Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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Considered the French equivalent of Genesis due to their heavy theatrical version of progressive rock, Ange released 14 albums from the '70s to the mid-'80s. The group was led by vocalists Christian and Francis Decamps and included guitarist Jean-Michel Brezovar, bassist Daniel Haas, and drummer Gerard Jelsch. Though Caricatures was the group's first album, the double LP In Concert was compiled from live shows before Ange recorded in the studio. In 1973, La Cimetiere des Arlequins became the band's best-selling album, earning gold status in France.

by John Bush, allmusic

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Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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Одной из самых известных французских арт-роковых групп является Ange, которая начала свой творческий путь в далёком 1970 г. ведомая к успеху харизматичным вокалистом и поэтом Кристианом Декампом (Christian Decamps), выпустила свой первый студийный альбом в 1972 г., и назывался он «Caricatures». Музыка коллектива представила своеобразный французский вариант Genesis в смеси с Van Der Graaf Generator, хотя это сравнение и достаточно условно. Так или иначе, это был красивый, грустный (а иногда и достаточно мрачный!), эмоциональный симфо-прог. Таковой музыка группы оставалась, развиваясь только внутри стиля, почти до конца семидесятых. Далее, увы, идёт постепенное "ослабление" музыкального материала, т.е. попадаются как вполне удачные, так и достаточно слабые, проходные работы. Кстати, маленькая интересная подробность: для французов Кристиан Декамп - приблизительно такая же значимая и культовая личность, как для англичан, к примеру, Питер Хэммилл. Ведь и после распада Ange в начале 90-х он продолжает выпускать сольные альбомы.

~ peoples

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Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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The first time I listened to this album it was at my cousin's place on a remote day (I think it was in April, 1974). I was completely blown out with the incredible music I discovered. The comparison with Genesis was obvious of course, but not only.

The tortured mood, at times grotesque, of their lead vocalist Chistian Décamps is another of their constancy. Their lyrics are very complex, rude, sexually oriented and extremely vulgar, hence funny. They will even dare to publish them. To mark their distances with this aspect of the band, the record company will mention of the back of the sleeve (I translate) : "Only the authors of these words are responsible for their lyrics".

Ange is enormous in … France (and well-known in Belgium, maybe in French Canda or Switzerland but I do not know about the later ones). If they didn't do an international career as they would have deserved, it is definitely because they voluntarily have chosen French for their lyrics. And not those ones you can easily understand. No, very complex ones.

The opener "Biafra 80 Introduction" is a pure Krimson song. Dark, heavy but melodious at the same time. This short intro sets the pace for a great prog rock album. It goes on the same mood with "Tels Quels". Almost jazzy for most of the time, KC is again not far away. Very complex structure with rather bizarre lyrics.

The next number, filled me with a bit of anger when I first listened to it that very ancient day. I said : "Damned, they copied "The Battle Of Epping Forest" ! Then my cousin showed me the sleeve. This song had been written way before "Epping"… So, it was a bit of reverse engeneering …

The lyrics of this song are very rude. This will be another trademark of Ange. Very funny text, but totally irrespectuous. In this case they discuss about chastety, homosexuals, virgins. There will be an incredebly nice flute and piano passage : we are brought instantly in the "Trespass" mood without doubt. But what a nice moment. It turns into a great guitar break for the finale. You know like in "Firth" more than a year later… The best track of this very good album.

"Le Soir Du Diable" opens on a gentle acoustic guitar piece like in "Horizons" for instance. Good percussion work from Gérald Jelsch. It is not the best number of the album, but it is a nice transition number. Other bands also produced some shorter and transitional numbers on their albums, right ? The lyrics are absolutely insane. I wonder who's the craziest lyricist : Gabriel or Décamps ?

Some attempt to translation (difficult excercise, I can tell you even if my mother tongue is French) : "And I'm sucking my blood, Believing I'm sucking time, I'm like a vulture stuffing with his entrails". But all of their lyrics are like that. Absolutely disjointed.

"Caricatures" has a medieval architecture. But this is also an integrant part of the world of Ange. After a short recitation, this long number is almost all-instrumental. Tranquil at times, during some moments it will get as weird as Crimson (or Yes maybe) could be. Superb contrast. The same text will be sung at the end of the track, on a very subtle keys background. Another highlight.

