The Concerts in China
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| The Concerts in China | ||
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| Studio album by Jean Michel Jarre | ||
| Released | 1982 | |
| Recorded | October 1981 | |
| Genre | Electronic | |
| Length | 79:03 | |
| Label | Disques Dreyfus | |
| Producer(s) | Jean Michel Jarre | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jean Michel Jarre chronology | ||
| Magnetic Fields (1981) |
The Concerts in China (1982) |
Music for Supermarkets (1983) |
The Concerts in China (French title: Les Concerts en Chine) is a live album by Jean Michel Jarre, recorded in 1981 and released in 1982 on Disques Dreyfus. It was recorded during Jarre's Concerts in China tour of Autumn 1981, which consisted of five Peking and Shanghai concerts in China; this was the first time a Western pop artist performed in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The album is a balance of previously released tracks by Jarre, new compositions inspired by Chinese culture, and one rearranged traditional Chinese track ("Fishing Junks at Sunset"). The music is combined live and studio work, plus ambient sound recordings. The most live tracks are the Equinoxe and Magnetic Fields sets. New compositions include "Night in Shanghai", "Laser Harp", "Arpegiator", "Orient Express", "Souvenir of China", and "Fishing Junks at Sunset", which was performed and recorded with The Peking Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra.
The album was originally released as a double-disc LP, then as a double-disc CD. There was also a CD release in two separate volumes, with the cover color changed to blue (Vol. 1) and yellow (Vol. 2). In 1997, a one-disc remastered CD was released, made possible by an extended running time of 80 minutes and by the combination into one track of the double-track Fishing Junks at Sunset, parts of which were cut to reduce the new track's running time.
The album reached #6 in the UK charts[1] and #1 in Portugal.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "The Overture" – 4:47
- "Arpegiator" – 6:54
- "Equinoxe IV" – 7:49
- "Fishing Junks at Sunset" – 9:38
- "Band in the Rain" – 1:29
- "Equinoxe VII" – 9:55
- "Orient Express" – 4:22
- "Magnetic Fields I" – 0:21
- "Magnetic Fields III" – 3:49
- "Magnetic Fields IV" – 6:49
- "Laser Harp" – 3:37
- "Night in Shanghai" – 7:02
- "The Last Rumba" – 2:11
- "Magnetic Fields II" – 6:26
- "Souvenir of China" – 3:54
- Jean Michel Jarre – Arpegiator (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- An excerpt from Arpegiator, highlighting the use of the Fairlight CMI
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
[edit] Musical Ensemble
- Jean Michel Jarre - Fairlight CMI, Eminent, Oberheim OB-Xa, Moog Taurus, EMS Synthi AKS, EMS VCS 3, Elka Synthex, LinnDrum, Electro-Harmonix Micro Synthesizer, Laser harp
- Frédéric Rousseau - MDB Polysequencer, RSF, Yamaha CS 60, Korg Rhythm, ARP 2600
- Dominique Perrier - Moog Liberation, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Eminent, Korg Polyphonique, RSF Kobol
- Roger Rizzitelli - Electronic percussion, Simmons electronic drum
- Pierre Mourey - Musical instrument coordinator
[edit] Miscellanea
One of the album's original tracks – "Arpegiator" – was used in the soundtrack of cult film 9 1/2 Weeks.
The Concerts in China's opening track "The Overture" is in fact the first movement of "Magnetic Fields Part 1" slowed down. If you play The Concerts in China LP at the speed of a single (45 rpm) and compare to "Magnetic Fields Part 1" at normal speed, you will notice that they are identical.
