Oxygène

Liking this one.

C'était génial, vraiment une grosse bouffée d'oxygène mdr... Non mais vraiment c'est génial

Ptit banger et le record du monde du plus grand nombre de personnes à un concert on dit bravo

I love JMJ and have seen him perform this album live. This is second only to Rendez Vous. It's like the Earth waking up. The last song or so isn't so great but it's just an ethereal listen.

Avant guard explorer

prvo sam si mislio: haha, kaj je ovo, žan mišel žar (lik za kojeg sam čuo al u stvari nisam imo pojma kakvu je glazbu radio) i njegova ambijentalna elektronika il štaliveć iz 1976., bit će zakurac. i onda sam poslušo i odlično je, nevjerojatno, na nekim sam dijelovima suzu pustio koliko je divno. sada slušam drugi put :)

I first heard this album in my sophomore year in High School (1976!), my English teacher would play an album during class during our "study" time. I love this album, I ended up buying most of Jarre's albums in the next few decades

french people :( french people with synthesizers :)

A classic of early electronic music. Jean Michael Jarres music still sounds fresh after all these years.

Synth wave from an alternate timeline

I'm discovering, via this list, that I am really into ambient music. I've already gotten Brian Eno's "Music for Airports" and was really into it. I really love this album, too. Makes me want to seek out more by Jarre. 5 stars!

Sure. Fun. Great.

Amazing groundbreaking album. Part 4 being timeless.

A gaping hole which I've recently filled in my record collection, as I've ushered in attempts to diversify the genres that I listen to at home, beyond primarily metal. Electronic music has been an area of heightened focus for me as of late, with this album from Jean-Michel Jarre widely considered to be an important piece of the puzzle towards the future development of ambient, electronica, sound collage, space rock, synth pop and new wave music. Essentially, imagine the synthesizer work that you would hear floating throughout a 70s prog rock album becoming the main emphasis of the music, as opposed to an additional layer of depth supporting the virtuosic guitar playing of the genre, which is entirely absent here. Dreamy and existential, yet accessible through a strong grasp on melodicism throughout, the album has reportedly been used for music therapy and to support mothers throughout the natal process in the years following its release. It has a transportive, instinctual level of heft to it, which is difficult to replicate with such sparse resources as those contained here. That this was Jarre's first studio release proper is most impressive. It was assembled in a makeshift home studio with large parts of the album being written on a barely functioning mellotron, and it would initially struggle to see release through its rejection by several prominent record labels of the time. However, its legacy today provides for a success story in that whilst you may not be aware of Jarre directly, you will absolutely be aware of artists who have sought after his template.

Such a cool album. The 70s definitely had more ambition in their electronic music than all the slop from the 90s and 00s i got this month. Endlessly creative, retro yet futuristic, I loved this. It's kind of hard to simgle out a "song" from here, since this is the kind of listening experience best taken in one full sitting. But if I had to pick (and I do, because 1 song from each album here make's a playlist), I'd probably say Pt2, Pt4, or Pt5 (such a cool second half). Going to land on Pt2.

penepene

Tremendo

Hugely significant ambient synth music that will certainly not appeal to everyone. Like many albums of the era, and ones that pioneered specific sounds, you have to get on the level to really soak in just how incredible what you're hearing is.

This was phenomenal - I can’t believe this came out in 1976. This was interesting, futuristic,clean ambient sounds that aren’t dated at all. Might be the best electronic album I’ve heard (or maybe it just hit my tastes perfectly on the right day). 5/5 would relisten any time

5/5

This should not be slept on. I was skeptical when it first started. But I promised myself I wouldn't skip any of these albums, so I listened to the whole thing. This album has to be approached like an electronic symphony, not a rock and roll album. I had a beautiful journey through this album and it'll be a new favorite

Cool album cover. Great warmth and that dynamic sound. Part IV is a standout. Yeah, I like this. Auditory paintings. A Warm quilt of sounds.

Et av mine desiderte favorittalbum

Beautiful, old synths. Ethereal

WOW. I had never heard this, but I am so very pleasantly surprised by it. Would love to add this album to the collection.

Um capolavoro do mais alto escalão. Obra extraordinária. O tipo de disco que você ouve de olhos fechados, pra nada entrar no caminho entre você e a absoluta ternura que emana dessas notas sintetizadas. A primeira vez que ouvi esse LP inteiramente, eu te garanto, mudou a trajetória da minha vida no âmbito criativo. Os sintetizadores parecem criar vida nessa produção. Eles remetem às ondas do mar. Ao cantalorar de pássaros. É de tirar o fôlego. O lado 2 do disco abre como um prédio sendo implodido. Demolição controlada. Não há violência aqui, mas sim uma minuciosa e cuidadosa dissecação. Assim vem aos meus ouvidos. A forma com que Jarre explora o espaço no âmbito estéreo é surreal. Esse disco precisa estar na coleção de todo audiófilo do mundo. Coloca ele pra tocar e se sente no epicentro dos seus speakers. Fecha o olho e só vai. Não precisa de droga nenhuma, o som aqui é a substância mais poderosa imaginável. Vai massagear teu cérebro. A definição de um disco eletrônico 5 estrelas. Capolavoro, perfeito, do início ao fim.

So I guess I'm "lucky" to have the time each day to devote to listening to music. I'm driving around all day and already enjoy ambient and other background music. Also a fan, of course of theme park BGM especially like Epcot and tommorowland. So this is the kind of thing I'm all about. I'll have to now go see if this guy did any of the music for Epcot. Also has a cinematic score vibe too, some sounded very familiar in parts. Anyway I'm glad to have heard this as its the kind of find the list should provide. I listened to it twice back to back while driving the hour and 20 minutes from Joliet back up to Gurnee. Will have to listen to It at night

Woah. Absolutely loved this.

Kraftwerk meets Alan Parsons

pretty cool, especially for the time

Als we ooit contact zoeken met aliëns, dan komen we er waarschijnlijk achter dat Jean Michel Jarre dat in 1976 al had gedaan en er een album van heeft gemaakt. Wát een bizarre reis door geluid is dit zeg! Ook weer zo ontzettend bijzonder dat dit in 1976 is gemaakt. HEt gaat alle kanten op, met meer trancey plaatjes zoals Pt2, dan weer een buitenaards, duister nummer zoals Pt3... Echt zo bijzonder dat zulke muziek al in 1976 werd gemaakt, en het eigenlijk nog steeds vernieuwend klinkt! Ja, dit is een heerlijk Ambient album, van een van de grootvaders van de elektronische muziek. God, wat is het toch vet om zulke muziek te (her)ontdekken, in plaats van het 1001ste indierockpostpunk bandje. Dit is zoveel vernieuwender, maar ik snap het wel als mensen dit saai vinden. Ik ben er groot fan van, maar het vereist wel een bepaald enthousiasme voor elektronische muziek, vergelijkbaar met Kraftwerk. Dit album voelde als een trip in de ruimte en eindige op het strand, wát een reis en wat een album. FAVO: Oxygene pt2, Oxygene pt4, Oxygene pt5,

I don't know what else there is to be said about this album, but it is fully deserving of its reputation. I've been listening to it since the 1980s when the cover artwork used to scare me as a child, and it's lost nothing of its enjoyment. Melodic and dense and yet accessible and in some ways simplistic, it defies easy definition in some ways. At times mellow and soothing, at other times eery and haunting. Part 2 is the standout track for me but it works as a cohesive whole. A quibble-free 5/5

One of the albums in my Electronic Hall of Fame, along with "Geogaddi" and "Autobahn". I wonder what it must have been like to be around when the album was released. The whole is one epic song split into 6 parts. Part 1 is my favourite, with Part 4 being 2nd. 2 fantastic albums in a row. 5 stars for "Oxygène".

