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#1 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Aalborg
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I watched a Youtube video about his music on a whim and am checking out his music on Spotify right now.
It struck me that I'm not sure I've ever noticed anyone in here talking about him, despite his relative fame. So what does MB think of Jean-Michel Jarre? Listening to Chronology right now. ![]() https://open.spotify.com/album/4RTDlj21LMbDZD5sm4WTEW |
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#2 (permalink) |
Just Keep Swimming...
Join Date: Apr 2012
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I've heard a lot of his music through other people years ago, and it's decent enough. ZooLook, Rendez Vous, and Oxygene mostly. TH was probably his biggest fan here though.
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#4 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Aug 2012
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Introduced his music to school friends in the 70s because it was an exciting time
for that type of electronic music and it was hard to contain, but lost interest in him - like a lot of electronic musicians - by the mid 80s. Funny how you get pegged with certain works and, after years or sometimes decades, you try to reimagine them for the modern era. Sometimes it works (in his case, for me, yes) and sometimes it comes off as desperation (re: Mike Oldfield). |
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#5 (permalink) |
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So far, my impression is that he's got some cool sounds, but that the music also seems to have been outrun by so many of the electronic artists that have followed him.
Hearing his music, I see how his influence has no doubt hit wide and deep. And there's some surprising compositions here and there. I'm gonna need to listen to more, but "weak new age", as Windsock put it, is a little too fitting at times. As for your comment, Rostasi, I haven't personally listened much to Oldfield albums older than the mid 80's, so I don't know what I'd think about later material. But I do really like Crises, Five Miles Out and Discovery. |
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#6 (permalink) | |
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Join Date: Aug 2012
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"electronic orchestration" may be a result of that. It was a bit forward thinking for the time because it raised the bar on popular electronic music by not being either a parroting of classical instruments (which was a big thing in the 60s) or the mostly minor key freak-outs of European space-rock performers of the years just preceding the success of Oxygene. It was a kind of safely textured sound that could resonate with folks who'd not usually listen to such music. I can understand you coming from the opposite direction with Oldfield - and those three albums you mentioned are not bad. He had a major mental crises {pun} tho after the success of his first album(s) (and the introduction to the world of "Virgin Records") and, I think, tried to overcome it by putting out other versions of it that just made him look sad (except for the early one that David Bedford arranged). To me, his music works best when he does his long-form highly integrated pieces, but he appears to occasionally think that he's a songster when he's often not. If he had never done anything else, the first three albums would stand as a mighty trilogy and Amarok - done 15 years later - could join that as a fourth solid recording in the style that he's best at doing. Also, remember that "weak new age" is looking at things in the rear-view mirror as "new age music," as a style, didn't exist at this time. If he could keep from looking like a guy in his mid-60s trying for a PBS audience, he could resurrect a large ensemble of young folks willing to take on these extended works of his - almost like the way that Terry Riley is being "rediscovered." Last edited by rostasi; 12-05-2018 at 12:57 PM. |
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#7 (permalink) |
one-balled nipple jockey
Join Date: Dec 2010
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I like him a lot fwtw
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#8 (permalink) | |
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Believe it or not, but I actually really love the best of Oldfields simple songs. To France, Crystal Gazing, Poison Arrows, Moonlight Shadow, pluse a few more. It's really mainly the Discovery album that I'm totally in love with. My patience with his longer prog pieces varies quite a bit. Note: And so I guess some new age should really be called watered down Jarre. That's worth some. Got a favorite album or two? |
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#9 (permalink) |
one-balled nipple jockey
Join Date: Dec 2010
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Oxygène is by far his best. About a year ago I went through his discography pretty carefully and didn’t run across anything else nearly that good. Oxygène is an absolute gem, however. The central theme is fantastic and what he builds around it is perfectly coherent and hypnotic. It doesn’t rest on the electronic element but instead uses it to create something that will be remembered for a long time.
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