Jarre was my introduction to electronic music and I can be characterized as one of his hardcore fans. I have almost all albums and have heard them hundreds of times, studying the composition techniques, the sound selections, the use of samples etc etc.

After all these years, Chronologie stands out from everything else as his top creation. This album goes from classical orchestrations to typical jarre style as per the old albums, and even to pop and dance music experiments. It is an amazing masterpiece and a cornerstone in electronic music.

I am a writer, and one of the ways that I write stories, mostly fiction, is I listen to music and let my imagination run. I use the music like background music to a movie. So this cd, plus many others, is like the soundtrack to the unwritten movie. While I haven't written anything specific to this cd, I love how it changes and moves. I especially love track 2, using the music to represent a major battle between two forces, people, etc. The song just goes back and forth and its atomosphere makes such a battle seem infinitly epic. Many of the other songs also call for prophetic dreams and adventurous journeys.

However, I should also say that this cd just has good music in general. If you like intense, instrumental synthesizer music that uses a variety of sounds, expressing various feelings, this really is a good album. I personally think it spawns creativity. At least it does for me.

I would recomend this cd to many people, expecially if they think that new age is some boring style of music. At least I classify it as new age, because it is not like anything else. And if you want a cd that is not like anything else you've heard, unless you already listen to Jean Michel Jarre, this is it.

People often link music to events in their lives, thereby forming recollections and associations. It is true to a certain extent with me too, but I find that this album is one of the best recordings of Jarre. It appears to be a seamless album but some pieces do not fit in the whole picture that nicely. For example, as far as tracks No. 3 and 4 as featured on JMJ recordings are concerned, you can find many similarities between many albums of his - the former are always slow and the latter are always joyful (even if written in a minor key, as in this album). The transitions are masterful. My favourite is Chronologie Part 6.

This album was from when Jarre made great albums, and not like his latest albums that failed.
The best tracks on the album are 2, 4 and 6, and it requires a great hifi system to enjoy this album.
That same year as Chronologie were released, was Jarre performing one of his best concerts in the same arena in Barcelona in 1993, where the Olympic Games were held the last year.

A lot of the purists prefer his "analogue monsters"... but for me, this album is the one I listen to the most. I don't know how hard he worked on it, or how he feels himself about the resulting masterpiece: but the sheer emotions rasied by the sounds of the synths and the subtle guitars - played by fellow Frenchman Patrick Rondat [now with Elegy] - are unmatchable.
Part 4 was quite a big single in France I believe, and it is kinda "short and catchy" in the same way that Oxyg?ne 4 was back in its day... but there are some lengthy numbers that just take their time (oh I'm so funny) and produce extreme listener satisfaction.
If you're missing a few Jarre albums, or you're still thinking about which one to buy first - look no further! This's the one you want!