En riktig klassiker! Femma!

Incredible in it's genre. It's ambient and atmosperic. I saw another review describing it as futuristic and I think it describes it well. It's a very retro futuristic sound and it could easily be used for a soundtrack for a sci-fi film from the 70s or 80s.

I am sure this is not for everyone but it's certainly for me. I've never really dug too far deep into earlier electronica and ambient but I've been enjoying anything I've been hitting on this list. This somehow feels both very alien and terrestrial at the same time.

Давний фаворит. Доступный, но интересный и приятный.

EXCELLENT ambience. Love the futuristic sound, different tones, and the use of panning in Part 5.

amazing synth record in 1977, still sounds great today "di-di-di-dee-dee"

Heard this as a kid and I'm sure it changed my life even then. JMJ isn't the father of electronic music (the synthesiser and theremin predate him by decades), but he's at least an uncle once removed. Superb stuff!

A true masterpiece. More of a progressive project really, which is why it works so well. Electronic music that never gets bland and repetitive. Great album art as well

v easy to listen to always and forever

Heck yeah this rips. Really cool experience to listen to. Awesome find.

Klassiker! Vad vore Barnens ö utan Jean-Michel Jarre?

I've been looking forward to this since I saw it was on the list, getting a well-deserved 5, love it

This is a really cool early electronic album. Unless I am mistaken, JMJ is the performer of the largest concert in human history. Pretty cool album.

klassikko ja sen takia 5.

YAY WELCOME TO MY BEAUTIFUL PLANÈTE

4 is just superb. The rest are a beautiful accompaniment to the arrival of, and departure of, 4. It gave me goosebumps rediscovering it. I used to have this album. It was a delight, I saw and felt so many things on playing this music, the analogies the digital, the wind, the clicks and the layering. It has aged but not lost its significance to me of loving and delighting in good electronic music. 5 stars.

Bra skit! 9/10

A genius album of its time.

I didn't think I was in the mood and then wouldn't you know it, it created the mood.

It's giving "80s fantasy film with a demented good synth soundtrack that doesn't fit at all", and if you know me you know what a compliment that is. Might make a Jarre playlist for the next time I run a fantasy RPG, for the full Ladyhawke effect.

The Minecraft soundtrack if it were made in the 80s. Amazing.

Already one of my absolute faves.

Spacy and way out there in 1976. What an open and ethereal album! I love it!

Badass ambient jams.

One of the true pioneers of the electronic genre.

haunting and enchanting all at the same time, it's impressive how natural this album all sounded considering it's all synth based, this is a real treat to the ears.

Perfect electronic noise!

WOW. J'avais jamais entendu parler de cet album-là auparavant, malgré la qualité qui se trouve sous le capot. Une sorte de musique électro à la Kraftwerk, couplé d'une prestance symphonique qui varie de la lourdeur dramatique d'un grand orchestre à la légèreté planante d'un smooth solo jazz au piano. Magnifico, si je puis me permettre.

This is so much my jam I feel like it was pulled straight out of my head. My standouts: Part 2, Part 3, Part 5

funky spooky groovy

I absolutely loved this and I had never heard of this guy before. It’s pure synth fantasia, evolving from soundscapes to recognizable popular song structure then devolving back again in to a soundscape and experimental manipulation for the ending. I didn’t want it to end. Some of the “high level” solo tracking sounds the tiniest bit dated, I can’t figure out why but it does, but that doesn’t take away from it. To think this was made in 1976, it’s incredible. This could come out today on a niche label and you wouldn’t even have to label it “retro”. I need the vinyl for this yesterday.

4.5☆/5 11.07.2024

What a treat. It still sounds good today; albeit dated, but in a good way. You really can see how this album influenced much of the electronic music in the 80s and possibly into the 90s.

This was unexpectedly awesome. I feel like I've listened to this before. I listen to a lot of ambient/frequency type music and I'm sure Spotify would've recommended this to me. But this is really perfect for walking the dog around the block, before the sun's up and having coffee.

Love this album, like Scott says it needs a sound system to do it justice. Killer album and remember watching the live show years ago on council telly :)

dang. what a vibe.

Love that ‘70’s synth!! Fantastic display of ‘70’s analogue synth. Perhaps a little ahead of its time and clearly and influence on LCD Sound System

yeah!!!

i love this, what a weird and wonderful collection of synths

Ethereal, mind bending, and innovative. Oxygene (along with Equinox) is Jean-Michel Jarre's most famous work and most enduring. It is a swirling mass of tones, melodies, and beats and represents one of the critical peices of 70s electronica. It's effect on later techno, electronica, new age, and, especially, stoned college students is vast. Oxygene is an amazing work when you want to expand your mind and chill your soul.

Amazing! This is one of the albums that has made slogging through all the crap on this list worth it.

I LOVE Jean-Michel Jarre! To think that this was crafted in 1976, pre-digital, pre-ProTools. It's an awesome album, although it's not my favorite Jarre album. I was going to give this a 5, but I think that would be for the artist and not the album, so for consistency in my rating, it's a solid 4. This dude is still active and producing awesome albums. His concerts are definitely worth a watch on YouTube! I'm back - fuck consistency!

Absolutely love this synth stuff, great music and sounds a bit like Mamman Sani my love

fantastic

A classic album, great artwork. Been a staple for years. Stoked to pull this for a lazy Sunday morning listen. 5 stars always.

experimental electronic/ambient. Loved it

When I brought my first serious stereo in the late '70's Oxygene 4 was the go-to track all the salesmen used to show off their kit's prowess. Been off my radar for decades now so it's great to see the whole album holding up so well. A timeless masterpiece that needs to be listened to through top quality headphones to do it justice.

Ah this took me back. I remember the first time I heard it (part 4 at any rate) and being absolutely enthralled and it got a pretty good airing when JMJ played Docklands when I was at Uni. Love it.

