Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene (Vinyl)

Description

Oxygène is the third studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976 by Disques Motors, and distributed internationally in 1977 by Polydor Records. Jarre recorded the album in a makeshift studio that he set up in his apartment in Paris, using a variety of analog and digital synthesizers, and other electronic instruments and effects. French sound engineer Michel Geiss helped Jarre in the purchase, recording and programming of some instruments used on the album. His musical style was influenced by the musique concrète, developed by Pierre Schaeffer. It was supported by two singles, "Oxygène (Part II)" and "Oxygène (Part IV)". Following the international success of the latter, the album became Jarre's breakthrough, reaching number one on the French Albums Charts. It was inspired by the track "Popcorn" by German-American electronic composer Gershon Kingsley. It has been described as the álbum that "led the synthesizer revolution of the Seventies" and "an infectious combination of bouncy, bubbling analog sequences and memorable hook lines". The album influenced later artists such as Moby or Brian Canham of Pseudo Echo. In 1978, it would be followed by Équinoxe and in 1979, Jarre held an open-air concert at the Place de la Concorde, causing the sales of both albums to increase, reaching worldwide figures of 15 million copies. It currently sold an estimated 18 million copies and is one of the best-selling French, electronic and instrumental albums in history.