You have to think how and why Vangelis wrote this album the way he did it. The year was 1995 and it was after the releases of and Foros Timis Ston Greco. It seems to me that Vangelis seemed very drawn to the idea of chorus, synthesizers and producing a variety of symphonic melodies and songs. To me, this is almost like Mask except he includes digital synthesizers. On the Direct Mailing List, it is praised by some and critized by others... but we all use our voice in expressing it! :-)

[1] VOICES
It seems that Vangelis is drawn to the power of the chorus. He knows that the choir can raise spirits and make all creatures look up in attention. A German boxer (who used Conquest of Paradise as his entry music) thought that this song was a tribute to him. (Of course, Vangelis would look perplexed and confused). One gets the feeling of waking on Sunday morning and going to church to listen to angelic choirs (if you think about that kind of stuff). The bells, the harp sounds, the choir... everything sounds like a sort of psalm that David might have written.

[2] ECHOES
This is a quieter version of "Voices." I hear some links with Spiral with its repetitive background and gives you the feeling of walking down a spiral (especially in your stomach). When listening to this, I thought of the duplets (like eighth notes) for the melody going against the triplet background. Of course, I wanted to try that theory but it is hard to count that fast on triplets. One does get the feeling of being caught in a spiral or a circle or a line, continuously and infinitely going... nowhere.

[3] COME TO ME
Of course, one of the reasons I like this piece is the fact that Vangelis used a cellist (Caroline Lavelle). This gives the image of your sweetheart, dressed in a fabulous gown, in a fancy ballroom and dancing away. The dance is slow and the embrace is magnificent... I better stop there before I get carried away. It is very romantic and make you walk on the clouds for a little bit.

[4] P.S.
This is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase, post scriptus (loosely translated as "just one more thing"). It is a prelude so to say. It continues on that "Voices" theme for a little while longer but the sound produced is more delicate, like fresh snow that has never been set foot in or a meadow that has never had any human contact. Despite the short length, I like it because it is soothing.

[5] ASK THE MOUNTAINS
Let me tell you an interesting story. Someone I know through the Direct Mailing List (which you can be a member of by clicking here) told this story about a choreographed act in Norway. It was mostly about a couple's dance for each other and lovemaking. The background music to this is "Ask the Mountains" (which is sung by the recognizable voice of Stina Nordenstam). It brought an uprise of people wiling to buy the album to hear that song. Of course, it is not something I would choose for lovemaking ("Come to Me" or "Rachel's Song" from Blade Runner would work just fine) but effective none of the less. Actually, I can picture a hike in the Icelandic or Scandinavian mountains, forests and all. Music acts in different people in different ways (thank God!)

[6] PRELUDE
This piece examplifes pianistic beauty and tapestry like what Vangelis did in Chariots of Fire and in the Rossif documentaries. To me, it is a blend of everything that is the Vangelis sound... the grand piano (whether it is regular or digital or analog, it doesn't matter at this point), the nice atmospheric background and the some synthesizer sounds that cry out to the heavens.

[7] LOSING SLEEP (Still, My Heart)
I like more with its sound and conscious dreaming than I do with its words. Actually, the vocals sung by Paul Young, gives the piece a new kind of sound (which is what I like about vocals because it is not about words, it is about sounds... it is an instrument). Personally, it will be on the bottom of the list of Vangelis songs I would play and personally, it doesn't really strike me as being significant. In other words, it doesn't stand out in my mind. However, like all of Vangelis' works, I do respect it.

[8] MESSAGES
I always thought that this would be perfect for festivals and cheer (but not exactly something you dance to). It presented that festive atmosphere and generates the right amount of endorphins to say... "Damn, I'm proud to be alive!" Of course, by the "mumbling" and the symbol of the ocean meaning the universe (used by Carl Sagan, among others), you will probably think it's a message from extraterrestrial intelligence. Maybe it is... If it is, what does it say? It is like what Madeline L'Engle said once: Because I am a storyteller I live by words. Perhaps music is a purer art form. It may be that when we communicate with life on another planet, it will be through music, not through language or words.

[9] DREAM IN AN OPEN PLACE
I played this once for my cousin's, Amanda Waldrep (now Busbee), wedding. It was during the reception outside in the backyard. Prior to the wedding, I thought that I would never cry (mainly I heard all my other female cousins talking about crying during weddings). While hearing this and looking at the surrounding atmosphere, I did shed tears! It was so powerful because it was so ballad-like and gentle. It also lifted my spirits into another world into a safe place. It is a place that all of us long for... the return to innocence. I was in a sense, dreaming in an open place and shouting forth my joys and dreams into the heavens above me.