EMILE JACOTEY

"Emile Jacotey" was a return to their old form drawing back on their classic influences. In classic style this concept album runs like a continuous story full of harder and acoustic influences throughout. Songs are truely wonderful and full of mystical magic with some gorgeous analog keyboard runs and guitar/bass/drum interplay. In many ways this album carries very much like their debut album with perhaps less KING CRIMSON influences. This is an excellent album full of some grand musical moments. Of course all lyrics are sung in native French and are convincingly done so with great charisma and emotion. Also some scrumptious guitar playing here...

After my fave Cimetière and the much-acclaimed Délire, Ange went forward another step and fell into the Over-Ambitious ravine and took a dive in the sea of Failed Concepts. Based on an old booger sprawling his souvenirs over the album, the storyline simply fails to raise one hair of interest in my voluminous mop over my head. The main character keeps appearing unannounced throughout the album and usually interrupting the flow of music. Not that the music is that great compared to previous albums anyway, but EJ also features Délire's main flaw: ever-present vocals, although they're not quite as invasive. Actually it's hard to believe it is Christian Descamps that's singing (well almost anyway), because the singing is more subdued and recorded quite differently, mixed lower and the shorter tracks (or at least the absence of longer ones) make this album very different from Délire.

Despite a weak concept and a different manner to deliver them, Christian's lyrics remain strong enough to warrant a careful listen for odd jokes, joyous banter and ribaldry. Throughout the album there isn't much space given for instrumental forays, if you'll except the album-long Les Noces, where the band plays around first a furious keyboard theme then a marital jig that tends to overstay its welcome despite mellotrons washes. The track I like best on this album is the proggiest (imho) Ego Et Deus, but I find that even this track would have a herd time finding a spot on Délire or Cimetière. Aurelia also has its charms as well. t's not that this album is that weak, but it pales in comparison with what came before and some of what would come after it (Mandrins and Guet Apens).

Fourth album for Ange. Two of their previous ones were really masterpieces. Ange's world is made of very weird lyrics and a music strongly inspired by Genesis and Crimson.

This release is a concept album of which Emile Jacotey is the central character. This old man will appear hear and there throughout the album. He will introduce himself, explain what he has been doing, quickly talking about his place and his family. I must say that the concept is not very strong and does not really appeal to me.

The album will be on the harder edge at times. The opener for instance, is probably Ange's hardest track so far. Only the end of the song is very quiet and introduces the old man talking about the legends which will be developed throughout the album.

We'll get some pure symphonic songs as well here of course. "Sur La Trace Des Fées" is faithful with the brilliance of their splendid music and fantastic vocals distlled by Christian Descamps. This fairy tales song sounds very Crimson-esque, but this is not new. "Ode A Emile" start with Emile Jacotey counting a bit of his life. But nothing interesting, really. Pure banalities. Fortunately, the melody is great and the intrumental parts are extremely catchy. One of the best song of this album.

I am not really convinced by "Ego Et Deus" which is the weakest song of the album. There will be some good guitar work during "J'irai Dormir Plus Loin Que Ton Sommeil". This will save this rather average song.

"Aurelia" is a simple and short piece of music, a bit commercial. Lyrics are somewhat sexual oriented (but nothing as strong as in some previous songs). Very light song. Like "Jour Après Jour", very much "Talk To The Wind" oriented.

We'll finally get a more traditional Ange song with "Les Noces". A brilliant hymn like Ange was used to produced. It is a descirption of a mariage feast with all its excesses (food, drinks and sex). It is the longest number of this album. We are far from Ange's epics. Nothing such as "Tels Quels" or "Au-Delà du Délire".

Several good songs here, but no real highlight nor great instrumental pieces even if the last section of "Le Nain De Stanislas" is very powerful and reminds us the great Ange we all know. Great keys as well as a good (hard) guitar break.

The closing number "Le Marchand Des Planètes" is a good song but this is a bit short in comparison with what Ange has been producing so far. This album sounds more theatrical with short scenes. Lyrics are not as flamboyant as the ones Christian has been used us to.

