CLANDESTINS

After recording their live album in 78, and their drummer Hebert leaving, Octobre experimented with some theatre troupe and add saxman Gerry Leduc, played in France (where their albums never were released). At the turn of the decade, Quebec's cultural boom and the political emancipation programme were both in a coma (or at least a solid hangover), with Disco sweeping up the floor and a negative referendum, only a few pieces were left to glue back together. Most of the late 70's group from La Belle Province were now defunct or close to it. Octobre will actually manage to survive (survivance?) until 82 and record Clandestins on the small independent Kebek label, with Hebert returning to the fold. This album is clearly self-produced and "suffers" (but not really) from a less professional production job, but overall, the group managed it passably, but does not escape an end-of-era feeling. They did try to regain the spirit, bringing back the odd brass section arrangements and their early rock feel.

Opening on the Springsteenian Pour Te Retrouver (find you again), the album has to wait for the title track to find life, with newcoming Leduc sounding like Supertramp's Helliwell. Both tracks are close to overstaying their welcome, though. Imposteur is almost a brass-rock track, where the arrangements are flawless in the previous ADR album's mould. The aptly-titled Je Veux Rouler (I wanna roll) is just that: a meaningless rocker that is quickly forgotten. Not much more successful is Prière D'Asphalte (asphalt prayer, but it feels like they drank it instead of praying it). A good deal of the tracks would've been fillers on previous albums, and only L'Imaginoir manages to stand out of a relative mediocrity. Flynn wrote that on a Paris trip and the music does resemble what he would've written in Survivance's era and I really believe it is of the same excellent accabit with a great sax solo. The prophetically-titled closing instrumental Bout De La Ligne (end of the line) is a correct instrumental, but doesn't have the strength of their previous works.

Octobre manages to save this album from catastrophe, relying on their professionalism and almost succeeds to hide their failing inspiration, but to those knowing the group, Clandestins is really a half-hearted effort, where they shine all too briefly for two tracks. Best avoided, although confirmed fans will likely beg to differ.

Following this album's release, the group will embark a big semi-national 50-dates tour (from Ontario to Atlantic provinces), but obviously the group is standing on its last leg (this writer saw the group on that tour and was relatively unimpressed), lasting until August 82. The group will reform for a one-time reunion concert in 89, from which will be recorded four tracks available on the two disc compilation set.

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