I have a personal fond memory of Jean-Michel Jarre. I was at a Fuck Buttons gig in Paris, with a friend who often worked in the venue where the Scottish electronic powerhouse duo was playing that day. Thanks to my friend, we stayed in the venue after the show, and as we hung around next to the small stage sipping beer, I noticed that a man was chatting there with one of the Fuck Buttons guys, just as the latter was unplugging his pedals and putting away his miscellaneous gear in flycases (don't remember if the Fuck Buttons guy was Andrew Hung or Benjamin John Power). I couldn't hear what the visitor was saying, but he sure looked enthused to be there, pointing at this or that electronic device and asking questions about them. At times, it felt like he was explaining how he used said device himself. Or maybe he was just pointing out how such and such electronic gizmo had created such a great sound for one of the tracks played during the show... The Fuck Buttons guy was smiling, and nodded politely the whole time. But he didn't talk much, busy as he was. You could sense that he was flattered by the youthful enthusiasm of his interlocutor, even if it was not exactly the right time to chew the fat with him. It was as if an uncle of his had paid him a visit, and he was doing his best to make that endearing uncle feel at ease, even if he had other concerns in his mind at that exact moment... After a while, I realized I knew who the man was. He looked like he was in his forties, yet in truth, he was much older than that. And as a lot of French people know, Jean-Michel Jarre is one of those individuals who seem to age very slowly, having that eternally youthful outward appearance that makes one suspect of vampiric qualities. My friend confirmed the man was Jarre indeed, probably in Fuck Buttons' guest list that night. Honestly, it was refreshing to see an artist who was in his sixties by that time express such enthusiasm for being at a small show given by an act from a generation far younger than his. Jarre's music lost its relevance a long time ago, yet if you read stuff about his latest albums, you soon discover that a lot of younger prestigious guests populate some of them (like Fuck Buttons indeed, but also Air, M83, Gesaffelstein, Massive Attack's 3D, or even Moby...). Given the currently small commercial impact of those rather confidential records, I'm pretty sure that the presence of those guests mostly stems from a very sincere knack for collaborations of all kinds, instead of any cynical calculation to boost album sales or personal rep, whether for the guests or for the host. During the eighties, Jarre was yet in another league of musicians. He would famously give some mega-concerts worldwide, which were desperate-yet-also-hugely-successful attempts to translate such nerdy aesthetics into rock arenas. Heck, even arenas were too small for Jarre's ambitions, hence why he routinely broke insane records when it came to the number of people attending the shows. You had all sorts of insane stuff happening during those mega-shows--Jarre grabbing a "synth-guitar", gigantic screens, loads of pyrotechnics, not to mention that crazy staging for his "laser harp" that saw rays of light cross one side of the pit to the next. Nice that decades after those grandiose shows aiming at being "popular" at all cost, the man was now seemingly more in touch with what up-and-coming electronic acts were doing, and that he even went to small venues to see them do their thing. It's a stance that appeared as being miles away from what he had accomplished during the first fifteen years of his career under his name--even if said later stance probably never yielded anything as arresting and wonderfully poetic as Jarre's official 1976 debut *Oxygène* (in spite of attempts to release "sequels" to it in the 21st century). The seventies were a golden age for precursors in the field of electronic music. You had German kosmische wizards such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Cluster, Neu! or Kraftwerk. You also had Brian Eno's "ambient" series. But what set Jean-Michel Jarre apart from all of them was his impulse to create so many memorable and straightforward melodies surging from his cold analog magma. Kraftwerk admittedly had a knack for innocent-sounding melodies as well--ones you could even hum in the shower--but theirs always had pastiche overtones that Jarre didn't seem interested in. In *Oxygène* you can sense some more immediate, and less conceptual endeavor at play. And if that earnestness was criticized as naive by the UK press at the time of the album's release, this mix of *naïveté* and avant-garde leanings is, retrospectively--and quite ironically--what makes the album sound like no other one today, even within Jarre's discography. Those criticisms were valid in the sense that they predicted the artistic dead-ends and many cheesefest "commercial" turns the French musician would be known for later. Yet those early critics totally missed what *Oxygène* was doing so well within the confines Jarre had set for himself--somewhere in the uncharted haze between Pierre Schaeffer's *musique concrète* and blatantly pop ambitions. And what it was doing so well was to create the rarest of animal: truly timeless music acting as a perfect bridge between the past and the future. In a way, Jarre very much acted as a "remixer" here. Not through literal remixes--mid-seventies gear would never have allowed him to create them anyway--but through his compositional work. A lot of his ideas indeed hearken back to Bach, Beethoven, Mahler or Debussy--that dark and solemn "orchestral" climax soaring above arid soundscapes towards the end of "Part 1" ; the very animated Bach-like fugue in fantastic album highlight "Part 2" ; the slow, 'andante' introduction of "Part 5", followed by that livelier section, where, for that particular round, the melody winks at Ravel's "Bolero". There are also forays into subliminally jazzier territories--best exemplified by the latin-tinged drum machine and its cheap rendition of rhumba and bossa-nova rhythms on "Part 6", whose "breathing" sound also ends the album on a note that's disturbingly ominous, and yet also soothing somehow. Equally ominous are the impressionistic synth spikes darting the bulk of *Part 1*, over which a spooky shrill whistle hovers like a lonesome bat in the twilight, reminding you of a theremin or Ondes Martenot. In keeping with Michel Granger's iconic artwork for the album, the mood is delightfully post-apocalyptic here. It aptly illustrates the impressions of the last scattered batch of humans living in a emptied, dilapidated earth where nature would slowly regain its rights at last. The obvious ecological message hasn't aged a day, it goes without saying--even if it's conveyed by a music that's 100% instrumental. Synth layers and echo-drenched immensities sure abound, but they're also telling a very relatable story, one as epic as it can be heartbreaking if it falls in the right set of ears. Something very "human" after all... "Part 3", which is one of the most famous Jarre compositions, is where all the different influences and leads listed up there mesh into a single whole, with a minor-keyed tune which is as melancholic as it is strangely light-hearted, and whose simplicity and "humanity" is at odds with the background plastic-sounding gloss, here propelled by that distinctive airy drum machine--grinding, enticing, and delicate all at the same time. Here is the sort of balance between naive-sounding compositional work and richly flavored soundscapes Jarre would rarely attain in his subsequent releases--except for subsequent LP *Equinoxe*, for all intents and purposes a perfect follow-up to *Oxygène*... Starting with 1981's *The Magnetic Fields*, the French composer--now turned into an star as he went through the delusions of grandeur that his massive concerts were--indeed often stumbled upon interesting-yet-ultimately-flawed experiments with different "world music" styles (the *My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts*-adjacent *Zoolook*, incidentally boasting a groundbreaking use of samples and sequencers, or later *En Attendant Cousteau*). Worse, he also frequently dived headfirst into grand statements where European classical music influences took over again, unfortunately yielding albums that managed to sound both annoyingly pompous and incredibly childish and hackneyed at the same time (*Rendez Vous*, *Revolutions*...). Some listeners with a knack for cheap psychoanalysis would even argue that this second trend was a way for Jarre to compete with his estranged father, Hollywood film composer Maurice Jarre... But there's no need to act like a two-cent shrink here. What matters is that 90% of all this has aged *horribly*, period. Yet now that the dreadful eighties period of Jarre's discography is long gone, I hope many listeners with an open mind and an interest in great electronic music will discover *Oxygène* again. The kitchen-sink approach Jarre used to record his debut (sellotape was reportedly used to fix inadequate or partly-broken instruments), born out of constraints stemming from the technological limits of the time period rather than anything else, unwittingly brought a sonic palette that's as effective today as it was in 1976. The now "retro" canvas (or, should I say, the *pre-retro-futuristic* canvas) even bring *more* melancholic emotions to an album that was already filled to the brim with them. If anything, *Oxygène* sounds better in 2024 than it originally did. Surely, that rare occurence guarantees a place for it in a list of the best albums of all time, doesn't it? Number of albums left to review: 91 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 392 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 228 Albums from the list I certainly won't include in mine: 289

UFO aux cord

I almost switched off from this while listening to the first song. It wasn't really fitting my vibe at work. But holy I'm glad I didn't because the rest of the album did NOT disappoint. Pt. 2 and 4 especially caught my attention. It's also really cool to hear sounds like this from 1977 when synthesizers were really just first becoming popular. I love the analogue feel of some of the sounds he used.

The OG analogue instrumental synth album - Kraftwerk's melancholy vocals were always an integral part of their sound. Pt 4 an absolute banger, though it's also clear how much of this came from experimental as well as disco. Essential. Also managed to create a sound that sounds as French as Kraftwerk are German: the word sophistication comes to mind here. As George Bush might say, the French just have no word for chic.

Oxygène was actually the second album I've heard back then. The first was Equinoxe, which I had borrowed from our public library. This was around 1980. I was mesmerized by the sound. So I lent Oxygène the next time. And of course I recognized Part IV instantly. Fan erver since.

