THE STRANDS OF THE FUTURE

This one is definitely of a more symphonic nature than its predecessor (which was definitely more space rock) but I don't find it superior. Actually the music developped here is of a symphonic prog (Yes and Genesis type of prog), but is hardly essential listening. In many ways, it is possible to make a link with the kind of symphonic-style of rock that Marillion will develop at the start of the next decade. Not meaning this next comment to make a definitive statement, but somehow, if you could see this album as neo-prog "avant la lettre", you might just get a good idea of what this album sounds like.

Pleasant but not indispensable. I think that this band might have been included in this Eurock category if they had made shorter numbers . This type of music should be easily accessible to neo-prog fans along with Isopoda.

PULSAR's "Strands Of The Future" is one of the classic space prog rock albums of the 70's IMHO and remains to this day one of likely candidates for my desert island list ! Highlighted by the 22 Mins titled epic this album will blow your mind into another dimension. This album has everything I love... lots of FLOYDian keyboard spaceyness, great guitar soloing and accents and wonderful bass/drum interplay. Vocals are sung mostly in English with the exception of the epic track, which has a few words sung in native French. Vintage keyboards are used throughout featuring the Mellotron, moog and organ. Songs are very well written and give an overall feel of PINK FLOYD with a mix of ANGE and/or KING CRIMSON. My only criticism I have ever had about this album is the rather reduced sound quality which differs in contrast to their masterpiece "Halloween" which was exceptionally well recorded. However the album is still of course very listenable and remains a classic for sure and one of my favs.

Spacey progressive rock that features Mellotron...what a combination!!!! This one has to be consider a classic but not as the extend as "Halloween" which is the best of both. I am a hard fan of Pink Floyd, and when I found a band inspired on them I just drool and wonder; however, I love the distinctly French taste of this album. On this one, flute is used more...and the acustic swings are marvelous. This is a milestone of French symphonic progressive music during the 70's!!!!!!

Pulsar's second album, 'The Strands of the Future', is one of the definite and undisputable masterpieces of French prog, and together with their next recording 'Halloween', incarnates the band's peak in terms of inspired writing and skillful performing. Their style keeps on being somewhat inspired in 73-75 era Pink Floyd, but there are also obvious references to Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre's electronic excursions (powerful presence of multiple layers of synths and mellotrons), and also some compelling pastoral passages of flute and acoustic guitar in the 3-minute coda. All this complex sonic whole is perfectly manifested in the top-notch 22-minute namesake suite. In fact, this very suite might as well be referred to as the definite Pulsar song, since it not only encapsulates the various recurring musical flavors that make up the band's style, but it also takes those flavors to a magnificent level - the motifs and arrangements are masterfully crafted under the progressive banner at its most essential. The guitar solos that go reappearing here and there stand somewhere between Hackett's hypnotic vibe and Fripp's free flooding dissonances, most of the times creating interesting dialogues with the synth leads, but securing a starring role everytime they come to the fore. The brief sung section is mesmeric, and so are the synth lines and layers that are displayed through all remaining sections, spacey, symphonic and places in between. You can tell that this is your typical poetically passionate French prog, but not in the sense of Ange/Mona Lisa (theatrical, cynical), bue in a more melancholy, introspective mood, something like a psychological travel into the deepest and most obscure realms of the individual self, which explains why Pulsar's sound tends to be so inescrutable and tetric so recurrently. This suite may as well be worth the whole album... but there are still other good things to enjoy, the other three remaining tracks that occupied side B ofthe vynil. 'Flight' is a brief instrumental that alternates jazzy colours in the opening and closing sections, with a nice, languid interlude in between. 'Windows' is a dense symphonic ballad, which allows the band to explore in its own "Pinkfloydness". A special metnion has to go to the delicate flute lines that create surrounding colors around Gandil's lead voice. The stunning closing number 'Fool's Failure' (its final section is a clear homage to that of PF's 'Welcome to the Machine') is yet another particular highlight in Pulsar's discography: 'Fool's Failure' recaptures partially the somber magic of the namesake suite, giving this recording a "full circle structure", so to speak. Gandil's chanting gets somewhat Hammillian at times, albeit focusing on the melancholic timber and not goig to as many places as Hammill himself (well, the point was not emulting him, right?). I won't repeat the first words in this review: I'll just let my 5-star rating speak for itself.

