Essential existential.....

I bought this album when it was first released in the 70's. Heaven and Hell was hot item and passed through my senior school from ear to ear amongst 'those kids in the know' in much the same way that a joint would these days. The movements build on a theme throughout the work and reflect the care that went into creating some classical overtures. Only later in life could I get the similarities to Carl Orf and Khachaturian. This is a real masterpiece and a snapshot in time of when Prog really was prog. Listen to it in full and then catalogue alongside Camel's 'The Snow Goose', the original 'Tubular Bells' by MIke Oldfield, 'Brain Salad Surgery' by ELP and finally ' Snowflakes are dancing' by Tomita. Please dont compare this work to the keybored pop, I chose my spelling, of the 1980's If you enjoy Vangelis, as I do, you might also want to listen to the compositions of Ennio Morricone, he is the man who wrote that great music that follows Clint Eastwood in the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns.

It's not...

It's not Spiral, Albedo 0.39, or China. It's okay but nothing exciting. If you like his mushy bland stuff, buy it, but if you like Dervish D, Pulstar, and the sound of keyboards being pushed to their limit of expression, don't bother.

Where Did This Kind Of Music Go????

I remember first hearing Vangelis' "Heaven & Hell" back in high school, and getting creeped out by the haunting Hell passages on the record and loving it. Having Jon Anderson as a guest vocalist only enhanced the record. A couple years ago I found this cd in a bargain bin at my local record store and picked it up. I still pull it out every now again (for some reason I really dig listening to this in the Fall season). It's a shame that music like this and artists like Rick Wakeman, Brian Eno and others, isn't still being made, instead the 80's & 90's came along, Prog-Rock gave way to New Age, you had Yanni and John Tesh take over the instrumental scene and water it down to elevator pap. It's a shame that music has to be pidgenholed into such confining catagories, and most folks are left unaware of all that is out there.