Triangle ~ France

Triangle (1970)

Triangle were one of the earliest of the French progressive rock bands. At one point they were lead by the diminutive Alain Renaud on guitar, though he left after a few singles, and explored his more experimental tendencies - most notably with Richard Pinhas and Heldon.

Their debut is a consistently excellent album, that mixes French and English lyrics, with a hard psychedelic bite in the guitar work. The vocals have a slightly gruff sound that recall Family, and especially fellow countrymen Ergo Sum, who they share a similar sound overall with. The highlight is also the longest track. 'Cameron's Complaint' sees Triangle take on a more jazzy sound with additional flute, that recalls the Canterbury scene, and predicts the coming of bands such as Moving Gelatine Plates.

This debut is generally considered their best album. I haven't heard the second album, and it's been many a year since I heard Homonymie, almost to the point I don't trust my rating there.

Ownership: 2010 Culture Factory (CD). Papersleeve. Comes with an obi, insert, and a small history (in French). Bonus tracks contain all three of their singles prior to the album proper, and each is just as good as the LP itself. Acquired in 2018.

First copy: 1970 EMI / Pathe (LP). Has a catalog "tab" in the back. Acquired in 2015. Replaced with the above CD.

6/6/15; 4/15/18 (review); 4/23/26

4/15/18 (new entry)