From: int215r@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Gavin Stok)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1993 22:14:11 +1000 (EST)

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Jean Michel Jarre
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** Review of the track 'Cousteau on the Beach' from the album "Waiting for
Cousteau [WARNER 843 614-2] (1990) <69"00'> **

Duration of Track: 46"53' (CD)
             Approx. 21" (Cassette)

Pointless Trivia: On the Australian version of the CD, the CD casing states
that the track is called "Waiting for Cousteau", while the actual CD itself
calls the same track "Cousteau on the Beach"

  Jean Michel Jarre, seen by many as the pioneer of electronic music with his
first album "Oxygene" in 1976, has performed many different styles of music
over the many albums he has done. In 1990, he surprised all of his many fans
once again by dedicating two-thirds of his album to an ambient/relaxation
track called "Cousteau on the Beach". Peoples' opinions of the track vary
greatly, with some saying it is boring, repetitive, and monotonous, while
others say that it is complex, and extremely effective in its relaxation
purposes.

  Personally I have found the track to be extremely effective in relaxing me.
This is perhaps due to its deep bass line which some scientists have claimed
relax certain areas of the brain. However I also agree that the CD version of
the track is perhaps too long if you are listening to the album for
'entertainment' purposes instead of the purpose of relaxation.  None the less,
Jean Michel Jarre makes the track varied, not so much by changing its melody
but by adding extra sounds, such as a weird animal groaning-like noise or the
trickling of a stream.

  People who do not like the idea of relaxation music should not bother to
listen to either the track nor the whole album (since this track takes up so
much of it's total playing time). The people who do like both Jean Michel's
music and relaxation music, however, will find both the album and the track a
very worthwhile buy!