Best Magma studio albums ?

[Scrotum Scissor]

Too repetitive

The repetitive part has to be taken in the context of MDK's component-function in the whole trilogy piece. But you're quite right all the same. Then again, the final six minutes are some of the most cathartian ever created in electric music - simply just a TOTAL release.

[PROGMONSTER]

Well the recording sound quality isn't great, I'll give you that. But the repetition is part of what makes it work, IMO. I find it very interesting. To each their own though!

I love the wurdah chants. Lots of variety and great recording

[Zappathustra]

There are significant flaws in MDK in my opinion. Still it contains some of the best - possibly the best - music Magma wrote.

It's also the first disk to reveal Vander's vision in all its might. Pretty historic stuff.

[Trane]

shouldn't we get steven Wilson to remix & remaster the Magma 70's album??

BTW, I'm only half-joking

[PROGMONSTER]

Well the recording sound quality isn't great, I'll give you that. But the repetition is part of what makes it work, IMO. I find it very interesting. To each their own though!

shouldn't we get steven Wilson to remix & remaster the Magma 70's album??

BTW, I'm only half-joking

Mdk needs it 🤡

[Scrotum Scissor]

shouldn't we get steven Wilson to remix & remaster the Magma 70's album??

I think Udi Koomran or Bob Drake should remix, remaster and reinvent absolutely everything Steven Wilson ever put his breath at.

[Zeuhlmate]

How can anybody say they love Magma - but it's 'too repetitive'

I dont think you can do much for MDK.
It was reissued in 2017 by Seventh Records and it says remastered, so I bought it, (only had in on vinyl). The sound is slightly improved, but since there are no original tapes, they can't do magic.
https://www.discogs.com/Magma-Mekan%...lease/12101161

[Kcrimso]

I have never felt that MDK is in any way too repetitive. But enjoy Steve Reich and other minimalist music too so there is that.

[Scrotum Scissor]

How can anybody say they love Magma - but it's 'too repetitive'

Because, although stuff like "M.D.K." and "De Futura" certainly apply repetition as means to an end, other Magma pieces either disguised dense texture as apparent repetition (for instance "Hhaï" or the lengthy march in "Theusz") or made works in which there was almost none ("Rïiah Sahïltaahk").

With the longer Magma pieces I find that it's always a question of function; what inherent duty does the part serve in the overall context of inclusion? To this degree, their music would ne epic narratives even without text; they were always about telling stories.

[Trane]

I think Udi Koomran or Bob Drake should remix, remaster and reinvent absolutely everything Steven Wilson ever put his breath at.

good point of course - as I'm not all that convinced SW is doing such a tremendous job (don't have a 5.1 installation)...

But you're right, let's first give the Magma stuff to Udi or Bob, well before we give them the CrimGenYes stuff.
Magma is more urgent than the umpteenth big 6 remixmaster

How can anybody say they love Magma - but it's 'too repetitive'

I love Magma's music, but the whole oeuvre is simple to samey (as in repepetitititititive) ...
I'll never own all of their albums: I've got the first four, Hhaï, KA and the Theusz trilogy (which I'm not even sure I played in its entirety) and a DVD (though I can't think of which one as I write), and that's more than enough, really, no matter how much I appreciate the band.

However, if there is a DVD with 70's Magma concert footage or appearance, I'd probably go for it.

[Zappathustra]

With the longer Magma pieces I find that it's always a question of function; what inherent duty does the part serve in the overall context of inclusion? To this degree, their music would ne epic narratives even without text; they were always about telling stories.

A great remark. That's my slight objection to Wurdah Itah: while it contains fantastic individual parts, they do not combine in a complete, organic way to tell the story behind.

In that context, Kohntarkosz and Theusz are the apex of Magma's music. They seem to have been written in one huge labor pain...

[Scrotum Scissor]

Kohntarkosz and Theusz are the apex of Magma's music. They seem to have been written in one huge labor pain…

Their finest, IMHO. Followed by "Ehmehnteh" and "K.A.".

And then "Da Vinal Cuntgown".

[Zappathustra]

^
De Vaginal Cuntfrown has some problems with the recording, otherwise it's pretty good methinks

[Dana5140]

I don't think Isabelle and Christian were ever married, let alone her adopting "Vander" as surname.

I cannot find it right now, but there was a listing for Isabelle Feullibois Vander on a French website. It's of no real importance, though.

Found it: http://copainsdavant.linternaute.com...lebois-5316379

[PROGMONSTER]

^
De Vaginal Cuntfrown has some problems with the recording, otherwise it's pretty good methinks

1001 smashes MDK. Composition and recording are miles better

[jazz2896]

Man if you don't like MDK, you just have to see it live. Kills every time. It probably stands as my least listened to of the bands large scale recorded works, but every time I've seen it live, I've been transfixed the whole time.