Nowadays this sounds like the soundtrack to some indie game. Back then it probably sounded like something else. I love how this music creates a mysterious vibe and can get you „out of space“. I‘m usually not too much into electronica but this one caught me.

unlike tubular bells, this felt like a cohesive whole. It was a bop throughout!

The keyboard that comes in about a minute and a half into part 2 is so good. What’s crazy about such a pioneering album is hearing all the influences that come from it. I hear other electronic artists, I hear pop songs, I hear video game music. But even stand alone it’s really beautiful, in sort of an idealized future that never came way. Really enjoyed this

Lovely stuff. Another one I have been meaning to listen to for years

YEEES!!!

Another electronic classic

в транс вводит жутко музыка просто норм, пока не глянешь на год выпуска и охуеешь алкоальбом: дед на рейве

Вот она - великая Франция!

Sounds a lot like tron legacy and daft punk and justice what a seminal french electronic banger

French electronica, count me in. At least if it something thoughtful like this. Can't imagine how difficult this would have been to put together in the 70s. No2 clear winner.

From what I can gather, Jean-Michel Jarre is considered a pioneer of electronic ambient music, and this album is exactly that. Broken into six movements, Oxygène is a relaxing listen where the synthesizer hooks pop off and don't overstay their welcome. Some portions of the piece stand out like the keyboard swagger of Part V; that's a toe-tapper. This is a niche album, where not everyone's on board for ambient music. It comes with a solid recommendation if you're curious about this genre. Update 2/2/2026: I ended up revisiting Oxygène over 400 albums later, and I am stunned at how many more melodies and motifs I was able to pick up this time around. Loops on tracks like Parts II, V, and VI gradually built into hypnotic soundscapes that simultaneously corresponded to their organic orchestral counterparts and yet were otherworldly in execution. What was also remarkable was how many synthesizer effects simulated the sounds of the natural world, such as chirping birds, crashing waves, or roaring thunder. Jean was apparently inspired by environmental issues pertinent at the time, alongside his selection of the album artwork of the skull inside the Earth. This album was not meant to be any political statement so much as an appreciation for and wonderment of the very world we live in, and to not take nature for granted, and the presentation fit that to a T. I feel like the notion of calling this album "ambient" is a bit of a misnomer. The better descriptor for Oxygène would be "captivating trance". It certainly made for a more compelling listen than what I thought previously.

Loved it! Good to read along to, play chess or just sit around petting my cats and dog.

I loved this album! Turns out im a sucker for synthy soundscapes. I should have expected this given how fond I am for Plantasia and the Lil Bub albums. It’s corny and silly but it works for me

Synth areal music goes classical

Amazing. What a sound.

Fenomenaal album, baanbrekend, goed, meeslepend. Iets gedateerd

Takes me back to Saturday afternoon record shopping. I still have my original copy on vinyl that I purchased from Windows music store in Newcastle in 1977. I listened to it in the record booth and was amazed at the talent of Jean Michele Jarred and had to take it home to listen to the entire album. Best track Oxygen PT 2

Die Anfängevder Synthi-Musik... herrlich entspannend. Richtig gut und vor allem bekannt , ab 18:40 Minuten bis ca. 22:00 Minuten. Also Part 4.!!

this is an amazing bit of ambient electronic awesome. if i heard this in 1976 it would have blown my fucking mind.

I first heard this as a teenager, so good.

Just a blissful groovy moogy early electronic album, and that's my favorite. Such a jam.

Haven't listened to this for years and it doesn't sound dated. Not as "hardcore" as the likes of Tangerine Dream, but this album made electronic music more mainstream - even my dad liked this album.

Ok, very cool! Electronic music from before the digital age really blew up and made it trivial to produce. Unexpectedly cool. This is the kind of album that makes the 1001 albums a really cool thing to get into -- discovering gems that got lost to time (at least to me). It starts so ethereal, reminds me of 70s television interstitials. I dig the theremin sounds. Space-age-y. Really dig this one, easy 5*.

Imagine listening to this for the first time in 1976, and Jean-Michel Jarre just hits you with the first ever drop in electronic music on 'Oxygène (Part II)' (at 1.44, don't @me). What a trip. Looking back it seems obvious, but using the merging technology of the time to create a breathing, human, and organic album is just genius. The result is a record that somehow still sounds fresh and retro to this day. Also, 'Oxygène (Part IV)' is a certified banger.

The epitome of electronic music. Oxygène sounds like something out of a Jules Verne novel. Wonderfully imaginative and decades ahead of its time. Sometimes I wonder, if the rest of the world have actually caught up to 1976 Jean-Michel Jarre yet? Most likely not.

loved this

The fact he made this music in the 70s still blows me away

Different and very enjoyable! Synth at its best

Music was mesmerizing! I loved it!

I fucking love aliens, I truly find them remarkable and fascinating. I love the thought of being on a beautiful alien planet surrounded by alien landscape and forests. this album is like the soundtrack of those alien worlds. Sign me up please!! I never really cared for electronica but maybe I’ve been missing out holy shit, this is transcending. god aliens are so cool.

Right up my alley

A spiritual and ambientic journey through space and time. Part 4 is the pinnacle, but you must experience Parts 1-3 to get there. Parts 5-6 hold the energy and brings you back home. Giving a 5 for an essential listen, at least once, preferably late at night.

Loved this. Could hear how it influenced so many artists in subsequent decades

Un album de feu sérieusement. Ambiance électronique , synthé, il y a tout la dedans et ca frappe fort. 5

Jarre is the king of synthesizers. The entire album is an instrumental, electronic, ethereal experience and very reminiscent of 1970s documentaries such as the old Sagan's Cosmos. It is mandatory to use headphones when listening to this album, as Jarre makes significant use of moving sounds between the left and right speakers. There are neoclassical undertones to this work, with many parts sounding as if they could be an orchestral arrangement instead. This work might sound a little dated to the 21st century ear as electronic music as evolved considerably since 1976. Regardless, this is a classic work. As the song titles suggest, you should listen to the whole thing in one go. The songs don't necessarilly stand by themselves. I like spacey contemplative electronic music, and this work holds up to the best of them.

Brilliant album

idk

Rating this based purely on how much I enjoyed listening to it, solid 5 for me. First one minute of this album and I already felt transported to a dreamy magical place. For me it felt mysterious and cool and beautiful and emotional … at times creepy? But I loved it. Can’t believe this is from the 70s, feels way ahead of its time. This really vibed with my soul. Also, would make great inspiration for a Sci-fi/new life emerging on another planet/futuristic novel of some kind.

Love this Album ;-)

This was so cool. God I love synth. Do I give this 5 stars? Maybe? Pt. V was my favourite

It's one of the best albums in the history of all music, not only electronic music. It defines the upcoming years or even decades. Fight me if you disagree. I only hope to get this kind of albums on this list.

Although I quite enjoyed this the first time through, it was on my second listen that I really realized how incredible and beautiful this album is. Obviously (yes, obviously) Part IV has always been an absolute favorite, but the rest is quite wonderful when one is able to listen and appreciate all that is here.

I suppose that I have listened to this album in its entirety at least once in my lifetime previous to this, but I don't specifically recall. It is quite excellent.

Always happy to listen to this classic. We're having a very good week!

My high school French teacher introduced me to many, many French albums including Oxygene. I spent a lot of time listening to this and his other albums through high school and college. After college I’d find myself regularly hearing tracks from this when I had a job running the board for a New Age radio show in the early 90s. I was always excited when one of these tracks came up even though the album is best taken in its entirety. Oxygene is my gateway to a lifelong love of electronic music. This is one journey that I never tire of making.

Oxygenius

Jean Claude Van Jarre parts 1-6. Pew! Pew! Pew?

pew pew pew!

