Vangelis S & D

No way. "Short Stories" is a wonderful J & V album. Vangelis goes thru an impressive tonal palette on his CS-80 while Jon improvises some of his most wigged out lyrics. The entire thing supposedly improvised. Plus it includes the sublime "I Hear You Now". To my ears this one doesn't have any of the cheese of subsequent J & V outings.

I'll never forgive Vangelis for ruining my best pair of jeans. Perfect fitting vintage 517s. Intro to L'Apocalypse Des Animaux took hold of me and inspired me to do this kind of cosmic hillbilly dance, like something from that all-primates production of SEven Brides for Seven Brothers. I dropped into a squat and RIIIIP! You don't just find vintage 517s like that every day, Papathanassiou!

Majestic:

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/1608/cover_11431612112009.jpg

Just looked up her Wikipedia entry, there is no source for this quote but I hope it's real:"I never won an Oscar... and the Oscars never won Irene Papas".

Just got Soil Festivities and it's really, really great.

Looked for Jon & Vangelis - Page Of Life, there are two versions, one version with different tracklist and some alternate versions Anderson put out later in the 90s without the consent of Vangelis, which seems to have soured their relationship a bit.

Then I just discovered Vangelis did loads of remasters himself which were released last year. Page of Life is the original version with a bonus track...
"features a rare and sought after bonus track, "Sing with Your Eyes", released only as part of the highly limited and promotional "Wisdom Chain" CD-Single in 1991. It also includes a booklet that restores the original album artwork."

Remastered Chariots Of Fire is gorgeous

The City is my favorite vangelis record

I wonder about those remasters... the original CDs sound pretty good. Well, most of them.

I wouldn't be surprised if the remasters are fucked with in some way, vangelis is notoriously contrarian and fidgety about his releases right? EG blade runner. don't know the OG chariots of fire record so can't say in what ways the remaster might be diff.

They are super hot EQ wise. Sound very different from the originals to me.

Both albums with Irene Papas are fantastic.

Out of curiosity, I bought the remaster of the first Irene Papas album, and it sounds like the sound level of the vocals on it is significantly lower than level of the synths/etc, to a distracting degree. I haven't noticed this with the earlier CD version of Odes (with the song titles in French) that I have. Am I imagining this, or has Vangelis really tweaked the remaster so radically? I was considering of buying the remaster of the second Papas LP (since I don't have it any format), but now I'm not so sure whether I should try to track the original CD version of it instead.

I'd play it safe and seek out the original cd. Vinyl is tricky with Vangelis as well: I own original US pressings of most of his albums and they sound fine. But certain things like "La Fete Sauvage" ( recently restored and showing right now in French theatres, btw!) which I own on European pressings are mastered poorly and on really cheap, thin vinyl. Really confusing.

so, last week I found mike oldfields, TB2 (very enjoyable), and today, its Voices by Vangelis .

looks like a new age groove at mine for a while.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTn8PzDwH9c

despite the presence of paul young this album has turned out to be totally worthy for this track alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKwizUzyj0I

bona fide sampled drum break at 5 mins in the voices track posted by mark e above totally slays

1974 TV show. Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGCRwTOo05s

Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZKJ6zkhpE0

Those aren't loading. Is it this? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EreNUTCgjlc&ebc=ANyPxKq4101opZnrsp_ddiB8efZo8oE9yqBkPX23LKMVzePiRi2rxoxQBVPwr-m-G0wfmySygbQf0ef_sl4FJjsQV2RhKX-KVw&time_continue=1176

RARE FOOTAGE OF VANGELIS SHREDDING ON A SYNTH IN THE ’70S
Join Vangelis on an astral voyage in this rare footage of an epic ’70s television production.

Get those VPNs ready, Germany, because this is one super psychedelic trip that you definitely won’t want to miss. This video of Meistersynthesist Vangelis shredding on ’70s television has everything you need as far as “cosmic” is concerned: percussionists floating among acid-soaked green screens, unbuttoned shirts and necklaces and thousands and thousands of dollars of rare synthesizers. It culminates in a moment of sheer vibe when Vangelis and his live performance rig go soaring with an eagle. See, this is the kind of stuff GEMA doesn’t want you to see.

Rosetta, his first new studio album since 1998's El Greco came out on September 30th, and has a web site promoting it where you can, uh, play Vangelis Asteroids:

http://www.vangelisrosetta.com/

Poke around on Youtube to easily find the entire album available for listening... so far it's nice and spacey. Keep hearing bits from older work, wonder if it's intentional or just Vangelis doing his thing?

He's always been recycling his own stuff... Most notably, the germ of that famous Chariots of Fire theme can already be heard on Heaven and Hell.

"on top of old smokey"

New album is nice, but sounds very poorly mixed/mastered.

I did just discover the Irene Papas collab Odes and I'm floored.... this is so gorgeous! And he produced this right around the peak of his career imho. What a gem

Yeah, Little Orange Tree from Odes is about the most gorgeous song ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-VdbwWEbSQ

Has been know to bring a tear or three to my eye.

