Magnetic Fields (aka Les Chants Magnétiques) [LP]

Les Chants Magnetiques was the third of Jean Michel Jarre's albums in a row to update Tangerine Dream's atmospheric sequencer trance for a synth pop and mainstream crossover audience. The side-long "Les Chants Magnetiques, Pt. 1" is the capstone of the album, while "Pt. 2" through "Pt. 5" move through driving electronic pop and several passages more indebted to Jarre's past in the musique concrète scene. It's often just as melodic and inventive as Oxygene, though not as consistently creative. ~ John Bush