Zoolook

Zoolook
Studio album by Jean-Michel Jarre
Released November 1984
Recorded 1982–1984
Genre
Length 37:58
Label Disques Dreyfus
Producer Jean Michel Jarre
Jean-Michel Jarre chronology
Musique pour Supermarché
(1983)		 Zoolook
(1984)		 Rendez-Vous
(1986)
Singles from Zoolook
  1. "Zoolook"
    Released: 30 November 1984
  2. "Zoolookologie"
    Released: 1985

Zoolook is the seventh studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released on the Disques Dreyfus label in 1984. It makes extensive use of digital recording techniques and sampling. Much of the music is built up from singing and speech in 25 different languages, along with synthesizers (such as the Fairlight CMI), as well as more traditional instruments.

Parts of the album, like the tracks "Blah Blah Café" and the second half of the track "Diva", were reworkings of material that had already appeared as sections of the album Musique pour Supermarché, released the previous year. The track "Moon Machine" was recorded for inclusion on Zoolook[1] but did not appear on the final release; it later appeared, first on a flexi disc included with Keyboard magazine (March 1986 issue),[2] the 12-inch single of the Special Remix of "Fourth Rendez-Vous" (1986), and the much later Images compilation album (1991).

The voices heard on this album were based on recordings of speech and singing in numerous languages: Aboriginal, Afghan, Arabic, Balinese, Buhndi, Chinese, Dutch, English, Eskimo, French, German, Hungarian, Indian, Japanese, Malagasy, Malayan, Pygmy, Polish, Quechua, Russian, Sioux, Spanish, Swedish, Tibetan and Turkish.[3]

The album spawned two singles: the title track and "Zoolookologie". Both were released in remixed forms as both 7" and 12" singles, the latter format including extended remixes by François Kevorkian. A further extended remix version of "Zoolook", produced by Razormaid!, has also been released.

After the initial album release, subsequent ones for Polydor and Dreyfus in 1985 included these remixed 7" versions as the canonical album tracks (see track listings below). However, when Jarre's catalogue was remastered and re-released by Sony's Epic label in the mid-1990s, the original versions were once again reinstated. The track "Diva" is also slightly shorter on the second release.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
NMEunfavourable[5]

At the time of its release NME said, "Strangely simplistic, this LP is like a union between Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and Kraftwerk on speed".[5] In a retrospective review, AllMusic described the album as "interesting throughout".[4]

Track listing

First edition – original track list (1984)

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Ethnicolor"11:41
2."Diva"7:33
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Zoolook"3:50
2."Wooloomooloo"3:20
3."Zoolookologie"4:20
4."Blah Blah Cafe"3:21
5."Ethnicolor II"3:52

Second edition (1985)

No.TitleLength
1."Ethnicolor"11:45
2."Diva"7:12
3."Zoolookologie" (Remix)3:46
4."Wooloomooloo"3:18
5."Zoolook" (Remix)3:51
6."Blah Blah Cafe"3:21
7."Ethnicolor II"3:52

The 1985 Polydor/Disques Dreyfus issues contain remixes of "Zoolook" (by René Ameline) and "Zoolookologie" (by François Kevorkian and Ron St. Germain), and reverses the positions of these two tracks in the running order. The original track listing and mixes were re-instated for the Epic/Disques Dreyfus 1997 remasters.

Third edition (1997 remaster)

No.TitleLength
1."Ethnicolor" (new edit)11:47
2."Diva" (new edit)7:20
3."Zoolook" (new mix)3:58
4."Wooloomooloo"3:17
5."Zoolookologie" (new mix)4:14
6."Blah Blah Cafe" (new edit)3:26
7."Ethnicolor II"3:54

Fourth edition (30th anniversary, 2014 remaster)

No.TitleLength
1."Ethnicolor" (3rd edition edit)11:48
2."Diva" (3rd edition edit)7:22
3."Zoolook"3:52
4."Wooloomooloo"3:18
5."Zoolookologie"4:21
6."Blah Blah Cafe"3:21
7."Ethnicolor II"3:52

Personnel

Equipment

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 60,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Jeam Michel Jarre - Moon Machine". Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  2. ↑ "Jean-Michel Jarre - Moon Machine (Flexi, 7", S/Sided) at Discogs". Retrieved 2010-05-28.
  3. ↑ The sleeve notes in the CD
  4. 1 2 Bush, John. Jean Michel Jarre – Zoolook > Review at AllMusic
  5. 1 2 Wilde, Rachel (1 December 1984). "Review: Jean Michel Jarre – Zoolook". NME. London, England: IPC Media: 28.
  6. ↑ "British album certifications – JMJ – Zoolook". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Zoolook in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

Further reading

  • "Zoo 2000". Electronics & Music Maker. February 1985. pp. 42–6. OCLC 606328143.
  • "The French Connection". Electronic Soundmaker & Computer Music. March 1985. pp. 30–1. ISSN 0268-5264. OCLC 498742683.
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