XII Alfonso - Under ($15.99)
Titles are arranged alphabetically with the latest additions highlighted in yellow.
Audio samples for many Musea and other French CDs can be found at musicMe.com
XII Alfonso - Under ($15.99) The third volume of XII Alfonso’s Claude Monet trilogy is probably still on, but in between the second and third volumes of that is their 63-minute instrumental CD Under (2009). Their original Camel and Mike Oldfield style shines through in spots now, but their brand of progressive is now closer to that of Jean Pascal Boffo and Isildurs Bane, with hints of modern King Crimson. It is sophisticated contemporary progressive rock big on atmosphere, usually a mellow late-night ambience, incorporating ambient, jazz, classical, and world music elements. The lyrical guitar work of Philippe Claerhout, both acoustic and electric, is a highlight. The booklet is in English and some of the tracks incorporate dialog from 1960s American television as well as Martin Luther King’s famous speech. In a word, seductive.
XII Alfonso - Claude Monet Vol. 2 ($15.99) SALE!
XII Alfonso - The Lost Frontier ($15.99)This French band is popular among French progressive fans for their concept albums: The Lost Frontier, Odyssées, and the Claude Monet series. Philippe and François Claerhout (guitars and keyboards), assisted by numerous guests and friends, have succeeded in creating a delicate, ambitious, and eclectic form of symphonic progressive rock, mixing instrumental pieces and songs in a style somewhat similar to Mike Oldfield, Iona, or more recent Camel, at least on their first two albums. Even though the band has a very capable female vocalist (lyrics in English), the music is predominantly instrumental, with influences of Celtic and medieval music. Their first album The Lost Frontier (1996), about Hadrian's Wall, includes contributions from Dan Ar Bras as well as keyboardist Mickey Simmonds (Fish, Camel). 19 musicians contributed to Odyssées (1999), their 74-minute second album, including Minimum Vital and Dan Ar Bras. Melodic and delicate, Odyssées mixes instrumental music and songs, with a good dose of Celtic and French folk integrated. Mesmerizing and perfect for late at night.
Claude Monet Vol. 1 (2002) is the third album from Douze Alfonso. It comes in a beautiful slipcase with a 52-page booklet in both English and French. This is the first part of the most ambitious project ever imagined by a French band: three albums about the last years of the life of Claude Monet (the French impressionist painter). XII Alfonso have been working for many years on this project, using the artist’s paintings, his letters and memoirs -- the huge booklet is itself a work of art. 16 concise pieces (four songs, the rest instrumental) suggest impressions of moments of Monet’s life and creations. This fully impressionist music includes old French songs rearranged, refined atmospheres conveyed by the keyboard parts, eclectic rhythm work, and guitar solos. The band is assisted by several other musicians, including a female singer, a harpist, a second keyboardist, and several guitarists; Ian Bairnson (Kate Bush, Alan Parsons, Wings) contributes a guitar solo. But the melodies are the most essential element of this beautiful album. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.
Claude Monet Vol. 2 (2005) is subtitled 1889-1904 and comes in a digipack with a full-color, 50-page, wide format booklet in both French and English which is in itself a valuable overview of Monet’s work during this period. These 17 instrumental pieces span 74-minutes, an original music that perhaps comes closest to Isildurs Bane. It ranges from symphonic rock to neo-classical to French popular music. While there are quite a few ethnic instruments in the mix, it is the most French sounding album to date for XII Alfonso, which is appropriate given the subject matter. Mickey Simmonds wrote one track and plays piano on another.
Abacab - Mal de Terre ($15.99) Don’t be deterred by this band’s name; their music has little to do with Genesis of that period. Abacab grew out of the band Contresens that formed in the early 1990’s, so Mal de Terre (2009, 79-minutes) is more sophisticated than one would expect from a debut album. The music is along the lines of Nemo or recent Ange, hard-edged yet balanced between keys and guitar, complex but still reasonably melodic, with touches of jazz-rock and French lyrics delivered by a quality singer. Read the Background Magazine review.
Afterglow - Yggdrasil mini-LP ($17.99)Yggdrasil (1994, 71-minutes) is the only album by French neo-prog band Afterglow, who sing in English. File this next to Clepsydra. Read reviews at Prog Archives. (There is an audio sample there.) The mini-LP edition is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Alkemy - Da 63 Projekt ($9.99) Enough with the silly misspellings already. Alkemy are a French progressive rock quartet (guitar/vocals, keys, bass, drums). The vocals on this 2004 CD are in excellent English though and there is nothing in the music that gives away Alkemy’s origin. They play a fairly unique blend of rock and fusion, mixing the energy, form, and rhythms of rock with the harmony, soloing, and precision of fusion. The rock side of their music gets heavy at times, reflecting influences that range from Dream Theater and Queensrÿche to Chick Corea Elektric Band, Miles Davis, and Pat Metheny Group. For a hard fusion album, there are a lot of vocals, and though it’s not easy to construct vocal lines that fit over the complex chord progressions, they are melodic enough. Alkemy are at their best when they rein in the metal guitar and play soaring, complex progressive rock/fusion, bringing them close to the first UK lineup. 63-minutes.
Amethyst - Naissance ($14.99) Amethyst is a French fusion trio of keyboards, bass and drums. Their first album Naissance (2006) consists of seven instrumental pieces in the 5-to-10 minute range, with strong melodies, some Latin rhythms, and lively bass parts (sometimes playing the melody line). There is progressive influences in the keyboards. In other words, it isn’t all jazz piano, as Rodrigue Lecoque also uses synth pads to add a symphonic texture, and plays some synth lead lines with pitch bend and vibrato.
Ange - Le Tour de la Question (CD+PAL DVD, $22.99)
Ange - Rêves-Parties (2CD, $22.99)
With over 3.5 million albums sold and six gold records in France, Ange is a French progressive rock institution. Le Tour de la Question is a live CD+DVD in a digipack, recorded at the 2005 Mix Festival in Belgium. The CD contains 11 tracks, while the DVD contains 19. The DVD is in the PAL format. Note we will not accept returns of this item because the DVD will not play on your NTSC player.
Culinaire Lingus (2001, 74-minutes) is now available at a reasonable price, thanks to a reissue by Musea. As Musea says, this album has been described by many critics as the best recent album by the band, and one can sense the enthusiasm of the musicians in both the writing and playing. Christian’s vocals are brilliant: theatrical, humorous and sensitive as in the old days, and the young musicians around him are talented and inspired. Audio clips at amazon.fr.
La Voiture à Eau (1999, 73-minutes) is a very fine album. Ange had already done their farewell tour in 1995, then Christian Decamps formed a new Ange with his talented son Tristan on keys plus other younger musicians. This version of the band has proven to be superior to all the post-1980 lineups. Audio clips at amazon.fr.
Their double live album Rêves-Parties was recorded in 1997, 1998, and 2000, three different shows, one of them with a symphony orchestra. Two hours of Ange live, including old classics such as Godevin le Vilain and Hymne a la Vie, as well as more recent favorites such as Quasimodo and 3ème Etoile a Gauche. Audio clips at amazon.fr.
Tome 87 is a live CD of a legendary Ange concert. In 1987, the original lineup of Ange reunited for this concert, playing their progressive material. The sound is superb, as is the material and the energy level; this is the best Ange live recording we’ve heard. An exclusive bonus video track (playable on a computer) is included, a 2001 interview of the charismatic Christian Decamps.