I bought this LP when it came out in 1976. My immediate reaction was that these guys sounded like a Genesis clone, with more simplistic melodies, adequate but average vocals, and a lot of "marking-time" filler (Hello! Time for a chord change!!) masquerading as get- into-the-groove jamming. A few years ago, I bought the first three albums on CD. My overall opinion hasn't really changed, but I will keep this one and "Halloween", because they do have a nice sound. Just derivative.

This is the only album that I have from Pulsar and it reminds me to the glory days of the seventies prog when I listened to this album with other similar band (my view): Symphonic Slam. Yes, they are similar - at least on the heavy use of keyboard in a very slow paced music. The music of this album is a blend of space music, psychedelic, melancholic melody and some exploration of sound effects. And the other beauty of this album is the use of flute combined with mellotron and strings. Short track like "Flight" (2:37) is a very nice song with great combination of keyboard, flutes, strings and ethereal keyboard work. "Windows" (8:47) is another melodic song performed in slow tempo with floating vocal plus great flute work. "The Strands of The Future" (22:08) is a long space music which moves slowly. It contains keyboard effects and its sound exploration augmented with acoustic guitar work. At approx minute 10 I start to get bored especially with its sound effects exploration. It must be enjoyed with an open mind in relaxing mood.

Overall it's a good album which fits those who enjoy symphonic / space music with bands like Symphonic Slam, Tangerine Dream, Jean Micheke Jarre even though there are no close proximities among their music. For me personally, I did enjoy this album last night for a change especially after I enjoyed prog met CD of Dimension X "So .. This is Earth". It's a rewarding experience. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours, GW

This is the best of any "Pulsar" offerings IMO. Fully spacey and atmospheric music.

The central piece of course is the long "The Strands of the Future". The only problem in my view with this song, is that the French lyrics are almost incomprehensible. And I am a French native speaker. Since they are very scarce, it is not a major problem but the production work should have taken care of this aspect even if they are rather short when considering the lenght of the whole song (over twenty-two minutes).

A great psychedelic and space-rock anthem. Disjointed and complex, it holds some dark and scary passages. Probably a masterpiece of the genre.

Loads of electronic sounds, great guitar work and over-reigning keys. Many different sections as well which are in a way damaging the unity of the whole. It is not as quiet as one could dream of, but it is the highlight not only of this album but probably from their whole work. This great song is full of contrasts and the pastoral and beautiful closing section with such a delicate flute play is just one of the great pleasure of my life (yes, I know : I like flute too much...But I can't refrain from this). How can the great and early "Floyd" be ignored when talking about this fantastic track. A masterpiece.

This great piece of music could have overshadowed the whole album (which in a way it does) but the other tracks are really valuable as well. "Flight" is an energetic instrumental number. A combination of a good rocking song combined with great symphonic passages. Short but efficient.

"Windows" is also a great trip back to "ASOS" (a major song in the "Floyd" repertoire and very much underlooked IMHHO). An enormous emotion filters out this fabulous tune. Wonderful flute (aaaaaaargh) and soft keyboards will bring you on the edge of heaven. Well, maybe I am over-enthusiastic but I guess that you all get the idea.

"Fool's Failure" will prevent this album to be a masterpiece, unfortunately. It doesn't hold anything that is representative of the best songs from this band. No melody, no poignant instrumental breaks, no fantasy. Just a ten minutes filler.

Four stars.

I like space rock. I really do. The problem is that I can't find any of the major space rock bands that stick to my idea of what space rock is for an ENTIRE album. Early Floyd, Hawkwind, Nektar... I've sampled them all. And I like them all. But nothing sticks to what I expect out of space rock throughout.

Enter Pulsar.

My introduction to Pulsar was Pollen, which is ok, but nothing special. Still, I must have been intrigued enough to continue with them. I've just picked up The Strands of the Future, and I have to say that this is what I wanted out of space rock. Beautifully pacing instrumentals, music that sinks into your spine and relaxes and challenges you at the same time, vocals that add instead of detracting from the experience..., all of it is here. If you like your space rock mellower with a dash of symphonic thrown in, this is the album for you.

