Jean Michel Jarre - Genius or just Fromage?

[StanleyB]

I have most of JMJ's stuff going back to the early 70's. Not all of it is to my taste, but most is. Far easier listening than classical.

[Pierre De Grenoble]

You lot just don't get James Last, he was really the original Krautrock Progmeister

[Themis]

Well I have no JMJ and I have 7-8 Vangelis... and it's not because he's Greek, believe me.

[Alex_UK]

Definitely a "guilty pleasure" although as has been said, he was ground-breaking in the early days - and a great showman. I am sure he was a great influence to lots of electronica acts since, too.

[Barry]

I bought my copy of 'Oxygène', second hand, for about £1 some twenty years ago, and recently replaced it with a CD copy bought in a charity shop for 20p.

Guess that says how much I rate JMJ !

Regards

[synsei]

Best JMJ album IMO is Live In Houston (not available anymore sadly). I watched this concert on TV many years ago (not sure if it was live or a recording but I'm pretty sure it was transmitted on CH4 in it's first year) and it was astounding. The CD wasn't half bad either. I wish I could find another copy as I lost mine in a move a few years ago and later releases were a mash up between Houston and China concerts and nowhere near as good

[Havana]

I bought my copy of 'Oxygène', second hand, for about £1 some twenty years ago, and recently replaced it with a CD copy bought in a charity shop for 20p.

Guess that says how much I rate JMJ !

Regards

Barry - they saw you coming mate - daylight robbery !

[Rare Bird]

I loose the will sometime, amazes me how some people are very liberal at branding a said band the same style of music over say 40 years!!I

[JimC]

Best JMJ album IMO is Live In Houston (not available anymore sadly). I watched this concert on TV many years ago (not sure if it was live or a recording but I'm pretty sure it was transmitted on CH4 in it's first year) and it was astounding. The CD wasn't half bad either. I wish I could find another copy as I lost mine in a move a few years ago and later releases were a mash up between Houston and China concerts and nowhere near as good

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProduct...;-1&sku=178621

Houston and Lyon 'Mash Up' actually! And very good IMHO.

I have all JMJ Albums and think what he does is excellent.
My favourite Album of his is Rendez-Vouz.

To say nothing he did after Equinox is any good is a little dissmissive.
Zoolook for example used nothing but Samples of the Human Voice to create the sounds and has some great tracks on it. A very good Album indeed from way before 'everyone else' was Sampling.

Try to get hold of the early pressings if possible (ebay?) as some of the Remasters, although not as bad as some I have heard, are not quite as good.

James.

[DSJR]

Trouble is, JMJ pales into relative insignificance when compared to Walter(Wendy) Carlos, Tonto's Expanding Headband and Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schulze in their classic years along with a good few others (mid 70's Ashra in Manuel's keyboard led era).

Just my view and I still love listening to most of the "side 2" of Equinox, clearer than ever on CD over the vinyl IMO.