on the "Rarities" compilation (which probably explains why the "Essentials and Rarities" collection hasn't been repressed).4/5

One record at a time: 210. Jean MIchel Jarre - Oxygene 3

Jarre was inspired to revisit "Oxygene" in 1997 by Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells II". Just like Oldfield, Jarre went back for a third bite of the cherry and ended up creating an album that was so far removed from the original it doesn't live up to its name.

Unlike its predecessors, this album isn't driven by melodies or themes; it is largely based on a series of grooves. In itself this approach isn't a bad idea, but the title of the album sets a different expectation that the record can never fulfil.

Opening track "Part 14" is a good piece of electronic music, but doesn't really catch the ear in any meaningful way. The iconic Eminent Strings introduce "Part 15" but even the resurrected Korg Mini Pops 7 sounds a bit flat and lifeless. "Part 16" is more of the same with a sequenced bassline and a four-on-the-floor kick drum, but there's not much else here in terms of ideas.

My favourite piece is "Part 17" as it is the first time we hear a lead line and a tune. "Part 18" has a dreamlike quality but isn't given enough time to expand and breathe. So many tracks on this album are overly long and it seems a real shame that an interesting idea isn't afforded the same space. "Part 19" is a bit like a trance song without a rhythm track and doesn't really hit the mark. The finale is "Part 20" which tries to be epic with its building chord progression and eight minute runtime, but in truth the time would have been better spent on "Part 18".  As an album of electronic music, this is a good effort, but ultimately it can't live up to its name. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 209. Jean Michel Jarre - Electronica 2 - The Heart of Noise

The second volume of the "Electronica" project was titled "The Heart of Noise" and featured a further fifteen collaborations and three new solo compositions. By far the best track on this album is "Brick England" which is a collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys. In my youth I would often wonder what would happen if my favourite artists were locked up in a studio together and here we have the answer. This song is magic and I wish there were more.

"Here for You" with Gary Numan is another highlight along with the Siriusmo collaboration "Circus" which both have strong melodies and a distinctive sound. Equally distinctive is the voice of Dieter Meier which means "Why this, and why that" sounds just like a Yello record (this is a good thing).

Jarre's stated his aim was to create something new by merging his sound to that of the artists he worked with, but in the case of Primal Scream, all we ended up with was a remix of a twenty five year old single. Predictably The Orb have just layered a load of speech over a track in an attempt to make it sound "ambient" and the collaboration with Edward Snowden sounds like someone is preaching to you at a bad rave. Like the first instalment, this record is a mixed bag with some gems in amongst a whole pile of mediocrity. 3/5

One record at a time: 208. Jean Michel Jarre - Electronica 1 - The Time Machine

I posted about this album when it was released in 2015 so I have rehashed the post rather than reinvent the wheel.

For this collaboration album, Jarre stated he chose artists that have influenced him and who have helped shape the face of electronic music. On examining the list of collaborators my first thought was "Vangelis turned him down", closely followed by "I bet he didn't even bother asking Kraftwerk".

Only a handful of the tracks actually succeed in conveying the styles of the contributing parties and remain entertaining. "A Question of Blood" sounds like classic Carpenter and you can spot the aural DNA of Vince Clarke all over "Automatic". "Zero Gravity" is exactly what you would expect of a Jarre / Tangerine Dream collaboration and "Stardust" with Armin van Buuren is an undoubted success. For me the standout track has to be "If...!" with Little Boots; a truly sublime slice of pop electronica.

Less successful tracks are those recorded with people whose links with electronic music are more tenuous (or dare I even say none existent).  "Train and the River", a collaboration with the pianist Lang Lang is dull beyond belief. I can't even begin to describe how bad Pete Townshend's vocals are on the track "Travelator Part 2". Everything else on the album is just middling. 3/5

One record at a time: 207. Jean Michel Jarre - Rarities

For about thirteen years Jean Michel Jarre didn't release any of his new albums on vinyl. The cycle was only broken in 2011 by a compilation called "Rarities" which mirrored the content of the second CD of the "Essential and Rarities" compilation of the same year. 

