2 languages
China
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work
China was released in April 1979. At the end of 1978, Vangelis no longer had a record contract, and he found a home at Polydor. He had never been to China himself, but he had been fascinated by the country for years. He did not want to make Chinese folk music, but to capture China as he felt it. It is a loose concept album with tracks that refer to the Long March, the dragon, yin and yang and the Himalayas. He played synthesizers, piano and Chinese flutes and plucked string instruments, in a studio with new 24-track equipment.
The music does not sound like real world music, but like ordered, simple melodies with a Chinese colouring. Chung Kuo begins with steam locomotive sounds and percussion, The Long March is a piano solo, and Himalaya conjures up a cold, windswept mountain landscape with broad washes of sound. AllMusic felt that Vangelis succeeded well in evoking the majesty of China.
Listening
Track list
- 1Chung Juo5:31Apple Music ↗
- 2The Long March2:02Apple Music ↗
- 3The Dragon4:13Apple Music ↗
- 4The Plum Blossom2:36Apple Music ↗
- 5The Tao of Love2:44Apple Music ↗
- 6The Little Fete3:02Apple Music ↗
- 7Yin and Yang5:49Apple Music ↗
- 8Himalaya10:53Apple Music ↗
- 9Summit4:30Apple Music ↗
30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