DirectFrontIntroduction

1987 was a turbulent year for Vangelis. After returning to London from Los Angeles, in February Vangelis appeared in court in defence of a plagiarism accusation by his former friend Stavros Logarides, who claimed that the theme from ‘Chariots Of Fire’ resembled his song ‘City Of Violets’. The judge ruled in favor of Vangelis, after it was explained in court that the similar notes in both songs commonly appear in many other songs, even in an older composition of Vangelis from his days in Aphrodite’s Child, which pre-dated Logarides’ ‘City Of Violets’.

The trial affected Vangelis greatly, and he decided to close his Nemo Studios in London and return to Athens. The move marks a shift in Vangelis’ use of analogue equipment to a more digital setup and recording, as well as the development of a method that enabled him to compose, arrange and record his music instantly and simultaneously, without the need to do any pre-pogramming and post-overdubs. This method is often referred to as ‘Direct’.

In September of 1987 Vangelis staged two concerts at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens to raise funds for the Acropolis Museum (at that time located on top of the hill). For these performances Vangelis acquired a new machine, the Zyklus-MPS (Midi Performance System) which was still very much under construction at the time. This device helped Vangelis to develop his ‘Direct’ method, and as he started working on his next studio album “Direct” (1988) later that year, he used the Zyklus-MPS to great effect on several tracks. This success would have Vangelis commission a custom-built device also named ‘Direct’, designed specifically based on Vangelis’ ideas to support his spontaneity and instant creation.

The album “Direct” was released at the end of September 1988 on the Arista label, and its style is a clear break from anything that Vangelis recorded before. On release the liner notes announced that Direct would be ‘the first in a series inter-connected albums which will cover a wide musical spectrum’, but despite the fact that interviews and witness-reports confirm that such recordings were made, this unfortunately never resulted in the release of any follow-up albums.

To promote the album a single ‘The Will Of The Wind’ b/w ‘Intergalactic Radio Station’ was released both on 7” vinyl and, for the first time, on the CD single format. In contrast with the CD release and due to the length of the album the original LP release omitted ‘Dial Out’ and ‘Intergalactic Radio Station’. In 2013 Direct received a re-release which was personally remastered by Vangelis. This edition is almost identical to the original and both releases are recommended if in need of a copy of the album.

 

DirectCDTracklist and credits

  1. The Motion Of Stars (4:17)
  2. The Will Of The Wind (4:41)
  3. Metallic Rain (6:10)
  4. Elsewhere (5:45)
  5. Dial Out (5:20)
  6. Glorianna (Hymn A La Femme) (4:20)
  7. Rotation's Logic (3:36)
  8. The Oracle Of Apollo (3:55)
  9. Message (7:07)
  10. Ave (5:02)
  11. First Approach (4:58)
  12. Intergalactic Radio Station (7:44)

 

  • All tracks composed, arranged, produced and performed by Vangelis.
  • Vocal on ‘Glorianna (Hymn A La Femme)’ by Markella Hatziano (uncredited)
  • Dialogue on ‘Intergalactic Radio Station’ by Casey Young (uncredited)
  • Engineered by Nicos Despotidis.
  • Thanks to John Martin, Casey Young, Lucas and Fay.

 

DirectCDItaly1Discography

CD

  • 1988 Arista, released worldwide.
  • 1995 Arista 448296-2 Spain (Las Nuevas Músicas)
  • 1996 Gruppo Futura 74321453562 Italy (Il Meglio Della Musica New Age)
  • 1997 Arista ARCD-8545 South Korea
  • 2002 Gruppo Futura 74321453562 Italy (Il Meglio Della Musica New Age)
  • 2013 Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2425 UK & Europe (Remastered by Vangelis)
  • 2022 Arista SICP 31561 Japan (Sony Music Progressive Rock Paper Sleeve Collection)

LP

WillOfTheWind7” single

  • The Will Of The Wind / Intergalactic Radio Station (Arista 111 767) UK & Europe

CD single

 

Recording studio

The music on this album was recorded in 1987 at Sound Studio in Athens by engineer Nicos Despotidis. The Athens Sound studio was located on Leof. Mesogeion in a suburb of Athens.

 

Links