Zoolook [Original recording reissued]

Jean Michel Jarre | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Dreyfus
• ASIN: B000001ZS8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,318 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ethnicolor

2. Diva

3. Zoolook [Mix]

4. Wooloomooloo

5. Zoolookologie [Remix]

6. Blah Blah Cafe

7. Ethnicolor II

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The odd one out, May 25, 2000

By 

Mr. A. Pomeroy (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zoolook (Audio CD)

Jarre was never a critical favourite (in the UK he barely existed, as far as the music press was concerned), and although 'Oxygene', 'Equinoxe', 'Magnetic Fields' and 'Rendezvous' are the albums to start with if you're interested in Jarre's take on spacy synth pop, 'Zoolook' was where he went all experimental. It has Laurie Anderson on it, and is reminiscent of Brian Eno and David Byrne's 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts', recorded as it was with an early sampler. Indeed the whole album is plastered with samples of voices, and although it sounds very old-fashioned there's a certain primitive early-80s avant garde charm to it. It's a fan favourite, with all that entails; it's hard to get into, and not all of it works, but it's intriguing. Only two of the tracks are conventional pop tunes, and if you don't like 'Ethnicolor' you're going to hate this album.

Musically it is double-plus unlike Jarre's earlier and later work, almost as if the man was channelling the spirits of Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel, and aspects of contemporary American dance music. The title track and 'Zoolookologie' are catchy and fun, the closest he came to funk. The remixed versions presented here were added quite early on in the album's run, and are superior to the generally-similar versions to be found on early LP pressings. They're almost like something by the Tom Tom Club, but with a multi-million franc budget.

Both 'Blah Blah Cafe' and 'Diva' popped up on the previous year's 'Music for Supermarkets', and the latter is presented here with Laurie Anderson performing vocal sounds. The former is again reminiscent of Talking Heads, although it doesn't really go anywhere and suffers as a result ('Diva' has a similar problem; there are two parts, but they don't progress).

'Ethnicolor' is, in contrast, a sombre dirge dotted with random sampled speech, which turns into a quasi-rock number at the end. It's the album's high point and starts off with a particularly memorable screeching noise. As far as I am concerned it's the best of Jarre's prog-esque multi-part longer pieces, quieter and sadder than 'Rendezvous II' from his next album.

'Woolloomooloo' and 'Ethnicolor II' are what would now be called ambient, although only the latter really works, its mixture of found sounds and mournful sampled cellos acting as the perfect finale. The album itself sold poorly and Jarre turned his back on this kind of this; his next release, 'Rendezvous', was slick electronic pop music with an entertainingly Wagnerian symphony taking up most of side one. 'Zoolook' is an aquired taste, and Jarre was clearly never going to be held in the same esteem as Eno or Boulez, but it remains fascinating today, a little relic of early sampling.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning creation, a paradigm shift for electronica, July 9, 2003

By 

haysonics (Sydney) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoolook (Audio CD)

There are some truly groundbreaking electronic albums out there and Zoolook is one of them. JMJ's first abums, Oxygene and Equinoxe are excellent. His 3rd album, Magnetic Fields has some great tracks but does not have the same impact. Perhaps realising this, JMJ set upon a new path. Zoolook is the result. I was 13 when this album came out and it blew my mind. Often an artist ventures in a new direction and looses himself in the process. This is not the case with Zoolook. Jarre sampled recordings of idiginious voices from many countries into his Fairlight CMI,then processed them, turning them into alien sounding instruments. Zoolook is not some arty farty attempt at creativity. The emotional responses this album engenders for me is the same nowdays as it was in 1984, the music and production was and is ahead of its time. Zoolook, Oxygene and Equinoxe are JMJ's greatest creations. Zoolook is completely different from his previous and later work. Deserving 5 stars, Zoolook is one of the most original albums ever made. My favourite album for many years, I continue to hear new things every time i give Zoolook a spin. Check it out at all costs.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Woolloomooloo? Yes!, December 26, 1999

By 

loteq (Regensburg/Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoolook (Audio CD)

I think this is Jarre's most interesting and ambitious album to date. Some of his albums didn't stand the test of time, but this one still sounds fresh and intriguiung. The basic idea of "Zoolook" is the combination of vocal samples from over 60 different languages with Jarre's typical synth background. This doesn't always work well, because sometimes it sounds too childish and predictable. But for the most part this album is an adventurous affair, and the keyboard sound is more powerful and direct than on Jarre's other records.. Standout tracks are the highly danceable "Zoolookologie", "Diva" with some vocals from American cult singer Laurie Anderson, and the over-the-clouds track "Ethnicolor II". Even if this album is untypical for Jarre's output, it's really worth buying and will ultimately prove more satisfying than many of his other albums.