AERO

This is certainly NOT the wildy anticipated new album/compilation I came to expect after reading lots of rumours and gossips on Jarre forums backthen, before it came out. This is nothing more than a result of JMJ's relentless and endless endeavour to get "the sound" right, as he has told us over the years in so many interviews. According to Mister Jarre himself, he felt that with recent developments on 5.1 sound editting, 24 bits mastering and surround technology he'd finally be able to present us his past time electronic masterpieces in the way they were meant to be......a noble gesture, and before the album came out the hairs at the back of my neck stood still in sweet anticipation. It was a shame to find out after purchasing this product that the masterpieces that so vividly soothed my mind on so many occasions were slaughtered, disected, then brutally reorganised, rearranged, reproduced, technopimpafied and desensitised during production.

Not every track is that bad, but the "feel" of this album lacks every sense of warmth and emotional sensitiviy which most Jarre fans loved in their Idol from the start. A good example is the classic and superb Souvenir de Chine, of which the Aero version comes across as simply awfull!

The only positive side to this product is the fact that there ARE three new compositions added to the list, the somewhat uninspired synthesised techno doodles from the Aero family branch, along with a more than decent live recording of Rendez- vous 4. All in all not worth the money i had to pay for this in The Netherlands.