We"ll go back to the start of the album with the short closing number "Biafra 80 Finale". Again this is totally Crimson inspired.

This first album of Ange is IMO a great symphonic moment. Should it be in English I am sure lots of people would praise this work as much as I do. If you are fan of the early Genesis (and there are a few of those ones on this site I guess) and the early Crimson sound (might also be some around the corner), this album is a must listen, really.

I will be generous with this release and add a little star to the four ones it surely deserves, just to do justice to Ange. To have produced such a brilliant album in 1972 is extraordinary.

by ZowieZiggy, progarchives

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Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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Ange's second album was released in 73 on the Phillips label, but apparently, the label didn't invest much money in the group's recording sessions and the album sounds muffled in places and downright catastrophically bad in others (at least on the first Cd reissue). With a wild artwork, Ange's unchanged line-up recorded seven mostly shorter songs (even if three tracks combine into an 11-mins mini-suite), and the closer being an almost 9 minutes title traxck. .

This starts with Jacques Brel's Ces Gens-Là, which is one of the best covers of any Brel cover song done prog or not (bar Bowie's version of Amsterdam) as they really understood how to put this in rock instrumentation, even if it isn't perfect. This will be their first hit but one thing is clear, the original Brel song was better produced than this obscure prog record. Another proof of poor production is the Ajourdhuis tracks, which sounds completely muffled. Other stand-out tracks are Espionne-Lesbienne sandwiched between the two Bivouac pieces, which forms an 11-mins suite, with the central piece being a corrosive text. The flipside starts on an average electric De Temps En Temps and follows it on an acoustic Route Des Cyprès and closing the album, last but not least, the title track. Indeed thismini-epic is the main reason to believe that Ange progressed from Caricatures and here the demented sombre track offers plenty of doom and sterangeitude.

As far as I am concerned, this is their best album, along with the debut, a fact that most Ange addicts will dispute me with Délire and Jacotey. I suggest that newcomers to Ange start with this one, being slightly less aggressive (in a good Ange way) as to not scare them away with the more bizarre debut Caricatures and then move on chronologically. If you can find a remastered version of these early Ange albums it might be a good idea.

by Sean Trane, progarchives

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Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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With two studio recordings under their belt (the 1972 Caricatures and the 1973 Le Cimetière des Arlequins), Ange struck artistic gold with Au-Delà du Délire. All the elements came together this time, producing France's best symphonic progressive rock album of the 1970s. Christian Decamps' medieval imagery (echoed in the music by occasional minstrel-type folk song structures) is assisted this time around by Biblical themes, something noticeable in the song titles. His voice is not the only center of attention anymore, as instrumental passages take more room and arrangements become more intricate. "Exode" actually takes off when the verse is over and the guitar and Mellotron start working on an instrumental crescendo. The pastoral "Ballade Pour Une Orgie" ("Ballad for an Orgy") is the lightest track, along with the almost pop "Fils de Lumière" ("Son of Light"). The other tracks are darker and very substantial. The soft piano and violin intro of the opener "Godevin le Vilain" ("Godevin the Villain") leads into a full-blown bombastic song. "Les Longues Nuits D'Isaac" ("Isaac's Long Nights") is heavy on guitars and is the rockiest number Ange played in these first years of existence. "Si J'Étais le Messie" ("If I Were the Messiah") is a showcase for Christian Decamps' theatrical talents, his soliloquy being backed by minimal musical flooring. Au-Delà du Délire also contains two theatrical pieces that would become classic material: "La Bataille du Sucre," the story of a time when there was no sugar left on Earth, a piece complete with characters played by each member of the band, and "Au-Delà du Délire" which culminates in a anthemic instrumental section with one of Jean-Michel Brézovar's best guitar solos. On this album, Ange developed a heavy, dark, and bombastic sound (thanks to the Mellotron) they will partly abandon afterwards, as the transitional album Émile Jacotay exemplifies. But Au-Delà du Délire had such an impact on the French market that the label Philips re-issued it on CD in a budget-price collection along with titles by songwriters like Jacques Brel, Georges Moustaki, and Serge Reggiani.