I didn't buy this record when it was released as I already owned a bootleg CD of the same name and I had no burning desire to hear the music from vinyl. I own the record today because I included it on an 'wishlist' I made in the run up to Christmas 2011. At the time I was a bit fed up of being asked what I would like as a present, so I absent mindedly created a list of records I wasn't prepared to buy myself, but I would be happy to receive as gifts. When I opened this on Christmas day I was very pleased as it filled a hole in my collection and didn't cost me a penny. 

I don't know how many copies of this record were pressed but it now seems to be relatively difficult to find at a reasonable price. Even the afore mentioned double CD seems to be priced ridiculously high by sellers, so I feel fortunate to own both today.

Fittingly this compilation begins with Jarre's first recorded work "Happiness is a Sad Song" which is a musique concrète piece recorded in 1968. As an example of the genre this song is acceptable, but it won't ever be mistaken for one of his masterworks. "Hypnose" is a single released with magician and hypnotist Dominique Webb but the version included here is "Part 2", the instrumental b-side created by Jarre alone. Compared to the first track, this song is positively commercial and has a charming chintzy seventies style. Jarre's first 7" single  "La Cage / Erosmachine" from 1971 is another musique concrète affair that is probably only enjoyed by dedicated fans.

The remainder of this album is taken up by songs culled from a disc of library music Jarre titled "Deserted Palace" and the soundtrack to the film "Les Granges Brûlées". Both of these records were originally released in 1973 when Jarre was carving a living as a jobbing musician rather than as a recording artist. These early efforts were recorded using rudimentary equipment and sound very naive to modern ears. Whilst this album is a great archive of Jarre's less commercial work, it remains of interest only to collectors and the casual fan need not trouble themselves. 2/5

One record at a time: 206. Jean Michel Jarre - Odyssey Through O2

I'm not sure if we can consider this an album proper as this sampler only has four tracks compared to the seventeen featured on the CD. However, there's little point having a protracted discourse on the subject as I think the review will be quite short.

The first Jean Michel Jarre remix album was 1995's "Jarremix" which was only released on CD and was so bad I don't think it was even formally released outside of France. Despite the failure of "Jarremix" someone thought it would be a good idea to release a remix album based upon "Oxygene 7-13" three years later. 

My memory of this record is one of extreme disappointment. The mixes were pretty boring and the only thing of interest on the CD was the JArKaos visualiser software that could make pretty patterns on the screen when placed in the optical drive of a PC.

The Trancegenics mix of "Oxygene 10" isolates the melody and pizzicato strings and lays them over some tabla percussion and a tanpura drone. Whilst the mix is as dull as can be, it does at least retain something of the original. DJ Cam offers us a downtempo/trip hop remix of "Oxygene 7" replete with scratches and syncopated breakbeat. I'm sure some will find this interpretation interesting but it is just too repetitive for me. 

On the flip side there is a "Trans" mix of "Oxygene 8". Personally I have never heard of an artist called Boodjie & Veronica and their only other credit on Discogs seems to be for an album with Bugs Bunny on the cover. It remains a mystery why they were chosen for the project. Things finish off with the Claude Monnet remix of "Oxygene 12" which also appears on the "Complete Oxygene" double CD set as "Oxygene in Moscow". This last mix is probably the best of the bunch but it let's face it, the competition is weak. 1/5

One record at a time: 205. Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene 7-13

In 1997 Jarre was inspired to create a follow up to his original masterwork by Mike Oldfield's successful "Tubular Bells II" project. Much like Oldfield, Jarre chose to rework some of the leitmotifs from the original album and give them a more contemporary sheen. Even Michel Granger's sleeve painting gets an update.

The original pressing of "Oxygene 7-13" is pretty rare so I will have to make do with the version included in the "Oxygene Trilogy" box set from 2016. Unlike the original, this vinyl is transparent and has the new title of "Oxygene 2".