That's interesting about the mastering of the new album, because as I mentioned upthread, I bought the remaster of "Odes", and the sound on it is pretty awful compared to the original CD release, sounds like everything except Papas' vocals have been cranked up way higher. And over at Amazon some people are complaining about the remaster of Heaven & Hell, saying that the sound has been radically altered there too.

Since, according to credits, the remastering has been directed by Vangelis himself, I wonder if something's up with his hearing? Or has he just decided the albums should sound different?

I decided to order the remastered Albedo 0.39 to see if there's notable difference for better or worse, because IMO that album has always had a bit of a thin sound that I've attributed to '80s CD mastering practices. Will report to this thread how the remaster sounds compared to the original.

Oh, and the other Irene Papas / Vangelis collab, Rapsodies, is pretty great too, a bit more moody and experimental than Odes IIRC. Well worth checking out, though maybe try to find the original release instead of the remastered one, if the remaster sounds as bad as on the first album.

Thanks for the caution. There's a Jon & Vangelis remaster I wanted (I don't have the original) because it has bonus tracks of difficult to find songs but I just might buy both versions.

I tend to take these flawed remaster warnings with a pinch of salt but you've convinced me.

Yeah, I'm not claiming I have any sort of golden ears, so you should take it with a pinch of salt. Over at Discogs.com someone else is complaining about the same thing as me:

Sopromat January 10, 2013
referencing Odes, CD, Album, RE, RM, 06025 1720633 5
This is the worst remaster of Vangelis I ever heard. In fact, this is even not a remaster in my understanding of this word - they just applied a couple of poor audio filters, that's all. And the sound became worser, lost it's original clarity, Irene's voice "drowned" in the music...

But someone else is saying this:

curtisryan9 January 20, 2017
referencing Odes, CD, Album, RE, RM, 06025 1720633 5
I actually find this is a good remaster, its not as loud as the original CD and sounds more warmer, especially the synth on track 2. Compared to the original CD, id say this is pretty much better than the first pressing. Same goes for Rhapsodies by Irene Papas and Vangelis.

As I said upthread Vangelis pressings vary in quality with European pressings often sounding the worst to my ears. However, my og French pressings of both Pappas collabs sound rich and deep. Grabbed those for almost nothing in a bookshop sale a couple of years ago.

Vangelis on CD usually not great : tinny, harsh. And this goes back to the first cd releases. I will say, though, that I loved his stuff on the o g US cassette releases. It could just be nostalgia but I find it sounds amazing.

Remind me to tell how I got a hold of a demo cassette of his Spiral recording sessions. The cassette belings to a friend so I've never posted it on the internet but it's a great fly-on-the-wall moment into his process.

Worser? More warmer? Which is it?

thanks for the callout on Odes. I downloaded it from a place and I'm just finishing my first listen. This might actually be one of the best Vangelis records! I'm in hog heaven.

Fun little bit of trivia... Arianna Stassinopoulos is credited with "writing and arrangement" on Odes... that's Arianna Huffington!

Whatttt

Yeah, is that real?!?

Looks like -- here's an archival article from 1994:

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/rear-window-arianna-stassinopoulos-the-siren-of-the-seventies-1443305.html

FOR A dozen heady years, everything she wished for was in Britain. She had fame; she was controversial; she was admired by distinguished old men and escorted by ambitious young ones. There were books, lectures and after-dinner speeches; there were appearances on Any Questions and Face the Music. There was a libel action against Private Eye. There was even her own chat show.

'I want to carry on living in this country,' she declared in the full flush of her success. But then she saw America, and left.

To see her again last week, prodding her wealthy Texan husband, Michael Huffington, through a spectacularly expensive US Senate election campaign, was to be transported back in time. For Arianna Stassinopoulos is an emblem of Britain in the 1970s to rival Nationwide and the Austin Allegro.

There's also this from a Vangelis bio:

https://books.google.com/books?id=RipcCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT64&lpg=PT64&dq=Arianna+Stassinopoulos+odes&source=bl&ots=FYWQa-1bzQ&sig=neRzxQH1ZXSimrQwCDNbYlk09u0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiEsLe_oqXTAhWj8oMKHX88D3QQ6AEIUjAH#v=onepage&q=Arianna%20Stassinopoulos%20odes&f=false

Yep, sure seems like her. Crazy. Also, a nice excuse to head down the rabbit hole reading much of that biography on Google Books. Some nice detail in there about his work on Chariots and Blade Runner and his posture toward releasing the material commercially.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m-6bU4x7us

classic

Vangelis is on that?

Wrong thread. Clearly I'm overly tired

;_;

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/19/vangelis-greek-composer-chariots-of-fire-blade-runner-dies?CMP=share_btn_fb

rip to the legend

Oh no 😢 RIP big man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwGztZOBtVk <3

still send shivers all over whenever i put this on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KCbqhJt16k

Oh no, RIP the big fella, what a talent!