IMO, it is the weakest Ange album so far : music and lyrics are not on par (even if you understand them, like I do). Sorry guys. Three stars.

To top an album borderlining on perfection is always a difficult task, and Ange really had this problem when it came to surpassing Au-delà Du Délire. Let's cut to the chase: they failed in doing so - but at least they tried. The moment I picked this album up in the record store, I could feel something different. Starting with the cover, which seemed more produced, with a little more care put into it than on previous albums. Turning the case around, I immediately noticed another change: Ange had hit the 10 song mark - were they abdicating longer compositions in favour of more, smaller tracks? Would this have repercussions in their sound? I took the album home to find out.

So what do we have here? After the mystical medieval journey provided by Au-delà Du Délire, Ange deliver with Emile Jacotey a songbook filled with ups and downs, but never really a bad moment. Quick run-through: the album is opened by Bêle, Bêle Petite Chèvre, a fast-paced guitar-driven track, intertwined by calmer interludes. The famous Ange organ is only mildly heard in this track, which features the usual high-quality electric guitar work and Christian Decamps usual theatrical range. But it really is a pretty normal rocker, not the great start to the album one would expect. A spoken passage (Emile, we assume) makes the transition to what is probably the finest song on the album, the gentle and spacey ballad Sur La Trace des Fées. This one begins with the eerie keyboard we love so much and some calm yet emotional singing by Christian, that soon grows in intensity. Lovely keyboards (piano and organ) present on this one. Again the theatrical multi-character voice of Christian Decamps appears, this time to open Le Nain de Stanislas, a song that begins with the classical electric guitar/organ interplay, but in a rather childish tone. However, this seemingly childish and amusing track soon hardens its stance, turning into a powerful invective against "Monsieur Stanislas", conveyed both by the inflamed vocals and the quickening of the rhythm of the playing. The finale features some more of that delicious Ange interplay, with the electric guitar in good shape. Jour Après Jour follows, in the form of a delicate acoustic ballad, sprinkled here and there with organ. It's quite a soothing song, definitely not something to quicken your pulse. Some more narration makes the transition to Ode à Émile. The title displays pretty much the feeling of the song - it is a majestic and emotional track, again pretty much due to the fantastic singing. Now, the next four tracks should probably be seen as a single, long one, entitled Ego et Deus, which serves also as title to it's first section, track six. This first section sounds more like previous Ange works than anything else on this album, with the very strong presence of the organ in the building of the song. It is a strong track, with some calm interludes between the more aggressive parts. There really isn't any sequence into the second section, J'irai Dormir Plus Loin Que Ton Sommeil. This one is completely different from the previous (indeed, all four tracks of Ego et Deus are), resembling more a late night cabaret song, featuring (again) some great vocals and very interesting guitar work (the final chorus is one of the best moments in the album). The third section, Aurelia, is another small, peaceful ballad, a bit more vibrant than the previous. This loving piece includes a great keyboard solo while Christian Decamps vocals on this track are probably at their most "normal". Les Noces finalizes Ego et Deus, beginning with some classical Decamps narration over a background of eerie organ. It then speeds up, courtesy of the drums and the bass, but still with the sluggish organ atmosphere. Some cheerful playing by the electric piano and the guitar really provide a balance with the eeriness of the organ, turning it into a quite funky track. A piano interrupts this funky section, opening way to a cacophony of sounds, voices, laughter that lead the song to its end. By now, all the funkiness is turning from interesting to borderline annoying. Le Marchand des Planètes ends the album pretty much the way it began: with an unremarkable track. The only thing memorable about it is the feeling that it is out of place, being a terrible closer. Its not in any way poorly composed or played, but its just a bit bland compared to other parts of the album - by this time, we've heard it all, and this track just doesn't bring anything new. The spacey echoing guitar in the finale is a good moment, but not enough to save this track.

