Well, Issue 3 certainly stirred a few people up especially Daves attack on Jean Michel Jarre, here are a couple of follow up articles. One is by musician Allister Brimble whom just about every 17bit member (and others besides) should be familiar with, and also one from Andy Philpotts who is responsible for the `C` section in the programming tutorial section. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings from sunny Devon or `farmer land` as Martyn (Spadge) prefers to call it ! I (Allister) felt that Dave Cleggs attack on J.M.Jarre`s music in issue 3 was uncalled for and would like to add to Martyns already strong reply. Firstly, Dave refers to Jarres music as `Computer music` and seems to forget that many of his sounds are played live, during concerts eg. Hank Marvin on guitar in London Kid. Anyway, whats wrong with using computers and synths in music if they enhance and improve its quality ? Jarre is not showing off his knowledge of modern music equipment but his knowledge of MUSIC. The highly sophisticated equipment used, merely acts as his orchestra and plays the music which he has spent many months in composing. Indeed, I believe that even if synths and computers had never been invented, Jarre would still rate as one of the best musicians around. Take Jarres father for instance, Maurice Jarre who wrote some of the best film music ever, and not a synth in sight ! Having said all this, Jarres equipment helps him to extend his music and produce new sounds, never before heard. Anyway enough waffle, and onto the bit that REALLY ANNOYED me ... Dave states that Jarre music is nothing that REAL music should be, not serious,inspiring, humerous or anything really. He states that it should get a message across to the listener. Surely though, this is what Jarre is all about! Every piece of Jarre music that I`ve heard instills a picture, an idea or tells a story, and if you don`t believe me Dave, here are some examples ... Equinoxe. Jarre uses a mixture of real life effects such as waves, thunder, bird song etc and analogue synth sounds to describe the four seasons. Rather like Vivaldi did. The sound of thunder and rainfall can be heard in the winter season and rich, warm analogue synth sounds in the summer. Try closing your eyes Dave, and listen to the entire equinoxe album/LP. You should be able to tell which tune fits which season and if thats not `Saying something to the listener` then I don`t know what is ! Magnetic Fields. Describes a summber holiday, starting at home and onto a plane flight, then a trip on a train to the tropical destination. All tunes accurately describe these events and are very descriptive. Dave says that music should help you through the bad times. Well if your feeling sad or depressed, try imagining your dream holiday whilst listening to magnetic fields. Its lively sounds and speedy music `ll have you cheered up in no time at all ! Rendezvous. Dave says that Jarre music is not serious or inspiring. Well howabout this one, a tribute to the astronauts who died onboard the American space shuttle (Can`t rember which one). Rendezvous is about as serious as music can get, and damn enjoyable to listen to as well ! And it certainly inspired the American audience when played live at Hewson. Revolutions - The one that Dave bought !!! This is everything that Dave says Jarre music is not. Very Serious, enjoyable, inspiring and even humourous (in computer weekend) The first track, industial revolutions begins, describing, Yes you guessed it, an industial revolution. The atmosphere is gently built up with the steady sound of machinery and workers, hammers tapping etc. Towards the end I could imagine hoards of working peasants walking in a line towards their workplace being whipped steadily. An intermitent drum signifies the whip and eerie human chanting, the procession of workers. Then comes a welcome change with a tune describing the LONDON KID with an ace guitar lead played by none other than Hank Marvin (former Shadows lead guitarist). Suddenly on the first track of side two, all hell breaks out. The workers revolt ! REVOLUTION !!! .... Well I think I`m perhaps getting just a teensy weensy bit carried away here, but you can see what I`m getting at. I have only described the thoughts created in my mind whilst listenning to the music. Jarre may be trying to get across something completely different, though I think not. One other quick point ... Dave states that `the volume on a game goes right down after 5 mins and is replaced by a record or CD`. I however feel that the music and effects in a game are there to be listenned to and designed to enhance the atmosphere and therefore, playability of the game, not to be replace by some trashy old SMITHS record or CD (ha). And by the way Dave, ALL music is real music, including computer music, Jarre, and even `Pass me the sick bag please` The Smiths ! JMJ`s creative roots go back to an early date when he was born into a musical family on 24 August 1948 in Lyon, France. By 5 he was learning the piano and by secondary school was taking classes in harmony, counter-point and fugue at the Paris Conservatory. Like most teenagers of the time, however, he did not fail to be influenced by British `60`s music and played electric guitar in a number of short-lived pop and rock groups. After taking his B.A., Jean-Michel joined the Musical Research Group in