He really does play ALL the instruments.

November 27, 2019 10:08 PM

If the approaching holidays have you feeling reflective, then perhaps Vangelis can help you with his 1976 album Albedo 0.39, [named thus because the Earth's Albedo (the amount of light it reflects back into space) is 39% of the light]. See, reflecting! It's also a propulsive album of kinetic synth jazz/rock instrumentals which is perhaps more easily interpreted from today's perspective than it was on its release. Side A: Pulstar, Freefall, Mare Tranquillitatis, Main Sequence, Sword Of Orion

Side B; Alpha, Nucleogenesis (Part One), Nucleogenesis (Part Two), Albedo 0.39

posted by hippybear (14 comments total)

(Portions of this album have been used on the album The Music Of Cosmos. Other portions have been sampled in god knows how many different ways. If you've not listened before but feel uncanny about it, that's why.)
posted by hippybear at 10:08 PM on November 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

Full Album Playlist Here
posted by hippybear at 10:09 PM on November 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

Vangelis is awesome! I know he's regarded by some as dated and cheesy, but he's had a long career with a large and varied output and he has received numerous honors from both music and science related organizations.

I recently got a CD of Albedo 0.39. I had it on cassette many years ago and nearly wore it out

His album Voices is on pretty heavy rotation on my music player these days.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 10:46 PM on November 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

What? No Jon?
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:52 PM on November 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

Oh, we can discuss Jon & Van in the near future if you so require.
posted by hippybear at 10:54 PM on November 27, 2019 [4 favorites]

I love Vangelis' synth playing, and have bumped into samples of Aphrodite's child in exactly the uncanny way hippybear alludes to, so I'm looking forward to digging into this.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 11:01 PM on November 27, 2019

I'll have a fondness for The City (80s-level cheesiness of parts of it aside)
posted by kokaku at 2:55 AM on November 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

The Adult Swim parody of him, "Lord of Synth," was pretty great.
posted by groda at 3:16 AM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

Other portions have been sampled in god knows how many different ways.

Such as the ESPN SportsCenter intro in the early 80s.
posted by Foosnark at 5:53 AM on November 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

Pleas, also enjoy 666
posted by tummy_rub at 7:02 AM on November 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

An albedo, my libido... Way!
posted by jonp72 at 8:19 AM on November 28, 2019 [2 favorites]

I've always loved this one. Thanks, hippybear.
posted by ob1quixote at 11:20 AM on November 28, 2019

Because of this album I know that the density of the Earth is 5.41 (I assume in g/cc).

Possibly my favorite Vangelis album is Spiral, which was my introduction to his work.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 7:26 AM on November 29, 2019

Because of this album I know that the density of the Earth is 5.41 (I assume in g/cc).

Meanwhile, it's only thanks to The Friends of Mr Cairo that I know that in 1620, the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth westward, carrying the Pilgrims in search of a new land.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 8:44 AM on November 29, 2019