What more can I say about this? In the end, Emile Jacotey fails to be as much a rewarding listening experience as previous albums. The band tried too hard to top their first three records, and that resulted in an album whose composition sounds forced, unremarkable and ultimately unmemorable. I can't say there are bad songs here - at this point I don't believe Ange were capable of making a bad song. But most of them lack the brilliance, the excitement, the finesse of previous works. While there are no dull moments, there aren't also that many exciting ones (Sur La Trace des Fées is an excellent track, one of Ange's best, but it's calm nature doesn't provide any excitement). It's still Ange, and therefore something to be explored, but it is just not their best moment.

I'm really, really, curious to know what would my impression be if I'd be a French speaker. For me, it's like skinning a skinny rabbit: when you remove the skin, the yummy meat should appear and indeed, the meet is yummy, but the rabbit is too skinny, so expect no feast. The same goes for poor old Mr. Jacotey:

I'm forced to ignore the lyrics - but I must admit, the voice sounds pleasant, passionate and there's obviously a story worth telling but alas, my French is slightly better than my Etrurian.

What is left is the instrumental side of music - I compared it to a meat that is yummy, but not substantial enough.

The music reflect that French dreamy charm nicely (present not only in French symph, but in French music in general) but it's not enough to fulfill my appetite: it consists of simple layers: a heavy guitar (without tagging this music heavy prog), sometimes acoustic guitar in the background, spacey synthscapes, a traces of organ and synth solos, a sip of vibes, unnoticeable drums..and nothing else. No details.

Actually, that's not right. There are many details to be discovered, they just do not build your monstrously good 70's prog rock album that's sending shivers down your spine.

That's not very fair point of view, I know; it seems like I'm criticizing it for not being a masterpiece.

It should be judged in it's own right; but since I'm a human being and therefore imperfect, I'll tell you I had high expectation for this one, since it was (is) so highly praised in prog rock community, and I just discovered a wonderful world of French prog. I can't compare it to other ANGE's albums because I'm not familiar with them. Yet. (this yet is significant; this is not a bad album after all.)

Well, it sounds like a watered down symphonic rock (again, I'm distancing myself from the possibly extraordinary good lyrics). It even sounds poppy at times. Not bad, but not too adventurous - at the moment I was listening the simplified Imagine du Temps by ATOLL - in another moment I begged for more. More development, I mean. I also like simpler tunes in general, IF they're brave enough. This one is neither here nor there. But it's good enough to encourage me checking something else from the band's catalogue. Perhaps my perception will shift with time, but I don't think so.

Now, after 400 words of review you still do not know nothing about Emile Jacotey. Well, after repeated listening of the album, I still do not know nothing now about exciting and adventurous music.

This review reflects the album. It's not too good, it's not too bad...it's just a pleasant routine.

By the time of their 4th album Ange had solidly carved their own niche of French chanson based symphonic prog. There are still faint echoes of the original influences from King Crimson and Genesis but those are far and few between. Ange had grown up.

Unfortunately the album itself is a bit uneven. It is supposed to be some kind of concept album but it doesn't convince entirely. Bêle Bêle Petite Chèvre is a nice rocking opener but Sur La Trace Des Fées is one of the few moments where they fully get to me again. It's an emotive ballad drenched in mellotron, it's both dark and ecstatic, dominated by Dechamps typical intense vocals. Hammill-haters, clear off!

As much as I love his singing, Dechamps leaves little room for the other musicians to find their own spot to shine on the album. Le Nain De Stanislas has a better balance, but the music still comes off a bit underdeveloped. Jour Après Jour is maybe a bit too sweet but still charming. Ode à Emile is rather forgettable. Nevertheless, if you like this one you urgently need to check out Jacques Brel and other exponents of French chanson.

Ego Et Deus is another one of the rocking tracks on this album. It's not bad but hardly a prog masterpiece. The remainder of the album is uninteresting. I'd say this is Ange's weakest 70's effort together with the ensuing Par Les Fils De Mandrin.

