Vangelis: Chariots of Fire - China

The revitalised Michell Gyrodec has driven me back to my LP collection. I took it from the easy side by relistening to some of the specimens that date from the time when I was just starting to buy music. I must have been around 14-15 or so. At that stage I was a lot into mainstream electronic music, including JM Jarre and Vangelis. But surely these concept albums put me on track of a more sophisticated listening capacity that was able to grasp the architecture of longer works.

I listened to the B-side of JM Jarre's Oxygène album (his first). Mine is the original LP, dating from 1977. Whilst it does somewhat show its age, it is still wonderful to listen to. You can really  'hear' into the sonic signature of Jarre's electronic toolbox.

Then onwards to Vangelis' Chariots of Fire (1981), the A-side of which is a series of shorter pieces that were used as aural backdrop for the eponymous film. I only listened to the B-side which consists of just a single, spacious, 20-minute track. Whilst Vangelis piano sounds pathetic, the overall recording is quite good. I love the filigree patterns of electronic effects that create a vast, friendly sense of space, nicely projected by the Michell and all its downstream acolytes. Edelkitsch, but I enjoyed it anyhow.

China (1979) is another matter. Musically it is more cogent than Chariots. Again I only listened to the B-side, with Yin & Yang, Himalaya and Summit. Oh, how often have my thoughts drifted towards those magnificent giants when listening to these tracks. Himalaya and Summit together make for a very evocative 15-minute symphonic poem. If one tries to imagine how it might sound performed by a symphony orchestra, it becomes pretty avant garde. Xenakis comes to mind! The recording is quite good and I felt the Michell allowed a much better appreciation of the subtly layered soundscape conjured by Vangelis than I ever remembered hearing. All in all these were great rediscoveries, so thoroughly enjoyable because of the great, lively sound extracted from the worn vinyl by the revitalised Gyrodec.