Guet-Apens (1978) was not only Ange’s last progressive album before they dumbed down their style for the 1980’s, it is among their very best albums period. It is the album where they use the most Mellotron, and it includes some of their best compositions.
Ange - By the Sons of Mandrin ($14.99)The true leader of the French rock scene in the mid-seventies, Ange naturally desired some success outside France. Not that the foreign public didn’t appreciated the group, but that may have been more for the sound of Ange’s French-language vocals, while the band’s compositional talents may have been overlooked. That is the context that led Ange to produce By the Sons of Mandrin, the English translation of Par les Fils de Mandrin (1976), one of the major works in Ange’s discography. This remains the only Ange record with English lyrics. For reasons long lost and which perhaps only band leader Christian Decamps could shed light on, this album was never released. It remained hidden in a disused lavatory in the basement of Universal until Musea got them to drag it out. Since this is many people’s choice for best Ange album, it’s fortunate this is the one available in English, and fortunate Musea made the effort.
Tome VI (1977), the 2LP live album covering Ange’s most creative period, was perhaps not the best testimony to Ange’s power in concert. Nearly 26 years later, we have En Concert - Par les Fils De Mandrin Millésimé 1977, a live show recorded in front of 6000+ fans. This CD includes the live performance of the entire album Par les Fils de Mandrin (1976), the peak of the band’s success and creativity, plus 16 minutes of material from previous albums. Check our DVDs page for Ange’s DVDs.
Christian Decamps - Mes Vers Solitaires DVD ($22.99)Christian Décamps is the singer and leader of Ange. The Mes Vers Solitaires DVD (NTSC, all-region) captures his one man show in 1993 near Belfort. Christian sings, plays guitar and keyboards, tells tales and performs sketches (in French), all with his characteristic humor, charisma, and intensity. The songs are taken from his solo career, Ange classics (Ode à Emile), plus two Jacques Brel covers. One hour and 40 minutes.
Juste une Ligne Bleue was recorded in 1990. At this time, it had been more than three years since the original Ange lineup had been reactivated, resulting in the album Sève Qui Peut. The album and tour were a huge success in France. It was at this time that the band’s charismatic singer decided to record a new Christian Decamps & Fils (& Son) album, eleven years after Le Mal d’Adam. Juste une Ligne Bleue is faithful to the poetic world typical of Ange’s lyricist. Most of Ange’s musicians are present here: Claude Demet, Daniel Haas, Robert Defer, and of course Tristan Decamps.
L’Ange Vert - Tempete & Chatiments ($11.99) SALE! SALE!L’Ange Vert play a potent fusion of Breton (Celtic) folk and rock, more progressive than most of the Celtic-rock bands. They are recommended to fans of Malicorne and the various Breton electric-folk bands. Le Sang des Hommes (1995) and Tempete & Chatiments (1999) are full of great melodies, with excellent vocals in French. Instrumentation includes bombarde, mandolin, and tin whistle in addition to electric & acoustic guitars, bass, and drums. This band is full of charm and old world spirit.
Anoxie - Pastales ($14.99) This French progressive band was first heard on a 1986 7" single, followed by an appearance on Musea’s Enchantement various artists compilation. Anoxie operated in what was the worst time for progressive rock in most of western Europe, after the first generation of bands but prior to the revival. Anoxie never did complete the album they intended, but their members went on to Silver Lining and XII Alfonso. This CD contains remastered versions of the two tracks from the single and various unpublished tracks and demos, 14 total. Read reviews at Prog Archives; there is an audio sample there as well.
Herry Ansker - Next World ($11.99) SALE! SALE!Next World (1999) is an instrumental guitarist’s album with diverse influences including Spanish, Moorish, traditional French, pop, rock, etc. Ansker, a Breton, has been influenced by Dan Ar Bras. He also supplies keyboard backdrops while other musicians help out on bass and drums. On Also Imagus, also from 1999, Ansker leads a large number of musicians on an album of high-quality jazz-rock, melodic and structured.
Arachnoid - same ($15.99) This is the CD reissue of a French classic from 1978, built upon tension-filled melodic structures in the vein of King Crimson’s Larks' Tongues In Aspic and dramatic French-language vocals a la Ange. Four bonus tracks.
Asia Minor - Crossing the Line ($15.99)These are French progressive classics from 1979 and 1980 from a band that included Turkish as well as French members. The vocals are in English, aside from a couple songs sung in Turkish. Asia Minor succeeded in creating a highly original progressive rock, subtly infusing Middle Eastern influences into Anglo-prog. The instrumental complexity and melodic originality made them one of the top French progressive bands of their time.
Atlantide - same ($15.99)This is the CD reissue of a 1976 French progressive rock classic, somewhat of a French all-star project, primarily Yes-influenced with a bit of King Crimson. The CD adds four 1978 bonus tracks from the Human Egg album, recorded with nearly the same lineup.
Atoll - Rock Puzzle mini-LP ($17.99)
Atoll - Musiciens-Magiciens mini-LP ($17.99) out-of-stockMaybe the top French symphonic progressive band ever. Atoll featured a full keyboard sound with lead work on guitar and violin, highly arranged with lots of tight playing. L’Araignee-Mal (1975) and Tertio (1977) are their masterpieces. L’Araignee-Mal has some fusion that is largely absent from Tertio. If you can buy only one CD on this page, either L’Araignee-Mal or Tertio is the one to get. Atoll’s debut Musiciens-Magiciens (1974) is a fine album, and though the next two albums would eclipse it, it is still superior to many other French progressive albums.
Rock Puzzle (1978) was Atoll’s fourth album. While not up to the level of their previous two albums, it is still very worthwhile and includes six bonus tracks, three of which are songs recorded in 1981 with John Wetton. One of these, Here Comes the Feeling, should be pretty familiar. Musiciens-Magiciens and Rock Puzzle come in reproductions of the LP jackets. The others are the jewel box editions. (The mini-LP editions of L’Araignee-Mal and Tertio are out-of-print.)
Atoll - L’Ocean ($15.99) Today, the Atoll name is being used by leader and guitarist Christian Beya. L’Océan was initially released in 1989 in Japan and was very successful there. The band included Beya and new musicians. The music is more mainstream than the original Atoll and sounds like a late-1980’s production, but it’s not a bad album; it’s kind of like Yes’ 90125 is to classic Yes. This 2006 re-edition adds three bonus tracks: two live songs and an unreleased track, and two of the original songs have been re-recorded.
Atria - Boulevard of Broken Dreams mini-LP ($17.99)Boulevard of Broken Dreams (1992) is the debut by a French neo-prog band singing in English. The mini-LP edition is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve. Prog Archives has an audio sample.
Chris Audren - Gwen Menez ($11.99) SALE!Chris Audren is a composer/musician who recorded Opus One, his first solo album in 1995, a melodic rock album with beautiful instrumental parts, close to GTR. Gwen Menez (2002) represents a complete change in style. This is outstanding instrumental Celtic-influenced music, both rock and atmospheric new age, heavily influenced by Mike Oldfield though a bit more keyboard-oriented and drawing from the Breton tradition. Multi-instrumentalist Audren adds many Celtic instruments to his mix, which is definitely progressive and symphonic. Like Oldfield’s works, Gwen Menez is full of great melodies, counter-melodies, and infectious rhythms, and any fan of Oldfield will likely fall in love with this album. 71-minutes.