Opening with "Bêle, Bêle petite chèvre", a harder and more aggressive track than anything on Au-dela du Delire (if you don't count the sinister little marimba and vibraphone breaks), Emile Jacotey sees Ange in a typically passionate mood. That said, whilst the anger conveyed in the title track seems genuine (to my non-French speaking ears), the overwrought vocal delivery in the next two songs seems occasionally forced and self-conscious - always a risk when artists opt for a theatrical vocal style, but it's particularly distracting this time around, possibly because the musical backing is a bit simpler and less interesting than that in the album's predecessors.

Things pick up with Jour Apres Jour, which has more subdued vocals over a warm synth-laden track which reminded me, bizarrely, of Air's more gentle moments. In fact, the synthwork in Ode a Emile also reminded me of Air; perhaps if I listened to more French music I could trace the family tree of influences that led from 70s symphonic French prog to 90s/2000s electronica, just as you can sort of trace a path that leads from Gong's spaced-out Canterbury to today's trance music.

The four-part epic kicked off by Ego et Deus is, to be frank, nothing to write home about. It seems as though Ange are just going through the motions on the proggier parts of the album, whilst the more chanson-influenced tracks are where their heart really is; it's a shame they couldn't find a way to make the approaches work together in harmony this time around.

It' s a bloody shame that non-French speakers cannot completely enjoy the work of this legendary French progressive paragon and have no choice but to rely on the music alone (which isn't too shabby!) and on the dramatic inflections of Christian Decamps sensational voice , which i agree may be an acquire taste. I for one consider him a prog vocal phenomenon. His theatrical lung augments in value when one understands the deep poetry involved, a heady mixture of surly, sarcastic, seedy, salty, sweaty , ribald, bawdy and at times, nearly pornographic words that underline the band's profound disdain for brutal politics, hypocritical religion and any other form of organized control. I went to a French (from France) school called College Stanislas (hmmmmmm!) in Montreal where I graduated in philosophy and literature and I can attest without hesitation that Christian's lyrical work is absolutely top-notch and worthy of the highest accolades. In fact, they constitute a separate source of gratification all together. Their 70s output is remarkable and inspired, we all know how fabulous the classic "Au Delà du Délire" remains today (in my top 5 all-time for some very personal reasons) and this follow-up is no meager slouch or rehashed by-product. The instrumental backbone is cemented by brother Francis' utterly spooky organ, an instrument so exhilaratingly unique and recognizable (only Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge can claim the same fame with his amazing haunting metallic organ). Furthermore, Jean-Michel Brézovar's sizzling electric and acoustic playing performs judicious leaps and bounds (imagine a harsher-toned Hackett). The rhythm section has a serene sense of "thud", a powerful motor that fuels the fire in Christian's voice.

The tracks are all near classics with inspired performances such as the mesmerizing and atmospheric ballad "Sur La Trace des Fées", easily an Ange high watermark that features a heavenly chorus and the emotionally charged quivering voice of the finest pedigree. There is a definite Genesis circa Trespass feel which is a badge of honor when played this convincingly.

The playfully sarcastic and ultra-theatrical "Le Nain de Stanislas" requires a profound understanding of the dwarf-like lyrics as they blend with the slightly oriental circus style. The spoken part is utterly phenomenal, a technique used brilliantly before on the classic Jacques Brel penned "Ces Gens Là" and later, on the Guet-Apens album's lewd " Réveille- toi". The choir section is equally expressive, like some Truffaut movie soundtrack rendered rock with a Brézovar axe spurt.

The wispy "Jour Après Jour" is the bucolic side of the band from Alsace, the words fully inspirational, French poetry at its musical finest, indeed closer to "chanson francaise" but so what? That's who they are!

"Ode to Emile" furthers the mood, a sweet ode to the elegance of old age, the return to one's innocence with some superb lyrical turns ("When winter fools autumn", "The bogs of your childhood" "Wipe the firmament's behind " etc? ) and the music slides in nicely along.

