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Thread: Essential 70's Quebocois Prog?

  1. #1

    Essential 70's Quebocois Prog?

    Before posting what I believe to be the essential and classic 70's Quebocois albums, I would like to see what everyone thinks to be the essential albums of the scene.

  2. #2
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    I love the Pollen album, and both Sloche albums are essential as well. Opus 5 and Morse Code get honourable mentions, but I must say I've never been as big on Harmonium as many people are. I have all their albums anyway. :P
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  3. #3
    Harmonium - Les Cinq Saisons and L'Heptade
    Contraction - La Bourse ou la Vie
    Opus-5 - Contre-Courant
    Octobre - Les Nouvelles Terres
    Sloche - [both]
    Conventum - [both]
    Morse Code - Procreation
    L'Engoulevent - L'lle ou Vivent les Loups
    Les Temps - Ailleurs Avec
    Maneige - Ni Vent Ni Nouvelle
    Pollen - Pollen
    Et Cetera - Et Cetera

    Three of my absolute fave tracks:



    "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

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    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    Nice post. First clip doesn't work as well for me but the Opus was extremely nice. Octobre was nice too. I'm a huge fan of Harmonium, love every note they have ever played. I like Pollen. I work in Quebec every week but I have not explored their music nearly enough.
    Last edited by mozo-pg; 11-01-2013 at 06:24 PM.
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  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by mozo-pg View Post
    First clip doesn't work as well for me
    I love it personally, but it's quite different from their "standard" work, which was very much in the chamber-folk realm with the odd rock snippet.


    "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 TheH's Avatar
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    Quebec had one of the most wonderfull and unique prog Scenes.

    You can't go wrong with any of Scrotum Scissors list, also I would choose "Les Porches" for Maneige (but all their albums are great).

    The list could be much longer, so I would like to add:

    Eternite - Les Chants de Eternite
    Jerome Langlois - Live Au Fmpm 2006
    Dionysos - Le Prince croule
    Franck Dervieux - "Dimension 'M'"
    etc. etc. etc.

  7. #7
    Member nosebone's Avatar
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    Sloche - [both]
    L'Engoulevent - L'lle ou Vivent les Loups
    are my favorites but Franck Dervieux - "Dimension 'M'" is pretty cool also.
    no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone

  8. #8
    Member helicase's Avatar
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    Dionne-Brégent

  9. #9
    Member TheH's Avatar
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    Some newer bands I realy like (don't know if they are form Quebec Region):

    The BOX (who are actually not so new)


    Jelly Fiche


    Vecteur K
    http://www.vecteurk.net/English/music.html
    Last edited by TheH; 11-01-2013 at 07:53 PM.

  10. #10
    Definitely Contraction. I still say that Christiane Robichaud has one of the best voices I've ever heard.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    Definitely Contraction. I still say that Christiane Robichaud has one of the best voices I've ever heard.
    Well, she had a great voice and seemed to possess total control of it, and her input on that lengthy title track from the second album is nothing less than staggering. Quebec actually had several outstanding vocalists, including Serge Fiori (Harmonium), Christian Simard (MCode) and the young Pierre Flynn (Octobre),
    "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

  12. #12
    False Number 9 Pr33t's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    Harmonium - Les Cinq Saisons and L'Heptade
    Contraction - La Bourse ou la Vie
    Opus-5 - Contre-Courant
    Octobre - Les Nouvelles Terres
    Sloche - [both]
    Conventum - [both]
    Morse Code - Procreation
    L'Engoulevent - L'lle ou Vivent les Loups
    Les Temps - Ailleurs Avec
    Maneige - Ni Vent Ni Nouvelle
    Pollen - Pollen
    Et Cetera - Et Cetera
    Nailed most of the classics right there. With Pollen and Franck Dervieux mentioned elsewhere.

    As for stuff not already mentioned, but definitely worthwhile:

    Michel Madore - Le Komuso À Cordes
    Toubabou - Both
    Connivence - Connivence
    Brèche - Carapace et Chair Tendre
    Aquarelle - Sous un Arbre

    I'm probably forgetting some, but I think those are some underrated albums that often get overshadowed by the consensus classics.

  13. #13
    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    Definitely Contraction. I still say that Christiane Robichaud has one of the best voices I've ever heard.
    Phenomenal indeed, I agree!

    I also think that Harmonium's L'Heptade is some of the most beautiful music ever written, and I don't mean just prog.

    For newer bands, you may want to try Quebec City's Interference Sardines.
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  14. #14
    False Number 9 Pr33t's Avatar
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    Forgot: Charles Kaczynski - Lumière de la nuit

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    Member Joe F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pr33t View Post
    Forgot: Charles Kaczynski - Lumière de la nuit
    How could you?

    Nothing much to add to the titles already listed, with the exception of the 2 Lasting Weep albums.