Sounded like it could have been the sound track to Clockwork Orange. For electronic music made 50 years ago and still sound this good is amazing.

Forgive me Father For I have synthed....

Holy shit this is freaking gorgeous. The synths are so freaking lush. I needed this in my life.

Spectacular. 10/10 will be replacement for Rimworld soundtrack.

Big surprise this; could easily have been a ground breaking record in the 90's 2 decades after it was released. Not usually a big fan of long electronica however it sets it's stall - sci-fi inspired dance music long trips and does it so very well. Really enjoyed this. 5

Love this album, five stars all the way!

Masterpiece

Listened a lot to Jean-Michelle Jarre in the 80s and at the time thought Equinoxe to be his best album. But got back from this 10-15 years ago when I start buying his albums on cd, and it really should be Oxygene of course.

Classic electronic music album that still sounds magnificent today, 47 years on.

Ahhh memories.....remember my dad buying this in the 70's and playing it to death. I used to lie on the sofa with huge headphones listening to this on his cheap chunky Sanyo stereo. It brings back real memories and is good to listen to and relax at night with red lights and green lights flashing. It's just Perfect.

Spooky space music, A+

I thought I’d like this going in as I knew Part 4 from the GTA IV radio station The Journey, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Really good. I could definitely hear some elements that inspired the Stranger Things score.

Highly significant. The drop in 'Oxygene, Pt. 2' at 1:41 is still one of my favorite muscial moments of all times. Pt. 3 uses a similar device of a drop/emergence. Pt. 4 is about freedom and lightness. Pt. 5, 5:23. Listen to how he pulls you out of the ship and takes you to the dizzying heights of earth consciousness and then leaves you on the shore with the waves slamming against the beach amongst the seagulls. Pt. 6 is my least favorite track, but it's still pretty damned good. This album, which came out the year I was born, was probably a no-brainer for my mother, a francophile, who had at one time in the 60's lived in Paris. I am certain it was played in the house in the early months of my life. I rediscovered it later, as a 12 or 13 year old, pawing through my mother's dusty cassettes. And I remember the moment then when I REMEMBERED having heard it as an infant and how moved I was-- moved to tears in fact. I listened to the album off and on probably until I was about 20. It is fun to drift those old constellations and dwarf stars in my mind today. Jarre has also been a near constant featured on the Hearts of Space radio program hosted by Stephen Hill weekly since 1973 (still broadcasting online) which was syndicated in about 30 cities, my hometown being one of them much to my good fortune. This is 'space music' at its finest. If you know, you know. It's going to be fun reading the reviews of folks who are hearing this for the first time.

"Ya see, they're MAC-Donalds, WE are McDowell's ... They have the Big Mac, we have the Big Mick" France has Jean-Michel Jarre, and we have ... McDonalds(?). This guy is like the Poor Man's Brian Eno ... and he's not even from the U.S. Why do American's not know Jean-Michel Jarre.? Spotify says that the top five consumers of this music are in Paris / London / Stantiago / Warsaw and Madrid... and he and records for the biggest concerts on earth.... 3.5 MILLION in Russia at one point. I really enjoyed this album, and was WAAAY better than the album art led me to believe it would be. Super chill and WAAY before it's time .. 1976!!. I would listen to this over and over.... Great find!

I can’t believe this album is from 1977. The version I listened to says 2015, which I didn’t think twice about while listening the first time. 2015 is a re-release that sounded like a Daft Punk imitator. I hear the Tron: Legacy soundtrack in Oxygène. Reading the Wikipedia page made me realize that Tron: Legacy sounds like Oxygène not the other way round. Frankly I’m blown away how modern this sounds. It’s a timeless foundation of electronica. I completely hear the space ambiance for which Jean-Michel Jarre was going. I did not appreciate the intricacies the first time listening while driving. This is a masterpiece intended for focused, hi fidelity listening.

Ok, so I have gone from taking the Mickey out of Jean-Michel Jarre to being enthralled. As someone who discovered spacey synth soundscapes late in the piece this album is a revelation. The overplayed pt 2 finds new context when listening to this album on as a whole

Gimsteinn.

Listening to this on my way to work, I was taken out of my car and shoved into a spaceship gone rogue, traveling distant planets and alien landscapes. Another common French electronic music W (perhaps the first, certainly one of the biggest).

Holy fuck, I was legit blown away by this album. Just a supremely strong atmosphere, and I felt like it was a perfect soundtrack type of record.

Though Tangerine Dream may have preceded this, and even pioneered instrumental electronic music as a viable commercial genre, their sound tends to wander more - perhaps because they are a band rather than a single person. "Oxygene" is largely a soundscape, but it is more focused, more carefully constructed, and more rhythmic. You as a listener might get lost in it, but you are being guided through a smoothly crafted sonic journey. Exquisite nighttime headphone music.

jarre.. yksi projektin kohokohdista TÄSSÄ.....miksi vitussa on 3.08 mutta abbey road 4+.... part 1 ei sano paljoa...eikä tarvi...luo tunnelmaaa.. part 2 säväyttää.. ala arvioitu...melodinen miraakkeli... part 3, mitäänsanomaton..valmistaututtaa seuraavaan... part 4.... noh... mitäs siitä sanoisi... yksi parhaista biisinnypäköistä mitä on luotu..... part 5,porno. pornoa vaan... hävetti julkisella paikalla kävellä kun sellaista helisi korvissa... part 6 mid. part 4 tosiaan miellyttävin heh

One of my favorite albums of all time.

It’s been 30 years since I last listened to this and it still blows me away, what an album. It was years ahead of its time when released and no one really caught up until the late 80’s by which time Jarre had moved on to other things. 5/5

Fun, unusual albub!

Brilliant. Great lead up, great sound, great electronic vibes

cool ambient stuff

Brutal

Magical

Kind of Olfield, I liked electronic music at that time

So this is where the Blade Runner soundtrack got most of its ideas.

I feel like I'm playing Stellaris, and I mean that in the best way possible. This kind of music keeps my brain active but I also feel very at peace.

I just listened to Tangerine Dream before this, I'm in complete heaven. I was sad when I realised this album was about to finish. So brilliant. Faves: Part 2, Part 5, Part 6 -- the whole album is great.

Really liked this, and was not familiar at all. I didn't know this level of complexity existed in electronic music in 1976. Very very cool. 5/5

One of the finest electronic albums and a pioneer of the genre.

Sounds of the future in an entirely accessible format. Also worth checking out Oxygene 2 and 3 albums as well!

It was a nice breath of fresh air (pun intended)

great working music.

genialer Synthie Elektro Pop

Outstanding. And given when this came out, way ahead of its time!

I'm not sure how I have never heard this album. I also can't believe it is over 50 years old! This is an amazing electronic album that takes the listener on a journey.

Awesome

Really loved this electronic album. Great vibe and great for a background while doing almost anything. A genre defining and birthing album.

pioneer of electronic music, really good listen while working. I knew of him but I'll definitely listen to more

Großartig! Atmosphärisch! Spacig! Spannend! Wem ist die Stelle mit dem Mass Effect Vibe aufgefallen? Gleich nochmal hören! Bzw. weiterhören mit Oxygène 2 & 3. Vor seinem Sylvesterkonzert hab ich lang nichts mehr von ihm gehört, aber ich war erfreut, dass er noch aktiv ist. Als Mitbegründer von Electronic mischt er sich heutzutage nahtlos zwischen seine Kollegen.

mo chevere importante para entender la musica electronica como la conocemos hoy en dia

Well, this isn’t really the type of album I can go back by track. It’s something that needs to be listened to as a complete experience. So many interesting instruments and sounds , it didn’t feel as long as it was. I definitely need to revisit this and listen to it with a better set of headphones to really appreciate it. 4/5 ⭐️ 177/1089

Not really listening music but I actually liked it and will save for when I meditate.