The Black Noodle Project - And Life Goes On ($15.99) The Black Noodle Project are a Parisian progressive rock band who sing in English, formed in 2001 by guitarist/singer Jérémie Grima. Deeply influenced by Pink Floyd, the music on And Life Goes On (2005, 60-minutes) is both atmospheric and dynamic, with warm, moody vocals and a predominant emotion of quiet despair. It also reminds one of another Floyd-influenced French band, namely Pulsar, though The Black Noodle Project are more modern and aggressive. Good piano work and a guest cellist complement Grima’s guitar and voice.
Alain Blesing - Songs from the Beginning ($15.99) Alain Blesing is a French guitarist known for having been part of the progressive rock band Eskaton, considered as one of the most gifted disciples of Magma. After Eskaton, he studied musicology and moved into jazz and improvisation. Now firmly established on the French scene, Blesing returns to his roots and publishes a CD of covers, recorded in the club Le Triton with eight other musicians. Songs from the Beginning (2007, 67-minutes) presents legendary songs such as Slightly All the Time (Soft Machine), Beautiful as the Moon (Henry Cow), California (Led Zeppelin), Mumps (Hatfield and the North), 1983 (Jimi Hendrix), Behind Blue Eyes (The Who) and Fracture (King Crimson), with even the non-Canterbury songs done in Canterbury style. Blesing’s notoriety helped attract John Greaves and Hugh Hopper, who respectively assume singing and bass duties here. As Blesing remarks in the liner notes, the audience reaction showed that Canterbury music is still popular, and not simply as nostalgia.
Jean Pascal Boffo - Infini ($14.99) 
Jean Pascal Boffo - Offrande ($15.99) 
Jean Pascal Boffo - Carillons ($15.99) Jean Pascal Boffo is a French progressive artist of prodigious talent who has consistently explored new directions over the course of his career. He was in fact the first artist signed by Musea. Jeux de Nains (1986) is his beautiful and more personal first album, a collection of mostly shorter pieces influenced by Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett. Boffo plays guitar, bass, and percussion, while two other musicians assist on synths and percussion. On his 1987 second album Carillons, his band is expanded to a quartet and the result is a higher-energy album close to Steve Hackett’s music, electric and orchestral. Rituel (1991), his third, is a stunning Enid-like symphonic work, employing a large number of musicians on classical instruments.
Nomades (1993) changes style again to an ethnic-fusion with Arabic sounds that can easily compete with the better-known American progenitors of this style. Offrande (1995, digipack) is an adept synthesis of progressive rock, fusion, and ethnic music, beautifully structured, arranged, and orchestrated. Vu du Ciel (1998) is a synthesis of all the styles Boffo had explored to this point: progressive rock, fusion, classical, and world music. Parfum d’Etoiles (2000) is one of Boffo’s best. The big change on this album is the addition of a great female vocalist, singing in both French and English. As usual, Boffo gathers a host of quality musicians around him on a variety of instruments, and Boffo’s guitar playing is superb, a bit of a French version of Steve Hackett. This is mature progressive rock with classical and jazz influences perfectly integrated.
For Boffo’s eighth album (2004, digipack), he’s turned the “8” on its side, thus the title Infini (Infinity). Once again, Boffo is exploring new directions. Here he handles everything himself: guitars, sequences, keyboards, samples, and loops. Everything is propelled by rhythm loops that are of the alien-sounding variety, rarely mimicking acoustic drums. The result is a jazz-tinged electronica with a consistent character: hypnotic, dreamlike, generally with a dark and slightly uneasy ambience, a muted energy that creates an otherworldly feel. The sound is not predominantly electronic though, as Boffo’s various guitar tones are the most prominent textures, and the sophisticated harmonic vocabulary (the clearest link to Boffo’s last few albums) makes this far more musical than most music that relies on loops and samples. Fans of Robert Fripp’s work will find a kindred spirit in Jean Pascal Boffo.
The Bollenberg Experience - If Only Stones Could Speak ($15.99)This is an all-star project assembled by singer and rock journalist John Bollenberg, who composed the music along with Swedish guitarist Bjorn Johansson. Among the contributors are Rick Wakeman, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Pär Lindh (who also produced the album), Bryan Josh and Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn), Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings), and William Kopecky (Kopecky), as well as a choir. This concept album is described as a musical journey through myths and legends of medieval Brugge (Bruges), the magical Belgian town that may be the best preserved medieval city in Europe. Bollenberg acquits himself adequately as a singer, even if his voice is unlikely to give anyone goose bumps. Some excellent performances as you’d expect from these musicians, to go with an intriguing medieval-flavored prog album.
Christian Boule - Photo Musik ($12.99)This is the reissue of Boule’s 1978 album originally on Virgin plus two 1998 bonus tracks. Christian Boule was the guitarist for Clearlight, and his first solo album is in the style of Clearlight, Steve Hillage, Tim Blake, and Gong, all of whom Boule actually worked with. While the album is half-instrumental, there are some Gong-style trippy female vocals, though there is more music and less nonsense here than Gong. Cyrille Verdeaux, the Clearlight leader, appears on the album along with six other musicians, while Tim Blake plays on the two bonus tracks.
François Bréant - Voyeur Extra-Lucide ($15.99)Voyeur Extra-Lucide (1979), the second of Bréant’s two albums, is a unique blend of electronic music and progressive rock with jazz-rock and classical influences, difficult to categorize but still quite accessible, with a particular emphasis on the analog keyboard sounds. It features Didier Lockwood on violin, Stella Vander and Klaus Blasquiz on vocals, Jean Michel Kajdan on guitar, and a large number of other French musicians. Bréant liked to include many different styles and influences on his albums, and the results remain quite unique to this day. The first track, Poursuite sur le Périphérique Nord (Chase Along the North Beltway) is a favorite, such joie de vivre. This CD reissue includes three bonus tracks.
Christian Brendel & Zomb - Le Peuple des Songes ($15.99) Le Peuple des Songes (2008, digipack) features French actor Christian Brendel providing theatrical spoken word over the dark progressive rock of a five-piece band whose sound is based around Crimson-esque guitar, jazzy flute and vibraphone. The mood is somber, while the music has some Canterbury influence, a suggestion of Magma in the bass playing, and similarities to Pulsar’s Bienvenue au Conseil d’Administration album. 69-minutes. Read the DPRP review.
Patrick Broguière - Mont Saint-Michel ($13.99) SALE!Patrick Broguière is a talented keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, violin, flute, recorder). While his instrumentation is often electronic, his music is closer to progressive rock of the romantic symphonic persuasion, somewhere between Jean-Pascal Boffo’s Rituel album, Mike Oldfield’s Ommadawn, and the group Changing Images. Icones (1996) also features a singer and a sax player. On Mont Saint-Michel (1998), Broguière is assisted by a large cadre of musicians, including a drummer and a beautiful female voice, making this his most symphonic progressive album and the one to start with. There are liberal classical and medieval influences.
Carpe Diem - En Regardant Passer le Temps ($15.99) Classics from one of the top French symphonic progressive bands ever. En Regardant Passer le Temps is from 1976, with remastering performed in 1994 to clean up the sound for this CD reissue. Cueille le Jour (1977) features one bonus track. Carpe Diem was a highly original and extraordinarily creative progressive band that should be considered alongside PFM, Caravan, and Camel.
