EIDER STELLAIRE

Nihil is a longer track than that of the same name on their debut and makes the most of the new band members, sounding completely different to the original really. Its actually quite upbeat for a good five minutes until a familiar fuzzy bass kicks in and its a lot more recognisable as Zeuhl. Similar on the second track, upbeat for half until suddenly slowing down and becoming more eerie. The third track starts as a slightly more energetic effort than a lounge jazz track, making the most of the keys to sound like a horn fanfare in parts. It gets a lot more energetic as it goes on Not much to go on to call this one Zeuhl but its still likeable. Shame they ended their run after three albums really.

I had to dig deep into youtube to get to this album and I'm so glad I did.

Opening track Onde hits you like a sledgehammer with frenetic and powerful drum, bass, piano, guitar. I don't really know how best to describe it. Just have a listen.

Arctis 6eme Ephemeride starts in similar vein but slows the pace down a little for a flute passage followed by lyricless female vocals and some aggressive guitar. All driven by some head bopping bass. It finishes with an eerie and suspenseful slower section.

On Legende there's some great guitar work, backed up by that excellent bass. The guitar line settles down and then duets with the vocalist in short passages before returning to solo work. In the final minute there's some nasty guitar work. Makes me want to rush out and buy a leather jacket and grow a beard.

Tetra is a slower toe-tapping bassline with a guitar solo-ing over it. There's a lot less in the way of diversification in this track so its probably my least favourite, but still pretty good.

Nihil is perhaps the most 'Magma-like' track, mainly due to the vocalisations. Piano work is prominent on this track too which is a lot more broody. Pretty good finish.

This for me is up there with the best Zeuhl albums. Not going as far as calling it a masterpiece, but its certainly a high four stars.

"Nihil" should sound familiar as it's on the debut but this one is longer at almost 10 1/2 minutes. How about that fuzzed out bass before 5 minutes. I like the guitar and electric piano the most as this plays out. "L'encre Des Litanies" is an uptempo number with the electric piano, drums and bass leading the way with synths over top then the guitar joins in. It all stops after 5 1/2 minutes as it turns haunting with slow beats and eerie synths. Electric piano joins in the guitar. So good. The closer reminds me in style of the opener. This one is kind of jazzy and relaxed until it starts to pick up around 3 1/2 minutes in. The guitar starts to solo over top from 5 minutes to 6 1/2 minutes. Man I swear there are horns on here but none are credited.

A low 4 stars for this half hour of music but I feel they went out on a high at least.

This is one of those albums that has been virtually impossible to find for many years after its inception since it was issued originally in 1981 as a small private micro-pressing of only 300 vinyl LPs. That is the version with the blue cover and stellar backdrop. A second self-released small pressing took place in 1986 which sported a white backdrop on the cover with a castle in the lower right corner. It also had a sticker slapped on it that shouted '1st Album!' Despite two releases, it was still super rare and remained one of the most sought after obscurities in the prog universe. While it has been available to hear once the internet has been in existence, finally in 2011 the holy chapel in the form of the record label Soleil Zeuhl remastered the album and re-released it on CD with the original album cover but if you want any of the vinyl editions, expect to shell out some serious dough.

Like all zeuhl projects, EIDER STELLAIRE are highly influenced by 70s Magma with the same exact mix of 20th century classical (Bartok, Orff, Stravinsky) and rock fortified jazz-fusion with strong bass driven rhythms and angelic female vocals. The band Astarte started out with Michel Le Bars (drums), Patrick Singery (bass) and Jean-Claude Delachat (guitar) who all played together for three years before disbanding and beginning the EIDER STELLAIRE project in 1980. During the Astarte years, the band would open up for Magma when much of the material for this debut album was written so on top of being influenced by Vander's pride and joy, they would become immersed in the music as well which becomes more obvious when listening to this debut release. After reforming under the different band name the additional members of Pierre Gerard-Hirne (piano, organ), V'ronique Perrault (vocals), Marie- Anne Boda (vocals, flute) und Michel Moindre (tenor sax) would join in and the EIDER STELLAIRE party began.

ALBUM NO. 1 originally hosted five tracks and the re-release added an alternative version of 'Nihil' which was longer and quite different as a bonus track. EIDER STELLAIRE not surprisingly sound a lot like Magma. In the similarities department we have the same incessant rhythmic bass workouts that form the backbone of the musical drive but with the same nerdy precision of Jannick Top and the host of other bassists who have tackled this demanding sub-genre. The alienating effects of the music are nearly identical as EIDER STELLAIRE easily whisks you away from 'normal' Earthly bound music. Another distinct feature that is clearly from the Magma playbook are the ethereal female vocals that offer the same sort of human touch that was so prevalent on not only Magma albums but Canterbury greats such as Hatfield & The North. The bass driven grooves are also augmented by organs and keyboard runs as counterpoints. That's where the similarities end.

