ÉQUINOXE

The follow-up of the surprisingly successful Oxygene album. Perhaps predictably, Jarre changed little in the winning formula. As such, this album is less important than Oxygene and scores one star lower for me. The saving track is Equinoxe 2, one of the best instrumental tracks I know. Jarre effectively evokes the atmosphere of a summer evening on the beach, including sea gulls circling in the sky, at least for me.

After the overwelming success of his previous Oxygene album , JM Jarre confirmed heavily that he was no fluke. One could say he took no risk and duplicated the formula , but this is far from the exact copy of the predecessor. Although yes , the music is also all electronics and does bear a resemblence to the other electronic wizzards as Klaus Schulze , Tangerine Dream , Brian eno , Vangelis and to a lesser extent, Heldon and Oldfield.

But however the music does not have that immediately pleasing quality that Oxygene had , and the music does not flow as easily and effortlessly as it did previously. It is safe to say that if this album had been released before Oxygene , it would have not sold quite as much. The moods developped here are more abrupt and harsher. One might need more effort and attention and need a few spins to really appreciate this album.

Ultimately , although not as spectacular as Oxygene , Equinoxe is probably more rewarding after repeated listenings. One more thing in favour of this album JM Jarre has not made a second Equinoxe album as he did with Oxygene , ruining a bit the original Oeuvre.

The most perfect Jarre release for me, "Equinoxe" defines Jarre's classic sound extremely well, maybe even better than the previous "Oxygene" album. A very rhythmic and dreamy journey through different soundscapes, not as space themed as "Oxygene", this one is earthier, like an underwater journey rather then space journey, the music changes for each part of the album, from atmospheric ambient to rather upbeat and rhythmic electronica, presented in such a way that it becomes extremely enjoyable and downright addictive, at least for me. Highlights are Parts 2-7, Part 1 and 8 being not as good but still two good intros and outros for the album. This was one of my first Jarre albums acquired, and it still is among my abosulte favorite releases of all music I've listened too. Highly recommended! 5/5!

"Equinox" is a step forward for J.-M. Jarre's musical proposal after the success he achieved with his top-selling previous album "Oxygene". He doesn't exactly break new grounds with "Equinox", but what he does is, more properly, manage to articulate his massive synth-based ideology on a more solid focus. Keeping the intelligence to create captivating ambiences and catchy synthesized adornments, Jarre's refreshed interest in building well-crafted electronic orchestrations allows him to deliver and portray a bigger sense of ordainment, and therefore, put a major emphasis on the basic melodic lines and their complementation with the programmed harmonies and ethereal synth layers; Jarre also takes special care at using percussive undertones in the programmed arpeggios and setting particular ambiences for some specific passages. The sound production feels also a tad stronger, which is quite appropriate for the nature of this album's repertoire. Parts I & II show this trend quite openly, and so do Parts IV & VII, which IMHO are the most powerful numbers in the album. The exquisite motifs comprised in both Parts IV & VII reach an almost epic stance, due to the constant display of energy and the subtle use of the re-elaborations that keep on coming along: the strong presence of the Solina String definitely helps to build an orchestral feel that seems to be floating all over the electronic textures and effects. Part V was the single, and it's no wonder, since it's quite catchy and it emanates a similar vibe to that of 'Oxygene Part IV'; Part VI is basically a minimalistic sequenced chord progression a- la "Radio-Activity"-era Kraftwerk that founds a linkage between Parts V & VII. Finally, Part VIII brings occasional memories from a bohemian club in Paris (a section that later would be called 'Band in the Rain') before a bombastic reprise of Part V's main motif emerges and closes down the album. In short, I find "Equinox" entertaining and excellent, and definitely, it is worth of Jarre's fame as a keyboard-based pop music innovator that he fairly gained in the late 70s.

After "Oxygene", Jean-Michel Jarre continues his progressive New Age realizations with this excellent album. Compared to "Oxygene", "Equinoxe" has much more elaborated rhythmic sequencers, often approaching the Tangerine Dream's "Ricochet" sound. Jarre still uses his personal slow wah-wah effect on the intensely floating streams of keyboards, and he also adds here weird keyboards notes that sound like water drops falling into another liquid. "Equinoxe part 3" amazingly sounds similar to Tangerine Dream's "Force Majeure". On side 2, there is even a sequenced bottom beat in the beginning which sounds like the ones on Tangerine Dream's "Stratosfear". Unfortunately, the album oddly ends with a possible emulation of an European accordion air.

