Jean-Michel Jarre - Rendez-Vous

Canadian edition of European electronic artist's 1986 album. Album Description

a fine work of brooding electronica from the mid 1980s

In spite of its release date (1986) this is an especially fine album of electronica that is at times reminiscent of classic works including Oxygene (1976) and Equinoxe (1978). Rendezvous is a special album and is commemorated to the memory of the astronauts that died in the terrible Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986. In fact, the track Last Rendezvous (Ron's piece) was written with the intent of having astronaut Ron McNair play the saxophone part while on board the shuttle.

Jean Michel plays a wide assortment of equipment on the album including a mix of some classic 1970s gear and pieces of equipment from the 1980s (Fairlight; Seiko DS 250; Roland JX BP; Synthex, Emulator II, Laser Harp, Prophet and mini moog amongst others). He is accompanied by Michael Geiss (ARP 2600), Dominique Perrier (memory moog); Joe Hammer (drumulator and percussion), the Choir of Radio France, Pierre Gossez (saxophone) and even Jean Michel's son David Jarre (baby Korg).

I love the synth textures that are used on this album. While they are somewhat 1980s sounding, they are also very organic - I was actually surprised at just how organic everything sounds on this album.

Musically, this is a great selection of (mostly) gloomy synthesizer pieces loaded with sad and sweeping atmospherics, with the occasional brisk and upbeat track featuring bright/cheery melodies and synthesized percussion (Fourth Rendezvous is a good example). The choir parts are wonderful and add soft textures to this album, which seems to have more than its fair share of classically influenced passages (some of which are fairly dark). The closing track is especially haunting and features a soft saxophone part beneath which dreamy synthesizer pads are layered. Whether intentional or not, the saxophone part seems disembodied and floating; the effect is very eerie.

All in all, this is a fine example of electronica and is recommended along with Oxygene and Equinoxe. January 6, 2008

wow

Electronic tunes at their best. Listen to this and chill. I still chill with this after all these years. June 10, 2007

One of JMJ's best

This is an excellent album from JMJ, one of his best IMHO. For JMJ fans, this is a must-have. For fans of electronic music, this is a must-have. Rendez-Vous could have been the soundtrack to an epic sci-fi film but still stands alone as an excellent example of composition and craftsmanship. The last track "Final Rendez-Vous" was intended to be the first song ever recorded in space. Astronaut Ron McNair of the Space Shuttle Challenger had brought along his saxophone on the shuttle and was going to play and record it for this song. Unfortunatley, tradgedy struck on that fateful day in January of '86 and Ron was killed along with 6 other American astronauts. The song, both very sad and beautiful at the same time is dedicated to his memory.

Definitely worth the money and an excellent addition to anyone's music collection.
January 27, 2007

Better than Zoolook but...

As you might think, I am not a die hard fan of JMJ, I think that when only die hard fans rates an album, it makes you think that with such a high rating, everybody should love this album and this is not the thruth.
Not everybody like this king of musical experimentation, some do but some don't...I like Oxygene and Equinoxe, and even after all those years, they are still good to listen too. Rendez vous offers some really good moments, but we are far from the perfection as Oxygene or Equinoxe. Rendez-vous is easier to get use to that Zoolook is, but we are far from a near perfect album. That's all ! January 4, 2007

dated in a good way

when the other reviewers say that rendez-vous 4 sounds "dated" that's not necessarily a bad thing. if you like 80s synth pop like OMD or early pet shops boys, you should like this just fine. July 2, 2006

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