Albedo 0.39

Track Listings

1. Pulstar

2. Freefall

3. Mare Tranquillitatis

4. Main Sequence

5. Sword of Orion

6. Alpha

7. Nucleogenesis, Pt. 1

8. Nucleogenesis, Pt. 2

9. Albedo 0.39

Albedo 0.39,Vangelis,RCA,Jazz Music,Neo-Classical,New Age / Meditation,Progressive Electronic

Albedo 0.39

Tracks:

Pulsar
Freefall
Mare Tranquillitatis
Main Sequence
Sword Of Orion
Alpha
Nucleogenesis (Part One)
Nucleogenesis (Part Two)
Albedo 0.39

Customer Reviews:

Pulstar was actually a 'hit'!!.......2007-04-16

Back in the day i used to listen to a lot of rock on the radio. One day 'Pulstar' started getting airplay and i fell in love with this avant - prog yet hum-able style of rock. It was the begining of a journey i am still on. The discovery of bands like Yes (with whom Vangelis was associated), Genesis, King Crimson, etc. soon followed. But imagine a rock radio station actually pulling a 'weird' electronic piece like 'Pulstar' and playing it along side to Aerosmith and Steve Miller Band! Those were the days! Other reviewers have described this gemm all too well so i'll just add that this (IMHO) is the most prog and interestig album by Vangelis . Period. Grab it!

has theme song from Death of a Princess / Cosmos.......2005-04-22

On this album, "Alpha" is the main theme song for the docu-drama "Death of a Princess" about a Saudi Royal Princess and this song was also part of Carl Sagan's Cosmos television series. This song alone is worth the purchase of the album

Probably my favourite Vangelis album.......2005-03-08

I know some people prefer his orchestral and choral mush but give me this side of Vangelis any day. This is by far his most free and creative album. No constrictions of compositional niceties cramping his work here. Jazz, rock, electronica. This is for me his most exciting album; it gets your pulse racing rather than merely tickling the intellect. I prefer the short version of Pulstar from the vinyl EP but this version still thrills.

I just wish he'd produced more albums of this sort.

Masterpiece........2004-04-06

Great instrumentation, and programming that Vangelis is truly great at. Synthesizers, and great drum programming, especially on the track Alpha, in fact you'll have Alpha on repeat for days. Pulstar opens the album, and really sets the tone, amazing!

Albedo 0.39.......2003-12-20

One reviewer here stated that Vangelis is comparable with Mozart and Beethoven and that he is the greatest composer of the 20th century. I cannot quite agree. Vangelis' composing does not have the degree of sophistication and refinement that the music of Mozart and Beethoven possesses and also the music of the best contemporary "classical" composers, such as Stockhausen and Boulez, just to name two (the former is also one of the most important pioneers of electronic music, see for example his Gesang der Juenglinge (1956) and his Kontakte (1960), and has created awe-inspiring synth music as well, such as Oktophonie (1991) - all those works are available at stockhausendotorg).

Vangelis' composing in Albedo 0.39 at times - though not always - seems a bit coarse, abrupt and when it comes to changing keys, simplistic (there should be more modulation involved) and a tad too obvious (arguably, the often maligned but in my view also great Chariots of Fire, for example, is more mature in that respect). However, his craft of composing is sufficiently impressive such that in connection with his truly awesome musical inspiration, the sheer power of his sonic imagination, his innovative and soulful use of synthesizer timbres that also convincingly adapts these to the diverse development stages of a given track, and his astonishing mastery of a great variety of styles, Albedo 0.39 becomes a fantastic and rewarding musical experience. The combination of above virtues also clearly makes Vangelis one of the greatest electronic musicians.

Moreover, the sometimes found simpleness of presentation of musical ideas (there is enough satisfying complexity as well) by Vangelis in Albedo 0.39, rather than routinely being just simplistic, often seems to be the result of a superior musical mind that knows that appropriate simpleness may be useful to achieve a powerful emotional effect. The abrupt transitions in the music and the few sudden - even slightly naive - outbursts of climactic, glorious or triumphant tone (on occasion they seem to symbolize moments of star birth) can be remarkable in their power, and sometimes the sudden transitions in the music appear to be sheer genius, such as in the track Alpha.

In this track of moderate tempo Vangelis paints boldly with broad brush strokes, presenting the original theme and counterthemes to it in varied and inspired ways, with the variations either dropping in suddenly or - towards the end - smoothly developing from the previous material. The large-scale build-up of this 6-minute-piece, easily going from a quiet, delicate "ticking clock" atmosphere to a glorious, free-flowing climax, is simply astonishing. The build-up is able to sustain unerring, powerful directionality over the very diverse stages, a directionality that is also aided by the seamless integration of the solidly driving rock rhythm into the tension of development.

As pointed out by others, the range of music on Albedo 0.39 is huge. You get quality synth-pop (Pulstar; I love those chords ferociously slashing through the music), jamming jazz-rock (Main Sequence), fast-paced and exciting power-rock where the thematic/melodic lines chase with high speed (Nucleogenesis 1 and 2), the above somewhat ballad-like Alpha, and a few quiet pieces that partially show Eastern timbral and melodic influences (especially Freefall).

I agree with many reviewers here that Albedo 0.39 is a most important and impressive work of electronic music. And highly enjoyable to!

Two more points:

1. Vangelis' playing of drums and percussion, though maybe not wizzard-hand virtuosic, is musically just awesome. Always the right and amazing accents.

Tracks:

Pulstar
Freefall
Mare Tranquillitatis
Main Sequence
Sword of Orion
Alpha
Nucleogenesis, Pt. 1
Nucleogenesis, Pt. 2
Albedo 0.39

Album Details

Special 24bit K2 Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Average customer rating:

Albedo 0.39
Vangelis
Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Electronic | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00008ESCZ
Release Date: 1995-08-01

Tracks:

Pulstar
Freefall
Mare Tranquillitatis
Main Sequence
Sword of Orion
Alpha
Nucleogenesis, Pt. 1
Nucleogenesis, Pt. 2
Albedo 0.39

Average customer rating:

Pulstar was actually a 'hit'!!
has theme song from Death of a Princess / Cosmos
Probably my favourite Vangelis album
Masterpiece.
Albedo 0.39

Albedo 0.39
Vangelis
Manufacturer: Rca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000074QN

Customer Reviews:

Pulstar was actually a 'hit'!!.......2007-04-16

has theme song from Death of a Princess / Cosmos.......2005-04-22

Probably my favourite Vangelis album.......2005-03-08

I just wish he'd produced more albums of this sort.

Masterpiece........2004-04-06

Albedo 0.39.......2003-12-20

I agree with many reviewers here that Albedo 0.39 is a most important and impressive work of electronic music. And highly enjoyable to!

Two more points:

1. Vangelis' playing of drums and percussion, though maybe not wizzard-hand virtuosic, is musically just awesome. Always the right and amazing accents.