Rating: 4.5 stars

"Equinoxe" is probably the second great achievement from the French synth maestro, continuing with the good smooth and elegant synthesizer work shown in "Oxygene", although trying to show a new musical dimension. This record has again some excellent moments, specially in parts IV (this one is legendary),V ,VI and probably VII, which could be considered as part of one actual song (an epic maybe?). However, while "Oxygene" didn't have apreciable weak moments, this one has a few. The first two tracks lose themselves in a mellow and comptemtive void. They are nice songs, but nothing special. Part III is only OK, although it presents a curious mixture of sounds as well as the introduction of some new ones (like the bells, for example), showing the listener that this effort is more risky and less 'conventional' than its predecessor. Another proof of this is part VIII, which starts with the odd sound of a fairground and finishes with an orquestal-influenced passage (something quite common along Jarre's career as well)

Then, although being slightly weaker than its predecessor, "Equinoxe" is another artistical work which proves that Jean Miche Jarre was someone to talke seriously at the time. Highly recommded.

After gaining unprecedented success with 'Oxygene,' French electronic composer Jean-Michel Jarre began work on a follow-up.

'Equinoxe,' a forty-minute musical journey performed on synthesiser, organ, keyboards, mellophonium, mellotron, Farfisa organ and rhythm programmer, owes a great debt to its predecessor but also manages to sound more accomplished and spectacular as a result. Equinoxe seems to rectify the mistakes made by Oxygene, the little things that didn't affect its popularity but did affect its chances of being taken seriously as an electronic classic.

Equinoxe is divided into eight (fairly-) distinctive parts. As would be expected, especially by those who have heard Oxygene, the parts are designed to flow together to create one vast musical experience, varying between soft, fairly inanimate parts to relax the mind and disco-anticipating hooks and ditties repeated without apparent end.

There is a natural feeling to Equinoxe; this music has dated, it sounds in places like a simplistic video game score, but its effect has not diminished. Anyone partial to electronic music should seek out Equinoxe over any of Jarre's other work as it almost perfects the mood / substance balance in a way that only his more impressive peer Vangelis has truly mastered.

SIDE ONE

1. Equinoxe part 1 (2:23) 2. Equinoxe part 2 (5:01) 3. Equinoxe part 3 (5:11) 4. Equinoxe part 4 (6:54)

If Jarre intended Equinoxe to represent the course of a day, the introductory track certainly evokes a sense of early morning, beginnings, brightness and hope, led by high, slow keyboards. This track sounds like electronics imitating nature, something Vangelis later tried with the eccentric 'Soil Festivities' (1984).

Initially seeming somewhat disappointing, tracks two and three seem to revert to the subdued ambience of Oxygene's less memorable moments, until repeated listens or a sharp ear detect that there is a great deal more going on: the rolling wave sounds and layered spectral sounds evoke a more atmospheric and vivid image than Oxygene ever did, part two sounding sombre and sleepy and part three seeming noticeably more lively, led by an evolving melody.

Equinoxe becomes unexpectedly and quite brilliantly exciting and dramatic as the memorable melody and beat of the fourth part quietly begins, before launching into one of Jarre's most famous compositions. This is the highlight of the album for me, the perfect blend of ethereal ambience and exciting keyboards, the track fading in an out to excellent deeper sounds and what almost sounds like synthesised vocals or a keyboard-created demon. There is so much going on in this track, it's difficult to associate it with anything tangible: it's spacey, majestic and 70s.