Philippe Cauvin - Memento ($11.99) SALE! Regarded as one of the most brilliant French guitar virtuosos, known as a onetime rock guitarist who fell in love with the classical guitar, Philippe Cauvin is one of the most authentic artists of the world’s progressive scene, a musician who has written poignant, previously unheard melodies. Leader of the band Uppsala, Cauvin is above all an innovative acoustic guitarist who created a unique style for his instrument: a strange mix of rock, early music, and contemporary music. The most unusual aspect of his albums is his voice, a counter-tenor (a falsetto with strength) singing imaginary words meant to evoke dreams.
Climage is the CD reissue of Cauvin’s 1982 solo album. Mixing medieval flavors and contemporary sounds, Cauvin invented an inspired blend of church prayer and progressive rock. Instrumentally, the main instrument is Cauvin’s classical guitar, but he has invented a new role for it. He adds electric guitar at times, and on some tracks is assisted by Serge Korjanevski on synths, a percussionist, and a drummer (on one track). Climage was the result of five years of composing and performing, during and after Cauvin’s work with Uppsala. The album received unanimous acclaim from the French music press. It’s music from another planet, not comparable to anything else, beautiful, eerie and moving. Five bonus tracks take the CD up to 58-minutes.
Memento (1984) goes one step beyond Climage. It includes an ambitious epic composition, a 20-minute suite for classical guitar, guitar-synth and voices. Serge Korjanevski again assists on keyboards. Five unreleased bonus tracks are included, recorded in 1980, 1989 and 1996. Adventurous, fascinating, mystical, and with that unusual voice, unlike anything else. 63-minutes.
Guillaume Cazenave - Dizziness - Liah's Saga N°2/4 ($11.99) SALE!This 2000 instrumental album from a French composer is difficult to compare to anyone else. The music is a dark, intense, even sinister progressive rock, very dense most of the time, with lots of samples in the mix.
Citadel - Pluies Acides ($14.99) On Musea Parallèle (no one can figure out what the organizing principle of this sub-label is), this is the second album by a French trio of guitar/vocals, bass and drums, with a female singer on two tracks and two of the members adding some piano and organ. It’s an energetic rock album with touches of metal. Progressive influences are slight until the final track which, in complete contrast to the rest, is a sophisticated orchestral piece. Lyrics in both French and English. 66-minutes, digipack.
Clearlight - Infinite Symphony ($12.99)
Clearlight - Forever Blowing Bubbles ($12.99)
Cyrille Verdeaux - Journey to Tantraland ($9.99)
Clearlight is one of the classic French 1970’s progressive bands, led by keyboardist Cyrille Verdeaux and featuring many luminaries of the French scene. A hallmark of their style is the mix of classical romanticism and space influences. Clearlight became the first French progressive rock band signed to a major British label, namely Virgin Records. Their first album Clearlight Symphony (1974) features Tim Blake, Steve Hillage, Christian Boule, Gilbert Artman, and Didier Malherbe. The CD comes in a fold-open cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping.
Forever Blowing Bubbles (1975), Clearlight’s second, includes three bonus tracks. It features jazz-rock mixed with spaciness and includes Joel Dugrenot, David Cross, Artman, and Boule. Les Contes du Singe Fou (1976) is their third and most symphonic work and is our favorite. It again features Dugrenot on bass along with Didier Lockwood on violin and Tim Blake on synths. Visions (1978) features Lockwood, Boule, and Malherbe on the sessions along with many others. It blends classical, jazz-rock, and Indian music into a progressive mélange. The CD features seven bonus tracks!
Infinite Symphony was recorded in 2003 and features a digipack design with artwork by Paul Whitehead. As Cyrille Verdeaux has made his home in California for many years, Clearlight now features a mostly American lineup, with the late Shaun Guerin on drums on this album, plus the venerable Didier Malherbe on flute and sax on several tracks. Despite the passage of time, this sounds like vintage Clearlight, with the addition of Shaun’s very Peter Gabriel-like vocals on one track. 67-minutes.
Inner Peace Concerto (2003, 61-minutes) is the seventh chakra in Verdeaux’s Kundalini Opera. It is composed for piano and orchestra, the orchestra realized on the Kurzweil 2600 synth, and explores many of the same themes as Clearlight’s Infinite Symphony album. Journey to Tantraland (2001) is the second chakra in the Kundalini Opera and is cosmic electronic music featuring Verdeaux on synths with Dallas Smith on bamboo flute and lyricon. Ethnicolors (1999) utilizes ethnic chants and samples in conjunction with tribal and house grooves to create a sound we’ll call techno-progressive. Tribal Hybrid Concept (1999) represents the first chakra in the Kundalini Opera and is a companion piece to Ethnicolors. It again features chants of native peoples around the globe along with some wild animal sounds on top of programmed rhythms (some techno) and Verdeaux’s synths.
Cos - Pasiones ($15.99) Cos was a Belgian band active during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Musea re-released Postaeolian Train Robbery (1974) and Viva Boma (1976) on CD, and in 2005 they re-released the band’s fourth album Pasiones (1983) on CD. It’s a mini-opera, based on the story of three soldiers during the Spanish civil war. The vocals are a mix of Spanish, French, English, German, and Dutch. The music is a blend of rock, jazz, classical, and folk music in Cos’s unique and slightly bizarre style. The band uses complex arrangements, lyrical female vocals, and subtle instrumental combinations. They are often grouped with Magma and Zao, but Cos have their own style: lighter, whimsical, with a sense of humor and charm. This 78-minute CD includes more than 35 minutes of bonus music, including a concert in Toulouse in 1984, a rehearsal from 1981, plus Hotel Atlantic and Très joli from their 1984 EP.
Thierry Crusem - Les Couloirs de L’amer Etonnant ($11.99) SALE!Thierry Crusem is a singer and producer who has worked for ten years with several French rock bands. This album with his band Le Zipo System sounds similar to Ange, not a symphonic album like Ange’s 1970’s output, but more progressive than their 1980’s output. Assisted by talented and experienced guests such as Thierry Sidhoum (Ange) and Jean-Pascal Boffo, Thierry Crusem offers a powerful, complex, and dense rock music with sophisticated, often progressive arrangements. His expressive singing is bound to remind listeners of Ange’s Christian Decamps. 72-minutes, digipack.
Deboco - same ($11.99) SALE!Deboco is the late Eric Delaunay from Tiemko on drums, Jean Pascal Boffo on guitars, and Gilles Coppin from Halloween on keyboards, who are among the best French musicians. On this 1997 album, each composed a theme and had it arranged separately by the other two musicians, for a total of nine pieces.
Drama - Stigmata of Change ($14.99) SALE!French band Drama began as a very good symphonic progressive band in the Edhels vein. Their self-titled debut is from 1996, while Flying Over the 21st Century (currently out-of-print) is from 1998. Drama returned in 2005 with Stigmata of Change, with a new singer and all songs sung in English. Stigmata of Change is on the Cyclops label, who describe this CD as “a classy sophisticated affair, a concept album portraying a story of unrequited love… a big symphonic feel mixed with lovely intelligent songs and some long instrumental passages. The keyboard work has some fine textures and sounds reminding one at times of Tony Banks’ work in mid-period Genesis. Mix this with a slightly later Pink Floyd feel generated by fine guitar work and a touch of Pineapple Thief and you have an idea of the sound of this great new opus.” Drama are not copying any well-worn styles here. This album is different from their first two CDs, more modern sounding and often more “open”. That is, there is greater use of space, texture, and atmosphere, the way Peter Gabriel’s music is and Genesis’ music isn’t. Or wasn’t. But Drama switch gears often and do launch into traditional symphonic progressive instrumental passages or lush vocal sections. It’s one of those albums that only reveals itself after repeated listens, with enough depth and originality to reward the effort. 64-minutes.