The differences are numerous. EIDER STELLAIRE blend in a lot more jazz-fusion than the Magma albums after the first two did but even so it's not like the first two Magma albums which were extremely experimental. This is completely zeuhl oriented with jazz- fusion touches more like the band Zao only a tad demanding and a lot more energetic. What really drives EIDER STELLAIRE over the top is the inclusion of heavy guitar riffing and soloing which is something not common in the zeuhl microverse. For the most part this music is completely vocal free save the examples strewn about where the girls chant wordless utterances. Despite falling into what some would call clone country, EIDER STELLAIRE do find their own voice in the zeuhl wilderness although admittedly with a rhythmic drive and bass bombast so similar to their influences, it's hard to remember that small detail.

Though the band sounds most similar to Magma when the girls are hitting the high notes, there are times of pure magic such as on "Arctis 6.'me 'ph'm'ride' where the instrumental interplay is absolutely divine and if one pays attention to the details of the bass lines in mix with the frenetic percussion, it is apparent that EIDER STELLAIRE implement a far more jazzy approach than Magma with their Teutonic marches onto the battlefield. This music has a lighter and airier feel as if Weather Report was joining in for a few sessions but then got carried away. While many deem this as a masterpiece and cornerstone of the sub-genre i'm not quite as keen on it. It's certainly a stellar example of zeuhl taken on its own terms but in the end this debut album sounds like a perpetual jam of sorts with no real resolution for the compositions, something Magma never lacked. It simply doesn't register as highly as Magma's never-ending supply of top notch albums. EIDER STELLAIRE would only release three albums and ultimately Michel would later join Christian Vander's post-Magma band Offering which i would imagine was a dream come true.

3.5 rounded down

Although my impressions looks negative, as I said I do like this album, the songs are not bad imo, they are just very different from what we already got to know by the band. The songs are lighter and maybe more accessible although still contain some amount of weirdness. I don't think I could classify this as zehul anymore, although it does conatin some zehul elements, first of all that grainy deep kind of bass tone is still present and that kind of continues drilling mantras are also there to some extent. The vocals are different now and are not zehulic but are much more inspired by Frank Zappa, I can't help but feel that the music is a bit more psychedelic too. Yes I know it's hard to imagine how this whole think is even possible, you gotta hear it to believe.

Ring the opener starts and you already feel something is different, there's a different vibe now, much lighter. Bass and vocals drives the rhythm as the keyboards feel out the song, this is maybe the closest as you'll get to improvisation or solos on this album, good stuff. Aretis continues the line of that 80's jazzy/zehulic rhythm again topped with Zappaesque vocals, although comes out as a little flat overall it is surprisingly enjoyable to my ears. The next Kiowa Riviere De Lune is a calm short piece, which contains pretty much nothing inside, not a very effective attempt. Fferyllt is better but could have been much better, I like the main theme here, nice overall but nothing more really. Delebration De L'eau is more sinister with a prominent bass line and some restraint keys on top, again nice but nothing more.

Not a bad album but could have been so much better, I would recommend it only for completionists who's curios to see the band's evolvement, like me. 3 stars barely.

1. "Onde" (8:35) solid Zeuhl fare with differing keyboard sounds but still using chunky bass and drums to propel the music ever onward. Very nice guitar work from Jean-Claude Delachat. Well performed overall but lacking a little of the "raptured soul" of Vander's stuff. (18/20)

2. "Arctis 6.ème Éphéméride" (7:04) chunky fretless bass á la JACO PASTORIUS, the song has a very nice progression with imperceptibly smooth transitions. Though I'm not a fan of the fuzzed up Mahavishnu John McLaughlin sound employed by Delachat, I laud the work--his play with the bass player and off of the female choir. I also enjoy the subtle presence of the flute. (13.5/15)

3. "Légende" (5:37) more JACO bass, bouncy Fender Rhodes, quieter drums, to support the lead guitarist's work--and it is extraordinary, I must say. I'd say this one is less Zeuhlish, more jazz fusion. But it's really good! (9.5/10)

4. "Tétra" (6:32) slow, then fast, based in Latin rhythms, then Mahavishnu-like driving speed with Jean-Claude again the feature instrumentalist (which is not really in the true spirit of Zeuhl), this song shows good musicianship and emotional CORRADO RUSTICI-like guitar skills and stylings, but the funky bass, and tempo shifts don't always work. Sax in the latter half is a welcome addition. (8.5/10)

5. "Nihil" (7:26) opening like a Vander composition, letting whole band and voices slow-build into the main body of the song, it's good, it follows the Magma forms and examples, but, in the end, it's not quite Magma. It's the bass and singular female voice that detract. And though the drums start out very strong, they don't remain one of the driving forces of the song as Christian does--it's the simple bass and key chords that do a better job of that. Something about the way the drums are mixed into the soundscape weaken them, I think. (12/15)

Four stars; a wonderful contribution to the Zeuhl jazz fusion world--here fusing the MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA sound and style with Le Bars' MAGMA training.