For the first time Jarre dispenses with the "Part" monicker and this album opens with a piece simply titled "Oxygene 7". I can only describe the opening theme as being vaguely reminiscent of "Part IV" slowed to half time. The whole track is held together by a rolling bassline and analogue drums with flashes of Mellotron stings to provide colour. After about seven minutes the incessant bassline finally withdraws as the main theme is resurrected against the sound of pouring rain. For the final movement Jarre creates something that wouldn't have sounded out of place on "Equinoxe" with its ambient textures and wailing ARP 2600.

Next we segue into one of the other main melodic pieces on the album "Part 8". This song was the lead single from the album and was remixed to death by a plethora of uninspiring dance acts. Whilst I like the song, there is no doubt it was heavily influenced by dance music and not a continuation of the original "Oxygene". Part of the problem for me has always been that this album sounds too busy. In 1976 Jarre only had an eight track tape machine and a small selection of synthesizers. By 1997 he had no such restrictions and, as he acknowledged, "The lack of limitations is very dangerous."

There is a less gracious segue into "Part 9" which features the Eminent 310 Unique strings playing underneath various melodic components that finally give way to a tune played on a patch we first heard on "Oxygene Part 1". I'm not sure if we are supposed to assume the melody of this song is played on a Theremin or not. Jarre was a bit obsessed by the Theremin at this point in time and would unveil it at concerts and appearances as if he were the first to discover it. Having seen Jarre attempt to play the instrument on the tour that accompanied this album, I'm inclined to think that this more polished performance is played on a synthesiser. On the original "Oxygene" this sound was played on a ARP 2600, and having been duped by Jarre's subterfuge on so many occasions previously, I'm inclined to think there is no Theremin on this record.

The last single from the album was "Part 10" which continues to use the wail patch that may (or may not) be from a Theremin, alongside dance influenced beats and various melodic elements. Much like "Oxygene 8" this track was handed to various contemporary artists for them to remix but only "Sash!" came out of the process with any dignity.

"Oxygene 11" is an attempt to recapture the excitement of the second movement of "Oxygene Part V" but it is only partially successful. After five minutes of churning arpeggiator sequences the song peters out and "Part 12" begins. Rather than waste a good tune Jarre resurrects the melody of "Oxygene 7" and plays it as an arpeggiated sequence as the special effects sweep around us. Things slow in tempo for "Oxygene 13" which sees the Eminent strings rolled out once again in attempt to provide a successor to "Oxygene Part VI". Whilst this isn't a bad ending, it's not at the same level as the original. Which is a statement that can be applied to the whole album really. 3/5

One record at a time: 204. Jean Michel Jarre - Chronologie Pt6 Slam and Gat Dacor Remixes

This is a potentially controversial entry as the debate over how to classify this release rages amongst some Jarre fans. People on both sides of the argument are convinced they are correct, but ultimately it just comes down to personal preference.

If you wish to consider this a single (or God forbid a 'Maxi') then please do so and just think of it as having been reviewed out of turn. Personally I don't care, but as I bought the CD from the album section of the shop and it charted in the UK album chart, I'm treating it as if it were an album. I have owned the CD since it was released in 1994 but I only acquired the vinyl in 2020. I had no burning desire to hear this music from wax but I was trying assemble a more complete collection at the time I bought it. 

Whatever format we consider this record to be, it has little to recommend it. I absolutely love the original version of "Chronologie Part 6" but these mixes are not only boring but completely divorced from the source material. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some progressive house and techno, but these tracks are devoid of ideas and go nowhere. 

The first Slam mix starts promisingly but after eleven minutes of hearing the same two bar loop going round and round it becomes a real test of endurance. The second mix abandons the techno bassline and leans more heavily on TB-303 acid squeals, but ultimately it goes down the same cul-de-sac as the first. The "Main Mix" by Gat Dacor utilises a breakbeat and the occasional vocal sample, but the closest it comes to incorporating material from the original is a few chords after about five minutes. The "Alternative Mix" is just more of the same dross. In truth, the only thing of merit on this disc is the original version.