Dr Folamour - same ($11.99) SALE!This 1995 album is mostly-instrumental progressive rock with world music influences, featuring guitar, flute, violin, keys, bass and drums, close at times to Peter Gabriel or the later Jean Pascal Boffo albums.
Eclat - Live au Roucas ($15.99) Le Cri de la Terre is the 2002 studio CD from this French symphonic progressive band, featuring a Paul Whitehead cover. About five years had passed since the previous Eclat studio CD, and the band made great strides in that time. Mostly instrumental, this album is their best in what is now a fairly long career, with both keys and guitar providing excitement in equal measure. Live au Roucas is a live CD recorded in 2007. Read the DPRP review.
Eden Rose - On the Way to Eden ($15.99) “Initially released in 1970, Eden Rose’s album has become a mythical album of early French progressive rock. Keyboardist Henri Garella and bassist Christian Clairefond had a busy studio career, and guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen was one of the most gifted session musicians of his generation. With drummer Michel Jullien, they created a beautiful and refined instrumental music, featuring dialogues between Garella’s organ and Alarcen’s guitar. Eden Rose can be compared to bands such as The Nice, Cressida, or Czar, with more of a jazzy tendency. Two years later, Garella, Alarcen, and Jullien were to create the classic of French progressive rock, Sandrose. Eden Rose’s music is different from Sandrose, but just as sophisticated, refined, and technically brilliant.” [Musea]
Edhels - Universal ($12.99) Edhels is a French band that made a big impression on prog fans in the 1980’s with their first two CDs Oriental Christmas and Still Dream. After that, Edhels became more of a solo vehicle for guitarist Marc Ceccotti, and subsequent albums failed to reach the same level. On Saltimbanques (2004), Ceccotti is joined by two other musicians who between them cover guitars, keyboards, bass and percussion (the drums are samples), but it still lacks the dynamics and power of the first two Edhels albums. This is enjoyable if viewed as a guitarist’s solo album. Like many French progressive musicians, Ceccotti favors minor keys and darker atmospheres. There has always been a little Fripp in his playing, but by now his style is his own.
Universal is the “lost” 1998 live album that was not released until 2005. It sounds different than any other Edhels album. For one, these are all new tracks written between 1995-1998. Aside from the obvious live feel, this one has vocals throughout, a new feature for Edhels. Singer Jean-Marc Bastianelly sings in fine English, and there are some female vocals in spots. The music is less symphonic than the best Edhels, with more of a hard fusion edge. One might confuse Edhels for an American band on this CD. Ceccotti is a fine guitarist, and his playing is the highlight as usual.
Edition Speciale - Horizon Digital ($15.99) 
Allée des Tilleuls (1976) is the CD reissue of the first Edition Speciale album. Three bonus tracks are included which were demos for this album. Their first album is full of vocals and is surprisingly melodic, a uniquely French style of progressive rock with fusion overtones and a slight funk touch. Listening to this, it becomes evident where the roots of Minimum Vital’s vocal style lie. Those familiar with the Minimum Vital albums circa Esprit d’Amor can use them as a reference point, though of course this album is a product of its time and so has much more of a 70’s sound. Edition Speciale were a quartet of keys, guitar, bass, and drums, with three members singing. The keys rely heavily on Fender Rhodes but also include ARP Odyssey, a modular Oberheim, and organ. Vocals are in both English and French, more so the latter.
Aliquante (1977) is the CD reissue of the second Edition Speciale album, with two bonus tracks. With this album, Edition Speciale emerged as one of the most important French jazz-rock bands, influenced both by American fusion (e.g., Return to Forever, Weather Report) and British progressive rock. The song and funk aspects of their first album have largely disappeared, with vocals used only on the second half of the album. The music is more in the vein of Brand X and fellow Frenchmen Spheroe.
The CD reissue of the third Edition Speciale album Horizon Digital (1978) adds five 1980 bonus tracks, demos for a fourth album that was never released. Horizon Digital is in the same style as Aliquante and is generally regarded as their best album. With the addition of percussionist Mireille Bauer (Gong) to the lineup, Edition Speciale had two female members, which may be unequaled by any other fusion band. Essential French fusion.
Eidolon - Dreamland ($15.99)This French band is composed of a keyboardist/guitarist, violinist/bassist, and drummer, all of whom sing. They are augmented on Dreamland (2009) by a string quartet. Dreamland is the audio version of a complete show based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem, with a dancer and lightshow. Eidolon often recall Pink Floyd and Pulsar. Since the poem isn’t that long, the recitation of it occupies only a small portion of this CD. The music is mostly-instrumental, retro and atmospheric, alternating contemplative/ambient moments with passages featuring electric guitar, sometimes lyrical and sometimes wilder, while the keyboards are dominated by organ. The atmospheres are enhanced by melancholic soft vocals. A respectable album that certainly stands alone and doesn’t require a visual element. Here is a video which provides a good sample of the music of Dreamland. (Probably just as well the dancer can’t be on the CD.)
Elohim - Mana Perdu ($11.99) SALE!Elohim was, along with Edhels, one of the top 1980’s French progressive bands. This CD includes all of Elohim’s recorded output: the complete Mana Perdu album, originally released as a self-produced LP in 1983; Ego, recorded in 1987 for the Musea compilation Enchantement; two tracks recorded live during rehearsals; and an independent recording made after the release of the album. The band was often compared to Ange for their theatrical singing, but Atoll may be the better comparison, especially their Tertio album. Half of Elohim went on to form the band Hecenia.
Emeraude - Geoffroy ($13.99)The French band Emeraude first released this album on vinyl in 1981 as a small private pressing. It came during the lean years for French progressive music, after the classic period had ended (Ange was making mainstream music by this time) and before the next wave began with Minimum Vital, Halloween, and others. The music is excellent folky progressive along the lines of Pentacle. Here is an mp3 of the track Boule de Plume (4:02), though the highlights of the album are the two long tracks Viking (12:00) and Geoffroy (16:28). Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Enneade - Remembrance ($15.99) 
The 2006 debut by this young French band could be called prog-metal, but it may be unfair to condemn it to the prog-metal bin, as the outbursts of metal are infrequent. It is more of a dark progressive album that is certainly colored by the band’s metal mindset, but the music has acoustic, melodic, and peaceful moments, varying all the way to pastoral Genesis-like 12-string passages. Just four long tracks ranging from 9:30 to 17:49, sung in English.
Exclusive Raja - Off the Map ($11.99) SALE! SALE!Exclusive Raja is a French progressive quartet. Off the Map (1994) and Insubmersible (1995) both feature a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, with almost all of the vocals in English. Instrumentally they owe a debt to Robert Fripp and King Crimson, but there is also a lot of their own style of rock and jazz-rock, the net result being more melodic and flowing than King Crimson. The vocals are understated and melancholy (think Camel). Off the Map is the more vocal and song-oriented of the two albums and features a 5-minute song called The Beatles Complete. It’s all quality music.
