THÈMES

The least one can say is that between 76 and his then-apex work of Spectacle De L'Albatros in 76, where he had resurrected Lasting Weep and enticed his then-just newly ex-colleagues of Maneige into participation, and the release of his first solo album in 84, Jérome Langlois had not kept in view of the public eye, and this piano-solo album was not about to change much to the situation. Indeed behind the sober B&W artwork, there is little else than a piano and some great melodies recorded at the McGill University Pollack Hall. .

The first track Last Tango En Molinie will be of a greater interest in the new millennium, while La Fenêtre is most likely linked from the times when Maneige was recording their debut album (although windows will be a recurring theme in Maneige). Le Radeau is definitely a nod to Le Rafiot, also a work from Maneige's debut album, while Méduse is most likely linked to it (the famous painting of Le Radeau De La Méduse) as well and this is relatively evident, too, even if Jérome says it's about his daughter's birth. La Chanson Des Iles is definitely more reminiscent of Lasting Weep (the Albatross suite), but also one of the most reflective pieces of the album, but nevertheless also an enthralling march.

Starting the flipside is a short Nouvelle, which doesn't sound like the theme developed on Maneige's third album Ni Vent Ni Nouvelle and was part of the epic Sonate D'Hiver (see the bonus tracks). The last two lengthy theme of Le Ballon are distinct themes from the pre-debut album track, the 29-min piece La Balloune, which can be found on the two out of the three (so far) posthumous Maneige Live releases. The two pieces, clocking at 15 mins together, which means less than half the live track, are very much condensed adaptation of the group's previous epic.

This album is now available as a bonus disc of the Live At FMPM, 2006 and comes with two bonus pieces dating back from 76, but please look under that entry for details on these. While nothing enthralling, Themes is definitely an album for those Maneige enthusiasts, but not likely for a wider public, much like the Steve Hackett acoustic guitar albums. Despite the opening track, Langlois seems more able at this time to revisit his early days of music in this album, rather than delve into new grounds. Nevertheless this album is a real pleasure to listen to and one album to play to get close to the prog-hermetic mate. While maybe not worth the acquisition on its own (unless an unconditional fan), the Thèmes album makes a superb bonus on the FMPM release.