Harmonium's Classic L'Heptade Gets 40th Anniversary Upgrade

[Grimjack]

http://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/...y-upgrade-sony

Sony Music Entertainment Canada has announced a remixed edition of Harmonium’s 1976 double-LP, L’Heptade is to have its re-release on November 18. 2016.

Considered to be a quintessential Quebec pop albums, a new XL reunites lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Serge Fiori back with band basssist Louis Valois to add sparkle to the original master tapes that were damaged and then lost for several decades.

To celebrate this first reissue in 40years, multiple formats will be made available, all remixed and remastered from the original master tapes: digital, 2CD, 2CD+DVD deluxe, DVD, vinyl, as well as a super deluxe box.
In addition to the release of L’Heptade XL, a musical film will accompany it entitled, Viens voir le paysage, taken from a concert taping during the album’s tour in 1977.

The DVD portion also contains a newly recorded song: “C’est dans le noir (It is in the black).” This song was used as an introduction on the original tour.
L'Heptade is composed of seven core songs evoking the journey of a man in one day through seven levels of consciousness, at least that’s how Fiori explained it at the time. Clues that the whole journey occurs in a single day are given on the original album. For example, a rapid sigh of a man waking up, followed by steps on a cracked wooden floor can be heard in the prologue, the first musical movement preceding the first core song. A man preparing to sleep can be heard in the finale of the album.

All seven core songs include at least two, sometimes up to six, different melodies, often with lengthy solos.

The album, produced at a cost of $90,000 was (and still is) one of the most popular double albums in the history of Quebec popular music, and has gone on to sell over 200,000 copies since its original release.

The original matrix of this album was damaged by a water flood in the offices of CBS. As a consequence, the CD version was recorded from a vinyl record. These tapes recovered again have been meticulously cleaned up and remixed, hence the remastered 40th anniversary release.

[Brian]

Sweet.

[Yves]

Sweet indeed! The video footage alone may be worth me buying this even though I have sworn off physical media.

[mozo-pg]

Auto-buy. I'm going to see Premier Ciel tonight!!

[NogbadTheBad]

I may well be persuaded to buy this.

[progeezer]

"Juste au moment où je pensais que je fait, ils me retirent dans".

[Yves]

Auto-buy. I'm going to see Premier Ciel tonight!!

Where are they playing? The latest incarnation is the best yet. Unless they have changed their set they will open with "Histoires Sans Paroles". Enjoy!

[mozo-pg]

Thanks Yves - I've been excited all week to see them. They're playing at the Casino in Gatineau.

[ashratom]

"To celebrate this first reissue in 40years, multiple formats will be made available, all remixed and remastered from the original master tapes: digital, 2CD, 2CD+DVD deluxe, DVD, vinyl, as well as a super deluxe box."

I see this announcement as great news. But just one quibble with the formal announcement. It's not the first reissue. CBS released this going back to 1990. I haven't heard my copy in years, but the new reissue (with extras) does sound promising.

[calyx]

Autobuy.

Coincidentally, just a few days ago I was wondering whatever happened with the huge archival boxed set that was announced a few years ago then failed to materialise...

[markinottawa]

Sigh.. do I need yet another copy of this.. probably

Sweet indeed! The video footage alone may be worth me buying this even though I have sworn off physical media.

huh..for me... I find myself constantly swearing at digital media

[polmico]

Sweet.

Indeed! Let us know when we can purchase!

[GuitarGeek]

I guess procrastinating and not following through has finally paid off, for once. I've been hearing about Harmonium for ages, and I've also heard they're supposed to be great, but somehow I've never heard them. Maybe this will change in November.

[Trane]

I may well be persuaded to buy this.

As I don't have the vinyl anymore and never owned on CD, unless you count the Live version, I could indulge

http://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/...y-upgrade-sony

To celebrate this first reissue in 40years, multiple formats will be made available, all remixed and remastered from the original master tapes: digital, 2CD, 2CD+DVD deluxe, DVD, vinyl, as well as a super deluxe box.
In addition to the release of L’Heptade XL, a musical film will accompany it entitled, Viens voir le paysage, taken from a concert taping during the album’s tour in 1977.