[Dana5140]

Agree- they have played each of the three times I saw them and each time was better and more intense than the last. But, Kohntarkosz remains for the best and most phenomenal composition by anyone, ever.

[Kcrimso]

Great:
Köhntarkösz
Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh
Mekanïk Kommandöh [archival]
K.A
Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré
Félicité Thösz
Attahk

Good:
Rïah Sahïltaahk
Šlaǧ Tanƶ
Ẁurdah Ïtah
1001° centigrades
Magma [Kobaïa]

Not-so-good:
Üdü Ẁüdü
Merci

[Scrotum Scissor]

Great:
Köhntarkösz
Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh
Mekanïk Kommandöh [archival]
K.A
Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré
Félicité Thösz
Attahk

Good:
Rïah Sahïltaahk
Šlaǧ Tanƶ
Ẁurdah Ïtah
1001° centigrades
Magma [Kobaïa]

Not-so-good:
Üdü Ẁüdü
Merci

I once had a friend who referred to Wüdü as "Magma's Tormato or Oldrottenhat", in that it really divides the fanbase as to quality. I have to say that it's always been my least fave of their 70s output. Some great ideas aside, their execution strike me as sometimes lacking enthusiasm and glare or glow. Ahem… I like "De Futura", but I do believe it would have made a better job being 8 or 9 minutes long. I enjoy the title track, although it basically sounds like another passage from a larger work and doesn't quite do the job on its own. I think "Weïdorje" is nice, but those very same vibes would come to life FAR more vibrantly on the Weidorje album.

IMO. This in passing, I'm still glad to have it and I occasionally still pull it out.

[Kcrimso]

I once had a friend who referred to Wüdü as "Magma's Tormato or Oldrottenhat", in that it really divides the fanbase as to quality. I have to say that it's always been my least fave of their 70s output. Some great ideas aside, their execution strike me as sometimes lacking enthusiasm and glare or glow. Ahem… I like "De Futura", but I do believe it would have made a better job being 8 or 9 minutes long. I enjoy the title track, although it basically sounds like another passage from a larger work and doesn't quite do the job on its own. I think "Weïdorje" is nice, but those very same vibes would come to life FAR more vibrantly on the Weidorje album.

IMO. This in passing, I'm still glad to have it and I occasionally still pull it out.

Magma's Tormato is a really good description I think! . Wüdu" is kind of Magma-lite. It was the first Magma album I heard and I quite liked it but after that I really had not so hurry to explore band further. Then I heard few years later MDK... wow! After that I got REALLY interested.

[Zeuhlmate]

To my ears Wüdü is less Vander and more influenced by the other band members.
3 of the compositions are not by Vander.

[Dana5140]

Re: Udu Wudu. Could anyone have predicted how ferocious a song like Zombies would be played live? On the disc, it is a spritely song, but live it takes on mythic proportions and is seriously propulsive. Add to that De Futura- and my take on this is that it is nowhere long enough- you have two truly canon songs for the band.

[Steve F.]

I once had a friend who referred to Wüdü as "Magma's Tormato

I feel that way about Attahk, not Udu Wudu. Udu Wudu doesn't sound like a unified album to me in the way that all previous Magma albums do.
It sounds to me like a bunch of tracks by a bunch of different musicians of whom only 3 (CV, Top and Klaus) are on all of them/nearly all of them. And as pointed out, CV didn't even write most of them!
So, not coherent as a 'band'.

Having said that, I think it's a great album, if not a game changer like Kohntarkhosz or Live or Wurdah or even MDK.

I once had a friend who referred to Wüdü as "Magma's.... or Oldrottenhat"

I didn't realize that OldRottenHat was a controversial album in the Wyatt cannon; it's long been my favorite of his albums.

[Zappathustra]

Anything containing De Futura cannot be less than brilliant. That piece is a gem, especially because of the economy of means: it's practically a drums-bass duo, with just a bit of keys, guitar and voice.

Side A has some weak spots, but it also contains the monumental title track, Weidorje, etc

Maybe the reason Udu Wudu and Attahk are a bit looked down by Magma fans is the lighter, happier, funkier atmosphere that permeates those 2 albums. Maybe they prefer the gloomier, wagnerian stuff. In my opinion these two records give another dimension to the Magma legend - and an essential one.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I didn't realize that OldRottenHat was a controversial album in the Wyatt cannon; it's long been my favorite of his albums.

Oh, I like the album just fine myself. But it was the 'Magma/Tormato' man speaking. Him being older than us upstart juvenile collectors kept talking of an apparent "disillusion" when Wyatt returned in the 80s as a solo cottage industry with Rotten. This was in connection with the '91 release of Dondestan, when there was a feature on it in one of the UK underground 'zines, Ptolemaic Terrascope I believe.