I purchased my original vinyl of this record in about 1987 from the record department of a local supermarket. As I approached the till I realised the record had two price stickers with differing amounts. Unfortunately I only had enough money for the lower price and I hoped this is what I would be charged. Inevitably the lady at the till requested the higher amount and I was short to the tune of 11p. As I stood wondering what to do the person behind me in the queue said, "We can't be having that," and handed over the 11p to the shop assistant. I thanked the man profusely but couldn't quite fathom out why he would be so kind. Maybe he was a Jarre fan, maybe he was a music buff or maybe he was just someone spreading a little kindness in the world. Which ever he was, I have always vowed that if I ever come across someone in the same situation, I will help them in turn.
Having foolishly sold my original vinyl in a rush to CD in the early nineties, I now own an original UK pressing from 1981 (with picture inner that was missing from subsequent re-pressings), a mid eighties version that is similar to my original and a remastered version from 2011. There's not a lot to choose between the different pressings so I will pick one at random.
Whilst "Part I" of this album occupies the whole of the first side of the disc, it is actually split into three distinct movements. On the opening theme we hear pulsating synth bass lines, Fairlight choirs and the soaring tones of an Oberheim OB-X. The middle of the song is less rhythmical and sees Jarre scattering various Fairlight derived effects and samples across a meandering melody. In my youth I would always anticipate the sounds of a jet engine moving across the stereo image as it signals the transition into the last movement. This section of "Part I" is definitely my favourite as it has some fantastic sequenced parts along with a strong melodic element. Thanks to the Fairlight there is a much greater diversity in sound on this record and things have definitely moved on from "Oxygene" and "Equinoxe".
On the flip side, "Part II" is the most "pop" element of this album. Weird hybrid hand claps signal a frenetic run through catchy themes that build to a satisfying crescendo: Jarre now has real polysynths and he has the chords to prove it. Whilst the album version of this song is good, it sounds a little flat without the superb solo by Dominique Perrier that first appeared on the album "Concerts In China". It seems M. Jarre concours with this appraisal as this solo has been added to almost all subsequent renditions and re-recordings of the song.
A passing train signals the segue into "Part III" which is based around a looped sample from the Fairlight. To my adolescent ears this sounded like nothing more than album filler, but today I regard it as an interesting diversion that demonstrates Jarre was capable of more that trite little pop tunes.
The pièce de résistance of this disc is undoubtedly "Part IV". This is one of my favourite Jarre tracks and I consider it a masterpiece of electronic music. I particularly like the melody on this track and the sequencer driven bassline is superb. There are smatterings of vocoder and percussion to add sonic flavouring, whilst various sequences and effects swirl around us.
The final piece on this album is a strange rhumba that sounds like it was played on a home organ. In my youth, this is the track people would point to if they wanted to deride my musical preferences. I can see Jarre was trying to create a companion piece to "Band In The Rain" from "Equinoxe" but this is overindulgent nonsense that spoils the end of an otherwise impressive album. 4/5
