This was the first solo Vangelis album done after his epic soundtracks were done. Before Soil Festivities, he conducted some interviews. This gave some insight on Vangelis' musical technique and how music comes from nature. Maybe this album is an kind of "musical response" to the questioning about his style of playing. This album I call the "Vangelisian environmental disc." It is an obsession these days to buy "nature sounding" CD's or tapes. If I want to go somewhere exotic or peaceful (like the Grand Tetons of Wyoming), I just play this and sit down comfortably on the couch...

[1] MOVEMENT I
It starts off with a thunderstorm in the background, followed by a flute melody. When you hear it, you think that it is like his nature film scores with Frederic Rossif. In some ways, it is. Then, later on, it sounds like his free-flowing melodies from Albedo 0.39 or Spiral. I have this mental image of myself being somewhere in the Amazon or in the Serengeti, just sitting during a rainstorm in mediation. The type of rain will the warm water kind which feels like you're taking a shower. (I remember experiencing that once on 6 September 1996, which was my 14th birthday, when a tropical storm occurred which was a result of Hurricane Fran).

[2] MOVEMENT II
This reminds of something from a biology or nature video. I can imagine some snapshots of life's proccesses like a computer representation of replicating DNA or seeing animal mitosis taking place. I can also see different species moving about, in particular birds. To me, it is constant but it is not sleepy. To me, this piece appeals to the brain and creative sense. It is a simple harmony of the same note pattern and an easy accompanying melody. Not a work of genius but I like it.

[3] MOVEMENT III
I like this one because it breaks from that sleepy delerium. It now gets a bit interesting. You have a dramatic and intense piece, almost Beethoven like. I envision something like hanging off of a cliff, holding on to dear life. Sometimes, I can see a violent volcano erupting and reeking havoc all over the place. Maybe, I envision an ancient temple somewhere in Central or South America full of msytery and dark. I like it because I feel alert and ready like a tiger. It concludes with a victorous feeling but then tells you, there is more.

[4] MOVEMENT IV
Sometimes, I don't understand how Vangelis can do what he does. In my opinion, this is one of those repetitive pieces, like in "Movement Two," but this one doesn't appeal to me creatively. I can't see any images and I don't feel anything except tiredness. It is the background four note pattern, with some percussion tremolos and fortepiano and some synthesizer sounds. However, a response someone sent me gave me another outlook to the piece by visualizing a crab's walk. That gave me a much more positive feel to the piece.

[5] MOVEMENT V
I like this one because it kinds of wakes me up from the previous movement. I like this because it excites my childhood and I remember when I was a kid, being fascinated by this song's complexity and texture richness. A variety of sounds are displayed here and it reminds me of sunsets, warm summer nights and the times spent in the West (like the Grand Tetons and living in Albuquerque, New Mexico). No wonder I feel kind of homesick when listening to this song.

[6] MOVEMENT VI
I like this one because it finishes the album and takes into a sort of heavenly place. It tells you, in a weird and interesting way, that life has its end but it that comes a new beginning. It also tells you that things don't last forever but enjoy them for the moment. Nature plays like that... but Nature leaves behind an occassional snapshot to be rediscovered (like what William Wordsworth might have believed).