In creating this record I think Jarre and Polydor were attempting to gain credibility in the nascent dance scene by paying newer artists for remixes. The trouble with this approach is that some people will always be content to take the cash and churn out a song of their own creation rather than rework the source material. The same issue would occur a few years later when The Orb were commissioned to remix "Oxygene Part 8", but there were slightly more spectacular consequences that time. This 'album' is definitely for completists only and even the most ardent Jarre fan can afford to ignore it. 1/5 (it would be zero if the original were not present).

One record at atime: 203. Jean MIchel Jarre - Chronologie

In 1993 many young music fans like myself were ensconced in the burgeoning dance scene where a number of artists cited Jarre as an influence. Rather than hang up his patch cables and cede to the next generation, Jean-Michel chose to jump in and create electronic dance music of his own. As a progenitor the French maestro clearly understood the genre and was able to match himself to the confections of the day. For existing fans of his work who had also felt the draw of dance music, this album was manna from heaven.

I own three copies of this record. The first I bought five years ago when the vinyl was relatively rare and I ended up paying more than I should have. I think the price was also elevated because this copy has stickers indicating it was a promotional copy, but it is essentially just the standard European release. When the vinyl was re-released in 2018, prices of the original plummeted and I bought a second copy for a few pounds simply because I couldn't stand to see it being ignored. The third copy is the re-released version which has a different back cover and Anglicised spelling.

The ten minute opus "Part 1" that begins this record is split into two movements. The first part opens with a bass drum mimicking the sound of a heartbeat and slowly develops into a magnificent theme with showers of special effects and kettle drums. The second movement begins at around six and a half minutes and blossoms into another grandiose soundscape that is full of atmosphere. 

Ticking clocks begin to permeate as we segue into "Part 2" and its rather raucous melody. Interestingly this track recycles the past by sampling one of Jarre's earlier works "Erosmachine" and using some of the effects first featured on "Fourth Rendez Vous" - this is a concept album about time after all. 

"Part 3" is a beautiful and haunting theme played over a wonderful string arrangement. The only thing that detracts from the beauty of this piece is the dreadful guitar solo that doesn't belong anywhere near a Jean Michel Jarre record.

Side two opens with one of the standout pieces "Part 4" in which a Roland "Rubber Bass" preset grinds away under a soaring melody and TR-909 dance beats. "Part 5" is split into two movements and initially allows us time to cool down before launching into a very nineties sounding dance track. 

For me "Part 6" is the best song on this album as it has a mesmerising bass sequence and a beautiful melody. In fact this track probably vies with "Magnetic Fields Part IV" as my favourite Jarre track; I highly recommend it. Once again we segue into the next track which is a more abstract soundscape which merely acts as a conduit to the final piece "Part 8". Dramatic organ sounds from the Roland JD-800 provide a strange introduction to a song that is built around a rap rhythm and a melody played out on brass. As the song ends the heartbeat returns and we have come full circle.

For many, "Chronologie" is the last great Jarre album. Some argue that he would never again create something that was so forward thinking and innovative. From this point on Jarre's work seemed to always be harking back to the past and by the time he snapped out of it and attempted something contemporary again, we ended up with the car crash that is "Téo & Téa". I went to see Jarre perform live for the first time during the tour that accompanied this album and it was a fantastic experience. I have great memories of the concert and this album will always be special to me. 5/5

One record at a time: 202. Jean MIchel Jarre - Images: The Best Of

This album was released in 1991 and provided a welcome update to the dreary "Essential". Whilst Jarre expresses a dislike of compilation albums, he was content enough to work with label engineer Bruno Mylonas to remix several tracks and segue them together with new interludes. Also included are two new recordings and a rare non-album track. By the early nineties, compilation albums had moved on and the general public now expected new material alongside the hits.

