Track Listing

1. Oxygene
2. Oxygene
3. Oxygene
4. Oxygene
5. Oxygene
6. Oxygene

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14271 in Music
• Released on: 2007-04-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Album Review
Jean Michel Jarre, son of film composer Maurice Jarre, is one of the true pioneers of electronic music. Oxygene is one of the original e-music albums. It has withstood the test of time and the evolution of digital electronica. Jarre's compositional style and his rhythmic instincts were his strong points in 1976. While his popularity has escalated exponentially over the years, he never quite achieved the quality of this amazing recording. The innocence and freshness provide most of its charm. Jarre's techniques and ability provide the rest. This epic CD will appeal to fans of Tonto's Expanding HeadBand, Tangerine Dream, Synergy, Kraftwerk, and Klaus Schulze. --Jim Brenholts, All Music Guide

CD Description
Released in 1976, OXYGENE proved to be a massive hit for French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre. The son of film composer Maurice Jarre, the synthesizer player sought to create warmer sonic textures through the technology of the time, and the result was this pioneering six-part album. OXYGENE's bizarrely creepy cover, featuring a skull underneath the peeled-away surface of the globe, belies the music's lush beauty, though it does point to haunting moments such as "Oxygene III". The record's most recognizable track is the majestic "Oxygene IV", which features percolating synth lines and spare, nearly imperceptible beats. While the album would lead Jarre to international fame, especially in his native France and the rest of Europe, it also proved to be a recording that he struggled to top, even going so far as to release a sequel, OXYGENE 7-13, more than 20 years later. For aficionados of late-'70s electronic acts such as Tangerine Dream andVangelis, this bold outing is essential.

Customer Reviews

Pure electronic perfection - heaven
At time of writing this album is nearly 30 years old. It doesn't sound it. Any artist who uses any electronic instrument owes a debt to this album. Firstly because Jarre developed many of the instruments played on this and secondly because he broke new ground. I have his earlier work: this is so breathtakingly different it is difficult to imagine it is by the same artist. This disc is visionary. Quick guided tour - for me the album speaks of movement through air, perhaps flight. We are taken through atmospheres and eventually arrive at a stormy coast. If you can allow your mind to wander with this music guiding you will be rewarded.

I rate this top of all music ever experienced. I can have it on repeat all day and not tire of it. If I wish to relax it is superb.

Jarre has recorded many fine albums - I reccomend Equinoxe, Zoolook and Waiting for Cousteau particularly, but this disc defines Jarre and it created a genre. There aren't many other discs can make the same claim.

In 20 years time I can believe this could be played as classical music. This is the original synth album and very very difficult to beat

Stunning Instrumental
Imagine the scene in 1976. One unheard of French gent, a simple 8 track recording studio, mostly self made. Simple monophonic and primitive polyphonic synthesisers which no one could understand and a album consisting of 6 instrumental pieces of music strung together with no vocals titled Oxygene. Sounds dull ? Forget it.

This was an incredible achievement in anyones eyes. Electronic music in 1976 was a mostly unheard of style and only a handfull of artists broke thru to the public domain being held back not because of thier talent but because of simple prejudice and a misunderstanding of the style. Many a talent in this field struggled for many years, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Tomita, Vangelis to name a few.

Then Jarre delivered this masterpiece which caught the publics imagination then spawned many a wannabe in subsequent years.

Futuristic, majestic, deep, dark and melodic the music swirls and envelopes you in a timeless wash of synthestic tunes bubbleling to the occasional sequence or beat of an ancient drum machine or sequencer and those who ventured are rewarded with a album you can play and play and play.

Anyone around in 1976 would remember the haunting melodies on offer here, as slowly the media picked up on the LP, a fresh alternative to other 'popular music' of the day. The single Oxygene Part 4, managed to get to no.2 in the UK and even today the sounds created by Jarre then, seem as futuristic as ever even in todays over reliance of synthetic sounds especially in the manufactured world of pop. Oxygene will never tire.

Fo me, the slow outro Part 6 is stunning and a little sad as the final synth wash and bird sounds fades into the speakers, leaving silence. Fantastic

Jarre pushed the old techonolgy on this album and continued to pave the way up until Zoolook. For me, Jarre lost the magic and the distance early electronic artists had gained as then every man and thier band used a synthesier but with more comes less.

Jarre struggled to capture the magic on the sequel which shows that the technology of today will never give rise to the true experimentation of the mid 70's.

Buy some magic and buy Oxygene.

Jean Michel Jarre's first and best album
Jean Michel Jarre broke into the music scene in 1976 with Oxygene... I wasn't around back then, but I've acquired the album and I have one word: PERFECT. Oxygene 1 starts the album off in a nice, lowkey way, very relaxing. Oxygene 2 then comes with the brilliant synths, and the absolutely brilliant chorus, used by Citroen at the moment. Then comes Oxygene 3... a nice break before the big track itself Oxygene 4. Everyone who was alive in 1976 knows this one. Then Oxygene 5, starts of nice and slowly and relaxing, then in comes the synth bass, adding a perfect finish to the perfect beginning. Then the finale (at least until 1997) Oxygene 6, the sea sound sweeping along and the 'bird tweet' noise adding colour to the bass lead.

In case you hadn't noticed, I like this album. I like it very very much, just like I like all of Jarre's other albums very very much... I should know, I've got all of them! 8-)

So, if you want a nice mixture of relaxation and upbeat electronic music, buy Oxygene... you won't regret it!