70's French

          Transit Express

is another obscure band. They were working for mainstream pop progressive singer Yves Simon. They did 3 jazzrock prog records, with "Opus progressif" in 1976. Excellent musicians.




You can hear extracts here: This is quite close to Mahavisnu at times.
http://www.121music.com/pages/cd12/transit_express.html




Edited by oliverstoned - March 19 2007 at 08:38

avestin wrote: great thread. Like always learning great new things - Thanks all for the info, learned about several new bands. My list would include many of those you already mentioned and some others: ALPES & CATHERINE RIBEIRO*, ALPHA CENTAURY, AME SON, ANGE, ANOXIE (not that good, but if this thread has become inclusive then why not mention them?), APHÉLANDRA, ARACHNOÏD, ARCHAÏA (again, I don't particularly like them, but I know several who regard this highly)., ART ZOYD, ARTCANE, ASIA MINOR (their first was in 79, no?), ATOLL, BESOMBES, PHILIPPE, CARPE DIEM, CATHARSIS (really nice psych act), CHÊNE NOIR (I added them recently, still active today), CLEARLIGHT, DÜN (nevermind the album release date, they were active in the 70's), EDITION SPÉCIALE, ESKATON (again the first one is from the late 70's), ETRON FOU LELOUBLAN, FLAMEN DIALIS (not too amazing, but still worth a mention), HELDON, HORDE CATALYTIQUE POUR LA FIN (again, not something I am too keen of), HONEYELK, KOMINTERN (I recently added them and wrote a review, love those guys), LARD FREE, MARKUSFELD, ALAIN (know him thanks to Dallas), MEMORIANCE (suggested them to the symphonic team, very nice two albums), METABOLISME (not a terribly impressive album, but good nonetheless)., MONA LISA, MOSAÏC (another addition, like them quite a lot), MOVING GELATINE PLATES (thanks to Alucard for this one), PATAPHONIE (another addition, thanks to Yuko for this one), PINHAS, RICHARD, PONTY, JEAN-LUC , POTEMKINE (love the reissues with all their output). PULSAR (for some reason I like them less than other people), RAHMANN (thanks to Rocktopus), RIPAILLE (it's a very nice record, but I don't agree with some glaring reviews of this I read), SANDROSE (Micky loves this one as well), SHYLOCK, PACECRAFT, TRAVELLING  (this is lovely music), TRIODE (another one being always mentioned as benig derivative, but I like it nonethelss), VERTO (pretty weird, but still a nice "ride"), VORTEX (what a great release is their two albums in one case), WAPASSOU (thanks to Hugues for this one), ZAO (oh and Magma...) As for other non-PA bands: Nemo (the 70's one), Crium Delirium, Red Noise, Camizole, Barricade, and maybe Urban Sax, Ma Banlieu Flasque (thanks to Martin), Mahogany Brain, Maajun/Mahjun, Speed Limit (super group), Ometaxalia et Bucchi, Oniris, Troisieme Rive (nice folky/rock tunes),  Ocarinah, Semool (although, this is a very diversive album, some see it as a masterpiece/ahead of its time while others as a joke), Booz, Francois Breant, Kha Ym (thanks to Rocktopus), Cohen-Solal, Clivage and there are probably more...     For French speaking people, this site is quite nice and informative - http://neospheres.free.fr/rockfr/index.htm     So, DB, now that you see others mentioning the same bands that I talk about and want to add, would you mind telling us which Meaningless bands I am flooding PA with?

Actually, the responses to this thread are very helpful in guiding a person who is just beginning to explore such a diverse scene. The short reviews posted make it a great starting point, where one can then delve further on PA if an artist catches your eye. Hopefully, further posts will expand on the bands you  too have listed above. I find it easier to learn about something new, if I can have access to several viewpoints at the beginning. That's the beauty of community, one can see what others think, and use it as one chooses for guidance.  That's how I accumulated what little knowledge I have about computers, by having two friends participate in a friendly debates on the merits of software, hardware, ISPs etc.

P.S. I actually am starting to recognize a few more groups that you are mentioning, with Heldon, Clearlight, Lard Free recently being added to my collection. Having finished trying very hard (but unsuccessfully)  to get into VDGG, I have a little bit more listening time now available to finally get into them in depth. Mind you, one compliment to Dallasbryan, the inclusion of album artwork does help in piquing my curiosity about certain groups.


Edited by pantacruelgruel - March 18 2007 at 22:12

Even Grateful dead played at the Château (in 1971)







Edited by oliverstoned - March 19 2007 at 15:32

...especially the long piece "Underground session chorea...", the most progressive.

