Odyssey: The Definitive Collection

Vangelis (Composer), Blake Neely (Conductor), Guy Protheroe (Conductor), London Metropolitan Orchestra (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Metropolitan Orchestra
• Conductor: Blake Neely, Guy Protheroe
• Composer: Vangelis
• Audio CD (November 4, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hip-O Records
• ASIN: B0000DHK5T
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,048 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
18 remastered tracks including titles from 'Missing', 'Blade Runner', '1492 Conquest Of Paradise' & the Oscar-winning 'Chariots Of Fire', as well as 2 bonus tracks, 'I'll Find My Way Home' & 'State Of Independence'. Digipak. Universal. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another Compilation ?, February 5, 2004

By	Armando M. Mesa (Chandler, AZ) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ugh ! I already have the majority of these tracks either on Vangelis' Themes compilation or the actual cds...Enough with another artist or the artist's record company releasing rehashed and retreaded compilations...In this case, the word definitive should not have been used at all. There are PLENTY of tracks or themes missing;rarities that fans would love (like me) to get their mitts on.

Themes or selected tracks from Roman Polanski's 1992 film Bitter Moon as well as more tracks from The Bounty should be included. This should have been a double cd with alternate versions and new material as an added bonus. Enough of another rehashed compilation and enough of my complaining...

On a more positive note, if you do not own Themes or any other compilation then this will whet the appetite for now. Whether a new Vangelis fan or the compulsive Vangelis collector who must have this, than this is a proper but not perfect compilation. As a beginner or novice of collecting Vangelis' works you will not be disappointed ! Whether he is the "father of new age music" or a genius composer of film scores and soundtracks this does highlight some of his best movie soundtrack work...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Buying for Celtic Dawn Alone!, December 25, 2003

By	S. Cairns (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There's absolutely no question that the music within this CD is of the highest quality. It is a celebration of 30 years of making music, and the contents of this CD span this timeline.

With such fabulous compositions as "Missing" and "L'enfant", thrown in with established classics such as "Conquest of Paradise" and "Chariots of Fire", the listener is ensured a pleasurable experience- especially as the play-time is almost 79 minutes. I must point out, however, that most of the compositions on this CD have not only appeared on their original CD, but also on other Vangelis compilation albums. In some ways, this is a compilation of compilations.

The main selling point for me was the inclusion of two new tracks. The first, "Theme from Cavafy" is so-so, but the second (an entirely new composition called "Celtic Dawn") is brilliant. As someone who got no pleasure at all out of Vangelis's last original CD, Mythodea, I found it reassuring that the Vangelis I know and whose music I love, can still do it for me. I hope this is a sign that his new album will be a return to form.

Beautifully presented, the album is supplied with well written notes. Vangelis has remastered the disc himself, and even the established classics have been "tweaked" here and there to give a perhaps slightly softer, smoother sound.

Recommended.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview of Vangelis' Best Known Songs, June 9, 2004

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It's hard to keep track of the number of compilations of Vangelis. Off the top of my head, I can think of "The Best of", "Greatest Hits", "Themes", "Portraits", and "Reprise". But they never got it right, something was always off, or one period or another of his career was not covered. Now comes "Oddisey: The Definitive Collection". While it may be pushing your luck to proclaim anything as a Vangelis "definitive" compilation", given his prolific output over the years, I am here nevertheless to tell you that this compilation is as good as it will get.

"Oddisey: The Definitive Collection" (18 tracks, 78 min.) in my opinion truly does compile all of Vangelis' best know tracks and greatest hits. Most of the tracks on here will sound immediately familiar, many because they are movie themes (Chariots of Fire being the most famous of course, but also The Missing, Blade Runner, thankfully containing both the beginning and end titles, Mutiny on the Bounty, and others), and other that became well known in commercials (Hymne, L'Enfant, among others). There can be no denying the creativity and talents of Vangelis. There are 2 bonus tracks, "I'll Find My Way Home" and "State of Independence", the 2 best known tracks of Jon & Vangelis, a nice touch to the album.

I share my frustration with other reviewers here that there is tons of great Vangelis music out there that remains unreleased. To be sure, Vangelis deserves a box-treatment of rare and unreleased tracks. But if you are looking for a single-disk overview of his best known songs, look no further: "Oddisey" is it. Released in Fall, 2003, it is a nice way to commemorate Vangelis turning 60 (say it ain't so!).