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Magma are still alive and kicking
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BaldJean View Drop Down
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    Posted: July 17 2021 at 04:26
Magma have existed for over 50 years, and luckily they still exist. the TV channel ARTE, a German/French co-production, broadcast an excerpt from a Magma concert, a rendition of MDK, that took place at a location called "Ground Control" on Jul 9th. the concert took place on Jun 22nd.

this was posted on YouTube with comments by the TV-channel in German and French. I translate from German:

"during their fifty-year career, the band established their own musical style (Zeuhl), developed their own artificial language (Kobaïan) and created a mythology that revolves around the planet Kobaïa and its inhabitants. Magma is therefore not just a band, but a small parallel universe.

Magma's music is comparable to a vortex that sweeps everything away: Christian Vander's group combines elements from rock, jazz, classical, rhythm and blues, metal, contemporary and world music. this spectrum of diverse influences creates compositions that are artificial and organic at the same time - a special world of sound that envelops you like a cloud.

Magma already fascinates on CD, but only live does the full density of their music unfold. as a guest at Ground Control, the band presents their complex arrangements and takes the audience on a journey into the Kobaïan universe. good trip"!

and here the link to their rendition of MDK:


lots of new musicians in the line-up, by the way


Edited by BaldJean - July 17 2021 at 04:27


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siLLy puPPy View Drop Down
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Points: 15254 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote siLLy puPPy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2021 at 07:01
Magma is one of those rare examples of a band that is still excellent! When i saw them live a few years ago i can't believe Christian Vander is still the drumming beast! The show was outstanding. One of those rare acts that is equally impressive live as it is in the studio. Long live Magma!

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Yeah I don’t particularly enjoy listening to them because at times they can be boring, but I swear, Christian Vander can sure pay the drums. They are honestly a great band, it’s good to know they are still going
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Points: 1383 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote zwordser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 17 2021 at 14:31
They're awesome!  Still my most profound moment ever at a live concert was seeing Magma.

I mostly like watching their videos, as Vander is probably the most fascinating drummer to watch (nobody gets in 'the Zone' like he does).
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Hi,

It's kinda far out to see something like MAGMA. IN all this time, hundreds of bands have undergone changes, and their material suffered because they "did not" sound like the original, and then you see MAGMA and seeing them do MDK (or anything else) is just as good as the first time it was done.

It begs a different take ... it's not about the musicians. It's about the great piece of music that has stood the test of some 50 years, and a lot of rock music from those days, just sounds plain tired and not half as good in any band from those days that we catch on the road. It's sad and difficult to see YES, and then GENESIS and then BROOHAHA and what not, and realize their magic is long gone. 

I can't help thinking that their very own appreciation for a piece of music was not the most important part of it all ... and I think that the only band I have seen that sounded as good as the original, so far, believe it or not, was THE EAGLES. I suppose that VdGG/PH wouldn't matter since their work is about the independent voice and feeling of Peter's, and many of their different versions of any piece has sound just fine, though we know the musicians were about the same.

GREAT MUSIC will always survive. I am not sure that a lot of the "progressive" music can get any better, when the attention to detail is changed to match something of the time and place. At least Nick Mason, made a strong effort to let people see what a lot of the music at that time was all about. And it sounds magnificent.

It's hard to find the right words for this, but every time I see these things I cry ... I know my generation did something VERY SPECIAL and it will be long remembered for its beauty!
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Points: 13386 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Manuel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 21 2021 at 10:35
It’s great to know that a fantastic band like Magma is still around. They’re certainly among the top music acts of the prog world.
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Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

Magma is one of those rare examples of a band that is still excellent! When i saw them live a few years ago i can't believe Christian Vander is still the drumming beast! The show was outstanding. One of those rare acts that is equally impressive live as it is in the studio. Long live Magma!

I would argue they are even more impressive live than studio. They really didn't click with me until seeing them live in 1999. After that I was hooked. The last time I saw them they played Theusz Haamtahk, of which no studio recording is available. To say it was moving would be an insane understatement. 

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Points: 166178 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Man With Hat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 21 2021 at 15:16
I did enjoy that, although I do miss the bass solo/jam that is usually present in live versions of this song. I will also miss Bubu as he was probably my favorite bassist that Magma ever had. 
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Points: 9233 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 21 2021 at 22:40
Great thread, great post, great band and legacy!

"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021
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BaldJean View Drop Down
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Points: 10387 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote BaldJean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2021 at 02:37
Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

Originally posted by siLLy puPPy siLLy puPPy wrote:

Magma is one of those rare examples of a band that is still excellent! When i saw them live a few years ago i can't believe Christian Vander is still the drumming beast! The show was outstanding. One of those rare acts that is equally impressive live as it is in the studio. Long live Magma!

I would argue they are even more impressive live than studio. They really didn't click with me until seeing them live in 1999. After that I was hooked. The last time I saw them they played Theusz Haamtahk, of which no studio recording is available. To say it was moving would be an insane understatement. 

to see Magma live is a spiritual experience. I am totally serious about this; I have heard this at many of their concerts from people who heard and saw them for the first time


A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta
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Points: 17538 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 22 2021 at 09:57
Originally posted by BaldJean BaldJean wrote:

...
to see Magma live is a spiritual experience. I am totally serious about this; I have heard this at many of their concerts from people who heard and saw them for the first time

Hi,

It is in the sense that it is so different than anything else, and its production/performance is so clean and well defined that it is hard to not think this is far out and appears to be some kind of a spiritual path and work. 

The hard part is when people try to look at MAGMA as some kind of a rock band, and they would seem to not like/enjoy the "difference" and the incredible amount of work and detailed rehearsal to ensure that it is clean and sounds right. In this sense, only King Crimson is anywhere near this quality, although considering KC some sort of spiritual would seem ridiculous, but giving it credit for being on par with the best of classical music in performance and detail, is more like it.
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Hercules View Drop Down
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Points: 7024 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hercules Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2021 at 05:17
One of those bands that I honestly couldn't care two hoots if they exist or not.
I find them pretentious and virtually unlistenable. A bit like King Crimson.
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Points: 2565 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Progishness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 25 2021 at 06:26
^ I too find Magma unlistenable (along with Gentle Giant & VDGG).
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Points: 624 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ProfPanglos Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 05 2021 at 11:52
I've seen Magma in concert twice.  Agreed, the experience is something entirely special.  Magma definitely makes it to my Top 5 concert experiences...  After over 40 years of attending frequent rock concerts, there are only a select few I'd see again/multiple times, but Magma makes the list for sure.
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