Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygène (1976)

This album is a slice of the future. Surprisingly enough, although released in 1976, it sounds out of this world. It’s a true piece of genius, so let’s dive in and listen to this album, track by track.

We begin with Oxygène, Pt. 1 which begins with some amazing electronic sounds, beginning our journey. It’s pure ear candy. This has a semi-classical music sense, combining melody with some ethereal electronic textures. It really does sound amazing, even today. Some theremin type sounds then enter the scene, along with some almost harp like sounds that exist here as well. The main melody here is haunting. It sets the scene for a futuristic experience. Entering next are some odd sounding bass like notes, all to precision and perfection. It’s a glimpse into the future. Some shimmering sounds enter next into the piece. It’s thinking people’s electronic music here for sure.

Next up Oxygène, Pt. 2 is different, with a pounding bass melody in amongst all the beauty. There are brilliant sub melodies here as well. It’s very Pink Floyd here. The main melody enters next, which is a great sort of piece to go along with all the ear candy here. The precision in this music is undeniably awesome. There are rushing sounds, similar to beach waves, here as well. The intertwining of melodies is superb here. It’s a brilliant piece to go along with the rest of the album. Some almost gospel like melodies are in the background as well. The rushing sounds re-emerge towards the end of this piece.

Oxygène, Pt. 3 is a much more dark section of this album. It has some freakish melodies to boot as well. Some theremin sounds re-enter the sonic landscape and we continue our space age journey. It’s a slower and more determined sounding part of this album. Being rather short for the album piece, it does not fail all the same. We finish up with birds chirping here, before side one is complete.

Oxygène, Pt. 4 kicks off with some funky electronic sounds and subtle beats to go with it as well. Is the future perfection or dystopian? A bit of both, expressed in this music here. It has some great cyber synth melodies here as well. It’s an amazing and human sounding sort of electronic music here. The melodies here are just fantastic, with more rushing sounds here again as well. It’s never dull or boring here at all.

The next part, Oxygène, Pt. 5 has some brilliantly adapted sounds before the main melodies hit you. It’s a really beautiful part of the album here, with some space age sounding parts to be heard. It’s so far ahead of anything anyone has done in terms of music that it still sounds like it could have been done today. It’s effective, and really brilliantly done. This is the future people, way back in 1976. The shimmering melodies and structure won’t let you down. It’s just amazing. Some darker melodies are here, too, just to make things more interesting. It sounds like sonic perfection here. We then have a repeating melody, along with some pacing sounding beats. It’s laidback, but urgent sounding. An almost horn like part joins the scene as well. Sheer brilliance. It ends with an indescribable rushing sound.

The last part, Oxygène, Pt. 6 is very interesting. It combines some of the elements of the previous pieces into a reprise sort of format here. A haunting melody resumes this piece and we have heard one of the best and most forward thinking albums of all time here. The synths and electronic textures are captivating here. It demands listening, and ends the album on a high note. This is the most freakish sounding part of the entire album, yet don’t let that deter you from listening intensely. The main melodies fade out, leaving the rushing sound reoccurring with a bird chirping. It fades out quietly.

If you love electronic music and would like to hear something that will blow you away, this is a must have and a great starting point for electronic music listening. This is truly wonderful, beautiful and amazing to hear, even today.

A stone cold classic which words cannot describe how truly great this album is.

9/10