LAURENT
THIBAULT"Dieu et Diable, c'est le Yin et le Yang, Le Blanc et le Noir, le Positif
et le Negatif, La Vie et La Mort...
C'est la dualité de la vie, toujours. Autrement il y a Néant. De toutes facons,
après tout vient le Néant."
Christian Vander
"The next OFFERING album will be the last one, it will include 'LES CYGNES
ET LES CORBEAUX'."
Christian Vander 4-92
15-05-92 VICHY
Emmanuel Borghi has left OFFERING, but he still plays piano with the jazz trio and Philippe Dardelle is still on upright bass. A review of one of these concerts (by Rolf Spengler), hopefully in the next issue.
22-05-92 LA COURNEUVE, near PARIS 23-05-92 ISSOUDUN 21-06-92 FONTENAY AUX ROSES 25-06-92 Café des Anges, STRASBOURG 26-06-92 Maison de la Culture, CONTREXEVILLE 27-06-92 Salle de Musée de l'Orme, SAINT DIE
12-07-92 Cour des Ecoles, BEDARIEUX, SOUTHERN FRANCE (Languedoc region) 02-08-92 Salle Jules Verne, DOUARNENEZ, BRITTANY (JAZZ EN BAIE festival) 15-10-92 Salle Boris Vian, LA VILLETFE, PARIS (North East Suburb) 16-10-92 Salle Boris Vian, LA VILLETTE, PARIS (20h00) 17-10-92 Salle Boris Vian, LA VILLETTE, PARIS (20h00) 18-10-92 Salle Boris Vian, LA VILLE1'TE, PARIS (18h00)
These were some of the special concerts in France that Stella spoke about last spring. The set was principally choral with two pianos, drums, two synths, double bass and guitar. They sang a range of vocal pieces that were originally performed by MAGMA from 1973 up to 1992. Including 'Wurdah Ïtah' which was the jewel in the show and 'Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh'.
In April, Christian said that the VOIX DE MAGMA gigs would be something entirely new but he did not want to elaborate any more on that at the time. There have been rumours that JANNICK TOP was about to rejoin MAGMA. Oh how I wish they were true! Alas, even though he and Christian are Mends again and see each other regularly, there are no immediate plans for him to rejoin the UZMK.... However, it's not impossible (says Georges).
I have almost completed the International MAGMA discography listing, but I would be most grateful if you could let me know if you have any unusual items (i.e. non-French albums, promo singles, cassettes, etc) so that I can at last print the full discography in issue #11. I need to know as much as possible about them, including matrix numbers, colour of label, colour of insert sheet etc.... The more info you supply the better! In particular I need to know the 1970's cassette details and the matrix number of the Uniwerïa Zekt single, but any info at all could be useful, because you might have a rare item and not realise that it is different to the general releases.
Late news from Olivier, who was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of Christian's new line-up: LES VOIX DE MAGMA played 'Ëmëhntëht-Rê', 'To Love', 'I Must Return', 'C'est pour nous', 'Zëss', 'Ronde de Nuit', 'Tous Ensemble', 'Wurdah Ïtah', 'M.D.K.', 'Innocent' and 'La Marche Celeste' with the following personnel: Christian, Stella and Julie Vander, Isabelle Feuillebois, Alex Ferrand, Pierre-Michel Sivadier, Simon Goubert and the choir was extended by a few members of the Zeuhl group DON'T DIE.
CANTERBURY-NACHRICHTEN is a Germanic view of the Canterbury music scene, which, like the British magazine FACELIFT also includes Magma in that field. Personally I cannot find the slightest common factor between the music of Caravan and Zeuhl music, but since Francis Moze also played with GONG and Francis Linon worked with GONG before taking over MAGMA's mixing desk, I suppose the link is tenuous. Whatever, if you like both GONG and MAGMA, you will enjoy both these excellently produced fanzines, which cover the full gamut of the Canterbury scene and Zeuhl too.
CHRISTIAN VANDER's next release will be the album with just piano and children's choir that I mentioned in Ork Alarm! #3. This project was originally planned as an album of traditional French songs, Christmas novelty songs and some new pieces...one for the collectors perhaps? (Seventh A IX presumably). Hopefully it should be out before Xmas, so I will try to review it while stuffing myself with figgy pudding and so forth. Meanwhile Eric F. has this for you to ponder, 'will it be a Turkey?'
ZAO release their third album 'Shekina' on CD on the MUSEA label in November 1992 with their first album 'Z=7L' also due out on CD in the spring. Musea also plan to release the second album 'Osiris' on CD sometime in 1993 and hopefully a live album from the 1974 ZAO line-up too. The live album is apparently a great quality recording, engineered by Main Français who was also responsible for the MAGMA 'Retrospektïw' albums.
Have you noticed that 'Sands' on the 'To Love' album is similar to the start of 'Another Day', in 1988 Christian said that this album was basically a demo for Live OFFERING and MAGMA songs, It's a very underrated album, but still my favourite work that Vander has done since 'Hhaï/Live'. Ever listened closely to the first minute of Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells' album and then played 'M.D.K.' immediately afterwards? This theme was used throughout The Exorcist movie and more recently in British TV adverts for the Vauxhall Calibra. And resurrected by Oldfield for his new album 'Tubular Bells II'. Another theme from 'Mekanïk' was borrowed by Cyrille Verdaux for his 'Clearlight Symphony' album (3minutes and 20seconds into track 5 on the Mantra CD).
