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avestin View Drop Down
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Points: 12625 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Moving Gelatine Plates
    Posted: October 15 2007 at 10:42
MOVING GELATINE PLATES or in French Assiettes De Gelatine Mouvantes... LOL
 
Their name only implies the humour embedded in this band's music, the joy of life emanating from it with its jazz-rock/Canterburesque style.
 
 
Here's their PA bio:
 
MOVING GELATINE PLATES were in retrospect one of France's finest progressive rock bands. Forming in the wake of the tumultuous political situation of France in the late 60s, their music was distinctly apolitical, filled with a refreshing sense of humor and an irreverence that distinguished them from many of their more brooding contemporaries.

The seeds sown for success, their debut album was finally released by CBS in 1971 to a heavy critical acclaim. Lack of proper promotion, combined with poor management, led to a less successful tour this time around, but the band were nonetheless obliged to hit the studio again later that year to record their second album. As it turned out, "The World of Genius Hans" stands among the finest French progressive rock albums ever released, but the promotional problems that band had experienced with the first album continued throughout the touring and promotion of the second.

The two albums released by MOVING GELATINE PLATES cannot be considered anything less than classics, drawing together and fusing all manner of influences and setting the tone early on for a eclectic national French scene that was among the strongest in Europe.

: : : Jose Javier RodrÍguez, Celaya/Guanajuato : : : 
 
 
Why not discuss this band's original, creative and enjoyable output and consider what is it in their the music that we like (or dislike...) and makes it special. 

 

 

For French speakers, here their website: 
http://mgp.ifrance.com/
 
Pictures from a shwo in the Triton in 2005 are found here - http://traversesmag.org/photos/Moving_Gelatine_Plates/
 
 
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Points: 1594 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2007 at 10:57
The music on their debut album is superb Canterburyesque jazzy prog rock but their sense of humour doesn't do it for me. Luckily the music is mostly instrumental!
"The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar.... Now, that's my idea of a good time."
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Points: 46301 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2007 at 11:14
A band with such a name?! Shocked

Wow!!! LOL


Edited by Ricochet - October 15 2007 at 11:15
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Points: 13032 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 15 2007 at 12:59
Very nice band, a year ago or so, i had their first album in my hands but could not buy it because i had already spent my money, after that, i have never seen a copy of it againCry
 
Here are 3 reviews of their first album (including mineTongue)
 

MOVING GELATINE PLATES — Moving Gelatine Plates

Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Specialist

4%20stars 4,5 stars really!!!!

MGP is one of those superb early 70's band that was victim of the poor means of their promotion team and the decaying club scene in France as the gov't was shutting down everything that could cause the great French Student Anarchy movement of May 68 to revive.

We are dealing with a superb jazz-rock somehow very close to Canterbury bands like Soft Machine , Caravan , Hatfield etc... The band is the project of the two younger guitarist (who actually swapped their instruments as they thought they could do better than the other) and were joined by older members (6 years older) Gerard Pons (brother of Magma's bassist Dominique Pons) and Maurice Helmiger on both winds and KB. And do these guys rock!! Their enthusiasm is over bearing and very communicative. The opening track London Cab is simply marvellous interplay between all four members. Theior inventive sort of jazz-laced rock with short vocals interludes (in English and also sometimes very anectdotical as most song lyrics were not above four lines long) is captivating. Helmiger swings from the flute to saxes and trumpets (sounds a bit like Nucleus's Ian Carr) and keyboard is clearly the man that males the difference. X-25 is rather calmer and gelatine is probably the tracks that fits them best.

Side 2 starts with the 15 min+ Last Song (which it is not ) and was clearly their closer on their live sets. It is a very great tune but marred by a lenghty drum solo that does take a bit of the charm of repeated listenings. Memories is rather forgettable after such an epic.

The bonus tracks are from their third album, recorded 8 years after the break up , but rest assured , there is no catastrophe! The tracks are jazz-rock that are quite pleasing , and do not sound out of place too much with the rest of the album. They are there and do not shock but they DO pale a bit in comparison with the original album.

Essential record for all of those wishing to see that the "Canterbury Sound" existed across the chunnel!



Posted Tuesday, September 20, 2005, 11:50 EST | Permanent link

MOVING GELATINE PLATES — Moving Gelatine Plates

Review by Trotsky (Martin Vengadesan)
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4%20stars This French outfit's debut album is a propulsive work of Canterbury-styled jazz-rock with psychedelic influences (although it isn't quite as heavy in this direction as Lard Free's debut album). Thankfully the music has enough idiosyncracies to give it its own personality, making it quite an essential purchase for jazz-rock afficionados. Like most Canterbury styled bands, Moving Gelatine Plates is defined partly by the heavy presence of organ and saxophone/flute although in this case they are all played by the same guy ... Maurice Hemlinger. He is naturally enough the focal point of this album, although guitarist Gerard Bertram emerges from time to time (a blistering solo midway through London Cab and another one in Last Song stand out).