Once we have obligatory "Oxygene Part IV" and "Equinoxe Part V" introduction out of the way, Jarre delivers a new version of "Magnetic Fields Part II" based on the version recorded for the Paris La Défense concert. Personally I don't like this mix as it sounds flat and what I can only describe as 'plastic'. Both "Oxygene Part 2" and "Computer Weekend" have been edited and there is some new percussion and other minor changes to the latter.

There's a wholesale re-recording of "Equinoxe Part IV" that is based on the version played at La Défense (far be it for me to suggest it is the same recording and Jarre merely mimed at the concert). Like the re-recording of "Magnetic Fields Part II" this new version sounds pretty dreadful compared to the original and is very brief. We then move onto "Band in the Rain" and the first side finishes with "Second Rendez-Vous".

Whilst the sleeve and labels tell us the first track on the flip side is "London Kid", the track that actually plays is "Zoolookologie". I think the intention was to include different tracks for different markets but the whole thing seems to have been too complicated for someone and this UK pressing of the LP plays the European tracklisting.

There's a very short edit of the first movement of "Ethnicolor" before the abomination that is a new recording of "Orient Express". I can give an illustration of how bad this mix is by relaying a story. In 1991 I worked in the record department of a high-street shopping chain. One day, not long after this album was released, I persuaded the deputy manager to play it over the PA. Things were going well until "Orient Express" come on and suddenly the manager marched up to me saying, "Are you telling me people actually listen to this?" Despite answering in the affirmative the CD was promptly replaced by "Queen: Greatest Hits" and no more was said about it. Whilst I hated all of the managers in that store, I do have to agree that "Orient Express" probably isn't amongst M. Jarre's best moments. 

At this point of the running order you might ask yourself the question, "If some of these new versions are so bad, why are they included on a 'Best Of' compilation?" I too am mystified by this and my confusion has always been compounded by the inclusion of, what was by then, a five year old b-side. I acknowledge that not many people would have been familiar with "Moon Machine" when this album was released, but the quality of the music doesn't really warrant inclusion. The album does finish with two genuinely new compositions "Eldorado" and "Globetrotter", but to say they are mediocre is a kindness. 3/5

One record at a time: 201. Jean Michel Jare - Waiting For Cousteau

In 1990 my expectations of Jean Michel Jarre were high. His previous album had reached number two in the UK charts and his "Destination Docklands" concerts had writ his name large in the mind of music fans such as myself. 

Yet, the album Jarre delivered that year was so far removed from "Revolutions" that I was left disappointed. That's not to say "Waiting for Cousteau" is a bad album; it is more that it was a change of direction that left many of us behind.

Here I am playing an LP I bought in 2015 from eBay, but on the day this album was released, I was firmly committed to CD. As you can see form the picture, I also have a couple of promo posters for the album as I just happened to be walking out of an HMV store as one of the assistants was tearing down a giant window display. I decided to try my luck and asked if I could have a poster. The shop assistant looked at me uncertainly as if he was trying to think of reasons why he couldn't give me one. Having failed to find sufficient rationale to deny my request he searched through the jumble of torn paper and ripped album sleeves and pulled out two of the least mutilated posters. Whilst both posters have a tear in the bottom left hand corner, I managed to disguise the damage sufficiently for them to adorn my bedroom walls during my youth.

The lead single and main theme from this album is a track called "Calypso". As I'm not a massive fan of steel band or Caribbean music, this song has never been to my taste. At eight and a half minutes in length, it is also too long. The single edit comes in at under three minutes and is probably the version I find most palatable.

We find ourselves on more familiar ground with the next track "Calypso Part 2" which sounds like it could have been taken directly from "Revolutions". After around four minutes we enter a second movement that sees the steel band returning to compliment the churning synth arpeggios and haunting melodies. For me, this second movement is the standout piece on the record.

Whilst this is one of the first Jean Michel Jarre albums where the sleeve doesn't tell us which instruments were played, it is clear he used his Roland D-550 for "Calypso, Part 3 (Fin Du Siècle)". I'm not too keen on the first few minutes of this track but it comes alive after about four minutes and proves to be quite entertaining from that point on.