  16. #16
    éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é Don Arnold's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheH View Post
    Some newer bands I realy like (don't know if they are form Quebec Region):

    The BOX (who are actually not so new)
    I'll second The Box. Though not from the seventies, their "d'apres le Horla De Maupassant", recorded in 2009 is excellent. The vocals are top notch imo. It's not overly complex, but touches enough Prog buttons to make plenty of joyful listens on my cd player (yes, I still have one of those....). Some gorgeous melodies too, particularly in the first track, "Ouverture". I believe that's french for Overture.

    I don't think they started out as a Prog outfit (eighties, perhaps?), but then out of the blue decided to venture into it with d'apres. Someone who is more knowledgeable can chime in.

  17. #17
    Not much to add, most of the best artists have already been mentioned. Surely Harmonium is a must; even the first album, while more a folk-rock album than prog, is excellent. I also love the Fiori-Séguin album, which is like the long lost fourth Harmonium album. Most of the band that played on L’heptade also appear here (though Michel Normandeau and Louis Valois aren’t on it, but Richard Séguin is). When Harmonium reformed circa 1979, they added a lot of these songs to their live repertoire.

    Other must-haves: Morse Code, Sloche, Maneige

    Second-string stuff, but worth investigating:

    Brèche (folky chamber-prog, a curiously Quebecois sound)
    L’engoulevent (same as above)
    Et Cetera (GG-alike band with male and female vocals, fronted by the talented young ondist Marie Bernard Pagé)
    Le Match
    Opus-5
    L’orient d’Ô (synth-heavy prog, underrated!)
    Pollen (pure symhonic)

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    Last edited by Progbear; 11-02-2013 at 02:22 PM.

  18. #18
    How about albums from the 70's that are not essential, but worth having...

  19. #19
    ExCubus-Memoires incubussiennes"
    ExCubus-Lagauchetiere

  20. #20
    Member zravkapt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Don Arnold View Post
    I don't think they started out as a Prog outfit (eighties, perhaps?), but then out of the blue decided to venture into it with d'apres. Someone who is more knowledgeable can chime in.
    This is what they sounded like in the '80s:

    The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off

  21. #21
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by helicase View Post
    Dionne-Brégent
    Absofuckinglutely

    Quote Originally Posted by TheH View Post
    Some newer bands I realy like (don't know if they are form Quebec Region):

    The BOX (who are actually not so new)

    Jelly Fiche

    Vecteur K
    some people don't read thread titles: it says 70's...
    And to be honest what you posted doesn't come to the ankle-heigth of the 70's stuff posted elsewhere...

    The ProgQuebec label (and other smaller ones ) released most of the real 70's pearls, but honestly its still lacking one or two

    Michel Madore, Aquarelle, Syncope, Connivence (not a group per se, but an association of artistes) and Brèche (you've never heard a trombone like this) are the main pearls still to be officially released.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    The ProgQuebec label (and other smaller ones ) released most of the real 70's pearls, but honestly its still lacking one or two

    Michel Madore, Aquarelle, Syncope, Connivence (not a group per se, but an association of artistes) and Brèche (you've never heard a trombone like this) are the main pearls still to be officially released.
    I've heard Aquarelle and Syncope, but honestly I'd first of all wish for the Octobre catalog proper to be released (as opposed to that 2CD anthology which is the only one curently collecting much of their stuff). Octobre may have been more squarely "song-based" than most progressives from this region, but OH! were some of these songs truly great!
    "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

  23. #23
    Member TheH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    some people don't read thread titles: it says 70's...
    And to be honest what you posted doesn't come to the ankle-heigth of the 70's stuff posted elsewhere...

    The ProgQuebec label (and other smaller ones ) released most of the real 70's pearls, but honestly its still lacking one or two

    Michel Madore, Aquarelle, Syncope, Connivence (not a group per se, but an association of artistes) and Brèche (you've never heard a trombone like this) are the main pearls still to be officially released.
    Hey Trane, I've read the thread title and I don't think ist forbidden to show that there is still some live in this Scene.

    And yes there still are some good albums in need of a reissue.

    The Aquarelle albums where released by Belle Antique, so they are there (but expansive japanese Mini LP SHM CDs).

  24. #24
    Member TheH's Avatar
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    By the way, wasn't there a new album by Contraction announced for this year (and a new one by Charles Kaszynski)
    in another thread here?

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by TheH View Post
    Hey Trane, I've read the thread title and I don't think ist forbidden to show that there is still some live in this Scene.
    I agree, but I'd dare say most of the truly interesting "modern day" Quebecois acts were of a more experimental ilk, like Interference Sardines, Wondeurbrasse/Justine, Rouge Ciel, Les 4 Guitariste d'Apocalypso Bar and Miriodor. There have certainly been exceptions to the rule - Dägmahr and Ere G come to mind - but much of the creativity itself seems to have emannated from the Victoriaville/Ambiances Magnetique circuit.
    "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

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