Vangelis

Odes (1979) features the most inspired collaboration imaginable. It is a collection of compositions by Vangelis with vocals by the great operatic singer Irene Papas. The vocals, in Greek, become an important instrument of Vangelis' sound design. He has a knack for knowing when to push the instrumental and when to allow Papas' vocals to dominate - even to the point of some a cappella renderings. Papas is as sharp as ever; Vangelis is always right there. The atmospheres are strong and the soundscapes are dramatic and dynamic. This hard-to-get classic is essential. It is worth every effort to procure it. The only logical comparisons are Vas, Sheila Chandra, Lisa Gerrard, Natacha Atlas, and Yungchen Lhamo…

Short Stories is the debut album by Jon and Vangelis, the collaborative effort between Jon Anderson of the prog rock band Yes and electronic music pioneer Vangelis. This was not the first time that the two had worked together: Vangelis had auditioned to be Rick Wakeman's replacement in Yes in 1974, but the role was given to Patrick Moraz. In 1975, Jon Anderson sang on "So Long Ago So Clear" from Heaven and Hell.

The Blade Runner soundtrack was composed by Vangelis for Ridley Scott's 1982 film Blade Runner. It is mostly a dark, melodic combination of classical composition and synthesizers which mirrors the futuristic film noir envisioned by Scott. Since the premiere of the film, two official albums have been released containing music omitted from the film and also new compositions featuring a similar style. An orchestral rendition of part of the soundtrack was released in 1982 by the New American Orchestra. However, the original soundtrack album (1994) features vocal contributions from Demis Roussos and the sax solo by Dick Morrissey on "Love Theme" (In the credits on page 3 of the 1994 Atlantic CD, Dick's last name is misspelled as "Morrisey"). The track "Memories of Green" from Vangelis' 1980 album See You Later was also included. A new release made in 2007 includes a disc of new music inspired by the film.