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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece from the 20th Century., 5 April 2005
I first heard Zoolook way back in March 1987. Two years after it was originally released. I was 15 years old and unsure of what to expect. It totally changed my taste in music for the rest of my life. From then on I became a dedicated fan of Jean-Michel Jarre and deciple to synthesizers and electronic music. As soon as you play Zoolook you notice the quality of the production. It is astounding for 1985 and still sounds fresh two decades later. Jean-Michel travelled the world recording samples of the human voice spoken in various languages. He then manipulated these voices to great effect and used them throughout the CD. They can act as instruments in their own right, as backing sequences or as atmospheric effects. Ethnicolor Part 1 is without doubt the best track on the CD. It is an epic peice of music. It begins with erie like whale song that rises and rises until it breaks into a fairlight driven choir sequence. As it progresses voices and effects fade in and out, and can invoke a mixed bag of emotions. The piece transforms from erie to orchestral, to amazingly emotional and then eventually breaks into a powerful finale thanks to simple, yet beefy, drums and prominent bass line courtesy of the fine talents of Marcus Miller. Laurie Anderson's vocals also help to add a unique feel to Diva, the second track on the CD, which again conjures an erie atmosphere, and in some places can make you feel quite cold. Once again the finale of the track is more upbeat and Andersons vocals bring you back from a strange sense of lonliness. The shorter tracks Zoolook, Zoolookologie are upbeat tracks, both good in their own right, but feeling rather like cheesy Europop. However the quality of the effects and production do make up for this. Wooloomooloo is a wonderful haunting track. Even Blah Blah Cafe has appeal. Finally we come to Ethnicolor Part 2, no way near the emotional rollercoaster as Part 1, but nicely concludes a great CD. Even if you are not a fan of electronic music this could still be a great listen, thanks to the mix of synthesizers, vocals, acoustic drums, guitars and bass. I dont think I have ever experienced such a wide range of emotions in just one track, let alone the entire CD. Despite the countless releases in the electronic music arena since 1985 this CD still is my favourite because of its innovative production, fantastic music and originality. Its worth the money 1000 times over, purely for Ethnicolor Part 1. Definately a MUST have.
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~ Jean-Michel Jarre
~ Jean-Michel Jarre
~ Jean Michel Jarre
~ Jean-Michel Jarre
~ Jean Michel Jarre
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