UK compilation for the Parisian based progressive rock act. 17 tracks culled from 'Live' (1975), 'Attahk' (1977) & 'Udu Wudu' (1976).
CD Reviews
THIS IS A BOOTLEG RECORDING. DON'T BUY THIS.
Mark Singer | Columbia, MO | 09/23/2002
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Magma's Web site states that this a bootleg containing tracks stolen from three of their CDs without any royalties being paid. Shame on you if you buy this."
Magma - 'Spiritual' (Recall) 2-CD import
Mike Reed | USA | 01/25/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"As for this 2-CD compilation being a bootleg, are you sure? I've seen numerous like releases of other long-running bands on the Recall label. Maybe they came across one of those 'slippery contract' deals that I've heard about before. Either way, the price of this 2-CD by French progsters Magma was JUST too good for me to pass up. I've been forewarned to avoid this band completely. But, I can think for myself and I,personally thought this 12-track anthology was decent. Not sure if I'll seek anymore of Magma's repertoire or not. Tunes here I thought were decent enough for me to keep this title around for awhile were "Weirdorje", the jamming "Hhai", the somewhat artsy-fartsy "Last 7 Minutes" and the 18-minute "Mekanik Zain". Best way I could accurately describe Magma's sound is part Avant Garde and part experimental progressive. How about like a rich man's Gong? Does that make much sense? Funny thing about Magma, is I remember several years ago when they toured the states, while co-headlining for Gong (mind you)and I spoke to several fans that saw that year's Prog Fest, but I couldn't find ONE person who liked Magma. Think that Porcupine Tree might've been out on that same tour."
Le Boot
J. Holmes | yokohama, japan | 10/31/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"i bought this double cd set, unknown to the fact that it is indeed a recording that was not authorized by the band, therefore making it a bootleg. which makes it a little surprsing that Amazon continues to sell this product...
i'm a big fan of this French group, and i love and respect their musical vision, but this is really not the best set of live recordings that are available. the sound quality is fine and there are a few choice cuts that are excellent. but the material on Spiritual is mostly culled from the band's patchiest studio releases (Udu Wudu & Attahk) which contain less of a traditional Zeuhl sound and display a growing influence of soul, funk, and gospel. not really a bad thing, i suppose, but certainly a bit of a misguided era for this usually brilliant band. there are some bright spots of greatness on here, as with the wonderfully joyous "Dondai", the creepy "Weidorje", and the cosmic mission statement of "Kobah", but overall, there are better and more deserving Magma live records than this one. most notably the Theusz Hamtaahk Trilogie 3cd box set (which Amazon does not carry...errgh!) or the fabulous Live 1975 release."
It may be a bootleg, but...
E. Bukowski | New Castle, PA United States | 10/08/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"...unless you can afford the pricey import studio albums, then you may have to just quickly plug in your credit card number and try to forget that you're short-changing the band. Sure, buying this may be as bad as just downloading the albums but at least you can hear the music without spending an arm and a leg. Just going from Amazon prices, If you were to buy the live album, Attahk, and Udu Wudu (the three albums this compilation highlights) you would be looking at spending over a hundred dollars for 3 CD's. I wouldn't spend that much on my favorite band, let alone a band that I like but don't love to death. Let's get to the music. If you're looking to check out Magma this gives a decent selection of songs to investigate. The three best from Attahk, which are "Nono" "Spiritual" and "The Last 7 Minutes" are all included and showcase the band and their most frenzied and frantic, and in the case of "Spiritual" showcase the band at their most gospel-esque! It really does sound like a joyous negro hymm, and the fact that it's sung in a made up language makes it all the more hilarious and enjoyable.As far as Udu Wudu it does include a couple of standout tracks from the album in the form of the haunting death march "Weidorje" and the creepy, unsettling "Zombies." As far as the title track, it's OK but nothing special, and very un-representative of the band. The live (and shortened) rendering of the Mekanik... album is also absolutely essential and I actually prefer this 20 minute version to listening to the entire studio album, as it's more energetic and includes some unbelievably fast singing.I would have given this album 5 stars for value and song selection but they left off the 17 minute magnum-opus of Udu Wudu, which is "De Futura" and one of the band's shining moments on record, period, showcasing the band at their most schizophrenic. I'm actually considering paying the 40 dollars for the import for that track alone. Note to the bootleggers, you made a huge mistake leaving this one off. If you're new to Magma this is a fantastic place to start, and that goes without mentioning it's one of the only affordable places to start. If you like what you hear you may want to do the band a favor and pick up some studio albums as well."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1