Perhaps the most unheralded of all French progressive rock artists of the 1970s, Alain Markusfeld had no less than 6 albums throughout the 70s and early 80s, and none have seen a CD or LP reissue. On top of this, his original LP's on Egg, starting with Le Desert Noir, suffer the ignominy of being super cheap. That is to say, there is far more supply than demand. How can that be after all these years? I have no idea really, as Platock is yet another victim of the malaise surrounding the artist. On Platock, Markusfeld turns mostly to the acoustic guitar, with bursts of electric throughout - as well as a few wordless voices. This isn't so much a prog rock album, nor jazz fusion, but rather a cyclical piece that draws from both genres. Similar in that way to Mike Oldfield, and perhaps more specifically Michel Moulinie. Something like an Inventions for Acoustic Guitar, though far less cosmic. It's a unique album, one that doesn't grab your attention on paper, but becomes mesmerizing over the course of the album. Enough to raise it to 4 stars.
Ownership: LP: 1978 Egg. Single sleeve.
The weird border you see above is actually part of the cover. As long as I can remember this album has been cheap and easy to source. I bought mine in the 1980s, and is one of only less than 10 import albums that have actually depreciated in my collection since that time (if only the same could be said for CDs...). And speaking of which, as noted above, there are no legitimate CDs from Markusfeld... period (other than a comp I believe). Tragic. Updated from the CDRWL with a fresh listen.
7/11/18 (new entry)
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