The biggest disappointment of this album has always been the title track. The fist time I played this album I was expecting this to be one of Jarre's extended symphonic pieces like "Second Rendez-Vous" or "Magnetic Fields Part I". As the music played I began to ask myself, "When is something going to happen?" After a few minutes I was bored enough to use the "seek" function on my shiny new CD player. I was pretty incredulous when I realised this forty minute track was nothing but an ambient dirge. I had been robbed! This wasn't music, it was just a drone with a sprinkling of piano here and there. 

The LP and cassette includes a 22 minute version of this cut with the 47 minute version reserved for the CD. I have a memory of advertising for this album mentioning the CD had 24 minutes of extra music and I ruefully reflected that I'd rather have the LP. Today, I still don't listen to "Waiting for Cousteau" and hearing it on this record is the first time I have ever sat through the whole piece (albeit the 22 minute version). I admire this track more than the petulant teenager who heard it back in 1990, but I can't pretend this is one of Jarre's best efforts. 2/5

One record at a time: 200. Jean Michel Jarre - Live

One evening in October 1989 I took a rare trip into town to go record shopping with a fiend. Things were very different back then and information about upcoming releases wasn't as easily available as it is today, so I was very surprised when I saw "Live" on the shelves of HMV that evening. 

The trouble was that I had already spent my cash on a single and didn't have the £14 required to buy the CD. My companion proved his friendship by agreeing to lend me the gargantuan sum as long as I repaid him the following day. I made good on my debt and still have that CD to this day. As we can see, I also own a copy of the vinyl which I bought sometime in 2014.

The first thing that struck me about this album when I bought it was how underwhelming it was to look at. The artwork looked rushed and the title didn't make any sense. Was it "Jarre: Live" "Jean Michel Jarre: Jarre Live" or "Jean Michel Jarre: Live"? No wonder it got a new sleeve and proper title when re-released in the nineties.

However, I have an even bigger issue with this album: I don't believe it captures a 'live' performance. To my ears most of these songs sound like the album versions with some added reverb and crowd noises. There are a few different arrangements, but I think they are still just playback. The version of "Magnetic Fields Part II" has different drums but features a suspiciously perfect recreation of the solo played during the "Concerts In China". "Oxygene Part IV" carries some additional synth and percussion, but it sounds like the mix released on the 1989 "Oxygene" single with added reverb and crowd noises. "Fourth Rendez-Vous" has some additional guitar by Hank Marvin, but I can't tell if it was recorded live or an overdub in the studio. To be honest, it doesn't make much difference if Hank was miming or not as the album lost credibility long before we reach his track.

Personally, I think this album was released to recoup the cost of the two Docklands concerts and nothing more. As a live recording it has little value and must rank as one of Jarre's least interesting works. To add insult to injury the LP has two less tracks than the CD because “London Kid” and “September” are culled. Given the nature of the rest of the album, maybe that's not such a bad thing. 2/5

One record at a time: 199. Jean Michel Jarre - Revolutions

"Revolutions" was the first album by Jean Michel Jarre that I bought when it was released. Neither of these records is my original copy as that was rather badly treated and did not survive the eighties. I bought the record on the right of the picture nine years ago from eBay as a replacement. The other copy was acquired about three years ago as I felt compelled to find a copy where the sleeve had the blue area in the upper right to match my original. Nostalgia compels us to do the strangest things. 

Nostalgia also explains why I own a Roland D-50. I think it is common knowledge that 90% of the sounds on this album are derived from a Roland D-550 which is the rack mount version of the D-50 (I also own one of those but it is in storage). Yet owning the synth that a musician used to make a record can shatter your illusions. 

My perception of Jarre was that he was a master manipulator of sound who spent hours creating new patches and textures using an arsenal of synthesisers. At some stage of his career this may have been true, but by the late eighties Jarre was happy to load up sounds other people had created and stick largely to one synthesiser.

