The Concerts in China
Encyclopedia
The Concerts in China is a live album by Jean Michel Jarre
, recorded in 1981 and released in 1982 on Disques Dreyfus
. It was recorded during Jarre's Concerts in China
tour of Autumn 1981, which consisted of five Peking and Shanghai
concerts in China
; this was the first time a Western
pop artist performed in China after the Cultural Revolution
.
The album is a balance of previously released tracks by Jarre, new compositions inspired by Chinese culture, and one rearranged traditional Chinese track ("Fishing Junks at Sunset"). The music is combined live and studio work, plus ambient sound recordings. The most live tracks are the Equinoxe
and Magnetic Fields
sets. New compositions include "Night in Shanghai", "Laser Harp", "Arpegiator", "Orient Express" and "Souvenir of China". "Fishing Junks at Sunset" is a new arrangement of a very old traditional Chinese song known as the "Fisherman's Chant at Dusk" which was performed and recorded with The Peking Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, and is often wrongly attributed as being composed by Jean Michel Jarre, misled by the album inlay.
The album was originally released as a double-disc LP, then as a double-disc CD. There was also a CD release in two separate volumes, with the cover color changed to blue (Vol. 1) and yellow (Vol. 2). In 1997, a one-disc remastered CD was released, made possible by an extended running time of 78:17 minutes and by reducing the gaps and audience noise between tracks.
One of the album's original tracks – "Arpegiator" – was used in the soundtrack of the cult film 9½ Weeks
.
The Concerts in Chinas opening track "The Overture" is in fact the first movement of "Magnetic Fields Part 1" slowed down.
The album reached #6 in the UK charts and #1 in Portugal.
Mention should be made of a rare third album in this series, which contains 6 previously unreleased tracks from the first concert in Beijing. While not officially released, it is widely available as a bootleg among various Jarre fansites across the internet.
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
, recorded in 1981 and released in 1982 on Disques Dreyfus
Disques Dreyfus
Disques Dreyfus is a record label which is currently home to artists such as Klement Julienne. Jean Michel Jarre was part of the label for more than 20 years.Francis Dreyfus founded Disque Dreyfus in 1985...
. It was recorded during Jarre's Concerts in China
The Concerts in China (concert)
The Concerts in China was a concert tour by Jean Michel Jarre, notable for marking the opening of post-Mao Zedong China to live Western music, in 1981...
tour of Autumn 1981, which consisted of five Peking and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
concerts in 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...
; this was the first time a Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
pop artist performed in China after the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
.
The album is a balance of previously released tracks by Jarre, new compositions inspired by Chinese culture, and one rearranged traditional Chinese track ("Fishing Junks at Sunset"). The music is combined live and studio work, plus ambient sound recordings. The most live tracks are the Equinoxe
Equinoxe
Équinoxe was the second major-label album release by French musician Jean Michel Jarre, released on Disques Dreyfus in late 1978....
and Magnetic Fields
Magnetic Fields (album)
Magnetic Fields is the third mainstream album by Jean Michel Jarre , released on Disques Dreyfus in 1981...
sets. New compositions include "Night in Shanghai", "Laser Harp", "Arpegiator", "Orient Express" and "Souvenir of China". "Fishing Junks at Sunset" is a new arrangement of a very old traditional Chinese song known as the "Fisherman's Chant at Dusk" which was performed and recorded with The Peking Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, and is often wrongly attributed as being composed by Jean Michel Jarre, misled by the album inlay.
The album was originally released as a double-disc LP, then as a double-disc CD. There was also a CD release in two separate volumes, with the cover color changed to blue (Vol. 1) and yellow (Vol. 2). In 1997, a one-disc remastered CD was released, made possible by an extended running time of 78:17 minutes and by reducing the gaps and audience noise between tracks.
One of the album's original tracks – "Arpegiator" – was used in the soundtrack of the cult film 9½ Weeks
9½ Weeks
9½ Weeks is a 1986 erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. It is based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth McNeill....
.
The Concerts in Chinas opening track "The Overture" is in fact the first movement of "Magnetic Fields Part 1" slowed down.
The album reached #6 in the UK charts and #1 in Portugal.
