Hong Kong - Jean Michel Jarre

Advantages: 5.1 surround sound, Jarre at his absolute best.
Disadvantages: None, even if you own the original tracks.

...This is a review of the truly superb CD and DVD of Jean Michel Jarres 'Aero' which will be in split into 2 parts on this same page... i will start with the CD, then the DVD. Firstly i would like to offer a little background to the great man and his featured recordings as i find this relevant in order to help anyone who is unfamiliar with JMJ appreciate and understand this specific recording a little better. Jean Michel Jarre (JMJ) was born on the 24th August 1948 in Lyon, France. His father (Maurice Jarre) was a very talented composer himself who helped write music themes for 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Dr Zhivago' to name but two. JMJ is in the Guiness book of records several times but perhaps most notably for his live Paris show where he performed to close to 2 million people at the Arche de la Défense, he is clearly no... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Some new tracks. Enhanced old tracks - then of course there's the DVD
Disadvantages: Not much new for something purporting to be a new album

...Fictitious Headline: ?Jean-Michel Jarre Pulls It Off?. Pulls It Off? Creates an original new evolutionary step in electronic music? Plays a new musical instrument using a nuclear reactor as its power source, whilst dressed in a lead-lined overcoat and gauntlets at the centre of a 25-mile exclusion zone? No ? when I say ?Pulls It Off', I mean 'a fast one'. He seems to have craftily dressed a ?Best Of...? compilation as something new. Let?s be charitable and call it a ?Re-mix? at least. ?Le mouton, habillé comme l?agneau? as we say in English ?Well, fancy buying it if you knew that? I hear you say. Well, I didn?t, but I did get it for Christmas having dropped heavy hints months ago that I?d heard he?d got a new album coming out. On first appearances, Aero IS something new. For one thing the normal CD jewel... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: When it's good, it's very good.
Disadvantages: But when it's bad...

...20th Century. 2.: Industrial Revolution (part 1) - See above 3.: Industrial Revolution (part 2) - See above 4.: Industrial Revolution (part 3) - See above. 5.: London Kid. A fairly basic synth drum and pads backing with Hank Marvin(!) or Honk as Jean-Michel Jarre pronounces it, playing a typical Shadows type number over the top. Hit the next track button. Amazingly, this was a single. 6.: Revolution. A superb high energy track infused with eastern, & Turkish/North African type sounds and rythyms. It starts with a mournful wailing wind instrument before the main beats starts and a vocoder processed voice says 'Revolution'. One of the earlier Jarre tracks with lyrics. I wouldn't say the lyrics make much sense though - 'Change/No Change, Freedom/No Freedom'. More samples of ethnic sounds and wailing vocals make this a high... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful