LARD FREE

The lineup on GILBERT ALTMAN'S LARD FREE included Altman himself on drums, vibes and grand piano along with François Mativet on guitars, Philippe Bolliet on saxophones and Hervé Eyhani on both bass and synthesizers. Album #1 showcases a wide range of jazz music as the basic rhythmic keeper while the guitars and synthesizer sounds are allowed to go absolutely ape [&*!#] thus crafting a unique dynamic throughout a roster of seven tracks that each takes on a completely new approach of crafting a true form of musical chaos but always includes a lifeline of some sort to keep the music from spiraling into completely avant-garde noise. The opening "Warinobaril" is quite misleading as opens with a relaxed groove with a rather mechanical German motorik groove generated by a beefy bass and several references to the world of neighboring Germany's Krautrock scene.

With "12 Ou 13 Juillet Que Je Sais D'Elle" things start to get a bit wilder though seemingly starting out tame with a rather smooth jazzy swing only to be joined by a sputtering loose cannon synthesizer solo that ratchets up the tension into an explosive conclusion that decides to depart the musical flow altogether and becomes a rogue sputtering effect. The two part nearly 9 minute in length track continues the second part with a totally different approach only with a dissonant guitar delivering crazy rhythmic bombast in the company of a more pacified saxophone keeping the entire thing from sounding like Fred Frith having a bad acid trip. "Honfleur Écarlate" follows suit but in a more subdued manner with a steady bass groove that allows the guitar freak out and the saxophone to delivery a unique staccato form of syncopation. "Acide Framboise" actually resembles something that one might expect from Clear Light's symphonic mastery in the keys department only set to a recycled groove while Mativet delivers an atonal guitar dance around it.

"Livarot Respiration" is the most free floaty track on board with a slowed down bass groove and an emphasis on the calming vibes starting very much like a typical 60s cool jazz number only the bass melody sounds like a smooth jazz version of the bass line in Janis Joplin's 1971 hit "Move Over." After two rather subdued and less startling tracks, the closing finale "Culturez-vous Vous Même" sounds more like something Heldon would latch onto with layered synth drones that slowly glide through a perucssionless detached soundscape that offers the bleakest and most abstruse of them all. But ends with a few tinklings of the piano and then it's all over. Overall a unique installment to the early world of French outsider music which easily qualified LARD FREE to be included on the Nurse With Wound list. A diverse album that offers varying degrees of placidity, sonic textures explorations, extended jazz techniques and an interesting mix of avant-prog and Krautrock. At times pacifying and at others startling and truly obnoxious, GILTMAN ARTMAN'S LARD FREE is an album that is worthy of the attention of any true sonic explorer of the strange and unusual experiments that were bursting out of the early 1970s.

Free-Jazz and pre-stoner material that has been surpassed by more focused free-jazz and "stoner" (remember Hendrix) musicians then and now. I guess the big thrill is that Lard Free comes from France not Germany. Besides that, this their first release in 1973, will hardly amuse anyone in 2015, certainly not me.

I suppose its charms could be forced by the kind of ear-weed you use, but it really has to be a very strong one, the kind that makes you enjoy losing your time with such a lukewarm and effortless effort.

Forgettable and innocuous.

**2 (the guitar and wind works are the only thing from rating it 1) PA stars.

This is the 1973 debut by this project by Gilbert Artman. This is one group that can be easily called eclectic prog, progressive electronic, jazz rock/fusion, and avant prog as you get elements of all of those in their music, so the music ends up being considered Krautrock without even originating in Germany, and it's really difficult how much Artman had picked up on the German scene. It's easier to know he likely picked up on the British prog and the American jazz rock/fusion scene. King Crimson is a rather obvious influence, the guitarist here often sounds like Robert Fripp crossed with John McLaughin, he'd do a lot of those McLaughin-like leads but then include Fripp-like sustains and distortions. Heldon is another comparison, but you have to bear in mind in 1973 Richard Pinhas was in transition from Schizo, a psychedelic band, and Heldon, who had yet to see any albums as of 1973 (although Pinhas does appear on Lard Free's second album, I'm Around About Midnight, solidifying the Heldon comparison). The first cut features a bass line, with some distorted lead guitar and jazzy arrangements. The next piece is a two part, starting off as a purely electronic piece played on an ARP 2600 synthesizer, before going into fusion overdrive that sounds like Crimson meets Mahavishnu. "Acide Framboise" is a nice piece with this big, juicy ARP 2600 synthesizer that completely dominate the piece while "Livarot Rispartion" is a nice, laid back, pleasant piece dominated by Artman's vibraphone, with bass and sax. The last piece is simply low-key droning synth that might not be to everyone's liking (might be too minimalist for some), but I enjoy it. Why have I not tried Lard Free earlier? I don't regret purchasing their albums one bit.