SIDE TWO

5. Equinoxe part 5 (3:47) 6. Equinoxe part 6 (3:23) 7. Equinoxe part 7 (7:24) 8. Equinoxe part 8 (5:04)

The album fades out between tracks four and five, a sad feature of double-side vinyl production that could have been done without here. Not that the lack of segue affects the enjoyment of Equinoxe part 5, the track released as a single and thus the most catchy and accessible by default, but it would have been interesting to hear the bridge between this and its predecessor. Track five is no less accomplished than the other efforts, and thankfully doesn't sound out of place or particularly 'poppy' as sections of Oxygene did. There are too many great synthesiser effects going on every moment to describe or even take in, but this songs is essentially carried through on a medium range melody accompanied and attacked by all kinds of high keyboard ditties and background effects. It's a lot of fun, and is nipped in the bud before it lasts for too long, fading unnoticeably into the more rhythm-focused sixth part. This part is the weakest section of the album, not entirely unnecessary but serving only to maintain the flow for several dull minutes.

Part 7 eventually gets round to adding some spice to the beat of the vinyl's second side that is now becoming stale, mimicking part 4 in its more dramatic and high-reaching style but possibly even besting it in terms of its progression and subtle build up, as well as uncanny ability to maintain interest over its lengthy duration. The album concludes in a very unusual style that confounds me over the issue of whether I enjoy or loathe it. Jarre's organ comes into play, casting a distinctive sound over the music that breaks the trance and evokes, if anything, a lonely, windswept pier at Blackpool rather than the grand locations and uplifting moods of the first three parts.

This is saved from being the track to skip by the fade-in of sounds from earlier and elsewhere in the album, guiding the listener to an ambient conclusion on an extended, fading note that seemed so lacking in the previous album.

Equinoxe won't be to everyone's taste, and isn't as groundbreaking as 1976's 'Oxygene,' but this is far more than a lazy cash-in on that album's success. The structure and style is continued and noticeably evolved, the difference sounding remarkable after only two years. Equinoxe is relaxing, soothing, exciting, spacey, progressive, strange, bouncy, haunting and beautiful. As with classical music and more contemporary instrumentals, it isn't clear exactly what Jarre is trying to evoke, but the abstract artwork and anonymous tracks leave this to the listener's disgression.

Fans of this album should also investigate the work of Vangelis (the album 'Spiral,' released the same year as this, seems like an I-was-here-first assault of Jarre's style. but isn't quite as good as his more moody pieces!) while Tangerine Dream's 'Phaedra' and 'Stratosfear' sound like the real inspiration for Jarre's ambient backdrop.

Oxygene belongs to the seventies, its only real value in the 21st century being as a historic novelty. Equinoxe belongs in the record collection of every fan of progressive rock and electronic music. Addictive.

A real step up from his previous album, JARRE'S 'Equinoxe' is a broader album with true progressive sensibilities: beauty, grandeur, complexity and humour.

'Oxygene', JARRE'S breakthrough album, was a pastiche of simple tunes bound together by synth tricks. This album is much more cohesive, the synths are crisper and the sounds more experimental. JARRE takes risks here, especially in Parts 1 and 4, and in every case they pay off. He's alos overcome some of the problems created by the inherently sterile sounds of synthesisers; the section near the end of the album with the band in the rain, for example, humanises the album, an essential requirement to warm any purely instrumental record.

He was to follow this with another studio album not unlike this and the last; and then decide he'd had enough, switching to experimental mode for 'Zoolook'. Of the three studio albums between 1976 and 1981, I find this much the most compelling. Start your JARRE collection here.

Jean-Michel Jarre certainly deserves credit for bringing the Electronic genre into the mainstream. You could say his music was like a gateway to other Electronic bands like Klause Schulze, TANGERINE DREAM etc. I guess that's the problem i'm having with it, sure it's catchy and melodic but after listening to Klause and TD a lot recently this commercial sounding Electronic music just doesn't measure up. In fact I think that's why the "powers that be" here at ProgArchives put him in "prog-Related" instead of the legitimate "Electronic- Prog" genre. Don't get me wrong, I have grown at least to like this album, well at least the first half, I just don't think he's in the same class as Froese and Schulze.

"Part 1" is interesting with the two synths playing different melodies then joining together as it fades into waves of sound. I like it. These waves blend into "Part 2" which floats along beautifully. I like this part a lot as well. "Part 3" becomes very melodic just like "Part 4" which has some mellotron in it. This part is quite catchy and spacey.