by François Couture, allmusic

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Was it because drummer Gérald Jelsch was replaced by the more muscular and adept Guénolé Biger? Or because artistic director Jean-Claude Poignant held the band firmly in his hand? Émile Jacotay takes an important departure from Le Cimetière des Arlequins and Au-Delà du Délire. Christian Decamps' theatrics are dimmed and the Mellotron is out – two things that suddenly allow for better arrangements and better balance (previously the sound was drenched by the Mellotron). The band's writing keeps on growing, but on this album complexity takes precedence over melody. As a result, the songs are more forgettable. Highlights include the rock number "Bêle, Bêle Petite Chèvre" ("Bleat, Bleat Little Goat"), the theatrical "Le Nain de Stanislas" ("Stanislas' Midget"), and the beautiful ballad "Ode à Émile," a simple but heartfelt tribute to an 85-year-old man, a story-teller like Christian Decamps. The 18-minute suite "Ego et Deus" is not Ange's most memorable work; some parts ("Aurélia") work out nicely but the whole thing doesn't hold very tightly together – a half-failed experiment. Émile Jacotay remains a transitional album.

by François Couture, allmusic

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Par Les Fils De Mandrin constitutes perfect balance between the over-emphasized theatrics of Christian Decamp on Au-Delà Du Délire and the more rock/less lyrical approach of Émile Jacotay. The album is presented as a "musical tale for big children" and, therefore, leaves more room for narratives ("Atlantis"), folk settings ("Ainsi S'en Ira La Pluie"), and medieval atmospheres ("Saltimbanques"). The compositional approach is simpler, keeping the very progressive material for the epic "Hymne à la Vie" ("Hymn to Life"), a piece that allies Yes-like serenity to the typical bombastic sound. "Hymne à la Vie" will remain "the" ten-minute-plus Ange track, succeeding in maintaining cohesion and intensity, something "Ego et Deus" on Émile Jacotay lacked, and ending on a guitar/Mellotron theme that takes the best out of the formula used on earlier pieces like "Au-Delà du Délire" and "Le Cimetière des Arlequins." The playful "Saltimbanques" and the proggish "Au Café du Colibri" are also very strong numbers. Par Les Fils de Mandrin, bearing the best Ange cover artwork, was the band's last release one could consider mainly belonging to the progressive rock genre.

by François Couture, allmusic

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Ange: 7 Albums Mini LP SHM-CD Collection (1972-1978) [2013, Universal, UICY-75465~71]

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In 1976, it was the appropriate moment to release an Ange live album. Their fame is at their peak (in France, and to a certain extent in Belgium) and they have recorded several great symphonic albums. I would say that this live album is a pivotal turnpoint in Ange's career. They will still produce some great albums after this recording but the density of the previous ones will never be matched again.

This live work starts with a trio of songs from "Au Delà du Délire" one of their masterpieces IMO. But unfortunately my two preferred tracks of the album are not featured here ("La Bataille du Sucre" and the title song, a real and extraordinary epic). We'll get three short (but very good) songs to cover this album.

When you listen to the introduction for "Ballade Pour Une Orgie" the sexual mood of the song is highlighted in a rather blunt mood. Attempt to translation.

Talking about a young lady : "and this cyprine that is flowing into your veins let the great moment escape, isn't it sweet to feel the "thing" that penetrates you into your very depths and then you do aaaah (simulating an orgasm). I am not sure about the translation of the French word "Cyprine". It is the liquid secreted by the vagina when a woman is in an excitation state. Remember, we are in 1977. And then the song starts !

There will be one song from their debut album. Actually one of their best one ever written : "Dignité". The live version will be extended to almost sixteen minutes and is one of the great moment of this record. Some instrumental parts sounds more spacey than the original. When the band starts to play it, one can feel that the audience is shivering and so happy to get this track.

To arouse the fans interest, there will be one unedited song here : "Le Chien, La Poubelle Et La Rose". During the presentation of the song (sung by Francis Descamps), one can hear : "This a tale that La Fontaine could have written". La Fontaine is a classic French author from the seventeenth century, very famous for his tales (or fables).