PAGA are trying to release their third album that they recorded in 1989 / 1990, but they have some financial problems. Also their first album, simply titled 'Paga' was re-released in the summer on CD, (Columbia 468441 2). In the meantime the quartet of Bernard Paganotti, Klaus Blasquiz, Claude Salmieri and Bertrand Lajudie have been joined by Erie Séva on saxophones. PAGA GROUP and XAAL both played at the Théâtre Trevise, Paris at the beginning of July.
OFFERING played over 150 concerts; maybe we will have a complete list of them in a future issue... let me know if you are interested (I guess you don't really care, but I could be wrong).
CD releases are planned for the THELEME label back catalogue including UNIVERÏA ZEKT's early 70's album called 'THE UNNAMABLES' and also the 1971 'PUISSANCE 13+2' sampler album featuring the 'Mekanïk Kommandöh' single recording by MAGMA. After twenty years of searching for the sampler album, I heard the full four sides for the first time earlier this year. It is not a great musical statement by any of the bands involved. 'THE UNNAMABLES' album however, is certainly worth looking out for, as it is a fine example of Teddy Lasry's compositional talents. As Klaus Blasquiz says in the interview elsewhere in this issue - the distinction between UNIWERÏA ZEKT and MAGMA is not precise. One interpretation is that this album contains music that does not fit into the story of Kobaïa or Theusz Hamtaahk. Another is that since it was a collaboration with Lasry, Vander preferred not to release it as a MAGMA album. Whatever, this is not a classic album and it sounds a bit dated now, but the album is an intriguing insight into the early development of MAGMA's music.
Alain & Yvon GUILLARD's band PAZAPA have a new album out soon on the GIMINI label.
It is currently suspected that OFFERING have now played their final concert and are technically disbanded, several times last April Christian hinted that this would happen soon and since the concert in May I have heard nothing contrary to that rumour... but no conclusive statement either.
"LE DEGREE ZERO: The birth of French Rock in the Era of Late Capitalism" is the title of a book on French Progressive Music currently being edited by Charles John-Arnold in the USA. Charles is a professor of English at a small university. He wrote a chapter on HELDON, Dean Suzuki wrote one on ART ZOYD and Dana J. Lawrence wrote the chapter dealing with MAGMA. The book will also include chapters on Gong, Daevid Allen, Richard Pinhas, Lard Free, Urban Sax, Gilbert Artman, Wapassou, Etron Fou, Univers Zero, ZNR, ZAO and Bernard Szajner. When the University Press publishes it,, I expect that the specialist music stores such as Ultima Thule, Mike Lloyd Music, Chappells and Musea will be stocking it in Europe. And I've no doubt at all that Archie will have it in stock at Eurock in the USA, as will Steve at Wayside.
WDR German radio organised a poll in January for listeners to vote for their favourite records of 1991 and would you credit it? 'OFFERING III et IV' came third. Good news for Christian eh? Can you imagine what the result would be if the BBC held a similar poll?
SHUB NIGGURATH 'C'ETAIENT DE TRÉS GRANDS VENTS' (Musea FGBG 4042.AR)
"It has been a long time since the first SHUB NIGGURATH album and this new one
will blow your minds as much as that earlier effort did. A graduate of the MAGMA
school, SHUB NIGGURATH have become the leading innovator in the experimental
branch of said musical tendency. Their level of creativity and intensity has
no peer among the current French bands and the new album is a definitive document
of today's new music fusion of rock and the avant-garde. I've not heard anything
the likes of this in a long time." - Archie Patterson
"The new album from the group which is unique in the field of New Sombre and
Contemporary music" - Jean-Christophe Alluin
SERGE PERATHONER / JANNICK TOP have a new film soundtrack CD called 'SIMPLE MORTAL' which Archie Pattersonsays is Rock mixed with an exotic keyboard/percussion/bass ambiance from the former TRANSIT EXPRESS and of course MAGMA maestros.
LAURENT
THIBAULTLAURENT THIBAULT 'MAIS ON NE PEUT PAS REVER TOUT LE TEMPS' (Musea FGBG 4054)
One of the rarest and most exquisite blends of Magmaesque folk rock and progressive
rock from one of MAGMA's original line-up and subsequently their producer. This
was his only album and the second half at least is indeed a masterpiece. It
seems that Musea have started re-releasing some interesting and Krheatï? material
again after their recent flirtations with prog-rock.
ART ZOYD 'ART ZOYD' (Mantra 065) Their new double CD is the long awaited re-issue of the original recordings of the first three ART ZOYD albums with an added bonus of 'ARCHIVES I' an extra thirty minutes of previously unreleased music from the early years. This album would be worth buying for the 1976 recording of 'Symphonic pour le jour où brûleront les cités' alone. But when you add the glorious 'Musique pour l'Odysée' from 1979 and the crushing Zeuhl power of 'Génération sans Futur' it becomes an indispensable addition, every magmaphile should have one. Even Vander often failed to match the glory of the early neo-classical ART ZOYD 3.
UNIVERS
ZEROUNIVERS ZERO 'CEUX DU DEHORS' (RéR Megacorp / Cuneiform CD)
"The classic. In my view, this is a landmark, the most extraordinary and successful
of UNIVERS ZERO's recordings - not to be missed, in new packaging. No other
group sounded like this, part modern chamber music and discernible Magma influences.
The line-up includes bassoon, violin, viola, harmonium, bass, guitar and drums.
Produced by Etienne Condo at Sunrise studios in 1980. Essential." - Chris
Cutler