Customer Reviews

The City

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read a great number of reviews contributed towards the music of Vangelis, varying in depth and understanding of what Vangelis creates. I am not just a fan of Vangelis, I am a fanatic one might say. I listen to at least one Vangelis album per day. I love L'Apocalypse ..., Oceanic, Bladerunner, Soil Festivities, Mythodea, El Greco (which I often use to study), 1492, Opera SAuvage, China, Voices, etc to name only some of his works at my disposal. As my financial possibilities grow I hope to extend my 13 album Vangelis collection.

Upon reading the reviews for this particular album I was astonished at how poorly they compare to other albums, particularly since this album ranks first (tied with L'Apocalypse and Bladerunner) in my opinion, possibly even surpassing Bladerunner.

I think that the music of Vangelis cannot be sampled to extract one hit because it flows in a continuum. So far in my experience, no album of Vangelis can be appreciated unless listened to, from its beginning to its completion. And in this regard THE CITY is phenomenal. Listening to this album with surround sound literally takes the listener for a joyride through a city. But this joyride is classic Vangelis in nature. It is deep, mysterious, with class, flowing with human passion and exhuberance.

I believe that no artist has come to express the human thirst for the unknown, for the mystical, for the universe as well as this pioneer of keyboarding music. He is simply genial, beyond words .... in fact, I already wrote too much ... useless .... listen to the album (from the beginning to the end) and you will convince yourself of all I have said!

I hope you will enjoy it at least half as much as I have for the last 3 years.

The City is an interesting and ambient album from one of my favorite "weird" artists- Vangelis. I guarantee you, after three minutes, it will become the weirdest fun you'll have listening to new age since enya's cd Watermark! It is also,at times, an extremely emotional and mystical piece of artwork. More than once I wondered how Vangelis read all our minds with tracks like Morning Papers or Good To See You. VANGELIS one of a treasured few artists who creates music that seems to create not only a state of mind, but a striking mental image! Many people misinterpret this album as tour of a city of the future. I can see where they are coming from, but I will always The City as a mystical journey through a city of the present. But alas, this cd does have some lemon juice in it. The cool-as-ice song called Nerve Centre is over and done with too fast, and right when it's becoming more wildly exciting and dazzling than before! Also, Good To See You and Dawn are a little lengthy; they spend too much time gathering up speed and don't shimmer enough to deliver Vangelis' best work. Also, even though Roman Polanski has a great voice, sometimes I feel Vangelis romantisized the tracks too much by adding sound effects along with his music. The effects are not really necessary in many of the songs. Overall, I highly reccommend this album, even though I'll always treasure Antarctica as Vangelis' best comfort food, Direct as his best far fetched rock opera, and Opera Sauvage and China as his best tone poems. Yee-ha!

Am told that this is the result of a trip to Rome, but without knowing that, this is easily the city of the "Blade Runner" future, where towering skyscrapers exist next to run down slums. A city that never sleeps. Perfect for reading William Gibson to. See also Trisomie 21 : Plays the Pictures

While there have been many comparisons and similarities to Vangelis' Blade Runner soundtrack, one essential ingredient to The City is it's dream-like musical realm. The first track Dawn can be an alternate take of the opening city sequence of the film BladeRunner. However, on careful listening it takes on a soothing dreamscape ambiance. The track Morning Papers is a repetitive yet smooth background jazz laden number that echoes both a casual stroll throughout the city and yet propels the listener into a futuristic night club or jazz lounge. This work by Vangelis is both moody and tame with underlying tones of melancholy machinations. With a song like Twilight you can almost feel the chill in the air and the different odors or scents associated with a city that is winding down for the night. The best track is Good To See You with its hypnotic sound and female dialogue...This is one mellow Vangelis title of the touring mind not to be missed !

Good To See You is my favorite by Vangelis. For me it paints a virtual image in my mind's eye of a slumbering big city at 4 a.m.
with it's quiet streets and lonely traffic lights changing without anyone's notice, or a stray cat scampering down an alley way. Quite enchanting. It really is Vangelis at his best; his ability to capture moments in time. Very reminicent of Blade Runner in this way.

I agree that this album does have a somewhat strong resemblance to the soundtrack of Bladerunner; It could pass as a continuance to Bladerunner, if not, as an alternate soundtrack to the one already available. The music is very ethereal and dreamy that can put one in a sort of meditative floating state until you hit the tracks Nerve Centre and Procession ( equally inspiring and hypnotic).I remember going into used c.d. shops and seeing plenty of copies of this Vangelis album for sale. It made me wonder why so many copies. I bought it anyway and was not disappointed !After the first few plays I really grew fond of it. From the lush synthesized instrumentation to the guest vocals/dialogue of director Roman Polanski and his wife Emanuelle to the other choruses and vocals, this makes for one great atmospheric and ambient album. I often play this one along with the BladeRunner and Enigma MCMXC a.D. c.d.s. The City is not Vangelis' best work; However, it definitely is not his worst. The album as a whole is rather enjoyable for a casual listen or two for relaxing purposes.

Vangelis's music is not like any other. His influences come from all varieties of music- jazz, classical, pop, electronic. You find him in the "New Age" section of record stores, because of his heavy use of synthesizer and emphasis on tonalities. But, really I think to place this label on his music is a disservice. This music isn't at all comparable to Yanni, Kitaro, Enya, Mannheim Steamroller, or (gad zooks) John Tesh. Where so much New Age music is puffery, spaciness, empty musical effects, or mild tonics, Vangelis is quite the opposite. His music has a body, density, and insight that is uniquely his and profoundly revealing. I actually feel I learn something when I listen to Vangelis. Something of people's souls are revealed through his music.

Vangelis's "City" is a piece that fits right into his great body of work. It's intricate rythmic movements, surprising contra puntals, integration of natural sounds- footsteps, motorcycles, conversation, is beautifully executed. Above all, female voices never ever sounded so alluring as they do in anyone's music as they do in Vangelis. His "insights" in themselves into the female mystique as shown in his music would make V a prized musician, but to do it with everything else he does is the definition of sublime. His is an understanding that is genetic in depth.

This was the third Vangelis CD I bought, and it sparked my curiosity about the rest of his work. I now own 10 albums, and put this at number six of my favorites. He captures a very dank, dirty feeling in this. I can almost feel myself sitting in a back alleyway, and can almost see that girl talking on the telephone leaning up against a booth. It succeeds at its primary goal of taking you out of reality for awhile.

The City being Vangelis 1990 release and is considered a concept album. Allmusic gave the album 4/5 and I agree. The booklet contains many photographs of Vangelis from the time of the release. Recommended. 4/5.

The City is the kind of CD that you really want to listen through all the way. The tracks do not stand well on their own. It is not his best work, but I really enjoy listening to it when I want to relax. And... there's a Roman Polanski appearance.