Customer Reviews

Echoes

5 star:		(4)
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I, like one of the other reviewers, bought this on vinyl back in the 80's and still gets regular airings as the vinyl is well looked after and has recently been loaded on my laptop/mp3 player. This is the father of chill, soothing, cool synth sounds, and a must have for anyone interested in exquisite afro/euro sound.....Magic.

I bought this album on vinyl when it was released (what, 20 years ago?). Like a dummy, I gave away all of my vinyl a long time ago. I just came across this album again (on CD) and was so pleased that it lived up to my memories of it. The songs are infectious, gorgeous. Badarou is a genius and even if you don't usually like synthesizer, you owe it to yourself to check this out (then listen to Art of Noise's "Ambient Collection" if you liked this one).

Paris-born Benin-raised keyboardist & producer Badarou is one of the unsung heroes of the music biz, having graced scores of albums with his fluid touch. With the imminent re-release of his two excellent, but unjustly forgotten solo albums it's time to revisit his legacy.

Like Steve Winwood's early solo stuff, "Echoes" (1983) consists of just one musician writing, playing and producing all the parts in a true solo album. Unlike Winwood, this album is all instrumental. Badarou writes that "it would feature stylised african pieces, some jazzy stuff, and some romantic stuff. Just to show the visual potential of my palettes." (See wallybadarou.com) The quasi-African rhythms and melodies set this effort apart from the bulk of synthesist solo albums, but Badarou's extensive studio experience gives it a sheen and casual elegance that few African musics share.

Of all of the '80s albums that emerged from the sudden availability of high-quality digital synthesizers, "Echoes" is one that still sounds fresh and inspired almost a quarter-century later, and still gets played regularly in my household.

Bought it as an LP just taking a chance, and I played the hell out of it...Fun, synth oriented afro-cuban style music...no vocals, as I remember. record is somewhere in my impossible to get to closet..(very embarrassing). I remember watching a preview for Kiss of The SPider Woman at the Clay Theatre in San Francisco, hearing marvelous music behind it, and when I went to see the film the music was not on the soundtrack...being a dummy, I took forever to realize I already had it on this great record!
Wally...you're the best...and right now I am buying the record on CD at amazon along with whatever else I can find.