Es wirkt heute wie ein minimalistisches Zukunftsmanifest aus der Frühzeit der elektronischen Musik. Die sechs Parts bauen eine kühle, aber zugleich organische Atmosphäre auf – Synthesizer, die nicht protzen, sondern atmen. Besonders die schimmernden Sequenzen in Part II und die weiten, fast kosmischen Flächen in Part IV zeigen, wie visionär Jarres Sounddesign damals war.

Right off the bat, the cover art is awesome! I do wish the music matched the intensity of this first impression, though it's a refreshing injection of electronic experimentation after a long string of more traditional genres like rock and jazz. Ambient music doesn't hold my attention too well, but this album was successful in building a cold, spooky and brain-tingling sci-fi atmosphere. Like an explorer spotting the foggy blue glow of an alien spaceship in the distance, as they trudge across a barren icy planet lightyears from Earth. Jean-Michel Jarre's synthetic playground is regarded as ahead of his time, and I'm delighted to understand why!

Riktigt cool musik som verkligen bygger upp en värld!

Fun album, but haven't really done a close listening this time. I will be saving it for a later time, though, so that's a good sign.

Okay Geometry Dash! I will probably never listen to this again, it started out as 2 stars for me, but I think it rose to 4 honestly. It sounds like the Stranger Things soundtrack, or any 80's movie for that matter. I really got sucked in and focused. Thanks random French guy!

Jean-Michel Jarre is a fraud. When I was in college, a fast food place called Supermacs was a meeting point before and after nights out. We'd often sit at one of the tables out the back, for what felt like hours, as our friend group would assemble one by one. Right next to the tables was one of those claw machines. You know the type of thing: you direct a metal claw to grab a stuffed animal, only for it to lose its grip and drop it just before it reaches you. Well, every five minutes, it would play the same few seconds of music to remind you of its existence. That music was Jean-Michel Jarre’s “Oxygène, Pt. 4”. It'd play that music over and over, and I'd utter “Jean-Michel Jarre is a fraud”. Why? Because of the comedian Bill Bailey. In his show “Bewilderness”, a show that we watched on repeat back in those days, he plays a version of this song on his famous keyboard, but using a vocal sample for each key press. At the end of the song, you realise the phrase being played is “Jean-Michel Jarre is a fraud”. I'm still to this day not 100% sure why. Maybe it was just a take on the early misconception that electronica musicians were just playing pre-recorded material on stage, and how JMJ was one of the first to be accused of the same. Or maybe, as I believed, it was a reference to how JMJ’s most popular piece, “Oxygène, Pt. 4”, the song that propelled him into the mainstream, was actually a reworking of an older song, “Popcorn” originally composed by Gershon Kingsley. Really though, I was just saying it for the same reason Bill Bailey said it. It was funny. I spent the majority of today absolutely wrecking my head, wondering where I know “Oxygène, Pt. 1” from. About nine hours later, when my fiancée came home from work, she got it right away. Falconhoof!! Limmy’s iconic sketch “Adventure Call” was a late-night fantasy phone-in RPG hosted by Falconhoof, who introduces himself as “your guide on your quest”. And it was exclusively soundtracked by Jean-Michel Jarre pieces from Oxygène. It starts off with a snippet of Part 4, but the majority of the sketch is made up of Part 1, acting as a bed under Falconhoof’s anguish dealing with callers. Phew. If I hadn't figured that out, I would have cracked up. Every moment of this album is hypnotic. Hypnotic and also very relaxing. My dog loves ambient electronica. He immediately goes to sleep when it comes on. After a sleepless night, I was tempted to do the same. But there are too many interesting musical movements and sonic exploration to keep me fully mesmerized (and awake) throughout this absolute masterpiece of early electronica. Evolving from the world of minimalism and Musique Concrète, “Oxygène” feels like it could fit in perfectly with a number of different genres: the twentieth century classical minimalists like Steve Reich or Philip Glass; early synth pioneers like Wendy Carlos; German electronica like Kraftwerk; or even the ambient concept artists like Brian Eno. Oxygène is lush, melodic, atmospheric, and spacey. It's intellectual, experimental, but also oddly accessible. I guess that's why “Oxygène, Pt. 4” became so globally popular in the mainstream. And how it ultimately ended up as the looping soundtrack of a claw machine in Supermacs. Jean-Michel Jarre wasn't a fraud. 4.5 stars

I am not really a fan of ambient music, not that I dislike it or anything, I just listen to it and say: "This sounds good." and that is mostly where I stop thinking about it. However, with this album I think: "This sounds pretty good." and that is really all I can say about this. Low 4.

Recorded 50 Years ago (!!!) this year. Great album, it`s esoteric, psychedelic and electronic at the same time. Never heard an e-Album, that sounds so organic. Fav: Oxygène, Pt. 4

De franskmænd og deres electronica, der er sgu noget der

Not worn out by age, it remains an expansive and lush album, serving as a "background music" that takes up enough space to push to the front, but still serves the background's role of making you emote It feels almost like some kind of soundtrack but if every soundtrack could sound like these tracks then I'd be a cinephile

You know what? I enjoyed it a fair bit. Always considered JMJ a bit of a novelty figure but there’s some genuinely terrific synth work in here. A rare surprise in this journey so far.

It sounded like video game soundtrack music. I think what stands out the most is that it has aged incredibly well. It doesn't have that "highly experimental gimmick" sound that plagues a lot of early electronic music or even just music that is a pioneer for its genre. It's genuinely good electronic music today, if a bit underwhelming.

Worth it for part 4

Oxygène has some great sounds on it and the production is fantastic but I feel the songs lack a bit of excitement. The compositions are a bit "new age" for my taste so I can't give it a full 5 stars.

amazing chill

brain liked

Enjoyed

What a great experience. Felt like I was falling through a tunnel on a journey. Super easy listen and for the time something very different. Need to be chilling watching the world go by with this one, leaves you with your thoughts.

boah

The 2nd album so far my 'rents owned! Albeit an Oxygene/Equinox 2 for 1 cassette. Surprisingly I preferred this to, and thought it aged better than Kraftwerks Autobahn, so an extra star. Although since it seems to be Eurovision week, Germany nul points, France douze points. Influence of Wish You Were Here on this?

Is it wrong to enjoy this as much as I did? Easily preferred this to last weeks Kraftwerk offering. Haven’t heard it for decades, and was surprised how much Air sounded like this

Like listening to a movie soundtrack about alien abductions. Chill ambient music, had it on while working. Must have been very cutting edge in the 70s. Put it on again later in the evening and slipped into a flow state so good shit

Jika anda mendengarkan album ini di era sekarang, musik yang diproduksi terdengar medioker, cenderung ambient dan tidak unik (any bedroom producer can make it lah). Tapi, album ini keluar di 1978. Asumsi saya tahun segitu teknologi produksi dan mixing musik saya yakin tidak se tersedia dan mudah dibuat seperti sekarang yang dimana itu layak di apreasiasi. Sebagai penikmat musik instrumental, album ini memang cenderung ambient dan complementary. Akan tetapi ada nuansa nuansa perjalanan dan storytelling yang begitu airy dan dreamy jika didengar secara seksama. Such an enjoyable album.

