WEIDORJE

Weidorje = (biblical word pronounced Vay-dorge) is the waiting period for the arrival of a flying saucer that will , one morning, come to take us away with new values and in complete safety. Weidorje would then mean Celestial Wheel. Wow! Pretty eclectic sci-fi stuff! Perhaps not in our jaded, blasé and schizoid 21st Century , but back in the innocence of 1978, space travel was very much the common everyday fantasy and many a musician was puffing away looking at the stars and dreaming. Weidorje developed as a Magma side project with the blessing of leader Christian Vander, giving devoted members Bernard Paganotti and Patrick Gauthier the freedom to stretch beyond Kobaia and search out different Zeuhl territories. Together with a fabulous crew of newbies Kirt Rust on drums, guitarist Michel Ettori, keyboardist Jean-Philippe Goude and the Guillard brothers on assorted brass instruments, they have recorded this one shot monster that nearly equals many Magma album in terms of sheer musicality and daring inspiration. On the deliriously tasty 16 minute + "Elohims Voyage", Paganotti's bass style is very upfront and center, almost exorbitantly brash, a four string festival that illuminates the path with the drums providing the backbone, the dual keyboards swirling with grandiose diversity, both e-piano and organs ablaze and reinforced by solid trumpet blasts and occasional scat vocalizing. The piece sounds like the Raelian national anthem (those not familiar with this sect, their members await the arrival of the alien angel creators (elohim =Hebrew for angel) in Jerusalem, signaling the age of Revelation or Apocalypse). Not exactly Neal Morse but vive la difference! While the similarities with Magma (the Mothership!) are obvious, the differences are also palpable: no Kobaian language or message, little of that famed Wagnerian heaviness and of course, no Vander (there can only be one like him), here each composer imposes their own strong personality on the arrangement and it shows. "Vilna" is a dozen minute long Gauthier composition that concentrates on the repetitive weaving of electric piano and organ melodies in an almost hypnotic mid-period Soft Machine style, very "jazz- rock" as it was called then with a muted bass sound. A rippling Ettori lead adds to the manic groove and the brass really complete the deal. This is excellent instrumental music that will appeal to the jazz and rock fan without prejudice. "Booldemug" features Paganotti's mercilessly furious "rolling thunder" bass, totally upfront and very center , a ground hugging call to arms that should floor most bass fanatics (I am beyond fanaticism and a proud bass fetishist) , with Ettori's axe particularly grinding out some serious notes with some heady help from the conspiratorial Guillard brothers and some zipping solos from the Synth duo. This is unadulterated genius, easily one of the finest Zeuhl tracks anywhere! "Rondeau" is a J.P. Goude (or should I say "Good") composition which illustrates his considerable skills, favoring the violin-tone synthesizers as well as some trembling e-piano , with Paga's bass politely in the background and the brass (bass with an R) punching a few benchmark pleasure zones, a mid-tempo groove that glides along nicely with just a little "frénésie". The live "Kolinda" seeks out absurd aural pastures, with palpable Magma influences, with playfully woven guitar tapestries adding some balance to the intricate interplay, a complex in-concert jam that just sizzles, again highlighting Paganotti's incredible fretless virtuosity. Hey, "musique facile" this is not! Weidorje was another victim of the tough punky times and sadly, disappeared before a second album could be released. Dommage. A must for fans of bass guitar, Zeuhl or adventurous "heavy jazz-rock". 4 Godzillas.