DRONES

4.5 stars. I first became aware of Jean-Philippe Goude when I picked up that amazing WEIDORJE album, a top three album for me from 1978. Jean-Philippe was strongly advised to join that MAGMA spinoff band by the great ZAO drummer Jean-My Truong. And as WEIDORJE was winding down for a variety of sad reasons Jean-Philippe enlisted the help of pretty much the whole WEIDORJE band to make this solo album he called "Drones". A very similar lineup including Goude would play the following year on Patrick Gauthier's solo album called "Bebe Godzilla" and then in 1985 Bernard Paganotti's PAGA GROUP would enlist Goude and many of the players on the three previous albums I just mentioned to record another classic called "Paga". Those four albums are all connected and are all essential in my opinion.

What a lineup though! "Drones" also features several HELDON members including Gauthier, Ettori, Pinhas, Batard and Auger. Just mentioning these names gives me chills. Add Blasquiz from MAGMA, the all female string ensemble called QUATUOR MARGAND who played on a ZAO album and with Yochk'o Seffer. David Rose adds violin and Gerard Prevost one of the bass players who has played with ZAO and HELDON adds his talents to one track. Man I could go on and on. Love the album cover as well, and the liner notes are long and full of great information.

"Les Saturnales" opens with piano(Goude) and it starts to build. Some massive bass lines from Paganotti as drums from Rust and synths(Goude) help out. It picks up as Blasquiz starts his chants after 2 1/2 minutes. Catchy stuff and very Zeuhlish. I really like when it calms down as the vocals stop before 3 1/2 minutes in. So much depth a minute later. A top three track. "Sieilienne" is a short vocal(Blasquiz) synth(Goude) piece clocking in at just under a minute.

"Machine" opens with spacey synths from Goude as that string quartet kicks in along with a synth beat from Pinhas. The strings come and go. Great sound 2 1/2 minutes in, innovative is the word the way the strings and synths create such a beautiful melody. "Drole D'ere" opens with some gorgeous piano and violin from Goude and Rose respectively. It kicks into gear a minute in. Love the synths as the violin starts to play over top. Check out the drum work before 2 1/2 minutes and later on. Horns from the Guillard brothers join in around 3 1/2 minutes.

"Coma" opens with water sounds and synths and this is all Goude. It turns pastoral before 2 minutes. So beautiful(gulp). Water sounds end it. "Trepidase" is the one mistake in my opinion. I just find the flute synths to sound lame(just my opinion). I usually skip this one but other than this track I find this album to be flawless. "Duo" is Goude solo on synths and it's melancholic. "Dies Irae" is my favourite and like the opener it's a Zeuhl flavoured piece. Lots of guitars too as we get four players on this one and Paganotti destroys with his bass work. The ear piercing ending is incredible. I adore this song.

"Tintinnabulum" is the other top three for me. I really like the synths and we get the HELDON rhythm section of Auger and Batard. Another gorgeous track. Piano and a calm arrives after 1 1/2 minutes. Nice guitar work after 3 minutes as Blasquiz chants. So good! "Cantilione" is the duo of Goude and Gauthier the two keyboardists from WEIDORJE. The piano melodies are so pretty from Gauthier as Goude joins in on synths. Another excellent track.

Man this is so close to a 5 star album for me if not for that one track. Still it's a top ten album for me for 1980 and essential.