SI ON AVAIT BESOIN D'UNE CINQUIÈME SAISON

I was utterly gobsmacked when I found this album on the site, even more so when it was in the top 20! I came across this band when doing a PhD at McGill University in Canada in the mid 70s and assumed noone in the UK would have heard of them, being fairly obscure. I dug round in my loft and found the vinyl, unplayed for 25 years, so I could review it. And my memories of it are correct; nice, inoffensive and very well put together but lacking the sort of spark to excite. I also miss out on the nuances in some of the lyrics, being merely a conversational French speaker and far from fluent. The extensive use of woodwind and occasional brass, plus the structure of 4 seasons (+ an extra one?) gives it a classical but folky feel. They interpret the seasons very effectively, from the upbeat joy of summer to the cold and sombre feel of winter. Histoire sans Paroles is the best track and nearly raises it a star. It's all very pleasant but fails to live up to the classics whilst also falling behind the first class prog acts. It certainly won't offend and only a mad metal head with no emotion could give it less than 3 stars, but that's all it's getting from me. Recommended for a listen but not necessarily to buy - judge for yourself.