by Ben Hogwood

It is rather sobering to think that Oxygène, the original album, is now 50 years old. Listening to it remains a transporting experience, Jean-Michel Jarre‘s remote and often extremely calming world seemingly high above the clouds.

I remember hearing Oxygène for the first time in 1987, the day after a huge storm had wreaked havoc in southern England. There was an eerie calm outside, and the music matched it perfectly, reassuring in the face of unrest:

Published post no.2,996 – Wednesday 26 August 2026