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1984

This was a year that witnessed a number of influential collaborations for Michael Cretu as the artists with whom he started working in 1984 will remain present for a long time thereafter and some will continue to work with him to the present day.

After the Nineth Arabesque album "Time to Say Goodbye" - ( released in Japan on CD and in Russia with limited legality issues ) Sandra left the group. That album contained songs that were clearly Cretu's arrangement such as "Ecstasy" ( with an intro reminding of Sandra's 1986 hit "Hi! Hi! Hi!" ) as well as "Dreaming", "Tropical Summer Nights" and "The Smile of a Clown". Produced by Cretu, "Japan ist Weit" ( 7": Virgin GmbH 106 430-100 ) was Sandra's first solo release after leaving Arabesque. The song was a German version of "Big in Japan" by Alphaville. The release came to pass unnoticed and sold poorly.

Juliane Werding's "Ohne Angst" was co-arranged by Michael Cretu with Mats Bjorklund ( of the earlier Frank Farian production group ) and produced by Harald Steinhauer. In his work in 1984, Michael Cretu had begun to use distinctly computerized strong drum loops, and crisp synthesizers that drove the melody and were in the forefront of the composition. The track "Lohn der Angst" exemplified the milder side of the shift.

However, HUBERT KaH's Goldene Zeiten marked the evolution of Cretu's work with Hi-NRG at a time when Disco, not entirely faded, no longer set the trends. "Engel 07" - ( Angel 07 ) was an international hit, while other tracks ( "Wenn der Mond die Sonne Berührt - The Picture", and "Goldene Zeiten - Isn't it Lovely" enjoyed sizeable success in the charts and clubs and were issued on collectible colorful vinyl records.

"Goldene Zeiten", the album, was released on Blow Up Records on CD in 1984 ( Intercord 845.511 ) and re-issued on Polydor in 1996 after being digitally re-mastered ( 533 762-2 ).

Michael Cretu ~ "When I'm quoting from other albums it's simply some kind of remembering something but putting it in a new context."

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Written and researched By Taha A. Al-Douri
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