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Track Listings
| 1. Spiral |
| 2. Ballad |
| 3. Dervish D. |
| 4. To The Unknown Man |
| 5. 3 + 3 |
Product Description
1977 album from the Greek popular ambient musician later famous for the Chariots Of Fire theme music
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Produced at a time when Greek keyboard wizard Vangelis was at the height of his success during the late 1970s, SPIRAL leaves behind the overtly classical pomp of 'Heaven and Hell', whilst also avoiding the obscure sonic experimentation of later albums. The result is not only one of Vangelis' most accessible recordings, it remains essential listening for fans of electronic music in general. Vangelis is one of the pioneers of instrumental rock, and the title track of SPIRAL highlights the keyboard sequencing technology which was then just being developed. The breathtaking flurries of notes twist and turn with mechanical precision, while the spiralling arpeggios are brought together by a series of percussive impacts. Vangelis is generally associated with dazzling keyboard virtuosity, but this album also emphasises his stunning talent as a percussionist. The most celebrated track on the album is 'To The Unknown Man', a title which now lends itself to the recently published Vangelis biography also available from Amazon. For many, this piece personifies the majestic, romantic sound which typified the composer's work during this period, and its popularity as a soundtrack to television programmes helped to send him into the soundtrack stratosphere of 'Blade Runner' and his Oscar-winning score for 'Chariots Of Fire'. Elsewhere, SPIRAL offers a commercial mix of electronic rock, jazz and fusion elements. This combination is especially effective on the track 'Ballad', with its strange vocal overlay making it one of Vangelis' most appealing musical experiments.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Vangelis's music for "Spiral" is both melodic and rhythmic, involving as it does the clever and imaginative use of sequencers. There are five tracks on the album, all of which are equally interesting. Unlike some of Vangelis's other albums, however, I don't find that "Spiral" communicates much depth of feeling - it seems to me more of a technical achievement rather than an artistic one. As a result it's not an album I tend to play very often.
The running time is 39 minutes and 1977 sound is of high quality.
The running time is 39 minutes and 1977 sound is of high quality.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Massive credit must be given to Vangelis for his innovation, but this is not a great album. In common with Albedo 0.39 and Heaven and Hell, Spiral has a few great moments interspersed with turgid (and perhaps even indigestible) tedium. So whilst the title track and the well-known To The Unknown Man are both great tracks, 9 out of 10 perhaps, much of the rest of the album borders on the unlistenable. No wonder RCA put out so many compilations of Vangelis in the early 80's - its actually better to cherry-pick the highlights off the 70's albums rather than wade though each one. With most album-based artists, it's a mistake to buy best-of's because you end up missing so much good stuff. Not so with Vangelis (at least the 70's period). There's a cheap Best Of that contains pretty much all that's still worth listening to from the three main 70's albums. Vangelis got significantly better later in his career with albums such as Blade Runner and 1492, the latter of which is probably the best place to start if you're new to his music.
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