Vangelis Themes (1989)

Themes is one of the most entertaining and thorough of any of Vangelis' collections, with excerpts spanning such albums as Opera Sauvage, China, and the ever-popular Chariots of Fire release from 1981. Most of the selections from Themes speak for Vangelis' movie contributions, including the infamous "Chariots of Fire" track as well as the lonesome-sounding theme from Missing and the powerful openings from Mutiny on the Bounty. With this music, Vangelis has implemented some variations in rhythm and some noticeable fluctuation in his synthesizer work, making these tracks much more colorful and animated than his new age meanderings of the '70s.

The music from Vangelis, Kraftwerk, Jean-Michel Jarre, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Jan Hammer and others.
Ed Starink is a Dutch composer, arranger, session musician and record producer. Starink's debut album was Cristallin, but his best known releases are his cover versions of other hits, film and television themes, which have been released on his own record label, Star Inc. Towards the end of the 1980s, Starink co-operated with Arcade Records, and released a series of 'Synthesizer' albums, which succeeded mainly in the European market. His album, Synthesizer Gold, made it into the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart in 1993. His previous album, Synthesizer Greatest, peaked at #22 in the UK.

Jan Vayne is a Dutch pianist. He began piano lessons at the age of 4 years and by the time he was 10, he had won his first prize. In 1984 Vayne began his study at the conservatorium in Zwolle and he graduated with a soloist diploma. He received much acclaim after several appearances on Dutch television talk shows.

Recorded live on the final night of the 1989 Anderson/Bruford/Wakeman/Howe tour, this two-CD set offers both oldies and improvements upon their new material. You'll probably find yourself listening only to the second CD, as the first CD largely consists of shaky solo medleys. Howe fares the best with delicate renditions of "Mood for a Day" and "The Clap." Anderson's guitar and vocal turn comes off like a coffeehouse gig - not bad, especially when he samples "Teakbois," but not riveting. Wakeman's "Merlin" and "Catherine Parr" solo trades speed for precision, and the crowd is unaccountably thrilled when he wrenches unimpressive blow-bottle sounds out of a keyboard. Bruford blows his solo yet again, just as in Yessongs; infatuated with electronic percussion, he produces a grating assortment of clanks and conks…

New age composer/keyboardist Davol had an early interest in music, receiving classical piano training as a child and studying jazz and classical harpsichord in college. Since the acquisition of a micro Moog synthesizer at the age of 13, he had an undying passion for electronic music and was addicted to the music of Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Davol began writing and recording his own pieces as a hobby while he studied microbiology. Some of the tapes he passed out to friends made their way to Silver Wave Records, who offered Davol a recording contract. Davol's second Silver Wave release ("Paradox") explores a mix of imaginary aural landscape and personal themes with a rhythmic and exotic feel.