Vangelis' mission has been to explore sound through electronics and push back the bounds of musical knowledge.
This book traces his career from his prodigal beginnings and formation
of 
Aphrodite's Child. It examines his work in television, including
his contributions to Carl Sagan's Cosmos series and scores for director Frederic Rossif.
It details Vangelis' classical compositions for ballet, theatre and orchestra and his
platinum selling work with Jon and Vangelis. The biography focuses on his Oscar winning
score for Chariots of Fire and his other sound-tracks for Blade Runner, Bitter Moon,
Antarctica and 1492 - Conquest of Paradise. It reviews his live performances and work on
over thirty five albums such as Heaven and Hell, Albedo 0. 39, Direct, The City, Voices
and Oceanic. Vangelis: The Unknown Man presents Vangelis' work, life and influences
and showcases his breathtaking range of talent and achievement.
This is the second edition of this biography just released in 1997. It covers Vangelis'
history from his 
birth to the release of Oceanic. The final pages
include a Workography that details Vangelis' album releases, singles, work with
other artists, film scores, bootlegs, unreleased albums, scores for ballet, theatre and
opera and much more. This book is absolutely essential for the Vangelis fan and collector
and profits from sales go to various charities in the UK. Here are a few quotes of praise
for the first edition of this biography:
"...a wealth of detail. Information pops out of every nook and cranny..." The Mix
"...ideal for fans of the man and his music..." Record Collector
"...a mine of information..." Sound on Sound
And, just to give you a little teaser, here's an excerpt from Chapter 6 of this biography.
During the same period, Vangelis' albums ranging from "Apocalypse D'Animaux"
through to 
"China", including "Heaven and Hell",
"Beaubourg" and "Ignacio" were being given a perfect show-case, as the
incidental music to Carl Sagan's journey of the imagination, the television documentary
series, "Cosmos". The combination of Sagan's mesmerising, thought provoking
narrative, stunning visual effects and the majestic music of Vangelis produced a series
which won a string of TV awards and was seen in more than fifty countries.
An album was released from the sound-track which included Vangelis' music entitled "Music of the Cosmos" in August 1981. The "Third Movement" from "Heaven and Hell", a quiet, reflective piece, was chosen as the title theme for the series, released as a single and reached UK #48, staying in the charts for 6 weeks.
"Actually" Vangelis says, "Carl Sagan made all the arrangements with my publishers without even telling me. It was quite a shock when I saw the programs on TV but I very much liked the way he used my music. I was doubly happy because I'd heard a lot about Sagan and I wanted to meet him".
This soundtrack is widely considered to be one of the most effective uses of
pre-existing music and 
it has
been said that the "choice of music and musical sequence is superb" and indeed
it contains a wealth of classical and electronic music including work by Louis Armstrong,
Bach, Bartok, Beethoven, Chuck Berry, Brahms, Britten, Roy Buchanan, The Byrds, Miles
Davis, Brian Eno, Edgar Froese, Haydn, Paul Horn, Hoist, Alan Hovhaness, Janacek, Jean
Michel Jarre, Scott Joplin, Khachaturian, Liszt, Mahler, Neilsen, Orff, Pachabel, Pink
Floyd, Prokofiev, Purcell, Rachmaninoff, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Rimsky-Korsakov, Satie,
Schoenberg, Kllaus Schulze, Shostakovich, Strauss, Stravinksy, Synergy, Tangerine Dream,
Telemann, Tomita, Vaughan Williams, Vivaldi, Wagner, Weber and .... Vangelis!
Vangelis was by far the largest contributor and included "Alpha", "Pulstar" from "Albedo 0.39", "Beaubourg Part 2", "Heaven and Hell (Part 1)", "Creation du Monde" from L'Apocalypse Des Animaux","Entends-tu les Chiens Aboyer ?" from "Ignacio", "Himalaya" and "Little Fete" from "China" and "Spiral".
The available music to the compilers was phenomenal as in the USA, PBS (Public Broadcasting System) who broadcast the series had a free rein to use any music that has been legally released there without paying royalties and when Cosmos was first broadcast, they just utilised whatever music they wanted and used it.
Carl Sagan was quoted on the record sleeve:
"In its portrayal of cosmic evolution, of our deep connections with the universe, 'Cosmos' seems to have struck a chord in many. A persistent theme in the letters we receive is the delight in the music of 'Cosmos'. Human music is an expression of our thoughts and our feelings, a combination that is the distinction of our species. We dedicate this record to the musicians of planet Earth".
Vangelis - The Unknown Man ....book $18.99
And while you're in a Vangelis mood, The Artist Shop can get the following discs for you including:
VANGELIS-EL GRECO .... CD $14.99
1998 album for WEA International, this is album was originally recorded in a very special
limited edition available only through the National Museum in Athens, Greece. It is
getting a general release for the first time. The seven original tracks have been
reworked and three more tracks have been added. Opera Diva Montserrat Cabelle is
featured on a number of tracks.
Aphrodite's Child/666 ....import CD $26.95
Jon & Vangelis/Best of ....CD $10.99
Jon & Vangelis/Friends of Mr. Cairo ....CD $10.99
Jon & Vangelis/Page of Life ....CD $13.99
Jon & Vangelis/Private Collection ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/1492 - Conquest of Paradise ....CD $13.99
Vangelis/Albedo 0.39 ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Antarctica ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/L'Apocalypse des Animaux ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Beaubourg ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Best of ....CD $13.99
Vangelis/Blade Runner ....CD $13.99
Vangelis/Chariots of Fire ...CD $13.99
Vangelis/China ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/City ....CD $13.99
Vangelis/Direct ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Heaven and Hell ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Ignacio ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Mask ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Oceanic ....CD $13.99
Vangelis/Opera Sauvage ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Soil Festivities ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Space Themes ....import CD $27.99
Vangelis/Spiral ....CD $10.99
Vangelis/Themes ....CD $13.99
Vangelis/Voices ....CD $13.99
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