CONCERT 1975, TOULOUSE - THÉÂTRE DU TAUR

This was recorded live not too long after the "Live / Hhai" album with the same lineup except that Patrick Gauthier is here in place of Jean Pierre Asseline. I love this lineup with Lockwood, Paganotti, Widemann and Gauthier.Then again there are probably 5 different MAGMA lineups that are very impressive to me.

"Kohntarkosz" settles in after 2 1/2 minutes with vocals, growly bass, drums and more.Violin joins in as well. Check out the drumming 5 1/2 minutes in. It settles back a minute later with the drums and keys standing out. More growly bass after 9 minutes. Male vocal melodies after 12 minutes before settling back with female vocal melodies. A silent calm 15 minutes in then the percussion and guitar rise out of it. Male vocals before 17 1/2 minutes as it builds. Some wild outbursts before 20 minutes then the violin returns. All hell breaks loose after 22 1/2 minutes.The violin is ripping it up 24 minutes in. It settles back again as the violin stops. Check out the bass 26 1/2 minutes in, and the violin is slicing and dicing. It settles back again just before 30 minutes. It ends with some intensity.What a ride !

"Hhai" is laid back with male vocals early.The vocals are more passionate after 3 minutes as the violin joins in. Drums and crazy vocals 4 1/2 minutes in. Piano and chunky bass as well. A calm after 9 minutes. It's building a minute later before we get an insane ending. "Kobaia" kicks in right away with drums then vocals follow at 1 1/2 minutes. Man this sounds amazing. Growly bass before 6 minutes and the guitar follows as Federow solos until after 10 minutes as the vocals then return. It picks up 11 minutes in with chanting and violin.

Disc Two contains one track and that's "MDK" at over 38 minutes. Vocals after a minute as the violin plays over top as the bass and drums support. So good. A change before 2 1/2 minutes as it picks up. It calms right down before 4 minutes. Here we go after 5 1/2 minutes as the bass digs deep and the drums start to pound. Gotta love those vocal melodies before 7 minutes.Great sound before 9 minutes. It's a frenzy 13 minutes in. It changes to an experimental mode 20 minutes in with lots of fuzz. It's insane after 23 1/2 minutes and the crowd roars when the insanity stops.The violin is ripping it up 30 minutes in.The drums impress big time the rest of the way.

No doubt this is one of their better live recordings although I have five from them that i'd consider essential listening if your a MAGMA fan.

Recorded a few months after the material captured on Live/Hhai, Theatre du Taur is, like that album, a double disc release offering a deep dive into the live world of Magma during the height of their powers. The first disc covers material much the same as that on the first disc or so of Live/Hhai, though it's interestingly different in some respects thanks in part to some improvisations differing, in part due to the lineup here being different (with Patrick Gauthier offering a somewhat different keyboard approach).

The second disc is an exciting live runthrough of Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh. Yes, if you get into Magma live albums you'll probably end up with multiple live performances of their masterwork - but this is a pretty good one. I'd actually say the sound quality here has a slight edge on the somewhat murky sound of Live/Hhai, so if you like that one, you'll probably love this, if you haven't delved into live Magma before this is as good a starting point as any.