I'll give this four stars. It's got a great sound to it, but I don't expect to be obsessed with it like I would be with a true masterpiece.

Classic mellow, melodic space symphonic

Space rock is one of those terms we throw around that can mean different things to different people. Some of the bands that fall under this wide definition can sound pretty different so I'll try to describe this album for you. Gorgeous, dreamy, near perfect for the narcotic space crowd. Think about one of the classic spacey tracks everyone knows "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." Take the pace, mood, and beautiful floating atmosphere of that song but remove the Floydian vocals. Then add some flute ala Camel and a healthy dose of French-ness courtesy of Carpe Diem, with just a bit of Genesis regal presence in the guitar parts. Crunch these together and you might develop a picture of what Strands sound like. Few vocals, some pleasant lead guitar, but mostly a deep sea of calming keyboards/spacey electronics that is consistently on the laid back side.

The band may be called "the French Pink Floyd" by some but truth be told they never got close to that level of success of course. They were having their own problems with distribution and promotion but did achieve good success in France and good reviews for this album. The highlight of the album is the 22 minute title track which arrives on a cloud of mellotron. Boatloads of electronic wizardry ensue. Soon the band rises and lays down a fairly dramatic riff while the keys soar into heaven. That's the first 4 minutes. The next section will introduce some acoustic guitar and very chilled vocals. There will be a pause in the music for strange pysch effects and voices to freak out the tripping set. Some of the most beautiful passages occur in the second part of the song when the keys and guitar blend together melodies that range from sunny to ominous cloudy. They even manage to funk it up just a tad around 15 minutes in before the epic ends. "Flight" is a short and delicious piece of flute and acoustic guitar. The remaining two tracks will cover similar ground giving the space fan a consistently high quality 44 minutes. From the liner notes: "a sound which is characterized by its great sophistication, complexity, technical and melodic perfection and great strength and symphonic beauty. With this album Pulsar acquired a reputation as one of the major French rock groups."

One potential problem with the album is the somewhat dicey sound quality, but you'll need to check it out anyway if you are a fan of this sort of music. Not quite in essential territory but a good piece of 1970s France all the same. The Musea issue features the typical nice band bio with color photos of the band members and a nice display of what I assume was the inner gatefold art-a very bizarre scene. 7/10.

Space, the final frontier. Having chosen a name such as Pulsar, these French lads clearly defined their mission to create music that boldly goes beyond the normal perimeters and shoots into that zone "beyond". The follow up to their enticing debut "Pollen" (a favorite of Peter Hammill, according to the liner notes), which set the dreamy and romantic tone for their crafty style, is this brilliant (like a supernova) recording with the evocative title "The Strands of the Future". Blasting off with the 22 minute title cut also clearly lays down the obvious that this is no pop album! This massive piece slowly weaves in the trademark Pulsar elements: Gilbert Gandil's pastoral acoustic guitar playing combining with waves of Moog, Organ, Mellotron and the Solina (a distinct sounding made in France keyboard with a distinctive tone), rippling drumming from the busy Victor Bosch and Rolland Richard's tremulous flute. When Gandil lets one of his immediately recognizable electric solos fly, the heavens gates are unbolted and a torrent of heady pleasures greets the avid ear. The Floydian allusions are only in structure, as the individual members have an all-together divergent approach, Gandil being closer to Hackett than Gilmour (even looking like Steve circa 1974!), Bosch way jazzier, almost like Michael Giles of KC rather than the sedate Nick Mason and the heavy use of flute and Mellotron (used very sparingly by the "Meddlers"). Also Pulsar proffers a more instrumental medium with only intermittent vocals. The last two minutes float in fluted serenity, peace at last. "Flight" is a short two and a half minute stunning piece of genius, so typical of French prog with an ornately romantic hummed theme supported by a synth-tron combo to die for. "Windows" is the third chapter, with a mournful flute and a sad English vocal with plenty of choir backing, itself underpinned by the trusty Mellotron, all setting the table for a restrained Gandil showcase. The arrangement is very gentle, almost pastoral, a close cousin of KC's "I Talk to the Wind" (hint) with absolute tremendous flute playing by Rolland Richard and a subtle synthesizer outro. "Fool's Failure" is the 10 minute closer, another "Great White 'Tron" infested track, massive walls of sound, whistling Moog flights, a slightly harder edge to both the snarling vocals, the oddball backing voices and the grittier guitar smears. When Gandil unleashes a huge creepy solo, the choir decides to wail insanely, giving this an almost Ange-like feel, circa "Le Cimetière des Arlequins". The magic flute dances again with frivolity, enticed by the string metal tapes that lead to weird noises: typewriter, pages crunched and tossed and assorted other oddities until the main theme comes and goes, just like a... Pulsar. A must have for fans of symphonic space rock, particularly those who enjoy "L'Ecole Progressive Française". Hey, like Finn and his fantastique forest 4.5 etoiles