More obscure bands...

LE SYSTEME CRAPOUTCHIK

EPTA

EGREGIE

ALEPH

EDEN ROSE

MAYA

NATO

TRIPTYQUE

VOYAGE

BERENICE

CHECKERS

JEAN COHEN-SOLAL

CRISTAL

KISS

FRANCOIS WERTHEIMER

IRIS

MELODY MAKERS

OPHIUCUS

SUBSTANCE

GROUPEMENT CULTUREL RENAULT

SOLUTION

ATHENA

ORION

CRYSTAL EYES

ZEUGMA

METABOLISME



Eden rose (1970), featuring JP Alarcen



"Tracklist: On The Way To Eden (5:09), Faster And Faster (3:05), Sad Dream (4:09), Obsession (4:24), Feeling In The Living (4:19), Travelling (3:26), Walking In The Sea (5:29), Reinyet Number (4:34), Under The Sun (2:30) (Bonus Track)
Under The Sun was not featured on the original album but was the B-side to the single Travelling

Musicians: Jean-Pierre Alarcen (guitar), Henri Garella (keyboards), Michel Jullien (drums), Christian Clairefond (bass))

All tracks were composed by Henri Garella. The album was recorded in Paris (Seine, France) at the studio located at 10 Washington Street in March 1970.
Produced by Katema
Artistic direction by Richard Gachner

For starters one should stress the fact that On the Way To Eden is an instrumental album which has its main focal point the Hammond organ which immediately gives away the period when this album was recorded. Bands termed as proto-progressive such as Procol Harum had pushed this unmistakeable sound forward and Eden Rose, though not very similar to Procol Harum could be coined as such a band. However, they seem to do away with complexities and go straight for the jugular delivering their various tunes in short sharp pieces. At times the music sounds too cliche and almost kitsch-like in nature - yet most of the times it works.

The pieces are well executed, so much so that at times one tends to feel that he has heard some of the tunes beforehand. However, one could split the tracks into two distinctive sections. There are those pieces that have a languid feel with the key tune being played out over and over again - literally ramming it down your throat. These are the pieces, such as the opener On the Way To Eden and Walking In The Sea, that somehow do not do it for me. However there are some cleverly crafted works on this album that definitely deserve a mention.

Faster And Faster, as its name implies is a well paced piece that has the Hammond and guitar really jostling for the frontline, exchanging licks in between the occasional bass run. Sad Dream is the complete opposite of Faster And Faster. Opening with the theme to children's tune Frere Jacques, this piece is possibly the closest the band get to Procol Harum with the Hammond set to the background as the piano and guitar come forward with plaintive solos, giving the album one of the more dramatic pieces. You could see this piece placed in the soundtrack of one of those tear-jerker films!

Pieces like Obsession, Feeling In the Living and the album single Travelling are the reasons why this album is indeed a gem of a release. Here the band seem to let loose playing in a controlled frenzy allowing the various members to express themselves within a concise time frame revolving round a clear melody line. The more I hear these pieces, the more I feel that should this band have had a quality vocalists, they could have gone places. Also featured on On The Way To Eden is the B-side of the only single released by Eden Rose, Under The Sun, which is one of the more psychedelic pieces on the album.

Musea have managed (once again!) to unearth a true Forgotten Son. "On The Way To Eden" is not one of those masterpieces that is a must have for progressive rock fans and one has to admit that the music sounds very dated. On the other hand it is an interesting look into the way progressive rock evolved, and indeed how Sandrose came to be.

Nigel Camilleri "

That's a pleasure dear Bryan to share with you.

The "Eden rose" album is a big classic and is sold
at very high price in vinyl conventions.

intreresting write up oliver....  not sure if I can find here in Italy as I'm hitting every album shop I can find hahhaha.. but keeping my eyes open for it.  Going to Milan next week where I here they have some great prog album shops.

oliverstoned wrote:        Le château d'Hérouville : a mythical place

Being from Canada, I did a double take when I saw Herouville. For a moment I thought you had missed the X at the end of Herou. As if that Quebec village wasn't already in the news enough lately

oliverstoned wrote:  (1974)

Wonderful band. Wapassou's most beautiful masterpiece is their second: Messe en re Mineur imo:



And this one by Dashiell Hedayat:





Edited by Rocktopus - March 23 2007 at 10:26

70s france is poo...

































































































































Compared to 1981 france (Dun - Eros).






EDIT: Oh, wait, forgot about Magma...   


I'm actually well behind where I wish I was in the French prog scene of the 1970s...

Edited by inpraiseoffolly - March 23 2007 at 11:29