Vangelis - Spiral (1977)

Hi folks! After a wee break I’m coming back with a new post. Today I want to present you someone who is very famous and there is no way you’ve never heard his work (like, really, no chance for that at all). But isn’t it something that shouldn’t be in Positive Reviews? Well, actually I think it should. Maybe Vangelis is a well-known figure in music world but his earlier stuff, is not. So I would like to talk to you about one of his first albums, and to be exact, third one: Spiral.

Vangelis is a Greek composer who gave a wonderful music of Blade Runner (1994) and Chariots of Fire (1981) just to name two. But his discography is a massive collection and I was amazed when I dug deeper and saw in how many projects he contributed, how many albums and films scores he wrote. So when I started listening to Spiral I was very intrigued.

This record contains only 5 tracks but they are very long pieces that take 39 minutes of music all together. I felt like I need to prepare my senses for a long and fascinating journey. This album is almost completely instrumental apart form one song (ballad) when we can hear Vangelis voice, that have was processed as a phrase. This album is also first in his discography that he used Yamaha CS-80 (for everyone who digging that kind of geeky stuff, like me, it was great to find out about it). Going into details with all the songs it wouldn't give a justice to the music he presented on his third LP. Instead I would like to focus on emotions I gathered during almost 40 minutes of music. Titled song surprised me as I didn’t expect to hear that unusual start (synths going back and forth), I was getting that feeling on uncertainty. Later those sounds turned into more like choir style bells and I got myself confused as Vangelis’s work stripped me from all the ideas how to mix and match songs elements. So I decided to just sit back, relax and take whatever was coming for me. At some point song turned into a fantastic, almost like some kind of anthem, moment that could serve as the entrance to some really interesting sci-fi movie. Going forward, the same pattern (by that I mean completely unexpected sounds) change my mood drastically from almost full happiness to a bit sadder emotions. Through almost all songs I could hear a great arpeggios filling every corner of my monitors. So delicate but still keeping themselves memorable. It is worth mentioning that one of the songs on this album “To the Unknown Man”, received MIDEN award for best instrumental song (I strongly suggest to check it out even if you don’t have time for the full album). What is great about this album is even if you randomly play songs (in streaming services) they’re not creating a thought process mess.

Conclusion: Vangelis is probably one of the most unique music minds that Earth’s ever had. The way he sees music, its concept and almost in organic way build it. It was great to find this album and hear his root, his early ideas for electronic music. I, as a wannabe musician, can learn a lot from his work and I strongly suggest this album to everyone who would like to make his own music. Even if it’s not your style, your idea for your career, Vangelis brings to the table so many great concepts and a strong open mind philosophy that is hard to not be fascinated by. Love this album and will get back to it in a near future for sure!