European Prog acts in the 1970s could usually be pigeonholed as copycat analogues of their better-known British role models: the Italian GENESIS, the German ELP, and so forth. But the French band Pulsar was harder to pin down, existing somewhere between the symphonic grandeur of early KING CRIMSON and the ominous Space Rock of pre-"Dark Side" PINK FLOYD. The influences are clearly audible, but Pulsar was by no means another Continental imitation.

This 1976 album, only their second studio effort, saw the group nearing its creative zenith. The 22-minute title track in particular (filling all of Side One on the original vinyl) was a small miracle of mood and texture, balancing delicate acoustic flute and Mellotron interludes with dynamic passages of atmospheric jamming.

There's more than a hint of PINK FLOYD in the slow, spacey prologue, with Gilbert Gandil's opening guitar motif distinctly recalling Dave Gilmour's famous four-note signature to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", released the previous year. But after that the band forthrightly claims its own musical territory, creating a dystopian nightmare fantasy (judging from the eerie gatefold cover art) totally at odds with the typically blissful optimism of YES or the pastoral English whimsy of early GENESIS: perhaps one reason why this album was able to maintain its power long after Prog fell so far out of public favor.

The second half (or Side Two: a pair of likeminded mini-epics in the 10-minute range) isn't quite as successful, and the overall production lacks the crystalline sheen of their subsequent masterpiece, 1977's "Halloween". But the title track alone was strong enough (and long enough) to secure the album's status as a classic, and today it remains a prime slice of Golden Age Progressive Rock, from a band that in only two albums won an uncontested spot at the top of the Euro-Prog pyramid.

"The Strands Of The Future" is a mellotron lovers dream.This is a concept album with both French and English vocals but the focus here is on the dreamy and spacey atmosphere they create. I really like this style of music.

It opens with the side long title track "The Strands Of The Future". Mellotron to open as spacey synths come and go. Drums and guitar come in at 3 minutes followed by organ as the spacey atmosphere leaves. A calm after 4 minutes then it turns dreamy with FLOYD-like vocals a minute later including acoustic guitar. This really reminds me of PFM 6 minutes in and later after 7 minutes. I think it's partly the mellotron. Another calm 8 1/2 minutes in before it kicks back in around 10 1/2 minutes. Mellotron after 11 minutes as synths join in. A heavier sound with drums 13 1/2 minutes in then the mellotron floods the soundscape. Flute after 16 minutes. Spacey synths after 17 1/2 minutes as drums pound. A calm after 19 1/2 minutes as acoustic guitar and flute follow to end it.

"Flight" opens with drums and mellotron as keyboards join in. A gorgeous sound when it settles. Some vocal melodies too. Flute 2 minutes in as it picks up some. "Windows" is the only track without mellotron but it's a dreamy, laid back beauty. Gentle guitar, flute, light drums and reserved vocals lead the way. "Fool's Failure" opens with lots of mellotron. Vocals before a minute. The drums become prominant then synths arrive as it settles 2 1/2 minutes in. Mellotron then spoken words. It's quite haunting at this point. Flute before 7 minutes as it gets brighter. Vocals join in and mellotron follows. Samples late of someone rushing around desperately. Mellotron then pours in before 9 1/2 minutes to end it. Nice.

A dreamy and spacey recording that deserves 4 stars.

