I suppose it was inevitable that I would eventually blog about my all-time favorite group from the 1970s. I know that's a strange thing to say for a band that only managed two albums in a two year period. However, Moving Gelatine Plates has the perfect recipe for my aural appetite. They feature the rare combination of being both memorably melodic and academically complex. They are affable, fun, and approachable. They were all about music and not about leftist politics (hard to find bands like that in the early 1970s French political landscape). The sounds they chose were thick, fat and wedgy - fuzz bass, loud acid guitar, trumpet, sax and flute. And perhaps best of all: They rocked like a motherf*cker. The opening track 'London Cab' is absolutely perfect, and a great example of MGP's overall sound. The only weakness found on the album is the overlong drum solo on 'Last Song', that I'm sure the band would agree on reflection, is completely unnecessary. There is no doubt that they were influenced by the Canterbury bands of Soft Machine and Caravan. But Moving Gelatine Plates takes the concepts of melody, composition, and rock energy to its logical extreme. They are Canterbury extract, in the same way that Presents From Nancy era Supersister were - but MGP was even more fleshed out considering the expanded instrumental lineup. All the good stuff stayed in, while the waste was filtered out. And to think they actually improved on their next album!
Ownership: LP: 1971 CBS. Single sleeve. Online acquisition from a dealer in Norway (1998).
CD: 1992 Musea. Purchased not long after release and was my introduction to the album and group. As usual Musea closes the door on all potential competition with a high quality release, complete with detailed liners and photos. As a bonus, they provide half of the Moving album from 1980 (to be completed on the second MGP reissue).
1993; 1998; 1/21/13 (new entry)
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