No words.

my favorite. always gives me chills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI8FYLHvrw4

^YES I love that soundtrack so much.

Biggest RIP.

This is my favorite early Vangelis track, sounds like floating through a psychedelic Grecian swamp + equally trippy narration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C8Nelw6HtM

Ad astra, Vangelis.

The film composer contributed scores to explorations by our #JunoMission to Jupiter. Here, ride along with the @NASASolarSystem spacecraft around Jupiter and moon Ganymede, with sound up.

Full playlist: https://t.co/bNyqzQGWRS pic.twitter.com/2QbjoKStko

— NASA (@NASA) May 19, 2022

RIP. One of my favorite Vangelis in the wild moments: 1999, first Coachella. Autechre opens their set layering Heaven & Hell Pt 1 on top of Pen Expers beats. It was epic and transcendent.

Creation du Monde is astonishing.

Vangelis wasn't my first proper synth hero (that was Jarre, for better or worse) but for some reason I was definitely aware of him and his work as a child and how his stuff sounded really nice - so 100% he primed my brain for a love of electronics later on. And that catalogue is DEEEP. RIP :(

I love the first Aphrodite's Child album too.

;_;

I got Earth cheaply a couple of years ago. Meant to pick up some more similar eraed stuff by him .
Not sure how good Phos by Socrates is , their previous lp without him was pretty great.

Really interesting interview with the man. All sorts of remarks on the change in technology, where it's gone right or wrong.

http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/vangelis/7243

A lot of it is him going "lol yeah I improvise so what". Still going through it.

There are many great interviews with him on YT up til the last couple of years. Always a pleasure to listen to him speak: intelligence and humility.

*for the last time* it's all one take!

listening to Spiral now. that 'spinning wheel' sequencer thing he does is so cool. the final track "3 + 3" is so majestic. I forgot how much he just fucks around on these electronic records! good stuff

Jon Anderson of Yes recalled the first time he met Vangelis on @theQuietus last year.

(Full interview: https://t.co/qRQ8cfY7yE) pic.twitter.com/wfHSLldaiV

— John Doran (@JahDuran) May 20, 2022

hah, he was legitimately a pretty funny dude, despite the self-seriousness of a lot of his work. didn't he once try to audition for the role of drummer in Yes?

I'd heard that he was auditioning as keyboardist, but wound up playing a drum solo while everyone waited for him to play the keyboards.

rocked the J&V version of “state of independence” this morning. such a jam.

One of my favorite Vangelis in the wild moments: 1999, first Coachella. Autechre opens their set layering Heaven & Hell Pt 1 on top of Pen Expers beats.

listening to this set now, love it

holy fuck I just looked that up, it's incredible

rocked the J&V version of “state of independence” this morning. such a jam.

I bought "The Friends of Mr. Cairo" for a couple bucks, having never heard it, and for most of the first side I was like "okay, this is clearly not Jon & Vangelis, but I gotta at least hear what it is"

another fun Vangelis story. though I guess it's more of a Ween story. when recording "12 Golden Country Greats" Ween hooked up with a veteran producer (Ben Vaughn) who sent them back to their room when the sessions were over, telling them they needed to write a single. they quickly wrote "Japanese Cowboy", and apparently they all thought "hmmm this sounds familiar" but couldn't place why. after the record came out they realized that what they had actually done was rip off the "Chariots of Fire" melody. and that is how Vangelis got a writing credit on a Ween album.

There are rumours of a vastly extended version of "∞" in existence, but as far as I know it's never seen the light of day. Strange to think that Irene Papas (now 95) has outlived him!

so there's a version of infinity that is quite long. That's quite good product description or not.

A thumb drive with the infinite version of "∞" will be released in Vangelis' actual skull.

Top that, Flaming Lips!

Any evolution in opinion about the Vangelis remasters? Still recommend I stay away from remastered Odes?

I only liked the Mask and See You Later remasters, if I recall. I would go with earlier masters of most of
his work if possible.

Tribute compilation with proceeds going to charity:

https://castlesinspace.bandcamp.com/album/music-is-vast-a-tribute-to-the-music-and-legacy-of-vangelis

I sometimes think that double duo version of the band is my favorite. It wasn’t their best material but they were totally unhinged when they did their improvisations.

Rosetta, his first new studio album since 1998's El Greco came out on September 30th, and has a web site promoting it where you can, uh, play Vangelis Asteroids:

http://www.vangelisrosetta.com🕸/

Listening to the City tonight, a longtime favorite, the soundtrack to many a bleary dawn in the 90s, reeking of smoke and reeling from the sudden collapse of the heap of dark hours supporting me, a fond memory of being young and exhausted. I suspect I am unmoored these days not due to COVID or the state of things, but because the passing of Vangelis has robbed humanity of a vital connection to the universe writ large, a radio telescope we cannot rebuild, his regular output having margins densely filled with revelations written at just such liminal hours