I had been checking Amazon and a few other sites for a copy of this since I heard the recordings on PA a few years ago. I found that it was very good album and although I actually haven't heard it all the way through uninterrupted, from how I had heard it on PA, there is no doubt that I can give this cd a 4 star rating. Possibly edited up to a 5 star rating after a full listen or two or three! Zuehl is my second favorite genre/sub-genre on PA, next to RPI though I really do think that this is a very accessible album! I don't think that love of Zuehl is a necessity for enjoying this fine recording. Check it out on PA. Along with giving a review of this album, I also wanted to let anyone know who might have been in the same boat as myself to check AMAZON, UK! I was surprised to see it there, and although it was a little expensive, aren't most sought after treasures! Pick it up while you can!

(Thank you so much for this John!)

Eider Stellaire's first release has become somewhat of a cult classic, and deservedly so. The mix of jazz rock and that special unique shading that I'd like to call the teutonic touch, is here leaning heavily on the jazz side of things - making it an easy approachable album, and one that should appeal to a lot of different music listeners who like their fusion with a sprinkling of the serene and feminine.

That last part of the equation is all down to the two female vocalists of Eider Stellaire. Lingering and floating over the hard hitting jazz rock, you find an ethereal scat singing relying totally on wordless whispers and melodic effervescent emanations.

Now, personally I've always thought of Zeuhl as being the natural heir-taker of the European jazz culture that flourished after WW2. Heaps of Black jazz musicians now called France, Sweden, Denmark or even Germany their new home. Over here, they were synonymous with the American heroes that helped us trample Hitler's new world order, - AND they could play their ass off to boot - in a new and exciting way that soon took hold over our own musicians. All this may have started out as bebop, but like everything else, waves start as ripples, and these musicians were indeed the start of a wonderful sonic adventure about to unfold. France was no stranger to jazz, but this new wave of musicians still made serious ripples - soon inspiring the nation's youth to do their own thing with this newly found expression. By the end of the sixties the jazz world was again reinvented by artists like Miles and the whole notion of infusing rock within the classic mould, and sure enough, you were pretty soon spotting French artists mixing it up much like their contemporaries.

What sets this particular brand of jazz rock aside, is what Magma then proceeded to do with the genre, but I happen to think it happened even earlier than that. Zeuhl is not necessarily made up of a pseudo universe with its own strange lingo. Sure that's what it has become and known for, but when you start looking around at other artists from around the same time, you'll find a lot of the same essentials roaming freely: like the teutonic trade, the almost ritualistic rhythms, the apocalyptic menacing drive - all of this is also very present in a man like Igor Wakhevitch's music, - and well he got it from Luc Ferrari, a now famous composer that has influenced many an experimental musician - and he then got a thing or two from Edgard Varèse and so on... Again, we've said this thing over and over again: nothing exists in a vacuum. Not prog rock nor Zeuhl for that matter.

All of this ranting surely has a point, you must be saying to yourself by now, - and it does! I promise. This album was released at the beginning of the 80s, where music that put back the experimental quotient in the spotlight was a rare commodity outside of the RIO inspired groups that literally were in bloom. Eider Stellaire's debut is a throwback to the early fusion sage-rated days of Zeuhl. Reminding this listener of Magma's 1001 Centigrades that also wielded an uncanny jazz rock attitude, this album manages to put its own spin on something that by 81 was old and tried, yet somehow it comes off sounding as fresh as ever. The reason behind, according to my own uneducated guess, is the way it was captured on tape. Sounding like a regular live feast gone metaphysical right there and then at the recording session, it luckily avoids all of the androgynous studio tinkering that was going on at the time, where drums weren't aloud to sound like drums, synths should sound like plastic velcro and well just the whole notion of recording music separately and metronomic. All of that was frowned upon - or maybe the lack of money simply made the decision beforehand, - either way, the album is free of those 'dated' and lacklustre trades of the time - sounding meaty, vivacious and monumentally fresh - still after some 30 years!

Beautiful towering drum patterns - sounding like cataclysmic events happening all over each other - backed up by the deepest sweatiest bass you'll ever come across. Electric piano tip toeing its way into your heart with a small melody on its lips, often holding hands with a marvellous sounding organ that benefits the music by breathing air into the midst of things. This is surely fusion that reaches for the skies like huge buildings and skyscrapers rising up on the horizon.

I recommend anyone with a penchant for fusion to look into this record. It's an easy approachable bugger that'll charm its way down your trouser, like a lovesick ferret on the prowl. This could very well be your first time together with a Zeuhl album, and what a way to pop your cherry! 4.5 stars