I like the way "Part 5" begins with the sound of rain and thunder and the way the beat comes out of the storm. I just don't like the rest of the song. "Part 6" becomes annoying in my opinion much like the previous part, but annoying in a different way. It settles after 3 minutes and blends into "Part 7". The synths in the background here are distracting for me. I don't like that sound at all. In "Part 8" we here a return of the storm. Some organ in this one.

I know i'm in the minority here with my rating, but there's no way I could give this 4 stars. I like the cover a lot though.

Surrounded by hundreds of electronic instruments (many of them unique)and using all music ideas to put them on the keyboards and synthesisers, Jean Michel Jarre has been created from the beginning his own world of electronic music, pure and nonconformist, especially in his first part of career.

The album Equinoxe represents in my opinion the pinnacle of his first part of career, and one of the most important electronic album in the use of classic/analog synthesisers. The music is written in the same form like the precedent album Oxigene: eight excellent tracks, sublimely combined in almost one song; one song simply drops into another and the music climbs towards plus infinite. The sound is overwhelming and in my opinion, highly professional. Well, well well done! Equinoxe 1 has perhaps the most beautiful beginning of an album all electronic music ever!!! Then, the music flows and jumps into the spacey Equinoxe 2. Equinoxe 3 is the perfect link to the famous Equinoxe 4 , whose main theme is one of JMJ most played during the years. The second part of the album begins with Equinoxe 5, the hit of the album-genial theme and perhaps, the most famous together with Oxygene 4. Equinoxe 6 and 7 are the natural continuation of the 5th part and ends into the majestic Equinoxe 8, which is the musical conclusion (the main theme from Equinoxe 5 repeats here in an unique way on a ethereal background). Equinoxe remains for me a landmark in the enormous field of electronic music and a classic album in my personal collection. I'd like to recommend this album to the young generation of good music listeners and for those who want to discover the universe of electronic sounds, I think it's a good start!

Always yours...with another 5 stars, Sachis.

It is always damned difficult to release a great album after a great album. Huum?are you following me?

The man does use the same technique, skill and maestria than for "Oxygène", maybe an inch lower in the hierarchy of commercial feel.

The music performed holds its bunch of emotional affairs, gut feeling themes, above the atmosphere music which is able to reach unmatched textures: in one word it is another of his extremely good albums.

I am of course biased, being a deep lover of prog electronic. But I only want to share my passion with all of you: some of these moments are just magical. As some TD or Schulze in their first decade of grandeur. No more, no less.

I guess that this shows enough the quality of this album. But JM already demonstrated his talent during "Oxygène". The great point is that he is matching again the expectations (which were quite high after such a ground breaking album).

This one man band is quite efficient in terms of bombastic themes ("Part IV" for instance) and grandiose music. It is of course more commercial than lots of his fellow mates (the great German wizards) but at this stage one can't say that the man was selling off or playing too conventional music. "Part VII" is sublime, attractive, rhythmic and just beautiful to summarize in one single word.

Let's not forget that this album was released just after the punk explosion and the new wave ignition. This is probably why I didn't discover it at the time of release since I was much more involved into these scenes. But such a work does pass the proof of time and each of us should at least spend some time to try and appreciate.

Similar to "Oxygène" and its famous "Part IV", this one is also holding a chart song with "Part V": an upbeat, synthetic and melodic pop electronic track. A good track, in line with the whole of this album.

To have this artist catalogued into the prog related genre is quite bizarre. Electronic prog would be a "suit" that would "suit" him much better. This aim will surely be met.

Four stars for this very good album.

Wow, what an album. For a while I fell asleep every night listening to this album. There is something here beyond normal music- there's immense feeling, not really positive, not really negative. The best I can describe it is; it is the music of humanity, pure humanity- what we all are inside, without technology, jobs, houses, and society to constrain us, it is the essence of who we are. It's like happy people running around in flowers, with sun shining and green grass, unpolluted by the things we have made, the towering smokestacks pouring contaminants into our air, the black streets that cut the land into little pieces- it is nature, it is people, it is emotion. As I said before, it's beyond words- you need to hear it to understand. From a technical standpoint, it's very well-made, well-played, and original electronica made after Jarre's extremely successful Oxygene album- as evidenced by the track titles, it's not eight songs, it's eight parts of a larger entity, eight distinct yet related pieces combined into one magnificent whole that is the Equinoxe album. I don't like calling things essential, but I think that everyone should hear this at some point. A masterpiece of modern music.

