China (album)
Encyclopedia
China is a 1979 album by the Greek
artist Vangelis
. Although he had never been to China
, he employed Chinese instruments and compositional styles on this concept album
.
Addendum to tracklisting:
Although Polydor issued this album as POLD-5018, and re-issue as SPELP-19
the track timings were never accurate either, and confusion exists as to
what Chung Kuo and The Long March actually were in length. Other country
releases of China have a different, and probably are the more accurate
releases of China with the proper track timings:
The White noise and effects intro is actually "Chung Kuo" and the long melodic
synthesizer track and piano ending is "The Long March" If you acquire the 7"
single release "The Long March Part-1/Part-2" (POSP-57). You will hear this.
s, drum machine
s, electric piano
("The Tao of Love"), piano
("The Long March", "The Plum Blossom", "Himalaya"), various Chinese flutes and plucked string instruments. Featured artists are Michel Ripoche (violin on "The Plum Blossom") and Yeung Hak-Fun and Koon Fook Man (narrative on "The Little Fete").
China was engineered by Keith Spencer-Allen, Raphael Preston, and Andy Hendriksen, and the album sleeve was designed by Vangelis himself.
The album was conceived during a very active period in Vangelis' recording career, during which he explored the possibilities of electro-acoustic composing. Vangelis employs his synthesizer arsenal to the fullest, generating sound effects (steam locomotive on "Chung Kuo") and various Chinese-sounding patches on all tracks.
Concepts used range from classical Chinese poetry ("The Little Fete" is a poem by the 8th century Li Po, translated by J.C. Cooper) to revolutionary history of the People's Republic of China
("The Long March").
utilised a dreamy, atmospheric clip from The Little Fete as the soundtrack to his 1979 Chanel No. 5
Share the Fantasy commercial, which showed a woman lying beside a swimming pool, and aired on American television well into the 1980s. Scott subsequently employed Vangelis to score his seminal 1982
film, Blade Runner
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
artist Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
. Although he had never been to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, he employed Chinese instruments and compositional styles on this concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
.
Track listing
- "Chung Kuo" – 5:31
- "The Long March" – 2:01
- "The Dragon" – 4:13
- "The Plum Blossom" – 2:36
- "The Tao of Love" – 2:46
- "The Little Fete" – 3:01
- "Yin & Yang" – 5:48
- "Himalaya" – 10:53
- "Summit" – 4:30
Addendum to tracklisting:
Although Polydor issued this album as POLD-5018, and re-issue as SPELP-19
the track timings were never accurate either, and confusion exists as to
what Chung Kuo and The Long March actually were in length. Other country
releases of China have a different, and probably are the more accurate
releases of China with the proper track timings:
The White noise and effects intro is actually "Chung Kuo" and the long melodic
synthesizer track and piano ending is "The Long March" If you acquire the 7"
single release "The Long March Part-1/Part-2" (POSP-57). You will hear this.
- Proper Track Listing & Timings*
- "Chung Kuo" - 1:43
- "The Long March" - 5:50
- "The Dragon" - 4:06
- "The Plum Blossom" - 2:30
- "The Tao Of Love" - 2:40
- "The Little Fete" - 2:57
- "Yin & Yang" - 5:48
- "Himalaya" - 10:54
- "Summit" - 4:32
Instruments and style
Vangelis plays synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s, electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
("The Tao of Love"), piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
("The Long March", "The Plum Blossom", "Himalaya"), various Chinese flutes and plucked string instruments. Featured artists are Michel Ripoche (violin on "The Plum Blossom") and Yeung Hak-Fun and Koon Fook Man (narrative on "The Little Fete").
China was engineered by Keith Spencer-Allen, Raphael Preston, and Andy Hendriksen, and the album sleeve was designed by Vangelis himself.
The album was conceived during a very active period in Vangelis' recording career, during which he explored the possibilities of electro-acoustic composing. Vangelis employs his synthesizer arsenal to the fullest, generating sound effects (steam locomotive on "Chung Kuo") and various Chinese-sounding patches on all tracks.
Concepts used range from classical Chinese poetry ("The Little Fete" is a poem by the 8th century Li Po, translated by J.C. Cooper) to revolutionary history of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
("The Long March").
Cultural appearances
Film director Ridley ScottRidley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
utilised a dreamy, atmospheric clip from The Little Fete as the soundtrack to his 1979 Chanel No. 5
Chanel No. 5
Chanel No. 5 is the first perfume launched by Parisian couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. The French government reports that a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every thirty seconds and generates sales of $100 million a year. It was developed by Russian-French chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux...
Share the Fantasy commercial, which showed a woman lying beside a swimming pool, and aired on American television well into the 1980s. Scott subsequently employed Vangelis to score his seminal 1982
1982 in film
-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
film, Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
.