Today you can find the data required for almost every sound used on "Revolutions" floating about on the internet. The first time you load these sounds into a D-50 it is easy to be awestruck at having the same palette as M. Jarre. Yet, it doesn't matter how much you try, you won't come up with anything as good or successful as "Revolutions". The skill Jarre exercises on this album isn't in creating sonic fireworks but as a master of melody and arrangement

The patch "Machine Run" opens the first track "Industrial Revolution: Overture" before synthesized strings begin to play a haunting theme. A D-550 'guitar' punches through with a terrific solo that thankfully sounds nothing like a guitar. The song winds down and creates a lazy start to "Industrial Revolution: Part I" before it suddenly kicks into a second movement that is something to behold. We blend seamlessly into "Part II" which features synth arpeggios and more D-550 sounds soaring up to heaven. "Part III" is a slower anthemic affair with an extended solo.

"London Kid" sees one of Jarre's heroes, Hank Marvin playing his distinctive twangy Fender. It's a memorable and upbeat tune that must have pleased both artists when it was completed.

On the flip side we hear a Turkish ney flute weaving a melody around Jarre's increasingly frenetic synth sequences before an electronic voice announces, "Revolution". Depending on which version of the album you are listening to, you might hear a different mix of this track titled, "Revolution, Revolutions". This newer recording was used after the person playing the ney sued Jarre as he didn't have permission to use the recording. I'm not a fan of the "Revolution, Revolutions" version as the drums sound weak and the orchestra seem to be playing in a different key. This original mix is much more satisfying.

"Tokyo Kid" has always fascinated me as it sounds so unconventional. Jun Miyake provides a stunning trumpet solo that perfectly compliments Jarre's brooding score. The D-550 comes to the fore again with "Computer Weekend" which is a light and airy tune played out on the "Ocean Scenario" sound from a collection of patches by a German company called EMC.

"September" is a noble effort but the vocals sound like they were recorded in a broom cupboard using the world's worst microphone. "The Emigrant" is a fitting finale but won't be making the running for any 'best of' compilations. 4/5

One record at a time: 198. Jean Michel Jarre - In Concert - Houston / Lyon with Orchestra and Choir

In my rush to get through Jarre's enormous back catalogue I skipped this album when I first began this post. This is a little ironic as "Houston/Lyon" is probably one of the records I played most in my youth. Yet when these concerts were released on VHS in the early nineties the scales were lifted from my eyes and I began to regard this record with less reverence.

Why did I not like the album so much after I saw the videos? Because it clearly showed Jarre was miming to backing tapes. There are live drums and bass on this recording but they are playing to a click from a backing tape. I had often mused why an electronic musician had to promote the fact that their album featured 'orchestra and choir' on the sleeve, but now I know it is because they are one of few live elements on these recordings.

For some reason we are only given a small snipped of the music for "Oxygene Part V" before it moves into an audio collage of TV reports regarding the Houston concert. The first movement of "Ethnicolor" is just playback before the bass, brass and percussion join for the second movement. There is a recording of a radio broadcast of the Lyon concert where someone is clearly playing the synth parts and percussion live. It's a shame nothing so authentic seems to have made the cut here.

In the transition to the next track there is another audio montage that features so many American voices it is clear the focus is firmly on the Houston concert. Whilst it is obvious there are live elements in "Magnetic Fields Part I" it is equally clear there is a great deal of playback going on too. Similarly "Equinoxe Part V" sounds like the album version with some live drumming and a few firework noises.

There's a big subterfuge right at the end of the first side when we hear a man exclaim, "The most amazing sight ever seen by the human eye!" We assume he is talking about the concert he has just witnessed, but the video shows us that the man is actually a magician entertaining people on the streets of Houston before the concert. 