Paris and began the music experimentation which has become his trademark. A strictly classical direction had never appealed to him, nor a system of musical experiment devoid of all sentiment and thus an entirely new realm of acoustic sounds which could legitimately be utlised within music evolved. In 1970 he recorded `The Cage', a piece of pure electronic music and, ignoring warnings of the imminent end to his career by introducing such avant-garde music to the paris opera, in 1972 he saw his confidence rewarded by public acclaim for his use of it in `AOR`. With this encouragement, Jean-Michel turned his talents towards creating music for films,TV, other performers, ballet, theatre and so on. He recorded his first piece of music intended for release in 1976. "Oxygene" became an international success quite unprecedented inthe history of the French recording industry. In the USA Jarre was chosen Personality of the Year by People magazine, while in the UK the Daily Mirror declared "a French revolution to the rock world". The follow-up in 1979 "Equinoxe", a resounding success in 35 countries,firmly established Jean-Michel Jarre internationally. In the same year Jean-Michel also staged his first concert, a spectacular event with its venue the Place de la Concorde in Paris on Bastille Day, 14 July. One million people saw it live and another 100 million on television. "This spectacle" he later remarked "is the realisation of one of my dreams : to renew the old popular tradition of the free and open musical fete". The record for attracting an outdoor audience of over 1 Million gained him a place in the Guiness Book of Records. Jean-Michel Jarres third album "Magnetic Fields" (inspired by Any Warhols`s Marilyn Monroe project) was based on traditional music, but exaggerated and supplmented the underlying themes to create a completely different sound.Two weeks after release the LP was in the top ten in the charts of every European territory and appeared in all three categories of pop, jazz and classical in America. The broadcast of jean-Michel`s music on Chinese radio, the first Westerner to recieve such recognition, and the intense interest it generated , led to a series of 5 concerts in Peking and Shanghai. This was an enourmous undertaking both in terms or organisation and because he was the first Western rock musician to be invited to play there. 150 000 spectators saw the concerts live and a further 30 million watched them on television while they were heard by 500 million on radio. Jean-Michel wrote a special composition to link Chinese tradition with modern culture and it was performed with a 34-piece Chinese orchestra. This and other highlights from the concerts were realeased on a double album "The Concerts in China" in May 1982. The LP went platinum in nearly every country of the world. In 1983 Jean-Michel shocked the record business world by recording an entire album, pressing one copy and then destroying all means of reproducing the record again ! The LP "Music For Supermarkets" was auctioned at a galery for promising young artists and sculptors and fetched 10 000 pounds which was donated to the gallery. This event resulted in another entry in the Guiness Book of Records. "The Essential Jean-Michel Jarre" - a compilation from previous albums (excluding supermarkets)- was released later that year and followed the pattern by quickly achieving platinum status. In November 1984 "Zoolook" was released, an LP which demonstrated Jarres pioneering work in the use of vocal effects - euopean as well as some oriental and African - as rythem tracks. The "Zoolook" track also inspired a spectacular video. (Not inspiring eh Dave !) it not surprisingly achieved critical acclaim. Later in the year Jean Michel undertook a promotion visit to Japan and Australia where he was invited by the Aborigines` head man to visit them. Events such as this constantly reinforce Jean-Michels avantgarde reputation and so when the organisers of celebrations surrounding the 25th anniversary of the N.A.S.A headquarters as well as the 150th anniversary of the city of Houston and State of Texas in the USA cast around for personalities to take part. Jean-Michel became an automatic choice. his own interest in combinig technology with any kind of art made him a doubly natural choice and so the biggest ever show produce came to being. On 5 April 1986 against the impressive background of downtown Houston and a skyline of skyscapers 1,200 feet high and 3/4 of a mile wide, he achieved his aim to create the ultimate multi-media convert tapping every form of entertainment technology known to man. Technology was also used to bring the concert to a bigger audience than had ever before been dreamed of by radio, tv and satellite. Huge screens were errected and the sides of buildings utilised for visuals beamed by lasers and projectors and a breathtaking light and firework display provided the crowning glory. People went in droves to see it, jamming most of Houston`s traffic system, and the live audience of 1.3 million usurped Jean-Michel`s own record in the guiness Book of Records. The album "Rendezvous" was realeased to co-incide with the concert and a TV film of it has been shown since in many countries around the world. Not long after this, Jean-Michel was invited by the City of Lyon,France, to stage a concert for the visit of the Pope Paul II to the