Magma: Merci

[GuitarGeek]

Listened to this at work today. I imagine at the time, it must have been a massive "WTF" to zeuhl fans, maybe even more so than the roughly contemporaneous releases from Yes, Genesis, ELPowell, etc. I guess it would still be so for anyone hearing it now for the first time, who wasn't warned beforehand what they're in for.

I happen to rather like this one. Yeah, the production is very dated (is that a LinnDrum I hear on a couple songs?!), but I think most of the songs are actually pretty good. And I love the way it ends with The Night We Died.

I wonder if Christian knew this would be the last Magma album. Or at least, the last Magma album for awhile.

And I wonder who's idea it was to go hog wild with the 80's production, ie drum machine, digital synths, etc. I wonder if that was record company pressure, or if Christian went in that direction on his own volition.

[Mister Triscuits]

I happen to rather like this one.

Me too. Somehow it escaped my notice when it first came out, and when I did discover it a few years later I was baffled and put off by the song titles, so I didn't buy it. But today I think it's quite a nice little album.

[Dana5140]

It's grown on me. When I first got it, when it came out, it was indeed a WTF? It was so out of left field. I just sot of felt it was CV's bow toward soul music and a larger audience. Weird, but using more familiar song tropes. Now, some of the tunes are class, such as Otis.

[GuitarGeek]

I remember calling up a college radio show and asking the host to "play anything by Magma" (as I recall the host was subbing for someone else and asked the audience to "request anything"). This was back in the early 90's, just as I was starting to get into the band, and I'd really only heard a few things, and I as yet didn't know how small their "classic" catalog actually is. So I'm expecting to hear something closer to Kohntarkosz or MDK, but what does the girl play? Call From The Dark (Ooh Ooh Baby)! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was Magma?! Now, I like pop music, but I certainly didn't expect English lyrics, nor that damn refrain from the band that gave us Kohntarkosz!

I think I then later found a copy in a used record store, and I think that dates this to around 92 or 93, because I remember knowing enough to be surprised to see other people credited with drumming (on the songs that have live drumming) besides Christian.

So I put off getting it for a long time, not expecting the rest of the record to be "any better". Eventually, I did hear the entire album, either via Youtube, Pandora or some other internet service. I also eventually laid hands on that video of the band playing I Must Return at soundcheck, and I always liked that. But when I was at ProgDay last year, someone, I forget which vendor, had a copy for like 5 bucks. Knowing what the album was, and knowing that I definitely liked at least a couple songs on there, I figured, "What the frell, might as well complete the collection!"

And as I said I've come to like pretty much everything on the record. Yes, even Call From The Dark, with it's ridiculous (well, ridiculous for Magma) refrain and drum machine based backing track.

BTW, I think the best version of Otis is the one of I believe Christian, Stella, Lisa, and I think it's Benoit Wideman playing piano, on some French TV show. I like the stripped down sound on that performance.

[PROGMONSTER]

I like it. I also like the outtake You.

[unclemeat]

A superb production, with subtle arrangements (except that Linn Drum...). It's not "Magma-as-we-know-it". But : what else ?

[rickmoraz]

Eliphas Levi, in particular, is a lovely track

Ed

[Zeuhlmate]

Eliphas Levi is a nice track - the rest is not for me.
I saw Magma live in 1984, it was a mix of this and Offering material. It was interesting, not bad, but I was very dissapointed. Vander didn't play drums the first set...

[Socrates]

Eliphas Levi is a nice track - the rest is not for me.
I saw Magma live in 1984, it was a mix of this and Offering material. It was interesting, not bad, but I was very dissapointed. Vander didn't play drums the first set...

I was there (assuming you are talking about the Copenhagen gig)! Much preferred the second half when Vander got behind the drums. Bought Merci at the gig, but never got into it.

[Dana5140]

Man, did you ever listen to the lyrics from "Call from the Dark?"

"I want you to stop now, baby..."
"Where is the love?"

What the hell is this song about?

[Zeuhlmate]

I was there (assuming you are talking about the Copenhagen gig)! Much preferred the second half when Vander got behind the drums. Bought Merci at the gig, but never got into it.

Yes, that's the one. I agree. To my recollection he started the second set with a drumsolo.

Man, did you ever listen to the lyrics from "Call from the Dark?"

"I want you to stop now, baby..."
"Where is the love?"

What the hell is this song about?

I'm not sure I understood any of Vanders lyrics, but he should definetely stick to kobaian.

[Matt #2]

I just think of this as a prototype Offering record, rather than Magma. In fact, Call From The Dark was re-recorded in a far superior version on the first Offering album, which proves the point somewhat.

Still a shame about the LinnDrum though...

[GuitarGeek]

Man, did you ever listen to the lyrics from "Call from the Dark?"

"I want you to stop now, baby..."
"Where is the love?"

What the hell is this song about?

I had the understanding the entire album was a concept album about death, so I imagine it's somehow related to that.

[GuitarGeek]

I just think of this as a prototype Offering record, rather than Magma. In fact, Call From The Dark was re-recorded in a far superior version on the first Offering album, which proves the point somewhat.

I never did hear any of the Offering records. Are those still in print?

As for the LinnDrum, I'm reminded of a gag that I saw once on a short lived skit comedy show that the Fox network had on back in the early 90's. I've forgotten the name of the show, but one of the gags I remember was the definition of redundant being "Phil Collins using a drum machine". I think such logic holds true even more so for Christian Vander, though I wonder if again the idea was to make a record that would sound "contemporary" or "radio friendly" (and how many records during that record had drum machines on them?), plus even if he had played drums himself he might not have been able to do what you're hearing the LinnDrum doing.

I recall reading that he didn't play drums on the record because he wanted to focus on the production. I think he said he even brought in a session drummer to play on one of the songs that he wanted to have live drumming (I think Otis, probably) and he spent forever trying to get this guy to play what he wanted to hear on the track, and I think Christian said it never actually crossed his mind to simply push the guy aside and play the drums himself.

[Dana5140]

I had the understanding the entire album was a concept album about death, so I imagine it's somehow related to that.

Yeah, that's so. But still. The recent live Offering CD/DVD has Isabelle singing this, and I swear the song seems to be about a woman wanting the person she is with to stop whatever it is he is doing, making it sound like it is some sort of forced sex or rape. Toward the end she repeats the words "I Want you to stop, I want you to stop" over and over. And it then segues into the "Where is the love?" And then it brings up John Coltrane, go figure). It is just that this is so out of character- out of everything- for Magma. I cannot fathom it.

[battema]

First half is good, very 80's. Second half is absolutely lovely though.

The version of 'The Night We Died' from Epok IV gives me chills.

[Supersonic Scientist]

...how funny...I just spun this one on Saturday....I dig it mucho!

[Dana5140]

Of course, I mean "Love in the Darkness."

[JAMOOL]

First half is good, very 80's. Second half is absolutely lovely though.

The version of 'The Night We Died' from Epok IV gives me chills.

I mostly agree with this take - the second half of this is great. Obviously best to approach as an Offering disc and not a Magma one, but taken for what it is it really is quite nice. "Otis" I'm sure is close to the classic Magma sound but the studio version seems a bit nerfed. That ending could go on a lot longer. Side 2 is really where it's at - "The Night We Died" is maybe the most beautiful tune Vander ever wrote.

[Mekanik Zain]

First half is good, very 80's. Second half is absolutely lovely though.

The version of 'The Night We Died' from Epok IV gives me chills.

Agreed, live versions of songs from Merci are very nice...I would like to listen more Magma soul and funk tunes...