Exode - D’ici et D’Ailleurs ($15.99)Exode are a French band led by Roland Lelong, a French singer and songwriter who once shared the stage with Ange. Six other musicians complete Exode’s line-up, including a female singer/flute player. Their 2005 debut D’ici et D’ailleurs is directly connected to the golden age of French progressive rock (the 1970’s), stylistically between Ange and Mona Lisa. Roland’s theatrical singing; the Mellotron, organ and piano; the flute and the acid-toned guitar are the focal points of this album. At 72-minutes long, this is like discovering an unknown double-LP of prime French sympho-prog. Read the Proggnosis review.
Ex-Vagus - Âmes Vagabondes ($16.99) Ex-Vagus is a French band founded in 1995. In France they have the reputation of being the logical successor to Ange, and in fact, Ange’s leader Christian Decamps sings on one song here. There are always going to be some non-French speakers who feel that any symphonic rock sung in French sounds like Ange, and though there are many similarities between Ange and the music on Âmes Vagabondes (2006), there are also many differences. In addition to Ange, the band lists their influences as Galaad, Atoll, Marillion, King Crimson, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Dream Theater. The music is both emotional and powerful. Listeners who find Ange too “French” for their tastes will likely find Ex-Vagus more to their liking. Ex-Vagus is one of the best bands to emerge from France recently, and yes, they could be considered the successors not only to Ange but to Mona Lisa, Atoll, and any other French symphonic progressive band you care to name. 61-minutes.
Eye to Eye - One in Every Crowd ($15.99) Eye to Eye are a French progressive rock band singing in English, formed in 2003 by former members of ADN and soon joined by other musicians. Their debut One in Every Crowd (2006, 66-minutes) features intense symphonic rock, influenced somewhat by Pink Floyd but more by Marillion, though they sound distinct from either. The mood is consistently dark and dramatic. The keyboardist says he loves Banco’s Darwin album, and one can hear some of that classical influence. The CD includes two 16-minute tracks, two 8-minute tracks, and a cover of Ayreon’s Back on Planet Earth among the songs. A violinist guests on the final epic. Read the Sea of Tranquility review.
Finnegans Wake - Pictures ($11.99) SALE!This Belgian quartet, augmented by many guests including violin, cello, flute, trumpet, oboe, etc., mixes jazz-rock and chamber music and is recommended especially to fans of Univers Zero, Present, and Art Zoyd. Pictures is from 2001.
Forgas - Cocktail ($15.99) This is the CD reissue of the 1977 debut album from the band led by Patrick Forgas, who was greatly influenced by the Canterbury style, beginning with the second Soft Machine album. There were a number of prominent musicians in the lineup on Cocktail, which was Patrick Forgas (drums, vocals, percussion, guitar, bass, organ), Jean-Pierre Fouquey (keyboards), Gérard Prévost (bass), Laurent Roubach (guitars), Patrick Tilleman (violin), Patrick Lemercier (violin), François Debricon (sax, flute), and Bruce Grant (sax). The first side of the LP is instrumental. The second side of the LP has a few vocals and is taken up by the long piece My Trip, which is the highlight of the album. This CD adds 13 bonus tracks, most fairly short. One reviewer describes this album as a mix of later Traffic and Jean-Luc Ponty.
Fugu - Harmonia Maudit ($11.99) SALE!Fugu is a band formed by Philippe Troïsi (guitars) and Thierry Massé (keyboards), members of the French band Eclat, plus a bassist and drummer. Their 2000 first album is not exactly in the same vein as Eclat. These nine instrumental pieces mix jazz-rock a la Allan Holdsworth or Brand X (and every bit as good) with progressive guitar-oriented music, a bit in the vein of Tiemko. The very soulful electric guitar leads are the highlight.
The Fusion Project - Code Name: Fusion Project ($11.99) SALE!This is the 2006 debut by an international all-star band consisting of drummer Mel Gaynor, in-demand session keyboardist Stephane Deriau-Reine, and bass player Jan Olof Strandberg. Gaynor performs drum clinics around the world for Ludwig drums and has played with many big name pop stars. Strandberg is often named the top bass player in Finland by musician magazines. Several other musicians assist, including guitarists and a singer on one track. The rest of the album is instrumental, with each member contributing compositions. Hopefully you’ve guessed that this is a fusion album, and over the course of the CD’s 74-minutes, The Fusion Project cover most of what one expects from the genre. A few of the tracks are actually (progressive) rock, and by and large this stays on firm melodic ground. There probably wasn’t a better mainstream fusion album during 2006.
Pierre Moerlen’s Gong - Pentanine ($15.99)Pierre Moerlen, the drummer/percussionist from Strasbourg, passed away in 2005. The posthumously-released studio album Pentanine was recorded in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2002 with Moerlen’s band consisting of Russian musicians on electric guitar, bass, and keyboards. Most progressive fans know how Moerlen took over Gong and transformed it from a psychedelic band into a very melodic instrumental jazz-rock band with a unique style. That style had a lot to do with Moerlen’s vibraphone driving the songs but also the influence of Moerlen’s time spent in Mike Oldfield’s band. The thirteen instrumental pieces on Pentanine (61-minutes) are full of the trademark groove, power, and sophistication of Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, with a few more hypnotic or peaceful moments interspersed. The final chapter in the career of this very creative musician is another excellent album.
Gozzozoo - Pictures of the New World ($11.99) SALE!This 1998 CD is from a French instrumental fusion band led by ex-members of Neo and Atoll, with an appearance by American bass player Stuart Hamm. Using lots of keyboards and blending progressive rock with their jazz-rock, this is often comparable to Kenso.
Green Space - Behind ($11.99) SALE!A little-known French melodic symphonic prog CD from 1990, with vocals in both French and English. The French-language tracks may remind listeners of 90’s Ange, while the English-language tracks suggest Tai Phong or Machiavel.
Halloween - Le Festin ($15.99)
Halloween - Merlin jewel box ($15.99)
Halloween - Part One jewel box ($13.99)A superb French progressive band, lyrical and romantic. The Halloween sound is dominated by violin and keyboards, with guitar, bass, and drums completing the lineup. Their music is full of darkness and tension that resolves into beautiful climaxes. The CD of their debut Part One (1988) includes two live bonus tracks. Laz (1990), their second, is for some their classic. Their third album Merlin (1994) was the first to add female vocals. The music here is not as dark nor as violent as on the previous two albums, but it is more orchestrated and theatrical. Silence... is their 1998 live album, which includes a Van der Graaf Generator cover. Le Festin (2001) continues in a similar style to Merlin, with (mostly) female vocals in both English and French. The mini-LP editions are the 2009 limited editions released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which come in heavyweight cardboard sleeves (gatefold for Merlin).
Hardscore - Monkey Trial ($15.99) The 2004 third album by this Belgian ensemble sounds like an opera performed by Frank Zappa (mid-to-late 1970’s period). The music is intricate and composed but is as often humorous and playful as serious, and all things considered, not inaccessible. Performed by female and male voices (in English), piano, marimba, synths, saxes, bass, and drums, it’s a very original concoction. 71-minutes.
