The French Connection: 25 70's albums from 25 acts

This poll includes some of my favourite albums from French acts (released or founded in France) from the 1970s. There are many that I would have liked to include, but there are only 25 options and I don't like to crowd those with "and/or" propositions. I did leave off some of the more popular names, like I love Jarre, but I chose to cover some lesser known ones. My master list is almost 60 and I easily could have included more that I have appreciated. France was my favourite country for releases especially in my early years here. It's still one of my favourites but the world has so much to offer generally. And a lot of my favourite French music is not so "prog" and comes from other decades (the 1980s was very strong for RIO and Zeuhl from France -- Art Zoyd, my big love).

I might do another poll to cover 25 of those that I oped not to include this time. The ones I gave asterisks to are the ones I decided on this time.

Jean-Pierre Alarcen - Tableau N° 1 (1979)
Ange - Au-delà du délire (1974)
Arachnoïd - Arachnoïd (1979)
* Archaïa - Archaïa (1977)
* Art Zoyd - Musique pour l'Odyssée (1979)
Atoll - L'araignée-mal (1975)
* Besombes-Rizet - Pôle (1975)
Tim Blake - Crystal Machine (1977)
Emmanuel Booz - Le Jour où les Vaches... (1974)
Jean-Louis Bucchi - Sunflower (1978)

Carpe Diem - En regardant passer le temps (1975)
Clearlight - Clearlight Symphony (1975)
* Clivage - Mixtus Orbis (1978)
* Cortex - Troupeau bleu (1975) (not in PA, but relevant)
Pascal Duffard - Dieu est Fou (1976)
Etron fou leloublan - Batelages (1977)
* Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)
* Gong - You (1974) (Gong formed in France even if "multinational")
* Alain Goraguer - La planète sauvage (1973)
Jean-Philippe Goude & Olivier Colé - Jeunes Années (1976)
     
* Heldon - Stand By (1979)
Herbe Rouge - Côté Cour, Côté Jardin [aka Herbe Rouge] (1978)
Honeyelk - Stoyz vi Dozévéloy (1979)
Horrific Child - L'étrange Mr. Whinster (1976)
Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygène (1976)
Kha - Ym - 10 "GMT (1979)
* Komintern - Le bal du rat mort (1971)
* Lard Free - Gilbert Artman's Lard Free (1973)
Tedd Lasry - E = MC² (1976)
* Magma - Kobaïa (1970)

* Gerard Manset - La mort d'Orion (1970)
Memoriance - Et après... (1976)
* Moving Gelatine Plates - The World of Genius Hans (1972)
* Janko Nilović - Rythmes contemporains (1974) (not in PA, but very relevant jazz fusion, imo, who moved to France in 1960)
Pentacle - La Clef des Songes (1975)
Richard Pinhas - Chronolyse (1978)
* Plat du jour - Plat du jour (1977)
Pulsar - The Strands of the Future (1976)
* Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - Paix (1972)
Rialzu - Rialzu (aka U Rigiru) (1978)

Ripaille - La vieille que l'on brûla (1977)
Yochk'o Seffer - Ghilgoul (1978)
* William Sheller - Lux Aeterna (1972)
Shylock - Gialorgues (1977)
* Space Art - Trip in the Center Head (1977)
Laurent Thibault - Mais on ne peut pas rêver tout le temps (1979)
Christian Vander - Tristan et Iseult (1974)
* Jean-Claude Vannier - L'enfant assassin des mouches (1972)
Visitors - Visitors (1974)
* Vortex - Les cycles de Thanatos (1979)

* Igor Wakhévitch - Docteur Faust (1971)
Wapassou - Wapassou (1974)
* Weidorje - Weidorje (1979)
Bernard Xolotl - Journey to an Oracle (1977)
* Zao - Osiris (1974)
* Zanov - Green Ray (1976)
Zed - Visions of Dune (1979)
ZNR - Barricade 3 (1976)

Please vote for up to five (or more, or less) and feel free to mention any favourites not in the poll, may be in my masterlist or not, from the 70s associated with France. Thanks

So I might do another poll, might very well not, to cover more from my masterlist. Hope plenty of forum members can see something that they enjoy in the list. I might do a playlist later too even if it is only for my, um, something or other.

Edited by Logan - October 23 2024 at 21:37

Bj-1 wrote: Another tough poll. Went with Heldon, Zoyd, Gong, MGP and Weidorje, with Archaia, Igor W, Vortex, Zao, Catherine Ribeiro just behind

From a list of music that of course I really like, I love your choices.

Hmm, while I really wish to keep this in five, I'll go with...
Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
Jean-Claude Vannier - L'enfant assassin des mouches
Cortex - Troupeau bleu
Janko Nilovic - Rythmes contemporains
Magma - Kobaïa
and Art Zoyd - Musique pour l'Odyssée today.

Really want to give Wakhévitch, Heldon, Catherine Ribeiro and Gong a vote too as well as the others (the perils and follies of voting in polls of one's personal faves). :)

Cortex

Edited by David_D - October 24 2024 at 04:26

progaardvark wrote: I arrange my pants in Dedekind cuts, then by zipper brand.

Thanks all for the comments. I knew this listing would not be very popular at this site on the whole, but I'm glad to see people who do like multiple albums (some albums or most albums). I would think there would be something for most here who have fairly varied, fairly adventurous, groovy and enjoy atmospheric music tastes when it comes to 70s progressive music.

As I wrote in the recent 70s German topic by me, for any who may wish to acquaint or reacquaint themselves with music from albums of this list, as is common from me, I made a playlist with one track per album that I really like. Plenty of the "usual suspects" from me here. The tracks may not be most representative of the album, it is no substitute for listening to full albums, I could have gone with others, and you might prefer other choices, but I enjoy the exercise and I hope some others find something they like by checking out some of the music.



https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4LN9mxNbBu4E0LPwnryiZL0

Edited by Logan - October 24 2024 at 11:02

Logan wrote: ...feel free to mention any favourites not in the poll....

I'm sometimes confused why a lot of you guys are such 70's fanboys and treat said decade as some holy worship-worthy magical fairy dust time period. For the record, Stonehenge (2010) is one of my favorite French prog albums ever.

Anyway, I voted for Moving Gelatine Plates. While not a prog rock classic, I think it's a masterpiece in terms of woodwind/brasswind orchestration.

Well, on 2nd thought, there certainly is something to it. And I think it's more than just nostalgia. I was born in 1996 and still I can see a certain strangely unique appeal to the 70s music that can't be found elsewhere.

Still, I'm not as blinded by it as most of the folk here and I can apprciate modern music equally as much. Peace.

Edited by Hrychu - October 25 2024 at 04:33