Judging the album by the first track, this is a real winner! this is exactly the kind of stuff i'm looking for, going from easy sounding and climaxing to a wild jam. Featuring a nice bass line, hypnotic kind of rhythm, great sax, playing some atmospheric lines, top that with wild guitar that will make Mr. Fripp applauding and some screaming sax... this is my cup of tea. There are few more parts in this vein that gets me very excited but what holds me from enjoying this all the way, are some mediocare parts where the keys or the saxophone takes the lead and while it's nice, it's actually not that great, it lacks some punch but than again i guess the band is not trying to have a punch all the time, it's minimalistic and quite atmospheric. The last two tracks are my least favorite, they are atmospheric and although one contain nice sax playing, it doesn't hold my interest at all, not to mention the last track which i can summarize as nothing!

The album has a huge amount of potential, the playing is always good and the overall mix of styles is pretty successful, and i can see why there are some very positive reviews. So if you like all the elements i've mentioned, this could be a very very good addition to your collection, but for my taste it's not enough and the music kind of goes over my head. it's 3.2 to be exact by my scale.

In many ways jazz and Krautrock are highly reminiscent of each other. They both seek out the obscure in the music, those notes that hide away from the conspicuous. They share a love of the improvised in music as well - letting the mighty gods of interplay decide which way the winds blow, and then pursue the hell out of them on some of the wildest windswept journeys you´ll ever hear in your life.

Where these waters meet, this album originated. -Brought into being by those parenting cultures, and then breaking completely free in what has quickly become one of my favourite musical hybrids. Whilst sharing many facets with the freejazz of the late 60s - especially in the frivolous handling of the saxophone by Philippe Bolliet, - the feel of those early Germanic explorations in electronics also flavours quite a bit of this record. This is one of the most compelling things to me personally, and it was also these electronics that drew me in to begin with. This album is not what I would call an easy listen - not at all, and I had some difficulties breaking through the rather avant garde like surface of it, when I first started listening to it. It had me crawling up the walls with its creepy froggy sounds that seemed to come out of nowhere, and those manic saxophone sections were far too haphazard and unharnessed to possibly be of any use in the music. But then I popped it on one evening after a long day, and I remember the sky was all bloody and black, like it was divided in utter beauty and pitch black evil. I was tired and irritated, and felt my head was somewhere, but not exactly there - not attached to me in any way - just flying about out there in the perimeter. Suddenly this album started to make sense. It felt organic and purposeful, although purpose might be a bit of a stretch when we´re talking about this kind of music, but for what it´s worth, I felt the world speaking back to me in this dramatic scenery and the accompanying music. The otherwise convoluted nature of the tracks unfolded before me like backwards origami, and everything fell into place.

This album is largely built up around the absolute freedom of expression - meaning there are no boundaries and no "right" way to play the instruments, - and even though this freejazz mantra is right at the front seat of its creation, - the music coming out of the speakers acts very orchestrated and in tune with everything. Jumping from minimalistic grooves generated by the motorik laden drum work, not entirely unlike that you´ll find on a NEU! album from around the same time, - to the altogether more happening events of the lead instruments such as the electric guitar and saxophone - the textures of Lard Free´s debut differentiate between these wonderfully crafted musical entities. Just like in the aforementioned NEU! - there´s a certain natural progression attached to all these tracks, and the easiest way of describing this is by comparing it to a fountain or a cornucopia. Like turning on a faucet, and then the music just pours out freely without any hesitations or preconceived ideas. Its just there, and that is something which I find pretty amazing, because when you make music like this, there is an infinite amount of things that can go horribly wrong, but here it just doesn´t. It clicks. It happens and conducts itself on its own premise, and sometimes I´ve wondered whether the instruments are playing the musicians and not the other way around.

This is Gilbert Artman´s project and what he does even better than drumming, playing the piano or sculpturing the cryptic sounding synths - is indeed acting like a psychedelic jazz head honcho from the outer rim of Krautrock - creating one of the most enigmatic and unique debut albums I have ever encountered. Much like Zappa was the conductor of his music, Artman too develops this album through the inspiration of the other people involved - swaying the outcome like a genuine classical conductor standing tall in front of the band wearing a black and white penguin costume waving a little stick maniacally around. I think he had an initial idea with this record - he wanted to make something free and in the vein of what unfolded, and then all these other French saboteurs came into the picture with loads of ideas and alternating perspectives - delivering the final spices to the dish. Just like Zappa, I think Artman did an outstanding job of keeping this project focused on the music at hand - and not only streamlined the whole thing, but also maintained that original spark that once originated somewhere in the embers of his own head.

