You gotta hang in there with this one, Maneige's 4th album. The album opens up with a funky chicken number, and that leads into a trendy Latin jazz rock piece, that isn't entirely convincing either (though I admit to liking it). 'Les Petoncles' seems to be heading into more funk, when the album shifts gears and features the rawest electric guitar soloing of the album. Now we're in business. 'La Belle et la Bête' is the kind of avant prog everyone likes, with its complex rhythms, strong melody line, and angular structures. I tend to group 'Bagdad' and 'Noemie' together, though they have nothing in common with each other, other than they are 2 snippets of songs that close the side. The former is a middle eastern styled number (surprise) and the latter a pensive introspective piano led closer. Side 2 is all aces. 'Celebration' recalls the charming Harmonium and that leads into the album's most progressive track 'La Noce', where one can hear the happy sounds of Spain's Gotic. 'Miro Vibro' closes in similar progressive rock fashion, and might be Libre Service's best song. Plenty of flute, tuned percussion, guitar, and complex compositions define this mature work. I'm not sure where the negativity is coming from here, though the inauspicious opening doesn't help. I would expect all serious raters to hear the whole thing, however.
Ownership: LP: 1978 Polydor. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2015). The first LP copy I bought was from a mail order dealer in 1992, and sold it off when the CD hit the market (since sold).
True original LPs sport a different cover. It's a Chevy Mist green color with two gas pumps and "thought clouds". I kind of like it myself, and have no idea why it was withdrawn. It's quite rare these days, and I've never owned one. The more known cover. has the familiar food truck sitting near a motel, in a very depressing looking winter setting. I absolutely love this cover - one of my favorites, though not overtly striking of course. There does exist a "French only" version with a different font, and the label title only in Quebec's first language. Since it's instrumental, not quite sure why it matters - AND the titles remained in French anyway without translation on the "English" version. OK then...
I don't think I've heard this album since 1994! 24 years ago - my goodness. I was 29 or 30 at the time. A lifetime ago...
1992; 1994; 9/14/18 (new entry)
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