These guys also have a strange scene of humour the vocal elements of London Cab for example are basically a helium-voiced version of Three Blind Mice! Perhaps a little unlike most Canterbury bands, they can also churn out some mean heavy rock riffs. My two favourite pieces are probably Gelatine, which is a psychedelic Floyd meets Soft Machine masterpiece, with prominent organ from Hemlinger, a well-packaged bass solo from Didier Thibault and fantastic riffled drumming from Gerard Pons and the 15 minute long Last Song (which is actually the penultimate track here).

Last Song is full of high-octane jazz-rock, although it can seem overlong ... what with a monster Pons drum solo and all (I think it goes on for nearly 4 minutes!). Thankfully just as you are about to get tired of it, a very nice psych organ section takes over. The concluding track Memories is a melancholy acoustic guitar/flute instrumental that is quite different from the rest of the album, showing the diversity the group had at its disposal.

This debut came out in 1971, and the next year MGP released the World of Genius Hans before breaking up. Oddly enough, the four bonus tracks here are from the "group's third album Moving. Moving was a 1980 recording made by bassist Thibault without Hemlinger, Bertram or Pons, thankfully these instrumental tracks aren't weak ... the delightfully bouyant Solaria is a real standout and the semi-Gothic Destruction has a fair bit of personality, even if they lack do lack that carefree quality of the music of the original quartet. ... 72% on the MPV scale

Posted Tuesday, May 23, 2006, 13:19 EST | Permanent link

MOVING GELATINE PLATES — Moving Gelatine Plates

Review by memowakeman (Guillermo Hdez. Urdapilleta)
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Discogs Editor & Italian Prog Specialist

4%20stars So good!

I dont really know the correct adjective for this album, great, pretty good, awesome, excellent, well i mean since the introduction of this review that im talking about a so recommendable album to any prog lover, i use to say this phrase at the end of my reviews, but no i just wanted to say it at first, and why?

Moving Gelatine Plates is (or was i think) a French band which only released 3 albums, this is the eponymus and first of them all as you can imagine, we are talking of 1971 when progressive rock was growing in the different world scenes, this french band is not alike to other early and well known french bands such as Ange or Mona Lisa, they dont have nothing to do since this is not a symphonic album at all.

Could be strange for you to see listed a french band as a Canterbury band, it happens sometimes in some genres and countries etc, but anyway Moving Gelatin Plates has a clear and obvious Canterbury sound, maybe at the style musically talking of Caravan for instance and in the other hand with the always great and enjoyable jazz influenced sound, maybe a bit comparable with Colosseum .

This album is probably their best album, maybe the same way that several bands took in the early 70`s. i mean, the debut album a masterpiece or almost, and the followers only average albums.

Only 5 songs were placed in this beauty, but all great songs, in them all using an extraordinary ability in the playing, im not saying that they are skillful or play very fast, what im trying to say is that all the notes, all the chords, all the instruments were placed in the best moment, in order to create progressive rock with it`s statements and made to enjoy. If i have to choose some weak point (there isnt a weak point by the way) i would choose the vocals, not a huge participation in the album, but we can hear some vocals at the beggining of the album and are not the best at all, i dont feel uncomfortable with them at all, but it`s the worst if that`s the adjective.

The third song is called Gelatine, it`s completely instrumental and completely Canterburesque- Jazzy, with excellent drive of the drums and the trompet with an exquisite sound during the song, also the sound of piano as a background gives to it a better quality and of course the bass lines making the rythm are very nice.

The long song called Last Song (which actually isnt the last) starts with a soft guitar sound, then it becomes faster and from the begginig playing the trumpet, and its the one who shows us better the quality and nice playing of the guitarist and also gives us a drums solo (classi in jazz bands) , i think this song in specific is the closer to a jazz oriented sound, without losing that Canterbury touch which at the same time has always jazz in it`s veins, again reminding me a bit of Collosseum.

So, i can finish saying that i like this album so much, around 35 minutes of excellent music which is enjoyable in any moment, no matter your mood and your tastes you shoudl try it, again i recommend it.

Noat a masterpiece though, but almost!

Posted Wednesday, September 06, 2006, 22:29 EST | Permanent link

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Points: 12625 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 16 2007 at 20:18
Thanks for the post, Memo, those reviews will hopefully make readers want to check the band.
 