Hecenia - La Couleur du Feu ($15.99)Wonderful, lush Genesis-inspired albums from one of the best second-generation French progressive bands, founded by former Elohim members. Legendes was originally released on LP in 1989 and was an instant classic. Three of the four long tracks were remixed and had the guitar parts replaced in 1991. The guitar got a lot louder, not necessarily for the better. The mini-LP edition is the 2008 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight gatefold cardboard sleeve. La Couleur du Feu is from 1994.
Honeyelk - En quête d’un Monde meilleur mini-LP ($17.99)This is the CD reissue of a 1979 Zeuhl (Magma-influenced) album with four bonus tracks (one live), actually closer to the likes of Zao and Weidorje than Magma themselves. Read reviews at Prog Archives. The mini-LP edition is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Horde Catalytique Pour la Fin - Gestation Sonore ($14.99)Mellow Records has reissued this impossibly rare LP from the Futura label, recorded in 1971 in Nice, France by an improvisational quartet. This is avant-garde sound collage, free jazz, and general weirding-off, with the sax making various unpleasant noises over a musical bed of clanking chains and slamming doors. To truly appreciate this, it probably helps to be insane.
Hot Fur - same ($14.99) Despite the less-than-promising band name and album cover, this is an excellent album of progressive music from an Israeli musical-theatrical ensemble founded by guitarist/composer Lior Frenkel. This is their first album, recorded in 1998, remixed and remastered for this 2005 Musea CD, with extra tracks added. Hot Fur’s music is difficult to compare to other bands. It is somewhere between progressive rock, jazz, and experimental music, heavily instrumental but with some beautiful female vocals, male vocals and spoken word, all in Hebrew, though all the liner notes are in English. There is a strong Canterbury element, especially Hatfield and the North. The playing is precise and intricate but the music is not inaccessible. Quite the contrary, the melodies make it easy to get into. Zappa lovers will appreciate Hot Fur’s lively rhythms and humor, but these compositions are original and unique. Everything is highly-arranged and doesn’t rely on improvisation (except for one of the extra tracks, which is the only pure jazz-rock track on the CD). The band includes guitars, keys, woodwinds, trumpet, bass and drums. High marks to Hot Fur for making such original progressive rock while retaining melody, lyricism, and beauty.
Hÿdra - This Famous Unknown ($14.99) Hÿdra was initially a prog-metal band from the French Alps who released one album in 1996. Nine years later, the metal is gone and the band is a duo featuring vocalist Sébastien Denarie and guitarist Pascal Lemoine. Lemoine focuses on acoustic guitar, and there are synths, bass and drums coming from somewhere, though they are uncredited. This Famous Unknown (2005) is a concept album based on the story of an unknown soldier in World War I, describing the destiny of a young conscript of unknown nationality, his joys, his sorrows, his hopes and fears. The universal nature of this message led Hydra to chose English for the lyrics. The music is progressive rock, sometimes close to the acoustic side of Marillion, but the use of acoustic guitar where one might expect distorted electric makes it a fairly original album. 59-minutes.
Imago - Derrière le Rideau ($14.99)This is the CD reissue of a 1978 LP. Imago was a very special French band, inspired by Anglo-Saxon rock as well as French pop. They toured heavily in France in the late 1970’s, with much success. They sang humorous and ironic lyrics about their society. Derrière le rideau is their third album; it’s notable that the band recorded a fifth album in the late 1990’s. These ten songs are a mix of folk and rock, acoustic and electric, always dynamic, inspired and moving. We’re glad that Musea is reissuing albums such as this, that probably won’t sell well outside of the French-speaking world. This album would be only half as interesting were it sung in English, as the mellifluous French vocals and a unique French romanticism are what make it special.
Isopoda - Acrostichon ($11.99) SALE!Reissues with bonus tracks of the late 1970’s albums from the Belgian Genesis. Isopoda sang in English, and the vocal melodies and harmonies often show a Beach Boys influence -- they are well-crafted and a great deal of thought went into them -- something of a lost art these days. For fans of melodic symphonic progressive, Isopoda’s CDs are highly recommended. Isopoda’s MySpace page has no audio at the time of this writing, but there is an extensive bio there.
Jade - Jazz Afro Design Electric ($11.99) SALE!Jade are a French instrumental guitar/bass/drums trio playing complex compositions in the vein of modern King Crimson and Philharmonie. There are touches of fusion and a willingness to experiment, but the music is generally accessible, and ranges from low-key to full-throttle rock.
Kadwaladyr - The Last Hero mini-LP ($15.99) Kadwaladyr are a Breton band fusing Breton (Celtic) folk with progressive rock, both in style and instrumentation. Their first CD The Last Hero is from 1995. Bombard, whistles, and Highland pipes sit alongside electric guitar, synths, bass and drums. Gilles Servat and Dan Ar Braz guest. The mini-LP version is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Keltia - 1666 ($13.99) This is the 2008 U.S. edition of the 2006 CD by a Belgian ensemble led by harpist/singer Keltia, who sings in French and plays both Celtic and electric harp. The rest of the band add electric and acoustic violin, keyboards, electric guitar, electronics, bass and drums. It’s a bewitching Celtic/medieval/gothic/progressive blend with a sound both modern and ancient. The Keltia website calls it “ethereal worldbeat & dark music”. In case that’s not particularly helpful, try Dead Can Dance mixed with Peter Gabriel mixed with dark folk-rock and the forceful, slightly-chanted singing style associated with many Scandinavian folk bands. Short CD at 36-minutes, but enough to immerse the listener in Keltia’s world of mystery and enchantment. Here are full-length mp3’s of the songs Judas and Broceliande and an extract from Les Lotophages.
Ken’s Novel - Domain of Oblivion ($15.99) Ken’s Novel are a Belgian neo-prog band with vocals in excellent English. Their first album The Guide (1999, out-of-print) is comparable in style to the Belgian band Now, strong on melodies and vocal harmonies, with vestiges of classic Yes and Trick of the Tail-era Genesis mixed in with contemporary sounds. Still alive five years later, the concept album Domain of Oblivion (2004) continues the story of Ken. With a new bass player and keyboardist, Ken’s Novel are now a bit more prog-metal oriented in places, but they’re still primarily a prog band. And they’ve gotten better. They retain their melodic sense and eclecticism throughout this impressive 77-minute set, led by a very professional and talented singer, but with plenty of instrumental complexity and imaginative use of modern techniques.
La Rossa - A Fury of Glass ($15.99)CD reissue of a classic French 1970’s symphonic progressive album, with subtle influences of Van der Graaf Generator, Yes, and Gentle Giant integrated with their own style. Four bonus tracks.
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Alan Loo - Memories ($11.99) SALE!On Memories (2001), Guitarist Alan Loo leads several other musicians through 12 tracks of melodic instrumental symphonic progressive rock, with a nod in the direction of Andy Latimer and Camel as well as Jean Pascal Boffo.
Lord of Mushrooms - same ($11.99) SALE!Lord of Mushrooms are part of the rebirth of French progressive rock. Their guitarist Laurent James was a student of Frédéric l’Epee of Shylock and Philharmonie, and drummer Volodia Brice participated on the fifth and last Philharmonie album. This quintet began as a cover band playing tracks by Spock’s Beard, Genesis, Rush, Marillion, and Dream Theater before creating their own music, so those influences are present in their music to varying degrees. The approach on their 2002 debut album is quite American: the tracks are both complex and catchy, the melodies simultaneously pleasant and ambitious, and they are as adept at playing heavy rock as they are jazz-rock. They have instrumental chops to spare, the English vocals are clear (a bit similar to those of Jadis or Enchant), and the production is excellent. Here is a short mp3 excerpt from the track The Man Outside, courtesy of Jurriaan Hage’s review site. Note Lord of Mushrooms left the Musea label and turned into more of a prog-metal band for their second CD Seven Deadly Songs, which we don’t stock.