We finally hear something of the Lyon concert as the pope provides an introduction to "Third Rendez-Vous" in which there is a real choir and some real miming by Jarre on the "laser harp". "Second Rendez-Vous" does feature live drumming and, as you might imagine, the choir becomes prominent. "Last Rendez-Vous" sees Kirk Whalum playing lead saxophone and it sounds better than the album version to my ears. This record goes out with a bang as "Fourth Rendez-Vous" receives some horrendous fretless bass and a sax solo laid over the top. I hate the bass playing on this song; always have. Still, the album is entertaining enough if you can forgive the fact it is a largely fabricated and sterile version of these concerts. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 197. Jean Michel Jarre - Rendez-Vous

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

One record at a time: 196. Jean MIchel Jarre - Zoolook

I bought the record on the left of this picture over thirty five years ago. Unfortunately the years haven't been kind to the disc so I recently bought another copy in better condition.

When I moved from vinyl to CD I kept my original record because it was the easiest way to hear the original versions of two tracks from the album. 

About a year after "Zoolok" was released, someone decided that the single mixes of the title track and "Zoolookologie" were superior to René Ameline's original efforts. As a result, all subsequent pressings of the CD and cassette would include these remixes. Discogs suggests there were no re-pressings of the UK LP, so until the age of the internet, this first version was the cheapest way of owning the original mixes.

When I first heard this album I was struck by how different it was to "Equinoxe", "Magnetic Fields" and "Rendez-Vous". Part of the folklore of this album is that during his travels around the world, Jarre made field recordings that were subsequently incorporated into the music. In addition French ethnologist, Xavier Bellanger contributed a large number of recordings of speech in various languages that Jarre processed and wove into the fabric of the record. Yet, like many things Jarre does, these claims don't bear much scrutiny. There are a number of vocal samples that are easily identified as belonging to the sample libraries for the Fairlight CMI and the Emu Emulator, and some recordings were of Jarre and the other musicians who contributed to the recording sessions.

The first movement of opening track "Ethnicolor" uses a distinctive reversed vocal sample over a choir and melody played on the "Tut" sample from the EMU Emulator library. This track also significant because it features the only discernable use of a Yamaha DX7 in Jarre's music. Whilst the whole world was plastering their recordings with this FM synthesiser in 1984, Jarre didn't really like it and so a small scattering of tubular bells is all you will hear in his music. After about seven minutes the second movement is ushered in by French horns and various sound effects. Soon the drums of Yogi Horton come crashing through with the distinctive slap bass of Marcus Miller rattling around under the increasingly frenetic samples and synths.

In 1983 Jarre auctioned a solitary copy of an album called "Music For Supermarkets". Rather than waste the material from that record, Jarre decided to recycle some of it here. Second track "Diva" begins as an atmospheric piece in which Laurie Anderson adds various nonsensical words that sound vaguely Gallic. Before long the track moves into a second movement that echoes "Music For Supermarkets Part VII". The principal difference in the version here is that Anderson continues with her gibberish vocals and there is some guitar courtesy of Adrian Belew.

The titicular single begins side B with a nice theme played on the "AAH" sample found in the Fairlight sample library. Various vocal snippets float in and out as the slap bass chugs along. As the lead single for the album I always feel like I should like this track, but it doesn't really excite me as much as it should.

"Wooloomooloo" is based around a looped sample (I seem to remember it is called something like "Tibet" in the Fairlight) that staggers along as Jarre adds a melody and lots of effects. The single "Zoolookologie" is an upbeat and frivolous pop song that was accompanied by a video that was so bad it might actually be good. The tune is pleasant enough and for once the slap bass is restrained sufficiently to not dominate the mix.

Once again Jarre plunders "Music For Super Markets" as "Part V" is reincarnated as "Blah Blah Cafe". Here, Emulator saxophones create funky melodies with quirky vocoder vocals soaring over pitched down drum samples. It's a heady, but effective concoction. The final track "Ethnicolor II" is another slower piece based on a looped sample. There are various effects moving in and out as a meandering melody is played out on cello samples. 

To me this album sounds a bit like Jarre fell in love with the Emulator and decided to build an album around it. By creating some themes, bringing in some new musicians and recycling bits of "Music For Supermarkets" there was just enough to hang these new sounds on. Whilst it was a valiant effort, this record is not one of his best. 3/5