Snapshots 1.2 [Extra tracks]

Jan Hammer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks
• Label: One Way Records Inc
• ASIN: B000053UVE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,390 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #40 in Music > World Music > Europe > Eastern Europe > Czech Republic

Editorial Reviews

First time released in North America. Snapshots is post-Miami vice works that yielded 3 top singles in Europe. This release contains 13 compositions. Standard jewelcase. 2000 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snapshots 1.2 New and Improved, January 22, 2001

By 

H. L. Nathan (Hartford) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snapshots 1.2 (Audio CD)

Snapshots 1.2 is a new/old album. It was originally released outside of North America in 1989. At the time I was living in London and purchased it on cassette and listened to it non-stop until the player in my Opel ate it. The album contains some very cool music. I think that Jan had just finished working on Miami Vice so four of the tracks are themes that he created for the show. "One Way Out," was from the episode Lombard, which starred Dennis Farina. The tune became an instrumental hit in Germany. The other three tracks from Miami Vice are "Marina," "Poem" and "Payback." The tune, "The Runner," was created during the recording of the album for a series of British TV adverts starring "Sir" Bob Geldof and was a charted single in the UK. The track "Eurocops," (which is different than the one on the original album) was the main title theme to a European TV show that aired all across the continent and UK. Parts of the album are dark and moody but it also contains some up-tempo rockers like "Skipchaser" and a mysterious Euro-Dance track called "Trance." Even though Jan plays all of the instruments on the album, the video to "Too Much To Lose," features a "backing band" that consists of Jeff Beck, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Ringo Starr.

Snapshots 1.2 has two bonus tracks. My favorite is the theme to the 1997 film "A Modern Affair," starring Stanley Tucci. I saw the film and it was OK, but Jan's theme could easily have been used in a blockbuster romantic/drama/comedy.

As I mentioned earlier, Jan plays all of the instruments. In this day and age of computers and sampling devices there is a new breed of studio alchemists; most of which are hacks. Jan stands far above them. He is the real deal! I guess what separates the boys from the men (and to be politically correct) and the girls from the women, are not the sounds that are available to them, but how they are used, compositionally, melodically and rhythmically. Jan remains the master just as he is the master of phrasing, whether it is to conjure the feeling of a guitar, flute or whatever else is needed.

I would recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of Jan Hammer, Miami Vice, film music and sophisticated instrumental pop/rock.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snapshots 1.2, April 19, 2001

By 

"yargnits" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snapshots 1.2 (Audio CD)

Jan Hammer recorded the original Snapshots in 1989 following his multi-platinum success with the Miami Vice albums and his solo album Escape From Television. The first full album recorded at his own Red Gate Studio, Snapshots showcased him at his very best, with every track composed, performed, and produced by the artist himself. Released worldwide, excluding North America, the album yielded three charted European singles: "The Runner," originally from a series of British television advertisements starring Bob Geldof; "Eurocops," the theme from the top-rated European television series of the same name; and "One Way Out" from Miami Vice.

Retitled Snapshots 1.2 for its first release in North America, this album seems more a new release than a re-release. The newly repackaged disc has been totally remastered, several tracks have been remixed, and Snapshots 1.2 features the addition of two bonus tracks: the theme from the motion picture "A Modern Affair" and a new composition entitled "Nova." Snapshots 1.2 lives up to the stylish grace associated with the finest of Hammer's work for movies, television, and radio. He masterfully creates evocative moods and tone poems that conjure up visions of dramatic land and mindscapes. A musical delight, version 1.2 is well worth the upgrade.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" album for fans of instrumental/soundtrack music, January 24, 2006

By 

S. Naimpally "avid music and movie fan" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snapshots 1.2 (Audio CD)

Some of Jan's most brilliant work as a solo artist has been the instrumental music he composed for Miami Vice. The music on this album is a continuation of that music and is some of his best solo material. Much better than the his CD "Drive".

Jan is a very talented guy. In addition to keyboards, he is also a pretty good drummer - check out his colloborations with Jeff Beck. And his guitar emulation on synth was the pioneering work on emulating a guitar using a synth.

I highly reccomend this CD if you are into instrumental or soundtrack music.