The Strand of the Future is Pulsar's second album, in which they cross the line to the symphonic-flavoured space rock of their debut (Pollen) to present a space rock-tinged symphonic prog style. Although flutist Roland Richard gets to show off his talents in a few brief pastoral interludes (on which the Genesis influence is especially apparent), for the most part the most prominent player is Jacques Roman, whose synthesisers dominate the sound of the album. In particular, the band seem enthusiastic to slather thick layers of Mellotron over everything, to an extent which I don't think actually works; sometimes more Mellotron isn't always better Mellotron. Still, a credible enough contribution to the symphonic prog genre, although I wouldn't put a high priority on obtaining it.

Slimming down to four-piece after the exit of Philippe Roman, the second album from Pulsar maintains the same sonic course set by debut release 'Pollen', offering up another dreamy helping of cosmic rock obviously influences by the likes of Pink Floyd. However, whilst 'Pollen' proved a pretty if somewhat underwhelming listen, 'Strands Of The Future' provides a more textured approach, featuring many of the stylistic hallmarks that would come to be emphasised on the group's classic 1978 release 'Halloween', the album that pretty much sealed Pulsar's reputation. Featuring heavily-synthesized keyboards, fuzzy guitar squalls and occasionally ominous keyboard drones, 'Strands Of The Future' isn't quite in the class of it's follow-up, yet there is still much that impresses on an album packed with atmosphere. Blending the worlds of British-style symphonic prog and cosmic space-rock, Pulsar were always a rather unique European outfit - their sound wasn't dominated by the strains of jazz or folk like many of their European colleagues - instead looking west for their inspiration. The results were a deeply-ambient and carefully-crafted sound that slowly grew into the magnificent forty-minute composition that spreads across 'Halloween'. Both 'Pollen' and 'Strands Of The Future' can be seen as the building blocks for their highly-rated third album, with both featuring the same ethereal style and woozy instrumental passages that make their music so appealing. Of the two, this 1976 effort is undoubtedly the superior release, yet both are recommended to fans of dreamy synthesized rock. Impressive. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

The year between ''Pollen'' and the next album ''The Strands of the Future'' was quite intense for Pulsar.The band was really unhappy with the debut's poor promotion and distribution.However some great gigs, especially the ones with Van Der Graaf Generator and Patrick Moraz, earned them full publicity, but even so original bassist Philippe Roman also quit later, struggling to catch up with the hard life of touring.Reduced to a quartet and with Jacques Roman taking over also the bass duities, Pulsar started recording their sophomore effort, which was completed in early 76' at the Aquarius Studios in Geneva, Switzerland, eventually released again on Kingdom Records in September 1976.

''The Strands of the Future'' marks the first attempt by the band to produce a full-blown sidelong epic.So, the 22-min. long eponymous track has its moments, still played under a spacey/symphonic atmosphere, but also lacks coherence with a bit too many pointless interruptions.The GENESIS and PINK FLOYD influences are still apparent, as well as the inspirations from Electronic Music and this composition offers plenty of dramatic instrumental themes with great guitars and spacey synthesizers, while the flutes parts of Roland Richard are just excellent.It is also the only track to feature still some French lyrics, but the long and stretched hypnotic moods here and there hurt its consistency.

The flipside opens with the fantastic but too short symphonic instrumental ''Flight'', where the gears are up, consisting of some nice interplays and a beautiful atmosphere.''Windows'' is just classic PULSAR.Hypnotic Space/Symphonic Rock with strong PINK FLOYD hints, based on atmospheric organs, an extended slow-paced flute solo and decent guitar playing.The closing 10-min. ''Fool's Failure'' has strong resemblances with the eponymous track, except for the English lyrics.Dramatic French Prog with alternation between grandiose Mellotrons and cosmic synthesizers with an overall very dark approach, but still the interesting guitar solos of Gilbert Gandil and the ethereal flute of Roland Richard soften things a bit to create a number of changing instrumental climates.

All these negative facts during this hard year seemed to have an impact on Pulsar's inspiration.Maybe too much went on in just a short time.Even this way this is pretty good Space/Symphonic Rock with some great instrumental ideas here and there and warmly recommended.