Very medieval mood (as one could have guessed, with such an inspirator) for this long song (over thirteen minutes) featuring a great and long guitar break to close the number. This track would have deserved to be released on an album; but let's not complain, we'll get it live and this version is just superb.

Two songs from "Jacotey". And my preferred two ones of the album. The incredible "Sur la Trace des Fées" and its Crimsonesque and scary mood, and of course "Ode À Emile". A song full of emotion and really passionate. Again two great Ange moments.

What can I say about the last two numbers of this exceptional live set ?

"Hymne À La Vie" is the best one from " Par Les fils De Mandrin" a wonderful epic built crescendo. An hypnotic middle part, a great guitar break, a very emotional vocal performance and a sublime finale. This is symph prog at its best.

From "Cimetière", the title track (and the best number) is omitted but instead we will get a live rendition of the lengendary "Ces Gens Là" from "Le Grand Jaques" as we call him in Belgium (Jacques Brel of course). This is again a poignant moment of this concert (but there are so many). They could not have chosen a better song to close a concert since the final words are "But it is already late, sir. I need to go home".

For such an old release, the sound while not being super, is very decent. The tracklist is extremely good (even if one or two of their greatest songs are not featured - but it will be taken care of in "Un P'tit Tour Et Puis S'en Vont" released in … 1995. It is also the occasion to feel how good an entertainer Christian Décamps was during a live set.

Of course his little stories between songs are clearly Gabriel oriented. When you listen to the fabulous presentation of ""Hymne À La Vie" you will be convinced. Full of allegories and lots of emotion, indeed.

This live album might be a good entry if you would like to dicover the complew world of this great French band. Five stars of course.

by ZowieZiggy, progarchives

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The final classic album by this pioneering French band is also, not without coincidence, one of their best, representing the last flowering of Golden Age Progressive ideology before the Punk Rock revolution pushed it rudely off the musical map (in retrospect doing it an underhanded favor: Prog Rock should never have been a mainstream endeavor, but that's another essay altogether).

I was surprised to learn here at Progarchives that this was their first studio recording in two years, since releasing the popular "Par Les Fils de Mandrin" in 1976 (in between were two live albums and an ersatz "best of" package). Of the original band only the Decamps brothers are left, but since they were always the heart and soul of the group there's no discernable change to the music. The revamped rhythm section might be heavier (or at least were pushed more forward in the mix than usual), and new guitarist Claude Lemet brings an almost arena-rock sound to his playing, although he compensates elsewhere with lots of delicate 12-string guitar work and a little added flute on a few tracks.

But otherwise all the elements of the classic ANGE soundstage are intact, elevated here to new heights of symphonic refinement. Francis Decamps' patented, arctic mellotron sound is all over the album, and brother Christian's celebrated hyper-dramatic vocals are more eccentric than ever, careening in mock-drunken stumbles through "Capitaine Coeur de Miel" and reaching levels of hysteria in "Reveille-Toi" rarely heard outside of an asylum.

I don't have a clue what he's singing about, not speaking a word of French myself: part of the charm of listening to songs in a foreign language is that the vocals, divorced from the baggage of their lyrical meaning, become just another musical instrument in the overall mix. But I suspect there's a concept at work here, judging from the inclusion of what looks like a fold-out board game inside the sleeve of my original vinyl edition (was it somehow reproduced for the CD booklet?).

The instructions seem to follow some sort of narrative mirroring the tongue-in-cheek surrealism of the cover art, showing a neanderthal cave person in an urban back alley waylaying a corporate businessman juggling the Earth on the end of a string. The album title, by the way, translates into something like "ambush", a fact I discovered after a quarter century when I back-checked a French English dictionary just yesterday.

It would be another two years before the band released their next LP, "Vu d'un Chien", of which I recall little from the brief time I owned it except for a surplus of guitars and a lack of melody, a common complaint at the time (circa 1980). Further personnel changes, and even more radical shifts in the cultural barometer, would render the music almost unrecognizable to diehard fans.

A facsimile of the original line-up still tours the nostalgia circuit in Europe, having re- discovered their classic repertoire, better late than never I say. But this was ANGE when they were still fresh: an exciting snapshot of the band at their creative zenith.

by Neu!mann, progarchives