I mentioned in my review of Oxygene that I preferred Equinoxe but what I forgot to say was that this is actually one of my all time favorite albums!

When I first heard this Jean-Michel Jarre album I was hooked on it for a whole month straight! At first I was grabbed by the incredible Équinoxe Parts 4 and 5 which are in my opinion the most catchiest electronica compositions ever recorded. But unlike Oxygene this album actually grew on me more and more with every new spin and I eventually I began to appreciate the slow and subtle progression of Équinoxe Part 2 or the somewhat humorous ending of Équinoxe Part 8.

If I had to single out one particular moment then it would be Équinoxe Part 3 for its sheer beauty that I just never seem to get enough of and how about that excellent transition into Équinoxe Part 4! My definite runner-up would be Équinoxe Part 7 because it's just a perfect conclusion to all of the preceding chapters.

Come to think of it this is probably one of the few albums where the first and last tracks are weaker in comparison to the albums middle section. I just can't think of any other example off the top of my head, but feel free to send me a comment if you know of one!

It's truly a pity that Jean-Michel Jarre never followed up on the blueprint that he created on Oxygene but perfected on Equinoxe. Maybe he realized that there was no way of pushing this concept any further? Or did the new equipment that was made available during the 80's make him loose his sense of direction?

No matter the reasons, Équinoxe is a one-time masterpiece that Jean-Michel will probably never surpass but composing this type of material once is, in my opinion, enough to become immortal!

***** star songs: Équinoxe Part 3 (5:09) Équinoxe Part 4 (6:54) Équinoxe Part 5 (3:47) Équinoxe Part 7 (7:06)

**** star songs: Équinoxe Part 2 (5:00) Équinoxe Part 6 (3:28)Équinoxe Part 8 (4:57)

*** star songs: Équinoxe Part 1 (2:25)

The impact of Jarre's previous album was impressive. It became a popular hit and managed to bring electronic music into the mainstream. It's something I can only applaud as I love much of the dance music that indirectly came forth from it.

So what did Jarre do for the follow up? He created a very similar album that sits so close in style and sound to Oxygène that I feel tempted to simply copy my review of that album and paste it here. Many of the points I tried to make there are also valid for this release. It is clever, dynamic, its lush, sparkling and catchy, but...

The first half is slightly better then the previous album. The cosmic flow of part 2 and the very original sequencing of part 4 especially are very moving. Part 3 is a bit less but still ok. The second half is a letdown. Part 5 tries to emulate Kraftwerk but it misses all the cool and the fine taste of them. It ends up being terribly trite and commercial. Cringeworthy, can't bear to listen to this. Part 6 continues the same beat and tries to add a more artsy flavour to it but it fails miserably. So, in Part 7 Jarre goes entirely cheesy again and resorts to commercial electro pop with classical pretensions.

By revisiting this particular Jarre album for reviewing, I understand now why he is listed as Prog-Related. This music misses the organic progression, the innovation and the artistic integrity of the true masters of the progressive electronic music in the 70's. It has two excellent pieces but the rest is either average or downright annoying. I can't have the plain pop clichés that Jarre resorts to here.

"Ã??quinoxe" is just as mesmerising as the hugely successful "Oxygene" and is also very similar. There are some even nicer whirling soundscapes of multi-textured effects on this album. As before, nothing is repetitive and the tracks are smoothy paced. Some parts are very sublime, they even send shivers down my spine.

The opening part is short and sweet but it is quite inspiring with its rapid arpegios and deep pitch sweeps. There's evidence of a slight development here, particularly a greater, more dynamic use of sequencing on basslines. Part 3 continues with some more apregios and has a stunning melody backed by some mellotron chior, finishing with a collage of sound effects, including a bell chime. The first half of the album is by far my favourite. Parts 4 and 5 are the more well-known tracks from the album, where the sequencers are on overdrive and there's a passion for Bontempi organ drum machines whilst part six has a bit more of an exotic mix.

The closing part 8 is very slow in tempo and stands out to the rest of the tracks. It's nothing major and isn' bad, it just seems a little out of place. Aside from this album and the great "Oxygene", I still haven't heard much of Jarre's other work. This however, is probably among the French composer's best releases. This ought to be played on a pair of decent speakers or good headphones! My rating is 4 stars. Well worth checking out.

