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Thread: Edhels? Any fans?

  1. #1
    Member Hour Candle's Avatar
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    Edhels? Any fans?

    Don't know this band at all, but a friend thought I might like them. Thought I should check with you guys at PE first. So.. Any fans?

  2. #2
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    I've had Oriental Christmas, Still Dream and Asto-Logical for ages. They are somewhat interesting instrumental Prog from the very earliest period of the "third wave." Very 80s/90s sounding. I've hung onto them partly for nostalgia reasons, and partly because if you can get past certain limitations, some of the music is pretty good. Their sense of melody is often good, and they have a way of making instrumental music that is also "catchy." This becomes less true on Astro-Logical, where the music is a bit more abstract. My favorite of the three is probably Still Dream.

    I did buy their fourth album, Angel's Promise, but I recall really not liking that one. They added vocals on that one, and iirc there were a couple of songs where the vocals just didn't work, at least or me. There was one with some spoken word stuff, where someone is ordering fries with vinegar or something, that I just thought was un-listenable. The music was not nearly as interesting on this one to me either, so I ditched it. I don't recall if they had anything after that, if they did, I likely didn't hear it. Their guitarist had a solo album that got some praise as well, but I'm not sure I ever heard that one (MASC I believe it was called).

    In all, I'd say these guys were fair. Interesting for their time because so few were doing stuff like this in the late 80s, but these albums really haven't stood the test of time that well, imo.

    Bill

  3. #3
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    The first 2 (Oriental Xmas and Still Dream) are excellent and very unique sounding for their time (the 80s) highly recommended. I wasn't thrilled with their output after the 2nd album.
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  4. #4
    Astro-Logical is the only one I’ve heard that sounded like they were on to something. The first two are just really humdrum, bland, simplistic and repetitious. Apparently there’s an even older (archival) recording called The Bursting.

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  5. #5
    I've only got Still Dream, but that one's quite alright.

    Edhels were part of an early wave in the French section of the "progressive rock renaissance" emerging in the latter half of the 80s, a wave which also counted names such as Eclat, Tiemko, Versailles, Minimum Vital and probably the only one vaguely remembered nowadays - Halloween. All of these were characterized by some very typical assets; high-tech and usually exclusively digital equipment and production values that sometimes made them prone to accusations of sounding somewhat "sterile", expert musicianship, a rather pronounced absence of angloamerican influences of most sorts, and a penchant to explore the deeps of 70s French fusion and "Zeuhl" music. Some of these artists' work - notably Sarabandes by Minimum Vital, Ocean by Tiemko and Merlin by Halloween - actually express a highly original take on the whole idiom and are strongly recommended.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  6. #6
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER View Post
    The first 2 (Oriental Xmas and Still Dream) are excellent
    I agree. Excellent instrumental Prog with varying tempos and melodic guitar.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    Edhels were part of an early wave in the French section of the "progressive rock renaissance" emerging in the latter half of the 80s, a wave which also counted names such as Eclat, Tiemko, Versailles, Minimum Vital and probably the only one vaguely remembered nowadays - Halloween. All of these were characterized by some very typical assets; high-tech and usually exclusively digital equipment and production values that sometimes made them prone to accusations of sounding somewhat "sterile", expert musicianship, a rather pronounced absence of angloamerican influences of most sorts, and a penchant to explore the deeps of 70s French fusion and "Zeuhl" music. Some of these artists' work - notably Sarabandes by Minimum Vital, Ocean by Tiemko and Merlin by Halloween - actually express a highly original take on the whole idiom and are strongly recommended.
    Minimum Vital are fairly well-remembered; they’re still together and producing albums (Capitaines is highly recommended).

    I can’t speak for Eclat, but Edhels seem to be the weak link in the above chain, at least early on, which seem to be characterized by sloppy playing (especially the drums) and simplistic, ostinato-based compositions. Astro-Logical seemed to be the album where their chops finally caught up with their ambitions.

