Albedo 0.39

Performer: Vangelis
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: This is part of Windham Hill Records' Essential Windham Hill series. Albedo 0.39 represents some of Vangelis' most fascinating material from the early portion of his career. Using transforming tonal washes and lengthy runs of calm but effective synthesizer passages, Vangelis tackles the wonder and allure of the galaxy and its planetary bodies, making for an entertaining display of his keyboard expertise. Likened to Heaven and Hell (but with shorter passages) and to Spiral, the album that followed Albedo 0.39, the tracks are mesmerizing trips of assorted rhythms that include elements of jazz and mild rock, adding some welcomed differentiation to the nine pieces. The title track includes narrated statistics about planetary distances and such behind a forwarding voyage of tempered notes, making for one of Vangelis' most novel compositions. Along with "Albedo 0.39," the two parts of "Nucleogenesis" are among the strongest cuts that keep his cosmic theme from deviating, while the livelier "Pulstar" involves some impressive instrumental range and electronic buoyancy. Even in shortened form, his distinct pastiches are quite compelling, and the stretches of notes and rhythms don't become weary or monotonous at any point of the album. Vangelis' intention of conjuring up the vastness and immensity of space is soundly accomplished, and for the remainder of his career he employed the same type of atmospheric sketching (taking advantage of technological advancements in the area of synthesized music, of course) for numerous soundtracks and other conceptual works. ~ Mike DeGagne

Greek electronic composer Vangelis's first taste of fame was as a founding member of the 1960s rock group Formynx, who enjoyed wild acclaim in their home country of Greece. In 1968, Vangelis left Greece for Paris, where he formed the prog-rock group Aphrodite's Child, whose main legacy is a long-form concept album called 666, based on the book of Revelations. In 1974, after a tentative foray into film scoring, Vangelis released his first solo album, the synthesizer-laden EARTH. He continued to record both as a solo artist and as a member of the duo Jon & Vangelis, with Yes's Jon Anderson, but didn't hit it big in the U.S. until the early '80s, with his smash hit film score for CHARIOTS OF FIRE. He followed this with the critically loved BLADE RUNNER score, and has continued to craft well-loved electronic/New Age solo albums and film scores notable for their expansive, dramatic lushness.

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