Album Review

Heaven and Hell is a studio album by Greek electronic composer Vangelis, released in December 1975 on RCA Records. It is the first album recorded at his Nemo Studios in London that he used until 1987. It is a concept album based on duality.

The album marks Vangelis' departure from the progressive rock sound on his previous album Earth (1973), with adoption of a more classical synthesized sound, as well his UK chart debut.

In 1975, Vangelis moved to London where he set up his own Nemo Studios. The album was his first record made at the studio. He recalls that ''I was trying to put together the studio while recording my first album, Heaven and Hell, at the same time. In fact, the studio was Hell because there was unmixed concrete everywhere, builders all over the place making a lot of noise, and next to all that, there I was, trying to finish my album. There was no limit as to how much time I could spend working on the album, but I felt I just had to do it, and in any case, the only way you can complete the construction of a studio quickly is to start working in it before it's actually finished''.

Vangelis recalls ''I don't like to prepare for a long, long, long time an album. It's more exciting for me to sit down and to play whatever comes. So this is the way that Heaven and Hell happens. I spent six weeks to make this album but I spent maybe two weeks to put down the first tracks''. Vangelis played all the instruments except the choir.

The album marked Vangelis' first collaboration with singer Jon Anderson, who sings on ''So Long Ago, So Clear'', the closing section of Part One. Vangelis recalls how they ''sat down one day and I start to play the melody and he felt so comfortable that immediately he started to write the words.''