Search - Jean Michel Jarre :: The Complete Oxygene

Fresh Addition to an Old Favorite

C. S. Junker | Burien, WA USA | 11/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Oxygene has always been one of my guilty pleasures. When I first played this record, some of my friends made fun of me for liking it, claiming that it was corny, simplistic, elevator music. Jarre's melodies are certainly don't have the cerebral complexity of abstract jazz, but these pieces create a certain unique atmosphere that more than offsets the simplicity of the tunes. To some, it may sound like science fiction film music, but then, what's the matter with that?



I just discovered this set in a record store and was pleased to find that Oxygene 7-13 have some of the same frosty intensity of the original disc (1-6), with more of a disco backbeat on some of the pieces. I was never as satisfied with the other Jarre albums I bought, such as Equinoxe and Rendez-Vous; in fact they seemed to lack the very melodic appeal that my friends criticized so harshly in Oxygene. Perhaps Jarre was trying to do more "jazzy" work. However, the second group of Oxygene pieces is very satisfying, if not quite as compelling as the original set. If you're a fan of the original, this is a must-buy."