Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[Richard-Eastham]

What does the "Special Club" text mean on the original artwork? Was it to indicate a limited release for club DJs? I like the fact it's been carried over into the new artwork but wondered what it means.

It's nothing, just some PR talk.

[shadow]

It's been a few days, but I'm still utterly confused that this was released again. I don't mind, but... Come on, gimme Cartolina and Helza!

[Richard-Eastham]

Reading up on Pop Corn on Wikipedia, the original was 1969 but it only became a hit after Hot Butter released a version in 1972.

JMJ's version was also 1972 but was it released before or after the Hot Butter smash hit?

Hot Butter was no. 1 in the pop music charts in France for several weeks, I understand. Was JMJ trying to ride a popular wave with his version, releasing it once it was already a hit record?

Or had he tried to get chart success in early 1972 and failed only for Hot Butter to get popular recognition later that same year?

[Richard-Eastham]

I hope this is a beginning of a trend - I mean I've been moaning about releasing digitally previously un-released or rare stuff for ages. Maybe this is finally happening, fingers crossed. Although TBH I don't care about pre-Oxygene era that much.

I'm also keen that this is the beginning of a trend but likewise, the pre-Oxygene era isn't that interesting to me.

What I am fascinated by are:

1. Any tracks composed during the Oxygene era ~approx. 1975-76 but did not make the original release of tracks 1 to 6. Imagine JMJ had composed and produced 8 tracks but only 6 made the album. What were the other two?!

2. Likewise, the Equinoxe recording sessions ~1977-78 and any tracks that weren't part of the final eight.

3. Zoolook sounds and experiments. I know some of this appears on the Rarities bootlegs but are there more?

4. But most of all I'd love to hear any unreleased tracks composed and recorded approx ~1989-1993 during the Cousteau and Chronologie years, that for me were a real high point in his career.

[jeanbatman]

I'm quite sure there were nothing else than the six tracks of Oxygène… Equinoxe do not know but there may be more…

[Dr_Jones]

JMJ's version was also 1972 but was it released before or after the Hot Butter smash hit?

After. Hot Butter was a band of studio musicians including Stan Free who played with Gershon Kingsley in the First Moog Quartet. Kingsley, the composer of Pop Corn, did a university tour demonstrating Moog synthesizers with the First Moog Quartet. They also recorded a version between the 1969 version and the 1972 Hot Butter version which you can find on several First Moog Quartet LP. Stan Free noticed people reacted to the song and decided to record it himself. This became the huge hit we all know.

For some reason, people made their own version of it. I suspect that every record company wanted to have their own version of it. I have no idea why this was possible. Probably because of more lenient copyright laws. Here in the Netherlands, the song became #1, but under four different artists: Hot Butter, Popcorn Makers, Anarchic System and Revolution System (even the band names were copied).

In total I have documented 88 different artists who released the song in 1972 alone. And I'm still missing some, I'm sure of it.

And not to mention the 17 versions I have which are all exactly the same, all made by probably an anonymous band but released under different artists names or even on compilations by bigger artists who apparently were allowed to publish the song under their name. Even up until 2010 or later. It's total chaos.

You can find more info on my website: popcorn-song.com

[shadow]

The history of Popcorn is absolutely bonkers and I'm genuinely confused how many covers have been made and shamelessly were the exact same under another artist.
It's probably the most interesting track ever created, not perse on basis of the actual track, but everything that came after it.

[Richard-Eastham]

JMJ's version was also 1972 but was it released before or after the Hot Butter smash hit?

You can find more info on my website: popcorn-song.com

Incredible - I had no idea you knew so much and that it was all in one place!