Ειρήνη Παπά* / Βαγγέλης Παπαθανασίου* – Ωδές

My grandparents brought this back for me on cassette from a trip to Greece and that is how I first heard it. I don't know if they knew what they were bringing me. I don't speak much Greek, and I am not of this descent, but what grabbed me was the expert pairing of Irene's somber vocalizations with Vangelis's divinely inspired synth backdrops. I was only in Jr. High School at the time, but the two painted a blue canvas of clean austere beauty that still gets me very emotional to this day. The cassette broke long ago, but I finally found the LP at Amoeba's original Hollywood store.

I cannot tell you in words how special this album is. This is the kind of record that you really just want to ignore the technical notes and just get involved in the emotional intent of the music. I don't actually know if knowledge of Greek would help you enjoy this record more or not. The last track, a chastisement of a man that beats his wife, is a sobering bring-down from what is otherwise a roller coaster of a musical journey. If you are not a Vangelis fan before you hear this, you will be afterward. He really applies himself to be a significant part of this dynamic duo.

Magnificent edition. The sound is exceptional. It is a joy to listen. Not many people know this press.

IMHO a forgot gem in the classic Van man catalog. You have it all the triumphant CS80 synth lines/tones(at this point he was still heavily using his signature sound replete with a Greek smirk!) he is known for ie Blade Runner and the powerful operatic vocals from Irene. To this listener it feels as tho Rhapsodies and Odes came about back to back their so much in common with the traditional Greek melodies etc. Timeless music that echoes the rich lyricism of Greece in a very modern take.

I was lucky to find a sealed copy. I have not listened to the german or french pressings, but this original greek has got to be one of the most clean, dynamic, and exquisite sounding Vangelis LPs that I own from the Polydor period. Very highly recommended if you can find a good copy. Such beautiful music deserves no less. The greek G.P.I. plant pressed great quality vinyl back then for what I can hear here.

Wonderful release from the late 70's, an incredible mix of haunting ethereal vocals from Irene
and Vangelis's epic electronic sounds.

Great album, high quality songs with amazing vocals by Irene Papas and beautiful catchy melodies, my top favorite tracks are 2 , 5 and 8.

This early CD release suffers from several mastering errors. A noise gate added to filter out a microphone hum inherent in the original recording causes a severe cutoff during quiet moments at the end of 'LeFleuve' and intermittently during 'Les Kolokotronei' whenever Papas takes a breath. There is also a brief digital stutter during 'Menousis'. It's better to stick with the Polydor releases which do not have these problems

My copy has the same distribution code (POL 360) but a tape code directly underneath that. No entry for this version, right?

I agree with Sopromat, this is one of the worst remasters I've heard. The backing track has somehow been cranked way up so that the vocals are drowned beneath the other instruments. It actually gets very tiring for the ears after a while. The original CD may have some issues, as a lot of CDs mastered in the '80s do, since CD mastering was still in its infancy back then... But it still sounds way better than this new master.

I actually find this is a good remaster, its not as loud as the original CD and sounds more warmer, especially the synth on track 2. Compared to the original CD, I'd prefer the original, it's not really an album that needed remastering, whereas Rhapsodies did.