A second attempt to catch lightning in a Jarre (Sorry, I've been waiting for ages to use that!). Unfortunately it doesn't quite come off. A direct continuation of 'Oxygene', 'Equinoxe' is a lot more melodic, which may be part of it's downfall. At times he seems to be hamming it up - like at a kid's Pantomime. All that's missing is the ice- cream. jelly and bouncy castle.

Undoubtedly 'Equinoxe' has far more elaborate and fancy sequencers at play than 'Oxygene' ever had. And there's one thing for sure - there's no mistaking the sound... You'd recognise the style a mile away. Only Jean Michel Jarre could create a record like this. Much more futuristic than Tangerine Dream who were on a slippery slope in 1978, and also ahead of Kraftwerk's robot-like repetitiveness with 'Mensch Maschine',

The best way to approach this is to forget the horrible mainstream cascade of albums that followed and just to think of 'Oxygene'. Mind you that accordion sound is pretty crap... Where the hell did that come from?

I'm at a loss - it just contains that indefinable 'X' factor that works. Maybe just too syrupy and nice to be taken too seriously.

Equinoxe finds Jean Michel Jarre offering up an almost classical approach to synthesiser composition, in contrast to the approach taken on Oxygene. In truth, I actually prefer this one to its predecessor, since the individual sections flow together a little better and it feels more like a cohesive piece rather than a bunch of different songs mashed together. That said, this might all come down to personal preference, because the two albums are sufficiently alike in instrumentation, production quality, and overall structure that they end up having a great many similarities, and if you like one you should probably give the other a chance.

It is an incredible thing to produce one of the most popular albums of the 1970s and then follow it up with an excellent product. Jean Michel Jarre was a major worldwide success when he released Oxygene and then with the followup Equinoxe the magic continued. Equinoxe is a stunning musical triumph with crystallised sparkling synths that dazzle with the shimmer of infectious melodies. The main theme heard in part one is now part of the musical soundscape when it comes to instrumental icons. These melodies are so ingrained in the 70s that it is impossible to forget although I heard them over 30 years ago. As soon as that haunting melody begins on the opening theme I am totally drawn into the beauty of the music.

Jean Michel Jarre is a virtuoso musician and knows how to build up from simplistic motifs to massive crescendos that explode into a cacophony. The tempo ranges from droning to full on triplet beats, and of course during the dawn of disco this was a very danceable track. The classical influences are prevalent, it drifts with cosmic cadence and then lifts with mega tempo hooks and swathes of synths. It is undoubtedly one of the grandest pieces of music from the master of synth but of course it is not as masterful as Oxygene, and that was really lightning in a bottle for Jarre. However, I can recommend Equinoxe as one of the most indelible soundtracks of the late 70s. Perhaps it was the end of the Electro prog Moog fad that was sweeping through so many vinyl albums of the 70s. In every aspect it is sensational synth at its finest.

The musical twin of Oxygène, but I have to say that I think this is a substantially better album. That may be heresy to to some, but there you go. I find it more melodic ? where Oxygène majored on breaking new sonic ground, Equinoxe refines the blueprint and develops it along more musical lines.

The character is quite similar. As with Oxygène there are lots of string synthesizer parts played through phasers and plenty of whooshes and twinkle noises from VCS and other synths, often but not always to synthesized drum marts. There are some lovely memorable themes and melodies, and part 5 in particular is every bit the match for the more famous Oxygène part 4.

I'm not normally particularly into music which relies heavily on synthesizers and drum machines, but even so think this is a great album. Very definitely worth a listen.

A successor to Oxygene that can hold on its own. A lot of textures, nice keyboard layers. This album is more reflective than Oxygene and almost a masterpiece but still missing more complexity and ideas. The melodies are strong and sometimes catchy. Although there are influences of Tangerine Dream and other progressive electronic artists, it is a quite accessible effort and once you try to play it on the keyboards yourself, you will see that the chords are not difficult to recognize :-) It would have been a pleasure to have all these analog keyboards around and play on them! A very fine record and second of his three best ones.