The acme is achieved with the masterful "Ego et Deus", a brawny prog hurricane lush with bluster, spite and dripping cynicism as expressed by the 'in your face" vocal , all shoved along by a devilish organ, delirious guitar. This song should have been further developed with a massive instrumental mid-section, but that's just me wishful hoping.

Two softies , first the waltz-like "J'Irai Dormir.." is typical French prog, a melodramatic, over the top screech, with tons of contrast and hue, suddenly blasted into smithereens by a slithering guitar solo. "Aurelia" is another Elka string organ driven ditty that relies on sexual imagery that perhaps seems bland by today's standards but in 1976. It was stretching the liberal French censor's patience, to say the least.

The other classic track is "Les Noces" a nasty, anti-religious rant of impeccable irony, launching assorted tirades against the marriage "ceremony" featuring a clavinet-like ripple that evokes Canterbury and not Strasbourg! A country-style section, pickin' 'gueetars' and all shows a great amount of "culot" (gall or balls if you like), proving that these guys like to have fun and "frankly, ma'am, don't give a damn!".

"Le Marchand des Planètes" puts this album to rest on a rather experimental note with strange sounds obscuring the simple melody, scratching guitar and pulsating bass dominate freely, with interesting and original results.

Emile Jacotey won't touch the 3 other classics , adding the stunningly raw "Le Cimetiere des Arlequins" to the other two I mentioned here) but contains some memorable moments on a career that stays vibrant in 2012.

4 perverted minds

One year passes since their most known album and Ange delivers another worthy release from their vast career. It is time for Emile Jacotey issued in 1975 to please my ears, and what a ride it is for my thirsthy for prog ears. To me this is equal in greatness with previous album, I like it a lot and is my second best after delire. Another fine gatefold cover with an old man who seams to apper breafly with some spoken words here and there on the album. The music has same ingredients and characteristic as previous Ange albums, theatrical dark music with melodramatic vocal arrangements so well offered by the band on each album. For me the best Ange pieces are on this album, like Le nain de stanislas is simply a killer track, everything Ange had best in that period is in this pieces, Jour apre jour is another beautiful tune, Ode a Emile. the more edgy Ego et deus dominates the sound and atmosphere of the album. So, another one of their best releases for sure, to many times being in the shadow of Delire without reason, because thes album is as good as anything they release before. Symphonic prog with a harder edge that will please most of the fans of the genre, even tose non french speakers. 4 stars

As with the vast amount of 70's bands, Ange had to face a major departure by the middle of the 70's, when drummer Gerard Jelsch left the band and was replaced by the unknown Guenole Biger.The Studio Des Dames in Paris welcomes the French legends for the sessions of their fourth studio album, a concept work around an old man called ''Emil Jacotey'', released in 1975.

Being a concept work, the album is dominated by the voice of Christian Decamps and for the non-French speakers this would be a hard listening, not understanding with what this work deals.Propably a good reason the band never became really succesful in non-French speaking countries.Soundwise it follows the lines the band itself established a few years back, it sounds a bit more aggressive and energetic with even some harder guitar runs at moments, but the overall atmosphere flirts with a fairy-tale, theatrical approach.The limited instrumental parts are pretty great with organ, Mellotron, synthesizers and piano in evidence, retaining Ange's symphonic overtones, with Brezovar's well-adjusted guitar work offering some nice solos and lead parts as well.The grandiose outros and interludes remain a highlight of their sound, such beautiful orchestrations and emotional lines.The acoustic intros and textures are still in the menu, but it appears that the concept had somehow affected the balance of the vocal and instrumental separation.Apart from Decamps' always expressive chords, the voice of an old man, the hero of the story, appears every now and then.Despite the short length of the tracks, Ange manage to offer endless different moods with their music: from melancholic themes to joyful echoes and almost every emotional state inbetween.

No contradiction about the depth of the concept, but this goes more for the French-speaking audience.It just seems that the lyricism had a questionable effect to the album's result.Still, this is pretty nice French Prog from the 70's with some impressive keyboard parts and mellow moods.Recommended.