Review - love a bit of early electronic with all the bubbly synths and the weird attempts at synthesising "real" sounds like waves and chirping birds. Every song here has bits that are really good, but often they're also a bit overlong and have slogs, or less interesting bits that last a while. Still worth sticking with. Score - 7.5/10 Need to listen? YES

Really enjoyed it, perfect for laying in the sun and resting

Of it's type this is one of the best. This is more than background sound. Really like Oxygen IV, the single. This has rhythm and melody.

An electric meringue; lovingly crafted & it's killing me where I just heard him as a soundtrack. Wish I'd been around for the lasers and pyrotechnics.

Like it but not sure how often i need to hear it.

4 stars

its a good sound, but to make 6 tracks named so similarly and that sound so similarly as well is incredible. it works BECAUSE its michel jarre.

porra achei incrível escutarei no meu cometa leito cama indo pra BH da próxima

o mano gravou tudo na cozinha que doideira eh bem atmosférico e na real mto legal. dá pra imaginar tu ouvindo esse num saritur semi leito depois de pagar 20 reais num pao de queijo + coquinha no graal. ambient de qualidade, hein.

This is some kind of outer-space music but I weirdly like it because it feels relaxing in a way and and put in me an unusual state of hyperfocus.

My sister said this sounds like robot birds singing and I kinda agree. Maybe I have a thing for French EDM as this is the second of this style of music that I have liked way more than I initially thought I would. This is weird but in a pretty cool way, like the sound millions of neurons firing in the brain would sound

Electronic music before electronic music.

like a vampire in outer space

The soundtrack to floating in space.

This album was definitely ahead of its time. Really crazy this came out in 1976 but sounds newer than that. Interesting throughout, but with a completely clear identity and uniqueness.

Pleasant French ambient noodling that probably deserves another listen or two. Preferably with a Gitane, a glass of wine and a supercilious attitude.

The sound of the Futuroscope. Listened a lot in the 80s but not really since. In retrospect sounds like a real synth pioneer rather than just twinkly electro symphony. Was this a step on the way to New Order?

Boah ich würd sogar 4 sagen. Legende.

When I read the information on this album before hitting play, I was sure I wasn’t going to enjoy it. Turns out I was wrong, and this album was really good. Definitely a nice surprise this morning. 3.75 / 5

This was a great work soundtrack. It is a lovely electronic soundscape.

I got good JM Jarre vibes from the early 80s. It’s why CDs were invented.

8/10

Interesting, but I think only part IV is any good I muttered and my bro knew instantly what album I was talking about. It is strange that as someone who hates instrumental albums I have listed to a few of them recently by Miles Davis and Ludovico Einaudi. This was equally interesting and reminded me of the theme tune to a kid’s science programme. Oh, and sod IV, III is pretty damn sharp itself!

We're literally in the future and it still doesnt sound as futuristic as this album from 1976

A very influential album in regards to electronic music. I find it funny that Wikipedia says this is his first album not intended for use as a soundtrack. It very much sounds like it could be used as a soundtrack lol. I enjoy early synthesizer music and this is a great album.

Like I'm at an alien spa.

Track 4 in particular is a pleasure to listen to

I don’t love this album, but I recognize that it’s extremely influential.

Yeah this slaps. The 80s before the 80s.

4.0 - Very Good

Hell yeah. What a great listen. I was so out on this album when I put on track 1 but by the end of the first song I was hooked. I wish it was longer

Um álbum que é simultaneamente a frente do tempo e representativo de sua era. Extremamente inspirador para qualquer músico que toca sintetizador.

I'm on a spaceship! I'm by the sea! I'm going to listen to this whilst studying sometimes 3-4

Oxygène feels both futuristic and retro. It is incredibly innovative to both the electronic and ambient music scene, while also feeling of its time. Its not too dissimilar to watching an old sci-fi movie and seeing how the past generations would imagine the world we live in today. That's not meant to discredit Oxygène, I actually think that might be part of the album's charm. The tone is very relaxing and you could easily use this album as background music or you could give it your full focus and get lost in all the sonic textures. There's always something going on to stop any of the six chapters from getting stale. Most people will know 'Oxygène, Pt. 6', even if they couldn't name the artist or song, but the entire album is worth your time.

Big fan of the artist. This is one of his better works. Quite coherent. I'm also partial to "Zoolook".

Great

Interesting listen, way ahead of its time. Kind of boring by modern electronic standards but that's not a fair way to measure it. Brave rejection of song titles.

coder music

374/1089 - The French really love textures huh? This album made me want to hear what would happen if Ravel or Debussy had access to synthesizers. It was overall a cool and unique listening experience.

Oxygène part 2 was a banger

This just makes me want to explore dungeons and shit.

Hard to incorporate 10 minute lyricless synth music into my daily listening. Great album though. Made me think about how I have a very clear idea about how space sounds, music-wise, and wonder who first put that audio-landscape together. Like, space is silent, so it doesn't fundamentally have a "sound". It's only really through media that I've come to a conclusion about how space sounds. I wonder how their contemporaries composed for space. How might space have sounded in another universe?

some cool stuff

Good stoner music

dreaming, weightless floating in a night sky with shooting stars. there's a lil green man scooting across the horizon in his stellar pickup truck. contemplative, a lil cheesy, always compelling.

vibes

Incredibly visionary shit for 1976, ambience with an emphasis on lush textures, unlike much of Eno's stuff from around this time, for example, which emphasized space and repetition. Because of that, I'd say that this feels way more ahead of its time when compared to its ambient-ish contemporaries (I know this isn't 100% an ambient album, but that's the parallel I choose to draw :)). Just the subtle progressions of the tracks, the ever-changing and dense environments, and the hypnotic filter slides and arpeggios that give many of the songs here a form of discernible melody. This album's more melodic tendencies kick in with Pt. 2, which is just so gorgeous in every way imaginable - evoking the feeling of walking through a demolished city that's been covered in overgrown plants. This album's balance between melody and ambiance gives it a video game OST vibe, way before the medium was ever even realized. 'Pt. 5' does the space ambience thing incredibly well; it reminds me of stuff Steve Roach went on to do later in the '80s. A chill listen and, again, just remarkably ahead of its time. You can always count on the French's electronic wizardry, I suppose.

Zanimivo, čisto nepoznano. Huda naslovnica. Elektronika, mogoč? (Jap.) So far zelo atmosferično. K soundtrack za kšn sci-fi film. Ok, kr naenkrat smo v drugem komadu in je blo seamless, najs. Btw, vsi komadi, tko k sam album, imajo naslov Oxygène in zraven samo Part 1 etc. V glavnem, fino.

I was ready to rip into this before I heard it, but I have to admit it won me over. Weird, cool, and invocative...it was perfect music to have on while doing repetitive work.

Have been familiar with part IV for a while, nice to hear the whole thing.

It feels so refreshing after a long day at work

pretty important album, shows a lot of what electronic music was

This really seems ahead of it's time - it could absolutely work as a video game soundtrack in something modern. Interesting throughout, but with a completely clear identity and uniqueness.

Not gonna lie, I was on a string of 10 or so straight average-to-below-average albums, so I was kind of pissed when I saw this pop up. I had no idea what it was. Then I started the first track and thought "Man, this sounds like that one radio station on Grand Theft Auto IV". Then I got to Oxygène Part IV, and thought "Man, this IS from that one radio station on Grand Theft Auto IV!" In the end, it was pretty badass. Made me want to hop on GTA IV and go to one of those internet cafes. Favorite song: Oxygène Part IV

My only regret is listening to this while driving rather than in some sort of dedicated listening session. Phenomenal.