    Of the bands you listed, Tiemko are by far the most underrated today. Their icy, digital sound has definitely dated poorly and is probably not going to win them many new converts. Which is a bit of a shame as they were quite musically sophisticated, with some serious harmonic complexity and forays into the avant-garde that made their music worth digging into. I think Parade was their best album (their music seems to work best on the short-form pieces) but all of their first three albums are worth checking out, and in spite of some ill-advised vocal tracks, Clone also has its moments. Still have not heard the posthumous release Ça tourne.

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  8. #8
    Member ashratom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    I've only got Still Dream, but that one's quite alright.

    Edhels were part of an early wave in the French section of the "progressive rock renaissance" emerging in the latter half of the 80s, a wave which also counted names such as Eclat, Tiemko, Versailles, Minimum Vital and probably the only one vaguely remembered nowadays - Halloween. All of these were characterized by some very typical assets; high-tech and usually exclusively digital equipment and production values that sometimes made them prone to accusations of sounding somewhat "sterile", expert musicianship, a rather pronounced absence of angloamerican influences of most sorts, and a penchant to explore the deeps of 70s French fusion and "Zeuhl" music. Some of these artists' work - notably Sarabandes by Minimum Vital, Ocean by Tiemko and Merlin by Halloween - actually express a highly original take on the whole idiom and are strongly recommended.
    I agree with just about everything said here. I do think "Astrological" by Edhels is quite good as Mike suggested. I also recommend "Still Dream" as probably the place to start. "Oriental Christmas" is an album I personally appreciate as it came at a time when there was almost nothing like it available in the marketplace (1985) - but it doesn't necessarily hold up well objectively.

    I think Tiemko may have even taken it a step further with "Parade" (as well as the "pre" Tiemko from founder Eric Delaunay on "Antogonisme!", which has never been reissued on CD) and Halloween the same with "Le Festin". Of course, Minimum Vital has continued to be relevant through their last album, the excellent "Capitaines" (2009).

    I think the one band in the list above that needs a separate entry is Versailles, who were actually ahead of their time with the whole "retro prog" thing (yea, I get the irony of that statement). I did a full retrospective of their work last year, and can only say I was completely blown away. I bought all their albums upon release, but found that starting with "Don Giovanni" that they have not only aged well, but are real gems that would hold up to the 1970s classics.

    For those who need a sleep aid, here is my retrospective on Versailles: http://undertheradarcds.blogspot.com...es-france.html

    I will also add that Eclat came a little later than the bands listed here, and were also outside the "Musea sphere", and thus were more obscure at the time. But no doubt they fit the genre as described.

  9. #9
    Member Mr.Krautman's Avatar
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    I still have the 3 first EDHELS Cd's and would describe their music as rather cold and uninspired, somewhat simplistic instrumental compositions. Sound and production are typically 80ies of course. Sometimes they sounded like a "poor man's" Djam Karet with less technical and compositional abilities. Not really bad but nothing to keep or remember. In the mid-eighties I jumped on nearly all those Musea productions but now with a much broader choice I would probably not buy EDHELS again.
    MINIMUM VITAL were much better and original If you like this kind of short instrumental prog tracks from that era.
    From all the above mentioned groups only HALLOWEEN's Merlin has passed the test of time, it was great then and still is today, with nice violin parts and female vocals (sung in french), played by accomplished musicians. Definitely worth a listen if you're into French prog, but don't expect a retro-sound (à la Versailles), though they can't be described as "neo". One of the best French-Prog productions from that era, I.M.O Unfortunately they weren't able to repeat this and all their subsequent productions only ranged from fair to poor.
    Last edited by Mr.Krautman; 05-24-2013 at 01:18 PM.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by ashratom View Post

    I think Tiemko may have even taken it a step further with "Parade" (as well as the "pre" Tiemko from founder Eric Delaunay on "Antogonisme!", which has never been reissued on CD) and Halloween the same with "Le Festin". Of course, Minimum Vital has continued to be relevant through their last album, the excellent "Capitaines" (2009). [...] I will also add that Eclat came a little later than the bands listed here, and were also outside the "Musea sphere", and thus were more obscure at the time. But no doubt they fit the genre as described.
    I agree about Tiemko's Parade possibly surpassing its predecessor (hell, I even like much of Clone, including a couple of those much maligned vocal tracks!), and that Halloween's Le Festin is plain awesome. But in the case of the latter, I kind of see that as having broken with the specific period in question here; it's a modern progressive rock classic in its own right and even sporting some avant touches, but quite different from what they were initially doing (although their identity is still firmly in place). You can clearly draw the line from Le Festin to excellent current French groups like Thork and Nil, for instance.

