Search - Pulsar :: Halloween

A Symph-Prog Masterpiece

William Scalzo | Niagara Falls, NY | 11/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's the short version of this review:

If you don't like symphonic prog rock you will HATE this CD and might as well stop reading right now. If you're like me and can't get enough of the stuff, especially the genuine 70's kind, you should add Halloween to your collection immediately.



If you're still with me, here's the long version:

Pulsar was a French prog band who were big stars in their homeland, although they could barely make a dent elsewhere in their day. Their work has since gained quite a cult following with prog fans worldwide, with this album sometimes referred to as the French Dark Side of the Moon. While most of the Continental prog bands (Italy aside) were playing in sub-genres like RIO, space-prog and zeuhl, Pulsar was squarely in the English symph-prog tradition with some definite overtones of the Italian symph-proggers. Symphonic as all get-out actually. Keyboardist Jaques Roman played the full complement of prog keys from organ and piano to Mellotron and synths. Gilbert Gandil had the necessary facility with both acoustic and electric guitars, and bassist Michel Masson is the underrated star here as he effortlessly follows the twists and turns in tempos and key changes. Victor Bosch was not only a great drummer but a fine percussionist and vibes player as well. He won't knock you out with his technical virtuosity like a Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant, but his vibes work is wonderfully atmospheric and really adds to parts of this album. Multi-instrumentalist Roland Richard colours the music with woodwinds, piano and strings. This is a full-on symphonic rock sound of the highest order with so many things going on in the music that it virtually begs repeated listening.



The album is presented in two "side-long" suites (to use the old-school vinyl term!) It opens in E-flat with a 7 year old female voice student singing the "Londonderry Air" (AKA "Oh Danny Boy") with "la-la" syllables for the words, and closes with a male opera singer intoning over a bed of Mellotron and organ, ending in a sustained, triumphant C-major chord. In between, the story unfolds with sweeping strings and Mellotron, beautifully recorded acoustic guitar, hard rock jamming with fusion undertones, atmospheric vocal segments...well I could go on and on but you get the picture. A word about the sterling acoustic guitar sound: John McLaughlin had just finished recording in the same studio and had painstakingly set up for the perfect guitar sound (I believe this would have been Shakti's Natural Elements album but I am not positive.) All Gandil had to do was sit down and record with the same setup to get that sound.



This is supposedly a concept album but what exactly the concept may be has escaped me despite repeated listenings (which means it fits right in with stuff like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway lol) This is largely due to the badly transcribed English lyrics and phonetic singing. According to the liner notes, the band used the services of an alleged "English teacher" but given head-scratching lines like "the rose garden stenches the ambers on my lips" (!?!) I sure hope they didn't pay too much! Gandil's unfamiliarity with the language leads to words like "floating" and "flood" coming out as "flouting" and "flude." Put aside the lyrics and just listen though, and you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how effective his yearning, dramatic style can be and how much the voice adds to this record.



About midway through the second part you may find yourself wondering how any of this fits on with the title of Halloween. At the 14 minute mark your question will be answered as deep, terrifying Mellotron notes and a frightening musical cacophony begins, leading to some dark, King Crimsonish jamming. Everything from cello to congas ends up in the mix as the piece turns symphonic again, leading to that glorious operatic ending. I have listened to more prog "grand finales" than is probably healthy for anyone and I have to say that this is one of the very best I have ever heard. Just blows me away every time.



The editing and mixing is excellent, blending the many disparate parts into a seamless whole with a tight conceptual focus that is found in the best prog rock. For those looking to expand your collections well beyond the UK "Big 6," Halloween is essential. A masterpiece of progressive rock."

Yup. Masterpiece. These guys are real talents!

Y. Choe | San Francisco | 12/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Totally agree with William, the previous reviewer. He's written a wonderful review of this wonderful french band. Many compare Pulsar with Pink Floyd but...I tell you, Pulsar is way better than PF. Simply haunting. Their 1st album, "Pollen" is also very good. Similar style with Halloween. Their 2nd is a little bit different from these two albums. Yeah, it's more similar to PF's style and less exciting. I found I like them in the order of Halloween > Pollen >> The Strand. If you are a fan of euro prog rock, you should have 'Halloween'. It's a law. If you like it, then try Pollen. Just remember the strand should not be the not first choice to appreciate their music."

Oh so tragic...

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 04/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is fantastic music (released in 1977) that is intelligently arranged and played, and unlike a lot of progressive rock is remarkably understated. Large sections of the 40+-minute "Halloween" suite are dominated by sweeping and haunting synthesizer parts (Roland string synthesizer, Mellotron etc...), which are punctuated by "heavier" sections where a technically superb drum part dominates. In fact, it is worth noting that the drummer is excellent, yet never grandstands, and works with the composition, which is both delicate and sophisticated. At times, these drum-dominated "jams" sound somewhat like jazz-rock, with pre-composed keyboard solos lending a distinct structure to the jam. The guitar work is also quite good and the guitarist alternates between acoustic parts and "clean"-sounding electric guitar parts. The vocals (in English) are excellent and the guitarist assumes virtually all vocal duties, while one other University-trained individual sings briefly towards the end of the "Halloween" suite. The production quality on "Halloween" is stellar and every instrument (including the flute parts) can be heard with crystal clarity. This recording is highly recommended."