I could listen to this kinda thing forever. Reminded me of Plantasia at first, which I adore.

Pretty cool experience. low 4/5

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Oxygene Part 4 SPACEEEEEEEEEEEE. I liked this. It felt fresh and exciting. It's electronica music way before it went mainstream. It is way more consumable than Tangerine Dream's Phaedra, clocking in at only 39 minutes vs. the 2h35m for the deluxe version of Phaedra. I am only comparing it because Phaedra is on the List. Anyways, I had heard Oxygene Part 4 before, but I couldn't put my finger on from where. I was for sure not alive when this came out, and my parents wouldn't be caught dead listening to something like this, and yet, I've heard it before... from where. Trying to put my finger on it.... I was pretty sure the context was a carnival or county fair. You know, some music that plays on one of the futuristic rides like the UFO shaped "Rotor". I hit up my sister to see if she had any distinct memories of hearing the song, but she didn't. So I finally googled it, but nothing substantial. Apparently Carl Sagan used it in Cosmos, but again, I was too young and my parents never showed me Cosmos (as disappointing as that is). Let's give the ole' AI (Gemini) a spin: I was listening to Oxygene part 4 by Jean-Michael Jarre, and I've definitely heard it before. I have memories of hearing it at the carnival or county fair, so on or near one of the rides. Is that possible? .... Arcade Grabber Machines: The track was frequently used in many arcade grabber (claw) machines, notably the Mega Crane, distributed by Elaut. A short clip of the main melodic part was often programmed to play at random intervals when the machine was idle but active. .... Spit-take. WOW. Okay. So I was pretty close after all said and done. I unmistakably heard this song playing (well, at least a tight loop of it) at an arcade I had visited multiple times during my childhood, but still over 15 years ago, committed the sound it to memory, and then activated that memory when I listened to the album today. Nice.

I liked it quite a bit, the most impressive thing is that it was made in 1976. How? It sounds decades ahead of its time.

I wasn't expecting great things from an instrumental electronic album, but I actually really liked this! Especially toward the end, there's a lot of cool sounds going on here, even if it's not something that is going to have any like particularly memorable moments?

Worth listening to on good-ass headphones with a good drink. Do not expect to mull over this one like I did. One of those cases where it hit on the right day at the right time and just felt good to listen to. Give me an evening with some snow in a comfortable chair with this all the time.

Someone else described this as: Doctor Who backing music made by some dude in his kitchen. No thanks. And to that I say, "Yes, please!!!" This taps into something deep in my psyche, giving me nostalgia for a 1970s retrofuturistic life I'll never experience. 4⭐️

Sounds like a seaside arcade

Enjoyed the old school keyboard stylings on this one. Jarre really brings the most out of what was still a fairly basic instrument at that time. It often reminded me of Angelo Badalamente and the soundtrack from Twin Peaks. He changes it up with each movement of the song cycle and varies the mood so it keeps the listener engaged and interested.

Listened to this while reading some sci fi and definitely enhanced the experience. I love really good ambient music, the spaciousness of it. This felt almost infinite, like it would just go on slowly morphing forever. Both meditative and pretty unsettling at times. Amazing the sonic universe that one guy with not much equipment can create

This has legendary status and I really expected a lot from it. Not a clear 5 for me, I guess it was ground breaking at the time. Still, holds up pretty good.

Wow, this reminds me of the Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld but it came out 15 years earlier...

Great as a background music. Perfect when you need to focus on something, not intense enough to distract, but pleasant enough to help.

This was a good listen for me. The very first, Pt 1, had me worried that there would be a lot of operatic singing on it (not a fan), but after that it was nice background music. Had to look up and listen to the album from the big show in Houston, 'cities in concert' that took over the whole downtown skyline with fireworks and lasers. IT WAS AWESOME!

Flyter som luft! Har noll att anmärka på här egentligen. Men är ens IV bäst? V? VI? Perfekt i sin genre egentligen, förstår att det används i terapi.

I don't know why, but I've been feeling less motivated to write reviews. It's not that I'm getting bad albums. I mean, this album's actually really good. I just keep getting distracted by wanting to do other things before the review. I don't know what's happening. Let's review this album. As stated earlier, I think it's great. Oxygène is a pretty interesting album all things considered. For one, this thing has a considerable influence on electronic music. Jean-Michel Jarre was apparently one of the first mainstream French electronic artists, which is cool to see considering my general preference for French electronic music over that of other countries that I have mentioned a few times by now. So, I do think that this album belongs on this list. You wanna know why else it belongs here besides its significance in music history? The album's good. The production still sounds great to this day. It doesn't feel dated in the slightest. I also like how cohesive the whole thing is. It really makes the album feel like a complete experience. I would say something about how this is something that the French like doing more than the British, but I just got Boards of Canada 2 days ago, so I have no reason to complain about that. Despite each track being 1 part of the total Oxygène piece, the parts do have things that make them stand out while still feeling like part of one big piece. I like that. The general atmosphere is nice. It fits the album cover. While there are other albums I like more, Oxygène is still an album that I'm quite glad that I listened to. It's very good. 4/5.

Memories of college radio in the 1970s. Still a good listen!

Surprisingly good!

Mycket mycket fräckt!

Contemporary of kraftwerk, mostly ignored probably because he was French. Before EDM was a thing. Liked then, like it now.

I'm not exactly sure what I thought this was gonna be when I started it, but I was really surprised by this. I think I thought it was gonna be classical, so then when it was like electronic ambient I was really excited. And this is very effective instrumental music, I was really invested in this. Very strong album indeed. Favorites: Oxygene 2, Oxygene 5, Oxygene 6

otrolig värld att stiga in i! vackert

Spoooky synths

Floatsome

Impossible not to see the influence this had on the much heavier synth stuff I listen to now. Also biased because I referenced JMJ in my school electronics project way back when.

Awesome vibe, loved it

just completely my shit

joão miguel jarra . 4 estrelas . Pioneiro da música com synths . Pai das trilhas de audiovisual institucional: "Oxygene PT4" foi utilizada em trocentas producões. Em 76 isso era moderno pra car*alho

Nice

This was a really cool electronic album! It was good to work with and I see my self coming back to it.

Iconic

Good

Loistava elektro ambient levy, rekka muuttui avaruusalukseksi. Todella mailmoihin vievää ja upottavaa musiikkia, kun vaikka onkin ambienttia niin levy meni todella nopeasti. Pt. 4 oli tunnettu. Parhaat: Pt.4, Pt.5

Spacey instrumental music. Sounds like something I’d put on to study to.

Bleepy and bloopy, but kind of fun in a 70s sci-fi optimism kind of way.

Wasn't familiar with his work, but I was very surprised. Oxygene Pt.4 was actually a song that I've heard many times but never knew who made it. Overall very eye-opening, refreshing.

Love the sound, but sounds like one endless track

Ik denk met recht een van de meest bijzondere albums op deze lijst. Electronische muziek uit 1976(!). En het is echt heel gaaf. Zet dit album aan en doe je ogen dicht, en je wordt volledig meegezogen in de klanken. Echt heel bijzonder. Zit zelf te twijfelen aan 5 sterren.. Maar denk dat ik het bij 4 houd, want weet niet of ik het perse nog een keer zal luisteren, maar dit was zeker een leuke verrassing!

X-files, creepy 80/90s tv show, easy to listen to, could be good to run to

Everyone knows at least Part IV of Oxygène. It’s also the most conventional track here, with its melodic hook. The rest of the album is quite ambient with long, sweeping chords and notes. I discovered by chance that it’s a great album to sit down with on a Friday night with a nice beverage at hand. 4/5