Review Nº 41

Pulsar is a French symphonic progressive rock band whose influences include several progressive rock groups, such as Pink Floyd, Genesis and King Crimson, plus diverse classical musical influences like Gustav Mahler. Pulsar is a master of mood and musical atmospheres and has been often compared to the early Pink Floyd. Like many of their French contemporaries, the Pulsar's music was in general characterized by extended musical suites with some dark musical atmospheres with a certain sense of grandeur and mood, painting grandiose and often horrific backdrops with mournful and sedate vocals. Within the symphonic progressive rock movement, Pulsar's fascination with dark musical atmospheres mixed with symphonic tendencies makes of their sound practically quite unique.

Pulsar became the French first group to be distributed by an English record label, which was called Kingdom Records. The name of the band was chosen by Philippe Roman, one of the founder members of the group. The choice of this name has two connections. The first, as coming from the Pulsars, which are highly magnetized rotating neutron stars that emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation, and the second corresponds to their new spatial musical style.

The line up of the band on this second studio album is Gilbert Gandil (lead vocals and guitars), Jacques Roman (organ, mellotron, bass and synthesizers), Roland Richard (piano, flute and strings) and Victor Bosh (drums and percussion). Philippe Roman (vocals, bass, and lyrics) who was one of the founders and one of the band's member who participated on their debut studio album 'Pollen' released in 1975, left the group in 1976 for health reasons. The future bassist of the band Michel Masson, which became a band's member only on their next third studio album 'Halloween', released in 1977, collaborated with the group on 'The Strands Of The Future'.

'The Strands Of The Future' is the second studio album of Pulsar and was released in 1976. It may be considered as a French progressive rock classic album, and which reflects a solid improvement compared to their debut musical work, 'Pollen'. The album launched Pulsar into the big scenarios of the French rock scene, selling 40.000 copies only in just six months. Pulsar became, only just behind of Ange, in one of the biggest French progressive rock groups, at the time. It allowed the band to sign a new contract with one of the biggest record labels, in that time, the American CBS.

'The Strands Of The Future' has four tracks. The first track is the title track 'The Strands Of The Future'. It's the lengthiest track on the album and it fills all the entire side of the original vinyl disc. This track is a truly masterpiece of the spatial rock and is without any doubt one of the best songs made by the group and, it can be regarded as one of the best progressive pieces made in the 70's. It's a fantastic progressive track, almost instrumental, with the few lyrics sung in French. This became an exception on this album. On their debut album the lyrics are almost all in French, but on this album, with this exception, all the lyrics are in English. The second track 'Flight' is an instrumental track and is the smallest song on the album. This is a very interesting piece of music in the style of the French progressive rock, with good combination of keyboards, flutes and strings. Despite its modest length, it features several different musical passages, which more or less, encapsulate the sound of the whole album in a couple of minutes. The third track 'Windows' is a melodic, symphonic and dense ballad with floating vocals and with a great, flute's work. It's a very gentle song, almost pastoral, with some moments of a real space travel voyage, which makes us dreaming. This is a mellow song that pointed forward to their next studio album. The fourth track 'Fool's Failure' is the second lengthiest track on the album. It opens with the space mellotron sounds and it's a very massive symphonic theme, which became a real great closing track for this album. This is a little bit dark and a mysterious song of the French symphonic rock. Somehow, 'Fool's Failure' recovers the magic of the opening track, thus making as a returning to its origins.

Conclusion: 'The Strands Of The Future' is an excellent album and a great evolution in relation to their debut musical work, 'Pollen'. It contains an extremely beautiful, spatial and symphonic progressive music in the same vein of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Eloy or Ange. The general musical atmosphere of the album is enhanced by some fantastic musical passages of mellotron. And of course, it has its title track, which is a truly masterpiece and represents, for me, the best track ever made by them. This is the album that puts Pulsar on the top of the French symphonic progressive rock music and at the same quality level of some other French symphonic progressive groups, such as Ange and Atoll. So, if you like Genesis, King Crimson and Pink Floyd, and in general of the spatial rock music, you mustn't miss this album in no way. It represents a great introduction to the Pulsar's world and to the French progressive rock music in general.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)