    I'm also aware that Eclat came a little later, but I always thought of them as somewhat belonging to the bunch due to their sound and overall artistic appearance.

    And thx for that Versailles article! I always thought they were suspiciously underrated myself; too bad several of their releases are apparently OOP.

    Someone really should reissue that Eric Delaunay solo album. I was hoping maybe that'd be something Alain Lebon might consider someday.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by ashratom View Post
    For those who need a sleep aid, here is my retrospective on Versailles: http://undertheradarcds.blogspot.com...es-france.html
    Versailles! I've been wanting to listen to them more for a long time. I actually saw their version of Mona Lisa in a tiny bar in France around 1999. It was a weird show, but at least they played "La Peste." Years later I acquired the "De l'ombre à la lumière" album, and was pretty impressed. I'd like to buy some old Versailles CDs someday.

    Thanks for the article, Tom.

  12. #12
    Member ashratom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    and that Halloween's Le Festin is plain awesome. But in the case of the latter, I kind of see that as having broken with the specific period in question here; it's a modern progressive rock classic in its own right and even sporting some avant touches, but quite different from what they were initially doing (although their identity is still firmly in place). You can clearly draw the line from Le Festin to excellent current French groups like Thork and Nil, for instance.
    No argument from me. All good points. Too bad Halloween quit when they did. They were firing on all cylinders at the end there.

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    And thx for that Versailles article! I always thought they were suspiciously underrated myself; too bad several of their releases are apparently OOP.
    Quote Originally Posted by dnieper View Post
    Thanks for the article, Tom.
    Thanks guys for reading it!

  13. #13
    Member TheH's Avatar
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    If have some of their early LPs, but I've not heard them for so many years I can't even remember which ones I have.
    But I remember that I liked them back in the day.

    I agree with what was said about Halloween. Top band, I really love Merlin and Le Festin (and the live album).
    A real pitty that they din't continue.

    I still like the original Eclat (de Vers) mini Album, although it's quite neo.

    Only bought my first Versailles Album (Don G.) recently and still have to get into it (them).

    Bought MINIMUM VITALs debut when it came out (like all Musea LPs back then) and I think it's nice,
    but al Little to nice for me.

  14. #14
    Member TheH's Avatar
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    Although they came somewhat later I would really recommend the following (related) bands
    if your are into the above mentioned names:

    Nil, Thork and Syrinx (all of them brilliant)
    Last edited by TheH; 05-25-2013 at 06:46 PM.

  15. #15
    I love the song Heart Door off of Still Dream. First heard it on Musea's Enchantement compilation and it onspired me to buy both Still Dream and Oriental Xmas.

    Speaking of Enchantement, the song Explosure by the band Atmosphere was one of the best things Crimson never did. Has anyone heard the full Atmosphere was album?

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    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wah3 View Post
    I love the song Heart Door off of Still Dream. First heard it on Musea's Enchantement compilation and it onspired me to buy both Still Dream and Oriental Xmas.

    Speaking of Enchantement, the song Explosure by the band Atmosphere was one of the best things Crimson never did. Has anyone heard the full Atmosphere was album?
    that Musea comp had a few great things on it... I would also love to have the full Atmosphere album

    a few other notable mentions for bands of that area and era:
    Terpandre
    Acintya
    Eden
    Mandragore
    Puzzle
    Neo
    Arachnoid
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  17. #17
    Member ashratom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wah3 View Post
    Speaking of Enchantement, the song Explosure by the band Atmosphere was one of the best things Crimson never did. Has anyone heard the full Atmosphere was album?
    This group is a confirmed fake. There is no Atmosphere album. Excellent song though!