One of my most beloved things about this album is that whenever I play it, all of my surroundings seem to vanish in favour of the crimson blooded sky, that I told you about before. The colours of this angry and violent heaven slowly and quite beautifully cascade onto this music in the most wonderful and incomprehensible way - and I´m often left with an impression of having survived a sneak attack from a sunset trying to drown me in a blood-red glaze and the appropriate music to go with such a thing.

"La Chevauchee Des Vaches Qui Rient" is very experimental sounding with all these noises coming and going. Sax 1 1/2 minutes in starts to come and go as well in a dissonant manner. It starts to wind down after 3 minutes and blend into "Cochonailles" where the sax and overall sound starts to build before a minute.The guitar 2 minutes in is not melodic at all (haha). Sax is back after 3 1/2 minutes. Vibes and drums as well. It's getting louder until it's very intense late. "Tobrouck 120 KMS" opens with clarinet that is fairly laid back. Other sounds join in at 2 minutes. It's very Avant-garde here. Flute and bass become prominant as the sound changes 5 1/2 minutes in as the guitar and drums help out. It blends into "Noisy Son Sec" where the vibes become dominant quickly. Acoustic guitar comes to the fore then the vibes return. So much going on here with all these intricate sounds. It's avant sounding here as well. A calm with sax before 4 minutes and the sax gets a little dissonant a minute later then it settles right down. It's picking up before 7 minutes as we get an intense sound to the end.

"Choconailles" opens with the organ floating in as bass joins in then it picks up with fuzzed out organ and sax. This really reminds me of SOFT MACHINE. It's jazzy 3 1/2 minutes in then it builds. A change before 6 minutes and some crazy sax expressions follow. "Petit Tripou Du Matin" opens with guitar sounds then other sounds join in with drums dominating. Sax over the top at 2 1/2 minutes then it stops after 4 minutes and this eerie organ comes in as it settles.The tempo picks up and it's actually catchy right here. I mean this is melodic and really good. Sax joins in with bass and fuzz organ too. So good ! "A Chacun Son Boulez" has these different sounds coming and going. No melody, in fact quite the opposite. Dissonant sax screams out again and again. Insanity. At one I point I swear I hear someone sawing. Nasty horns 6 minutes in.

This is a must for you Avant freaks out there.

Comparisons with Heldon are inevitable, and rightly so as they've both played in each others bands. Sometimes sounding a bit repetitive but ultimately leading to a tranced out feeling of stupor, it's very easy to get caught up in this weirdness. I'm sure most folk would find this too cold to listen to. It's almost as if it was composed by androids. 'Spirale Malax' has an excellent use of stereo and the treated guitars sound great too. ARP's and EMS's are used throughout and there's lots of backward rotating drums and echoes.

It's not going to win any prizes, but it's an excellent experiment in electronics.

Mr Artman would later go on to form the even stranger 'Urban Sax' - An orchestra of between 25 -50 people who played saxophone. Now that really was a head scrambler!

Music on their debut album is perfectly composed angular rhythm structures-based synth/rhythm compositions with free-jazz sax improvs over them. All this mix sounds heavy, spacey, psychedelic, minimalistic - and excellent. I am not sure if this music could be labelled as "krautrock" , or let say - it's a French krautrock. You can easily hear there influences from Terry Riley, very jazzy drumming and guitar improvs, and at the same time almost Magma-like Orffian atmosphere.

Six quite short compositions sound all different and absolutely fresh even now! Rare and very successful combination of early spacey psychedelic synth-rock, highest level free-jazz and some neo-classical minimalism.

Excellent work from one of the best French jazzy psychedelic bands from 70-s. Very recommended!

My rating is 4,5, rounded to 5!

"Warinabaril" is my favourite song on here.The bass / light drum melody is very catchy as it gets louder with added sax a minute in.Then a minute later the guitar absolutely trashes the sound with some screaming and ripping sounds. "12 Ou 13 Juillet Que Je Sais D'Elle" is divided into 2 parts. Part 1 begins with reserved sax sounds as synths come in and build. Electronics are added after 3 1/2 minutes bringing some dissonance to the proceedings. Part 2 has a jazzy climate as bass throbs lightly with dissonant guitar. Sax after 1 1/2 minutes as the song developes an eastern flavour.

"Honfleur Ecarlate" opens with some nice bass lines before drums and sax join in.The guitar after 1 1/2 minutes is raw,distorted and out of control. "Acide Framboise" features electronics as guitar and drums join in after a minute. I really like this one. The guitar makes some noise 5 1/2 minutes in. "Livarat Respirated" opens with vibes as bass comes in. Sax 1 1/2 minutes in. Guitar comes and goes. This is a very slow moving track. "Culturez-Vous Vous- Memes" features electronics that sort of hum but then there are also waves of sound too. It stops 4 minutes in as piano tinkles away briefly to end it.

Like Sean I believe this one is a 4.5 star album and a very influential one at that.