CONCERT 1971, BRUXELLES - THÉÂTRE 140

this is an easy album to review. If you are reading this you are probably familiar with the music and language of Magma. If not.. get acclainted with a copy of Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh. This album is an 'official' bootleg recorded in Brussels at Theater 140 the 12th of November 1971. The date is significant for a couple of reasons. First off this was the first public performance of Mekanik Kommandoh which of course became the basis for their landmark (and essential album of prog) Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh. Secondly as a huge fan of the fusionairy debut album Kobaia, I wanted to hear live versions of songs from that album. On both counts the album left me completely satisfied.

Being a offficial 'bootleg' I feel a word about the quality of the album should be said. It is a released bootleg so don't expect 100% perfect sound quality. This album is for probably for Magma fans only. That said the quality was never a hinderance to my enjoyment of the album. Now on to the album itself

The album contains three songs off of Kobaia. Stoah, Kobaia, and Aina. The whole of the 1001 degrees Centigrade album, and two works in the formative phases at that point. The aforementioned Mekanik Kommandoh, and Sowiloi which would turn up later on the outakes album Inedits. The one thing that really stood out between this album and the previous versions of songs I noticed, was the Rhodes Piano and it's central place in the live Magma sound. Many accoustic parts in Kobaia were played instead by the Rhodes. That took a bit of getting use to for me since part of my love of Kobaia was the great accoustic piano playing.

The highlights for me...

Stoah. Those opening vocals are impressive. Even more so in the live environment. The vocals are so massive on this album. Must have been an incredible live show.

Iss Lansei Doia. My least favorite song off of 1001 is transformed here into a favorite by a simple shift in instruments. The menacing intro riff instead of being played on the bass is instead played on the accoustic piano. Adds a whole new darker vibe to it.

Mekanik Kommandoh a showcase for Blasquiz's vocal improvisations. A fascinating listen. 18 minutes of total musical freedom.

Magma is not for everyone so I'm torn in trying to rate the album. Much like my ELO album earlier today, my personal score will be several stars higher than I actually rate it. For myself 4 stars. In general for the prog community. Magma/Zeuhl completionists only but that is no reflection on the incredible quality of this music.

micky

I believe this is the earliest live record that MAGMA has officially released. An archival release from 1996, but the concert is from November 12, 1971. And it features the same seven piece lineup from their second album "1001 Centigrades". I like the setup here with the songs, as the opening three numbers are from their debut, then the next three are from "1001 Centigrades" which is the whole album by the way. Then they end it with two previously unreleased tracks. A double cd worth 83 1/2 minutes. The sound quality is passable, but far from being the best.

The music on MAGMA's first two albums is so different from what would follow. This is before the females were part of the band, before Jannik Top was part of the band. And it was very much an experimental jazz style with three horn players as part of their lineup. There is no chanting or rhythm here. This is like proto-zeuhl. And I find it tough going. I prefer their first two studio album to this live one. Perhaps the sound quality is affecting me more than I thought. Christian doesn't help the way he starts off the album screaming in that high pitched voice. Annoying. The bass also doesn't rise to the Top if you know what I mean.

I had a hard time with this, this past week. And I "get" Micky giving this 2 stars although he says personally it's a 4 star record for himself. I can't go higher than 3 stars, or lower for that matter. It's a nice document from their beginnings though. And it's always nice to hear future ZAO members Cahen and Seffer doing their thing. Love those two.