  18. #18
    Member ashratom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER View Post
    a few other notable mentions for bands of that area and era:
    Terpandre
    Acintya
    Eden
    Mandragore
    Puzzle
    Neo
    Arachnoid
    Most of these, except Mandragore, are actually from a different era of French progressive rock - mainly the late 70s and early 80s. However they were reissued in the same time frame by Musea - or in some cases like Puzzle and Eden, their original LPs were distributed by Musea. The Puzzle is an interesting one. Almost like a proto Ozric Tentacles, but the drum machine hurts it immensely.

  19. #19
    Their very 80s digital sound that goes along with a simplistic approach to prog francais, put me off in Edhels. I preferred Versailles and Minimum Vital.
    Macht das ohr auf!

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  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by ashratom View Post
    This group is a confirmed fake. There is no Atmosphere album. Excellent song though!
    Really, who did write and perform Explosure then?

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Wah3 View Post
    Really, who did write and perform Explosure then?
    Rumored to have Musea's manager Alain Robert on the guitar. Supposedly, they had an album from 1979, entitled The German's Gates. Does not seem to exist!
    Last edited by spacefreak; 05-27-2013 at 11:17 AM.
    Macht das ohr auf!

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    Member ashratom's Avatar
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    Right - what Spyros said is correct. Frances Grosse told me the whole story once, but I can't remember the details. But more or less it was friends and employees of the label just having some fun and they threw it on the "Enchantement" comp for the heck of it. It was a tie-in with the fake entry (along with Magicia) in Grosse's "La Discographie du Rock Francaise" encyclopedia.

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Wah3 View Post
    I love the song Heart Door off of Still Dream. First heard it on Musea's Enchantement compilation and it onspired me to buy both Still Dream and Oriental Xmas.
    “Heart Door” was added to Still Dream and is not on the original vinyl release. It’s far and away better than any of the actual album tracks. A lot of the Musea albums had extra tracks when reissued on CD, I believe this is the case with Oriental Christmas, too. It’s definitely the case with Tiemko’s Espace fini, which only came out on CD after Océan and Parade. The reverse is true with Minimum Vital’s Les saisons marines, the track “La scala” is only available on the original vinyl release, it has never made it to CD.

    Incidentally, Enchantement has a Minimum Vital track called “Oxis oponem” which has never made it to CD, so there’s two serious MV rarities out there for you vinyl collectors to seek out.

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  24. #24
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=Progbear;105608]Incidentally, Enchantement has a Minimum Vital track called “Oxis oponem” which has never made it to CD, so there’s two serious MV rarities out there for you vinyl collectors to seek out.

    also of interest (which I find hard to believe) is that Prog Archives lists 2 different versions of Enchantment! WT!?
    http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=19153
    Last edited by MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER; 05-27-2013 at 05:41 PM.
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  25. #25
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    “Heart Door” was added to Still Dream and is not on the original vinyl release. It’s far and away better than any of the actual album tracks. A lot of the Musea albums had extra tracks when reissued on CD, I believe this is the case with Oriental Christmas, too. It’s definitely the case with Tiemko’s Espace fini, which only came out on CD after Océan and Parade. The reverse is true with Minimum Vital’s Les saisons marines, the track “La scala” is only available on the original vinyl release, it has never made it to CD.

    Incidentally, Enchantement has a Minimum Vital track called “Oxis oponem” which has never made it to CD, so there’s two serious MV rarities out there for you vinyl collectors to seek out.

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    MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

    "'Thin Thighs For Your Man.' But I don't *like* men with thin thighs" --Daria

    N.P.:“Requiem”-Djam Karet/Indian Summer
    Listening to "Oriental Christmas" now. Progbear, to your point from a mere ten years ago, I can say that the Musea CD has one bonus track: "Nan Madol" - 5'48

    Also, I've only ever seen the Musea CD, which is what I have, and I didn't know till just now that the original LP had very different cover artwork. Here's the original cover (you can see the one used for the Musea CD on Discogs):

    R-1399384-1287484360.jpg

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