China
	Produced by Vangelis
	Released on April 1979
	(no chart information)
	Find it at GEMM
PD-1-6199 cover

A Greek composer trying to convey Oriental images might sound like a stretch, but China is so lovely and natural that suspending disbelief is easy. Vangelis had touched upon some of these themes in Spiral, but here the mixture of Oriental imagery and electronic manipulation reach their full flower. While a few of the songs are based on the composer’s by-now familiar idiom - “Himalaya” features a pithy melody similar to his “Chariots of Fire” theme, for example - the Kriesleresque “The Plum Blossom” and the disarming “The Tao of Love” are departures that nearly fall outside the realm of electronic music. The album begins with a bombastic bit of spacy electronic music in “Chung Kuo” before the slow, graceful gait of “The Long March” draws the listener into an Oriental mood. This is followed by the noisy, percussive “The Dragon,” one of the album’s more overtly mechanical-sounding pieces. Vangelis also includes spoken voice in “The Little Fete,” providing a gossamer backdrop to this peacful reading of the Li-Po poem. On the opening tracks and “Yin & Yang,” Vangelis arrives at a unique mix of electronic sophistication and Oriental imagery that is highly effective. While his work has been derivative on occasion, this record represents a departure into new territory. China remains one of the composer’s most interesting and enjoyable works, and should be deemed required listening by his fans.

PD-1-6199 back cover	PD-1-6199 inner sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. CHUNG KUO The Long March    7:30
2. THE DRAGON    4:10
3. THE PLUM BLOSSOM    2:32
4. THE TAO OF LOVE    2:41
5. THE LITTLE FETE    (Vangelis/J.C. Cooper)    2:59
6. YIN & YANG    5:48
7. HIMALAYA SUMMIT    15:25
   
   Composed and arrannged by Vangelis unless noted

CREDITS

VANGELIS -- all instruments
Koon Fook Man -- recitation (5)
Yeung Hak-Fun -- recitation (5)
Michel Ripoche -- violin solo (3)
Andy Hendriksen -- engineer
Raphael Preston -- engineer
Keith Spencer-Allen -- engineer

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