Oxygene

Oxygene was mixed by Jean-Pierre Janiaud and Patrick Foulon at the Gang studio and mastered at Translab, with the Ferber studio used to recover an old Mellotron for Part II; Michel Geiss helped buy, record and program the instruments. The gear included an EMS VCS 3 and Synthi AKS, an ARP 2600, RMI synthesizers, Farfisa and Eminent 310 Unique organs, a Mellotron, a Korg Mini-Pops 7, an EKO ComputeRhythm, two Revox machines and an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone phaser. Jarre says his old Mellotron had only a few working keys but he still wrote Part II on it, and that a Revox delayed the sound from one loudspeaker for a sense of space. The cover is a painting by Michel Granger, and the original back photograph is by David Bailey.

Chart positions include number four in the Netherlands and Spain, three in New Zealand and Sweden, and eight in Germany; it is certified platinum in France, the UK, Canada and Australia, and estimated at 18 million sold by 2016. Film uses include Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978) and Gallipoli (1981).