Perhaps, not as much as Great Britain or Italy, but France made a nice contribution to the prog rock scene over the years, what with collectives like MAGMA and certain quarters of GONG. One of the most prominent ensembles of the ilk were CLEARLIGHT, a mindchild of one Cyrille Verdeaux whose 1975’s debut, “Clearlight Symphony,” released on Virgin, many regard as a classic. By the end of that decade the band were no more but a string of coincidences led Verdeaux to reviving the name lately and recording “Impressionist Symphony,” a new album which features a stellar cast including those who played on the first platter: GONG’s own Steve Hillage, Didier Malherbe and Tim Blake, also famous for his work in HAWKWIND. Also on board are Paul Sears from THE MUFFINS, Linda Cushma of OXYGENE8 fame and Don Falcone from SPIRITS BURNING who facilitated it all this time.
Impressionist Symphony
It’s a moving slab of classic art rock that harks back to the genre’s glory days and marks the 40th anniversary of the first “Symphony,” albeit there’s no side-long pieces now, rather a series of sonic portraits of famous painters – all impressionists, of course. The review is here.
1. Renoir En Couleur
2. Time Is Monet
3. Pissarro King
4. Degas De La Marine
5. Van Gogh 3rd Ear
6. Gaughin Dans L’Autre
7. Lautrec Too Loose
8. Monet Time (Duet)
And here’s a teaser:
