BlahBlahCafe - Jean-Michel Jarre forum

Transversales proudly presents the first LP reissue of “Les granges brûlées”, original soundtrack written and performed by Jean-Michel Jarre shortly after his work experience at G.R.M (Groupe de Recherches Musicales).
Probably one the first ever electronic music score, recorded with very scanty means: a VCS3 synthesizer, a Farsifa organ and three synchronized Revox tape recorders.
Director Jean Chapot, who understood immediately the interest in the gap between this hyper classical rural thriller and this groundbreaking music, let Jarre absolutely free to compose.
Built up around several melodic leitmotifs, the score of “Les granges brûlées” allowed Jarre to pursue his personal research: to bridge the gap between experimental music and pop music.
Bonus Track “Happiness Is a Sad Song” composed during Jarre's time at the G.R.M. in 1971.

“Aphex Twin told me once that the original soundtrack of “Les granges brûlées” was one of his favorite records” Jean-Michel Jarre

LIMITED EDITION
REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES
EXCLUSIVE LINER NOTES

Musique composée par Jean-Michel Jarre
Production Exécutive: Sébastien Rosat & Jonathan Fitoussi
Mastering: David Perreau pour Yakuda Audio
Transcription: Emmanuel Plane
Direction artistique & graphisme : Jean-Philippe Talaga

LP: 23 euro
Digital download: 8 euro

https://transversales.bandcamp.com/albu ... es-br-l-es

Mastering by Dadwater.... Aiii

Ugh, just seeing his name is... Ugh...

Well, this looks promising:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Les granges brûlées / Artist: Jean-Michel Jarre
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Duration Title [codec]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR9 -0.30 dB -12.40 dB 1:33 03 - L'hélicoptère [flac]
DR8 -0.23 dB -10.84 dB 1:27 06 - Le chasse neige [flac]
DR10 -0.22 dB -12.49 dB 3:16 13 - Les granges brûlées [flac]
DR8 -0.19 dB -13.95 dB 5:51 17 - Happiness Is A Sad Song (G.R.M. Bonus) [flac]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 4
Official DR value: DR9

Sampling rate: 48000 Hz
Average bitrate: 1757kbs
Bits per sample: 32 bit

Dr14 T.meter 1.0.16
==============================================================================================


These are the FLACs you get when you pre-order the album.
This is track 13 on the 2023 remaster: And this is the one on the 2003 CD: The DR compared of 2003 CD:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Les Granges Brûlées / Artist: Jean Michel Jarre
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Duration Title [codec]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR8 -0.00 dB -10.55 dB 1:31 03 - L'hélicoptère [flac]
DR8 -0.00 dB -9.64 dB 1:26 07 - Le car / le chasse-neige [flac]
DR9 -0.00 dB -10.74 dB 3:16 13 - Les granges brûlées [flac]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 16
Official DR value: DR9

Sampling rate: 44100 Hz
Average bitrate: 978kbs
Bits per sample: 16 bit

Dr14 T.meter 1.0.16
==============================================================================================


So the new FLACs got a higher dynamic range! Progress! There is something odd with the tracklisting though. Track 6 is called Le Chasse-Neige in the 2023 release, but on the 2003 CD it's track 7. Zig Zag has been moved to track 9, probably to start side B? And to keep up the Jean-Michel Jarre tradition of putting the single at the start of side B.
[edit] Just watched the photos on the bandcamp site, Zig Zag Dance is the end of side A.

This is good news because I already found listening to be hard on the ears because of the sounds used.
Going back to an unsaturated standard is well worth this new edition. I'll stick with the digital version though.

Comparing the tracks when listening, I find the new mastering easier on the ears.

I think the inner sleeve has an interview with JMJ (see image #3 in post 1) or at least JMJ talking about LGB. Interesting, since he hardly talked about this work before.

I think the only reason the digital release sounds better is that since there's no CD release this time we're getting the vinyl master files as a download as well.

Yeah, that and Bandcamp is aimed at the music-loving crowd, not the mass-market. I think the record companies think the mass-market-consumer wants brickwalled mastering (Dave Perreau once mentioned this too)

Dr_Jones wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 6:50 am Yeah, that and Bandcamp is aimed at the music-loving crowd, not the mass-market. I think the record companies think the mass-market-consumer wants brickwalled mastering (Dave Perreau once mentioned this too)

Last year Bandcamp was acquired by Epic Games so bandcamp isn't bandcamp any more and the first bad signs of this acquisition are already there:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 234695308/
https://www.bandcampunited.org/

I wasn't too convinced by Bandcamp already back in 2013-2016 when I had my album uploaded there, out of all the categories (Electronic, Noise, Instrumental if I remember correctly) the only category the album actually appeared in was "Finland" which I hadn't even put as a tag myself but was automated by Bandcamp. I remember going to the Electronic category and sorting the releases based on release date, and after noticing that I had gotten into pages where the albums had been released days before I released mine, I knew that there was no chance for anyone to find the album on the "genre pages" by off-chance.

(Sure, I got some stray listens somehow (mostly from the Finland tag) but those were very minimal compared to the slightly ever-so-more listens I got via the sites where I had posted a link to the album - and I can't blame any of the ones who listened to it for not buying it, but that's my fault instead of Bandcamp's )

Not sure about Les Granges Brûlées' sound quality having anything to do with being on Bandcamp, though, I did post my badly mastered things there after all already back then

Downloads are not available yet. I don't know if midnight at bandcamp means midnight in every timezone or only midnight in their hometown (which means midnight PST, which is 9 o'clock CET).

I don't know... I hope it will be today and not next year ! Like you I thought it would be ready !

And it's still not available yet... Well, this is slightly annoying...

Another typical JMJ release...