Customer Reviews
Chariots of Fire is stunning and brilliant. - By: film fan, 15 Aug 2008 
They don't call Vangelis the keyboard wizard for nothing. This album only emphasizes that he is. Baringin mind this 25th Special Edition of the 1981 Oscar winning soundtrack was digitally remastered by Vangelis himself.
There are some terrific tracks on this album. For example we kick off with "Titles" which is the theme everyone is familiar with. In between we have "Five Circles", "Eric's Theme" & the epic closing track "Chariots of Fire" which goes on for 20 minutes 41 seconds. In fact I found the whole album extremely enjoyable & an incredible edition to any CD collection.
I think that Vangelis is the master of the keyboards & the synthesizer. The sounds that he's able to produce on them is astonishing. For example, on this album he conjures up trumpets, piano, strings & the odd percussion. Also he creates sounds of wind noise & bell sounds on the closing track along with added percussion. What an album.
An interesting soundtrack despite the overfamiliar main theme - By: Mr. Christian Hoskins, 31 Jul 2007 
With his album "Chariots of Fire", Vangelis hit the big time. The 1981 film for which the music was composed was enormously successful & exposed the composer to a large new audience. It also won him an Academy Award for Original Music Score.
The main theme, named "Titles" on the CD, has subsequently been usedin many films & documentaries to the point of becoming a cliché. I must admit I don't get much pleasure from it these days. I think the main themes from soundtracks such as "Blade Runner" or "Antarctica" have lasted much better.
The second track, "Circles", is a very elegant piece with a hint of sadness about it. The next two tracks, "Abraham's Theme" & "Eric's Theme" represent the two British runners, the first theme sounding somewhat dreamy, the second more obviously aspiring, with a suggestion of "Amazing Grace"in the melody.
The track "100 Metres" harks back to the experimental side that Vangelis showedin albums such as "Beaubourg". A complete contrast is provided by the following track, an arrangement of Parry's "Jerusalem".
The final track, entitled "Chariots of Fire", is one Vangelis's most unusual compositions. Lasting 21 minutes, & sometimes sounding like a piano concerto, it isin turn wistful, dramatic & beautiful. In my opinion, it's the best reason for buying the album.
Altogether, the music for "Chariots of Fire" is variablein quality, but well worth exploring if you're predisposed to Vangelis's style.