Disc one
- "The Overture" – 4:47
- "Arpegiator" – 6:54
- "Equinoxe IV" – 7:49
- "Fishing Junks at Sunset" – 9:38
- "Band in the Rain" – 1:29
- "Equinoxe VII" – 9:55
Disc two
- "Orient Express" – 4:22
- "Magnetic Fields I" – 0:21
- "Magnetic Fields III" – 3:49
- "Magnetic Fields IV" – 6:49
- "Laser Harp" – 3:37
- "Night in Shanghai" – 7:02
- "The Last Rumba" – 2:11
- "Magnetic Fields II" – 6:26
- "Souvenir of China" – 3:54
Mention should be made of a rare third album in this series, which contains 6 previously unreleased tracks from the first concert in Beijing. While not officially released, it is widely available as a bootleg among various Jarre fansites across the internet.
- "Oxygène I" - 6:58
- "Oxygène II" - 8:28
- "Equinoxe VIII" - 5:28
- "Fishing Junks at Sunset" - 18:00
- "Magnetic Fields I" - 6:31
- "Magnetic Fields II" - 5:29
Personnel
- Jean Michel JarreJean Michel JarreJean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
– Fairlight CMIFairlight CMIThe Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
, Eminent, Oberheim OB-XaOberheim OB-XaThe Oberheim OB-Xa was Oberheim's overhaul of their first compact synthesizer, the OB-X. The OB-Xa was released in 1980, a year after the OB-X was released. Instead of discrete circuits for oscillators and filters, the OB-Xa switched to Curtis integrated circuits...
, Moog TaurusMoog TaurusThe Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music from 1974 or 1975 to 1981. Commonly called the Taurus I, it has a 13-note organ-style pedal board similar to the pedal keyboard of a spinet organ.-History:...
, EMS Synthi AKSEMS Synthi AKSThe EMS Synthi A, first available in May 1971, and then in March 1972 a version of it with a built-in keyboard and sequencer, the EMS Synthi AKS, a portable modular analog synthesiser made by EMS of England. Most notable for its patch pin matrix, its functions and internal design are similar to the...
, EMS VCS 3EMS VCS 3The VCS 3 is a portable analog synthesiser with a flexible semi-modular voice architecture, by Electronic Music Studios Limited in 1969....
, Elka SynthexElka Synthex-Overview:Designed by Mario Maggi, it was produced between 1981 and 1985 by the Elka company of Italy. A company more noted for its organs, this would be its first and last foray into music synthesizers under that name. Unusually, it also contained a built in real-time and step-time 4-track...
, LinnDrumLinnDrumThe LinnDrum is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics. It was released in 1982 as a successor to the Linn LM-1. The LinnDrum has 15 drum sounds sampled from real drums, a sequencer for programming rhythm patterns and five trigger inputs....
, Electro-HarmonixElectro-HarmonixElectro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
Micro Synthesizer, laser harpLaser harpA laser harp is an electronic musical instrument consisting of several laser beams to be blocked, in analogy with the plucking of the strings of a harp, in order to produce sounds. It was invented by Bernard Szajner and popularized by Jean Michel Jarre, and has been a high profile feature of...
, Elka X-705 - Frédéric RousseauFrederic RousseauFrederic Rousseau is a Belgian molecular biologist and researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel . Together with Joost Schymkowitz he is group leader at the VIB Switch Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel...
– MDB Polysequencer, RSF, YamahaYamaha (manufacturer)is a multinational corporation and conglomerate based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments, electronics, motorcycles and power sports equipment.-History:...
CS 60, KorgKorgis a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
Rhythm, ARP 2600ARP 2600The ARP 2600 is a semi-modular analog subtractive audio synthesizer, designed by Alan R. Pearlman , and manufactured by his company, ARP Instruments, Inc... - Dominique Perrier – Moog LiberationMoog LiberationThe Moog Liberation was the first commercially produced keytar synthesizer released in 1980 by Moog Music. The instrument is comparable to the Moog Concertmate MG-1 and the Moog Rogue but it is most closely related to the Moog Prodigy; however, as a keytar the Liberation was designed to be played...
, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Eminent, Korg Polyphonique, RSF Kobol - Roger Rizzitelli – electronic percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, SimmonsSimmons (electronic drum company)Simmons was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums that supplied electronic kits from 1980 to 1994. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be found on countless albums from the 1980s....
electronic drumElectronic drumAn electronic drum is an electronic synthesizer which mimics an acoustic drum kit.The electronic drum usually consists of a set of pads mounted on a stand in a disposition similar to an acoustic drum kit. The pads are discs with a rubber or cloth-like coating. Each pad has a sensor which generates... - Pierre Mourey – musical instrument coordinator