The DVD portion also contains a newly recorded song: “C’est dans le noir (It is in the black).” This song was used as an introduction on the original tour.
L'Heptade is composed of seven core songs evoking the journey of a man in one day through seven levels of consciousness, at least that’s how Fiori explained it at the time. Clues that the whole journey occurs in a single day are given on the original album. For example, a rapid sigh of a man waking up, followed by steps on a cracked wooden floor can be heard in the prologue, the first musical movement preceding the first core song. A man preparing to sleep can be heard in the finale of the album.

Most likely, I'll indulge in the deluxe 2CD+DVD version if the bonus stuff is on it

Autobuy.
Coincidentally, just a few days ago I was wondering whatever happened with the huge archival boxed set that was announced a few years ago then failed to materialise...

Yessss, I'd kind of given hope on this thing ever happening

Any news at all on this??

[Koreabruce]

I see this announcement as great news. But just one quibble with the formal announcement. It's not the first reissue. CBS released this going back to 1990. I haven't heard my copy in years, but the new reissue (with extras) does sound promising.

I was wondering about that, too. I think they may have meant that it will be the first time it is issued from the original master tapes, which were damaged but now seem to have been repaired. I never suspected that the CD version was in fact a needle drop!

[Trane]

I was wondering about that, too. I think they may have meant that it will be the first time it is issued from the original master tapes, which were damaged but now seem to have been repaired. I never suspected that the CD version was in fact a needle drop!

that's part of the reason why I never bought the CD , it was housed in a ugly fatboy double "jewel case"

but I must admùit it did sound rather good (had it on loan from a buddy a couple of times), though I didn't know either it was a needle drop.

[zombywoof]

Great album!

[Buddhabreath]

Bought this on vinyl way back in the day, beautiful gatefold. It has its moments but too conventional and pop to my ears to be in the territory of a progressive work and as such exceeded by many, many Québécois albums. But taken for what it is, Québécois pop music, it's a fine record if you're looking for orchestrated melodic, romantic and sophisticated easy listening. Not really my bag.

[JeffCarney]

The CBS vinyl sounds fantastic. I'll go for the DVD if it released separately. Zero interest in a remixed vinyl or CD release.

Whatever the source, the old CBS CD release was a bit too heavy on the treble for me.

Wonder what happened to that huge multi-DVD project that was supposed to come out years ago?

[bill g]

Interesting album. When I first bought this (never heard of them in the 70s), I thought-rather nice, nothing special. Then a few listens and I'm starting to catch a mood here, and I somehow keep playing it on random times. Over the years and it has now become one of the more poignant albums I've heard. It's beautiful stuff like this stays with me, and that I will always love, as I keep getting older.

[moecurlythanu]

^ You old softie.

[calyx]

I never suspected that the CD version was in fact a needle drop!

It was pretty obvious in some of the quieter (Neil Chotem) passages.

[willythepimp]

Autobuy
Any hope too see a tribute band in europe ?

[bill g]

^ You old softie.

Yeah, beneath this soft, sensitive exterior lies a somehow even softer inside

[Baribrotzer]

Bought this on vinyl way back in the day, beautiful gatefold. It has its moments but too conventional and pop to my ears to be in the territory of a progressive work and as such exceeded by many, many Québécois albums. But taken for what it is, Québécois pop music, it's a fine record if you're looking for orchestrated melodic, romantic and sophisticated easy listening. Not really my bag.

Never heard it until now, and just a few YouTube excerpts. But I can hear quality in the compositions, even if they're pretty "inside". Yes, it's using essentially a 19th-Century musical palette - but there was an awful lot of very good music written in the 19th-Century, and that's where if fits, as pop music referencing the vocabulary and structures of Beethoven, Brahms, Berlioz, maybe Debussy, maybe Poulenc.

So is that progressive? Not in the larger picture. But in terms of pop music, it is.