city on 5 October 1986. The scene was again beside water, the river Saone, but this time the backdrop was the magnificent law court building and hillside rising to the Basilica above. For his screens Jean-Michel used smallhouses scattered over the hillside and developed a special visual, light, and firework show to suit the occasion. "Rendezvous" has since won JMJ the Victoir de la Musique award in France for the best record of 1986 and best show (Houston) and his 2nd entry in the Guiness Book of Records to entertain an estimated 1.3 million at downtown Houston, texas at a free concert. Thre music from these two shows was taken from his album "Rendezvous" sa well as some successful compositions of his previous albums. A compilation of the music of these 2 shows entitled "jean Michel Jarre in Concert-Houston/Lyon" was released in August 1987. Since then in 1988 JMJ hsa released his latest album, Revolutions which I and many others believe to be his best so far. He has managed to create a totally unique sound, which contrasts the new and old. With a classical symphony mixed wiyth Hank Marvin type electric guitar along with various other machinary noises, hammers, trains, the lot ! Soon after the release of Revolutions, he staged what was hoped to be a truly magnificent concert in the docklands, London which symbolized for him the contrast between the new and old. Unfortunately though, the local council were worried about safety and ordered Jarre to cut the size of the concert and use less lazers etc The planned helicopter pass was also abandonned. Despite this, and other technical problems with the computers contolling the lazers the concert was for me a success although possibly not as good as the Houston concert due to its smaller size and lack of tall buldings for projection screens. What makes a JMJ concert a JMJ concert ?... 400,000 watts of sound 2 million watts of light 6 DCA 60 projectors each developing 70,000 W power 3,500 projectors for buildings 13 skytrakers 22 follow spots 12 giant image projectors 3 lasers a light sculpture fireworks of 40,000 shells triggered by a timecode located on a 24 track machine. On stage ... Jean Michel Jarre, 8 musicians, 4 synthesiser players, 1 bass guitar, 1 drummer, 1 percussionist, 1 saxophonist, a choir of 150 singers plus musicians from the opera of Lyon(2 horns, 6 trombonists, and 8 violinists). All these played live with also sound effects and reinforcement on tape. Jean- Michel Jarres stage set up (Houston) ... A customised Yamaha portable keyboard A Fairlight CMI-2X synthesizer An Emulator II sampler A Roland S-10 Sampler His famous lazer harp which triggers a Synthex A magic keyboard acting as a trigger for the farlight and Emulator instruments., Of all modern musicians JMJ has left the most significant mark in the last two decades. It was his use of creative interaction between machines and moods which gave birth to modern music and was the fore-runner of most synth-based bands today. Allister Brimble, Freelance musician. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heres Andy Philpotts comments on the music article that raised a few eyebrows and a few tempers... A few words on music... in the last NewsFlash Dave had the temerity to suggest that Jean Michel Jarre produced uninspiring music, and worse still that there may be better sources of music than the Amiga. In response Dave was attacked for liking The Smiths (fancy kicking a man when he is down!). Well I propose to take my reputation in my hands and (to some extent) defend Daves viewpoint. I draw the line at proclaiming The Smiths to be the best band ever to walk Gods Green Earth, but I do agree with the substance of his other points. The accuracy with which JMJ's dreary melodies can be reproduced on the Amiga merely shows the shallowness of his material. It has a certain instant appeal (so does Kylie M.) but it soon wears off with repetition (I bought one of JMJ's albums some time ago and must have played it all of 4 times since). To argue that the Amiga can be the rival of a CD or a decent record deck is manifestly rubbish. The sampling on the Amiga is eight bit. Quantisation errors introduced by this are at a much higher level than CDs. A record deck of course is an analogue media (although digital recording at source is affecting this) so the noise levels are more difficult to predict, but most informed people acknowledge that disks can be as good or better than CD (CD has convenience value). I can go downstairs, turn on the HiFi, and pop on a CD of JS Bach (incidentally, a vastly more accomplished composer/player of keyboard music than JMJ, try it before you knock it). That will give me 45-60 minutes of listening pleasure, and not achieved by simply looping 4 minutes of programmed music with minor variations). Please don't get me wrong... there is a place for the Amiga in the music industry, and its sound reproduction could well be used to "prototype" new pieces and new techniques. But lets not pretend, however keen we are on our beautiful machines, that they can match a full band or orchestra. Bye-Bye, yours, asking for trouble... Andy Philpotts -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyone else want to comment?? A rather balanced mixture I thought this time.. feel free to throw your remarks at us! --------------------------------------------------------------------------