Oxygene [Original recording remastered]

I rate this top of all music ever experienced. I can have it on repeat all day and not tire of it. If I wish to relax it is superb.

Jarre has recorded many fine albums - I reccomend Equinoxe, Zoolook and Waiting for Cousteau particularly, but this disc defines Jarre and it created a genre. There aren't many other discs can make the same claim.

In 20 years time I can believe this could be played as classical music. This is the original synth album and very very difficult to beat

This was an incredible achievement in anyones eyes. Electronic music in 1976 was a mostly unheard of style and only a handfull of artists broke thru to the public domain being held back not because of thier talent but because of simple prejudice and a misunderstanding of the style. Many a talent in this field struggled for many years, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Tomita, Vangelis to name a few.

Then Jarre delivered this masterpiece which caught the publics imagination then spawned many a wannabe in subsequent years.

Futuristic, majestic, deep, dark and melodic the music swirls and envelopes you in a timeless wash of synthestic tunes bubbleling to the occasional sequence or beat of an ancient drum machine or sequencer and those who ventured are rewarded with a album you can play and play and play.

Anyone around in 1976 would remember the haunting melodies on offer here, as slowly the media picked up on the LP, a fresh alternative to other 'popular music' of the day. The single Oxygene Part 4, managed to get to no.2 in the UK and even today the sounds created by Jarre then, seem as futuristic as ever even in todays over reliance of synthetic sounds especially in the manufactured world of pop. Oxygene will never tire.

Fo me, the slow outro Part 6 is stunning and a little sad as the final synth wash and bird sounds fades into the speakers, leaving silence. Fantastic

Jarre pushed the old techonolgy on this album and continued to pave the way up until Zoolook. For me, Jarre lost the magic and the distance early electronic artists had gained as then every man and thier band used a synthesier but with more comes less.

Jarre struggled to capture the magic on the sequel which shows that the technology of today will never give rise to the true experimentation of the mid 70's.

Buy some magic and buy Oxygene.

In case you hadn't noticed, I like this album. I like it very very much, just like I like all of Jarre's other albums very very much... I should know, I've got all of them! 8-)

So, if you want a nice mixture of relaxation and upbeat electronic music, buy Oxygene... you won't regret it!