 
 
 
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Points: 35750 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 16 2007 at 22:20
I've listened to their first two albums many times, enjoy them, and appreciate the musical talents greatly, yet felt a little underwhelmed overall with each album. Some music I love, and overall very good but neither album totally enraptured, moved, or enveloped me in those gelatine plates.

Jello%20salad Gratuitous picture of  jello salad (yuck).

So MGP, despite any warm fuzziness to the music, left me a little cold, but then plates of gelatine is a dish usually best served cold.  Love Memories... Took a while for me to really warm to the music other than certain tracks that stood out (like it much more now).  I've long loved jazzy canterburyesque music, and France is my favourite country for progressive music so it seemed a natural fit.  What do people think of the album Moving?

Anyway, moving gelatine plates is almost as fun to play as it is to play tennis with a moving blancmange (Monty Python reference).  Tasty too.


Edited by Logan - October 16 2007 at 22:23
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Points: 12625 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 20 2007 at 19:19
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I've listened to their first two albums many times, enjoy them, and appreciate the musical talents greatly, yet felt a little underwhelmed overall with each album. Some music I love, and overall very good but neither album totally enraptured, moved, or enveloped me in those gelatine plates.

Jello%20salad Gratuitous picture of  jello salad (yuck).

So MGP, despite any warm fuzziness to the music, left me a little cold, but then plates of gelatine is a dish usually best served cold.  Love Memories... Took a while for me to really warm to the music other than certain tracks that stood out (like it much more now).  I've long loved jazzy canterburyesque music, and France is my favourite country for progressive music so it seemed a natural fit.  What do people think of the album Moving?

Anyway, moving gelatine plates is almost as fun to play as it is to play tennis with a moving blancmange (Monty Python reference).  Tasty too.
 
You'll get people run away from this thread with that jello... LOL
 
But, yes your criticism is interesting and so I'd encourage people to read it as a caveat before trying the band, and then read the reviews which praise it and decide.
 
 
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Points: 35750 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2007 at 00:08
Originally posted by avestin avestin wrote:

Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I've listened to their first two albums many times, enjoy them, and appreciate the musical talents greatly, yet felt a little underwhelmed overall with each album. Some music I love, and overall very good but neither album totally enraptured, moved, or enveloped me in those gelatine plates.

Jello%20salad Gratuitous picture of  jello salad (yuck).

So MGP, despite any warm fuzziness to the music, left me a little cold, but then plates of gelatine is a dish usually best served cold.  Love Memories... Took a while for me to really warm to the music other than certain tracks that stood out (like it much more now).  I've long loved jazzy canterburyesque music, and France is my favourite country for progressive music so it seemed a natural fit.  What do people think of the album Moving?

Anyway, moving gelatine plates is almost as fun to play as it is to play tennis with a moving blancmange (Monty Python reference).  Tasty too.
 
You'll get people run away from this thread with that jello... LOL
 
But, yes your criticism is interesting and so I'd encourage people to read it as a caveat before trying the band, and then read the reviews which praise it and decide.
 


Just doing a search due to the French prog poll, and I only now noticed the response (I should set up a  working email so I get alerts).

I liked it considerably by the time of my last post, but it is one that took me a little while to warm up to (didn't excite me much on first listen as I recall).

Took me a little while to warm up to Moving Gelatine Plates (warm jello salad, yuck) but it was worth it.  Really, I got those albums at the same time that I got a  lot more, so I hadn't originally let the jello sink into my soul yet and I didn't get back to the albums enough.  Although I already liked the first two albums considerably by the time of the posting, now I like them even more.  Excellent stuff. Worth warming up to if it, or you, needs warming at all.


Edited by Logan - December 07 2007 at 00:10
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Points: 12625 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2007 at 00:12
Great you like it!
I'll send you some related (in spirit of goofiness) bands to listen to, unless you know them already - Ma Banlieue Flasque and Komintern.
 
 
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Points: 4373 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2007 at 00:13
I have their second album, "The World of Genius Hans." Quite a good listen. The title track is extensive and seems to have a few RIO-tendencies (despite being from the early 70s). The rest of the songs are quite good, but they lack the punch of that opening song. A good band that's worth checking out.
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Points: 35750 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 07 2007 at 00:14
Thanks, Avestin!

Originally posted by WalterDigsTunes WalterDigsTunes wrote:

I have their second album, "The World of Genius Hans." Quite a good listen. The title track is extensive and seems to have a few RIO-tendencies (despite being from the early 70s). The rest of the songs are quite good, but they lack the punch of that opening song. A good band that's worth checking out.


EDIT: Walter, you posted just before me.  A good little review -- the title track is great, but I did prefer the debut on the whole.  I really like both now, though.


Edited by Logan - December 07 2007 at 00:31
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Points: 166178 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 11 2007 at 21:39
Put their first two on my christmas list. Cool
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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