Search - Harmonium :: En Tournee

Simply better than the original!

Glen Bourgeois | Cheticamp, Nova Scotia Canada | 04/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm usually not a fan of "live" recordings, especially those who carry the task of duplicating a studio LP. I'd listened to this album a Lonnnnnng time ago, at the age of 7 or so, when my attention span was long gone by the time a lengthy drum solo was over. I'd familiarized myself with the studio version of "L'Heptade" while in my late teens. Although there is a great deal of musical harmony in the studio version, everything seems to be restrained, tired even.I finally bought the CD edition of "En Tournée" and I have to say... WOW!!! My attention span has much improved (although I did drift away upon the first listen, hoping that the end to "Comme un sage" would come and soon (laughs)), and I can see how vastly superior this performance is to the studio version. True, Neil Chotem's interludes and orchestration are not included in the live version (the only drawback), but the new, seemingly improvised content is more than acceptable. This is a band at the top of their game, with past, present and future all appearing in form...- past: surprisingly, several of the live "Heptade" tracks pick up traits and notions displayed in previous Harmonium albums, most notably "Le Premier ciel" whose intro is akin in spirit to "Vert", off "Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison". Other influences are brought into the mix as well. Again, "Le Premier ciel" brings in influences from drummer Denis Farmer and guitarist Robert Stanley's previous groups, Ville Emard Blues Band and Contraction, turning the instrumental sections within the double-length track (20 minutes!) into a veritable VEBB-fest.- present: "L'Heptade" notwithstanding, an influence is picked up during the studio sessions and displayed in full force during tracks like "Le Premier ciel" and "L'Exil": a love for the music of Supertramp. (Check Serge Locat's sweater while he's on the weight scale, smoking a cigarette...)- future: check out Serge Locat's solo section within "Lumières de vie (Partie 2)"... and you should notice something distinctly recognizable as "Transfert", the title track off Serge's first solo album in 1978.My attention wavered off somewhere during "Lumières de vie (Partie 2)", and never quite made it back. This is the only reason why I'm not giving this album 5 stars. Disc 1 is simply a complete delight! Disc 2 is a bit more challenging to my attention span, although there are some solid moments in all tracks. It just seems like time passes more slowly...Quick note: I believe the DVD/video "Harmonium in California" is from the same tour, looking at the same musical material. I remember seeing a TV special when I was but a young pup (probably about, or before, the age of 7), and I'm thinking this may be the same one. Candid, on-the-road footage mixed with live performance? That's what I remember.(Si quelqu'un désire une traduction de ce texte en français, laissez-moi le savoir et ça me fera un plaisir de vous le traduire dans une critique future... :) )"

If you like L'Heptade, you need this!

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 04/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"En Tournée was Harmonium's live album, recorded in 1977 in Vancouver (a rather unlikely place for a Quebec band singing exclusively in French to be performing in, but they did it, showing that music can transcend cultural and political differences, although when the album starts with Serge Fiori saying "Bon Jour" the audience reaction was rather mixed, but that sure changed when the music actually started). It was not released until 1980, after the group had broken up. I can't be really surprised that L'Heptade should be Harmonium's final studio album. Serge Fiori knew he couldn't go any further, or top it off. Not to mention prog was on the decline in the second half of the '70s (punk and/or disco sure took a toll in many countries that had a healthy prog scene going on, not to mention that FM radio gone the more commercialized AOR route thanks to bands like Journey, Foreigner, and Boston making it big).



En Tournée isn't your typical live album where they play the hits, fan favorites, and then some, but instead the performance of the entire L'Heptade album. But this is not a note-for-note copy of the studio original. For one thing, Neil Chotem could not be present, so his orchestrations obviously had to be dropped (can't be too surprised, hiring an orchestra doesn't come cheap, just ask ELP around the same time). So without Neil Chotem, the band proved they can perform L'Heptade just fine without him, and I have to say this really does justice to that album! Some of the cuts have their own twists not found on the original. A great example is "Le Première Ciel" where there are actual new passages and jams added on, and done so well you wished it was included on the original. Especially those echoey flutes that were not on the original. But the biggest difference of course is the orchestral passages that were sandwiched between many of the cuts were obviously omitted, but it worked fine. A bit more mellotron were added in many of the cuts than the studio original, but not in large amounts like on two major extended cuts off Les Cinq Saisons. And on "Le Corridor", they took out that phased Mellotron passage with acoustic guitars and tagged on some new lyrics I don't remember on the original. Much of this album has a feel of a live album, tending to be more loose and energetic than the original. It's simply one of the finest live albums you'll ever hear!



I listened to this after I familiarized myself with L'Heptade, and it's a no-brainer, this album is a complete must if you enjoyed that one!"

A hidden jewel

Guy Campeau | Stoneham, Québec Canada | 05/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the last and the best album from Harmonium, this is a live version of "L'Heptade". I agree the other reviewer, this live set is better that the original. I am a prog music fan and this is simply the best that has ever been made here in Québec, Canada. If you can find this album, buy it ! Very good from the first song to the last one. Give it a try, you won't regret. Be aware that Harmonium is a band from the Province of Québec, in Canada, so you'll hear songs in French ! You will find quite different from what you have heard before, Harmonium is really hard to compare with other band, they were unique !"