Oxygene - 30th Anniversary (CD & 3D DVD)

Right first of all the dvd is a studio live recording of Jarres classic oxygene album,you have the choice wither to watch this in 3D or not as there is a standard version as well (not 3D).
Its really linteresting as Jarre and 3 other musiians play all the original synthesizers and wierd instruments Jarre used in the original reocirding of Oxyegene,its a live perfomance,and at times doesnt sound absolute perfect to the original album...as it is live.
I was sslightly dispaointed as I was hopeing to hear the original album remastered in 5.1 sound,tho this is very interesting.
The CD that accompanies this,initially sounds just like the orignal album but by the time I got to track 4 (oxygene 4),I realised it was actuallly a whole new recording of the classic album,in some parts actually sounds bettter.
I noticed oxygene 4,the sound at the start wasnt the same...sounded slightly different,and the lead at the end of oxygene 4 wasnt the same as the lead on the original album that was released,this cd is definitely a whole new recording of this album, with all the sounds recreated,but I would say you really have to know this album VERY WELL to be able to tell that its a totally different recording but I know for sure it is.
I thihnk this is a fantastic idea with the the dvd recreation of studio concert recreating all the sounds with the original instruments,and then obviously recreating the album all over again,lets hope he does the same thing with Eqinoxe.
Sorry play I had to buy this else where as you were out of stock,but it cost me 5 pounds more...because I couldnt wait...:(

Jean Michel Jarre. He's like Marmite - you either love him or hate him, but over the course of his musical career he has produced some excellent albums along with a few duff ones.

Oxygene (his second album - but the first that was made commercially available) was and still is seen as a ground breaking piece of synthesiser electronic music.

This release see's Oxygene re-recorded by Jean Michel with the help of Francis Rimbert and few other musicians who have assisted Jean Michel over the years, takes a new twist. Not only has Oxygene been given the 5.1 surround treatment but it was also re-recorded live; in one take, and the recording has been filmed in 3D. This will give the viewer / listener total Oxygene emersion into the phased strings and soundscape of Oxygene.

Oxygene still sounds as fresh today as it did thirty years ago and this release is a must for any Jarre fan. Please note that there is also another release of Oxygene around the same time as this release. Do NOT get the two confused! This is the one to buy!

It is fitting that Jean-Michel Jarre has returned to Oxygene again after all this time, rerecording his original score and in his innovative way, recording a 3D film of himself and his long time friends playing it completely live. Well, I say live, I am still not convinced it will be live, but if it is, this will be the catalyst for a Jarre revival, and will hopefully keep fans like myself happy for a long time after the debacle of Teo and Tea. Oxygene is Jarre's signature and his greatest work, and bringing his old analogue instruments back to life is almost as is this is Jarre doing his unplugged concert, I say that not in the literal sense but in the sense that analogue synthesizers are like orchestral instruments of the electronic world.
Investing in Oxygene would be sound, close your eyes, relax and soak in the washes of pure ambience and melodic brilliance.

I can't wait!

Oxygene is Jean Michel Jarre's best known album (but not his best work). The album is 30 years old this year and he's decided to record "Live in your living room" a live performance of the album bundled with a re-recording of the original album on CD.

The DVD is an enjoyable performance of the music. 4 musicians on stage surrounded by every 70s analogue synth known to man. As these are ye olde instruments the original sound of the album cannot be reproduced exactly (within a reasonably amount of time anyway) so it's an approximation (or an interpretation) of the music.

It's almost as if 70s Tangerine Dream had remixed it. The problem is that it's not as polished as it should be. The lead sound on Oxygene 2 is diabolical. No doubt I'll get used to it but it spoils an otherwise pleasing version of the track. Oxygene 3 and 6 are quite different too. Nothing wrong with them although the seagull sounds in part 6 seem to have been replaced by mice. The new tracks are pretty good too, especially "Variation 3"

The documentaries are OK. Jarre has to talk about Stradivarius again...

Overall pretty good. Not a storming, brilliant performance but at least it was live and a some effort was put into the music rather than the visuals. Perfectionist? Not any more it seems

Regarding the CD. This is touted as a re-recording but honestly, recreating the exact same analogue sounds 30 years later? Really? Sure, the recording is a bit brighter, and there are some slight changes in the mixing but otherwise it's identical. It is not, however, the leap in sound quality you'd expect from a re-recording 30 years later. Even the DVD sounds brighter and clearer and that's compressed sound.

So 4 stars for the concept. Again Jarre is about concept (5.1 albums, 3D concerts, the first person to [insert something]....) rather than reclaiming the quality of his earlier music by hard work. I'd have preferred a HD release of the Merzouga concert instead!