Search - Magma :: Live 1975

Thunderous

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 07/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Magma is an incredible French band that made a very unique contribution to progressive rock - in the words of drummer extraordinaire Bill Bruford, "Magma turned heads". One pass through this stunning live recording from concerts held at the Taverne de L'Olympia between June 1 and June 5, 1975 made me understand why - this stuff is intense. Surprisingly though, this music is not as alien as one might think. In fact, the album opens with a somewhat familiar introductory fanfare that would not have been out of place on a Mahavishnu Orchestra album (Birds of Fire from 1973 comes to mind). I suppose shades of mid-1970's King Crimson are present too, although the music of Magma is just so different that drawing parallels with other bands would ultimately diminish it.



The lineup on this album is complex and huge and consisted of bandleader/chief composer and incredible drummer Christian Vander; the remarkable Bernard Paganotti (electric bass guitar); Didier Lockwood (violin); Benoit Weidmann (electric piano); Gabriel Federow (electric guitar); Klaus Blasquix (vocals); Stella Vander (vocals); and Jean-Paul Asseline (electric piano). At the very heart of this album are monolithic slabs of thunderous drumming and excellent bass playing by Bernard Paganotti. Bernard favors a heavily distorted tone on his Fender - much like the tone John Wetton (of King Crimson) would get. There are moments when he hits what sounds like a low "B" - I am not sure if this is different tuning or a five string bass. Bernard and Christian really lead the band and atop this heavy, dark and roiling mass of sound are pleasant violin parts and clean sounding guitar parts. The electric piano fleshes the overall sound out and lends it a somewhat jazzy feel - not too much though. The vocals are what really give this music an alien feel - they are presented in a very unusual fashion and the lyrics are sung entirely in Kobaian (sic). Although there are points when the vocals lapse into a rasping growl, the sections that feature Klaus and Stella singing together are very delicate - the contrast is impressive. All of these musicians are virtuosos and when the band gets going full steam, things really cook.



Musically this album is a toughie - I hear a lot of progressive rock, with some jazz rock, free jazz, post-war classical (Carl Orff), the avant -garde. In short, this is daunting music not for the faint hearted. The five tracks on the album range in length from 4'53" to the massive 31'00 Kohntark suite which is an amazing piece of music. I believe that this lengthy track was originally presented on the studio album Kohntarkosz (1974) (and it was 30 minutes long on the studio album too). There are some excellent rave ups that remind me of King Crimson (circa 1974) at their heaviest. Of course, there are some quiet moments and somewhat melodic tunes on the album too (Kobah is a lot of fun) that present a nice contrast with the heavier material. In short, the performances on this live album are breathtaking and this music is simply amazing!



While this CD replicates the LP track listing (yet combines the two part Kohntark) there is a 2-CD set out there that includes extra tracks, but the sound quality is supposedly not that good. The sound quality on this Charly release is pretty good (most likely taken directly from the mixing boards) and the audience is all but mixed out with the exception of a few track endings where the audience can be heard briefly. In fact, this is more like a studio album than a live album. There is a very skimpy booklet that lists the lineup and track listing but that is about it - there are no informative liner notes.



All in all, this is an amazing album that is very highly recommended along with Udu Wudu (1976) and Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh (1973)."

It's not Memorex, it's Magma Live!

Philippe Peluso | Carlsbad, CA - USA | 11/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's get down to business. I am French-American and a drummer. I cannot stop raving about this band and this excellent Live Recording. I have seen Magma in the late 70's in a High School Hall in Meaux (East suburb of Paris) and they were fantastic because Magma excels in concerts. Christian Vander, Magma's drummer and band founder is the primary composer and if you are a musician or just love music, you can tell right away that every sound, tempo, bridge, rhythm in Magma's songs have that drummer's instinct, which is to attack and strike. Magma is an "attack" band. The crescendos are planted all over their songs like reference points into unknown paths. With Magma, you don't know where you are going. Magma's music transports you in an indefinable dimension. Their language can't even be translated unless you ask Vander himself to tell you. Vander is a wild cat and still plays in a Jazz Trio. In the 70's I knew someone in Paris who was taking drum lessons from Christian Vander (teacher) and what he told me about Vander is that he was a very strange, very strict and very demanding fellow. I own this double LP released in 1975. When you listen to any song from this live album recorded in Paris at "La Taverne de L'Olympia," you can't tell if you are listening to jazz, rock, fusion, opera or avant-garde rock. You just have to tell yourself that you are going into unparalleled territory. Just as Frank Zappa's music could not be understood and was unparalleled, Magma cannot be labeled with music types. It's mysterious, riveting, confusing, engaging, exciting, invigorating, subliminal, and putting it simply, it's crazy stuff. Enjoy!"