Magnesis - L’immortel Opéra ($15.99) Magnesis are a French progressive band formed in 1987. They use theatrical vocals a la Ange or Mona Lisa, combined with an influence of Genesis and early Marillion. The band also has two keyboard players, a guitarist, bassist and drummer. While Magnesis can be considered to have followed in the footsteps of Ange, by now they have stepped out of Ange’s shadow. There is much to their style that is distinct from Ange. L’immortel Opéra (2005) is their sixth album, featuring complex arrangements and tense, dark atmospheres.
Maldoror - L’Arbre-Cimetière ($15.99) Maldoror is a French quartet, and their debut L’Arbre-Cimetière (2004) is a very good 64-minute concept album in the Ange and Mona Lisa styles but with some of the harder edge typical of modern prog. Lyrics in French.
Metabolisme - Tempus Fugit ($11.99) SALE!One of the lesser-known gems of French progressive rock, Tempus Fugit (1977) was the only album by Metabolisme, but it’s one of the best French progressive rock albums of all time. The band was influenced by Genesis, Yes, and PFM, and due to the French vocals, they have been compared to Mona Lisa. Instrumentally that’s accurate enough, but the vocals eschew the dramatic and theatrical style of Ange and Mona Lisa in favor of a more melodic style, with sophisticated vocal harmonies the likes of which you rarely hear today. Better French references are Pentacle and Memoriance.
Minimum Vital - Capitaines ($17.99) out-of-stock Capitaines (2009, digipack) is Minimum Vital’s seventh studio album and their first in five years. To some extent, this album represents a return to the style of Sarabandes, emphasizing Minimum Vital’s unique form of medieval progressive rock. Or think of it as the full-band version of the Vital Duo style. Capitaines does have vocals, but they are sparse, not nearly as prominent as on Esprit d’Amor and the other albums from that phase of the band. Fortunately Minimum Vital have done every style they’ve attempted well, and this is another excellent album. (Musea charges over 30% more for their digipack CDs, hence the higher price.)
Minimum Vital - Atlas ($15.99)
Minimum Vital - La Source ($15.99)
Minimum Vital are one of the very best second-generation French symphonic progressive bands, beginning as more of a fusion-prog instrumental band, adding their by now characteristic medieval flavorings, later adding female vocals and finally male vocals to complement the female vocals. Envol Triangles/Les Saisons Marines reissues their first two albums (1985 and 1987) on one CD; these are all-instrumental. Sarabandes (1990) is also instrumental and emphasizes the medieval touches. La Source (1993) was the first Minimum Vital album to feature (female) vocals. Esprit d’Amor (1996) is infectious upbeat prog with superb male and female vocals. Au Cercle de Pierre (1998) is an excellent live album with additional CD-ROM multimedia content.
Atlas (2004) continues with the style established on Esprit d’Amor, which is really an amalgam of everything they’ve ever done, though there is more emphasis on the male vocals on Atlas. The lyrics are in French, English, and a lot of nonsense syllables. They’ve added some near-Celtic folk to the mix, and it’s all done with such exuberance that it’s difficult to sit still while listening to it. And frankly, prog rock could use more music like that!
Vital Duo/Minimum Vital - Le Jardin Hors du Temps DVD ($19.99)Vital Duo is the twin Payssan brothers, Thierry and Jean-Luc, the keyboardist and guitarist and creative core of Minimum Vital. As Vital Duo, they further develop the courtly, medieval rock style you can hear in Minimum Vital’s work, some of the pieces actually using medieval sources. The brothers handle drums, percussion, and vocals in addition to their usual instruments, though their music is almost entirely instrumental. They still have a knack for infectious melodies and lively rhythms. Ex Tempore (2001, 62-minutes) is their first and only CD to date. The Le Jardin Hors du Temps DVD (NTSC, all-region) presents nine pieces of music, seven of which are previously unreleased, recorded live in a small chapel. What may not be apparent to fans is that this DVD also contains the entire Le Mondes de Minimum Vital video, a 1994 performance by Minimum Vital, previously available only on VHS and now digitally remastered.
Mirage - Borderline ($15.99) This French band’s name is almost certainly taken from the Camel album, as they seemingly want to renew Camel’s inspiration and identity (Mirage to Moonmadness era). On their debut A Secret Place (2000), one track is more or less a cover of Camel’s Lunar Sea, with some liberties taken. With female and male vocals in English, flute, relaxed and flowing instrumental passages and, above all, beautiful and well-crafted melodies, this album confirms Mirage as the French Camel. Mirage’s second CD Tales from the Green Sofa (2004) is currently out-of-print.
Borderline (2008, 66-minutes) is their third. Mirage are no longer Camel copyists on this CD, as they have branched out in other, still progressive directions. Camel may still be Mirage’s major inspiration, but one can also hear Pink Floyd, a little King Crimson and Canterbury, and mostly an original mélange. The music generally retains the flowing quality of Camel, but the flute is used less and the guitars are now either mixed louder than the keyboards or just given more to do. The lead vocals here are all male and are low-key, as Camel’s were on their early albums. Borderline is not conclusively better or worse, just different and not repeating what Mirage have already done.
Molecule - Interstellar ($15.99) Interstellar (2007) is the debut by a French artist making instrumental space rock influenced by early Pink Floyd but with contemporary styles infused. As this is a French CD, later Pulsar is a fair reference. This is not Hawkwind or Ozrics-style space rock. It is more ambient, hallucinogenic and ethereal, with drum loops propelling the music forward in more laidback fashion. Read the DPRP review.
Mona Lisa - Avant Qu’il ne Soit Trop Tard ($15.99)
Mona Lisa are one of the major French progressive rock bands, first influenced by Ange, Genesis, and early King Crimson, their style based on theatrical singing, bombastic keyboards (including Mellotron), acoustic & electric guitar, flute, and frequent rhythm changes. They released five albums during the 1970’s, of which Le Petit Violon de Mr Gregoire (1977) is the best, with Avant Qu’il ne Soit Trop Tard (1978) a close second. Read the Ground and Sky reviews of Le Petit Violon de Mr Gregoire and Avant Qu’il ne Soit Trop Tard.
In 1998, the band was reincarnated around singer/flute player Dominique Le Guennec, backed by the musicians of the band Versailles. De L’Ombre a la Lumiere (1998) is a good comeback album in their old style. Read the Ground and Sky review.
Motis - Live Crescendo ($15.99) 
On Prince des Hauteurs (2005), Motis’s unique style is at the crossroads of Malicorne and Ange. They combine music centered around French-language vocals and acoustic instruments such as flute, acoustic guitar, mandolin, cornemuse (a bagpipe), and bouzouki [the Malicorne aspect], with drums, Mellotron, and electric guitar [the Ange aspect]. As with Malicorne, there are elements of medieval and Celtic music. Highly recommended to fans of Malicorne, even if Motis don’t have those wonderful vocal harmonies Malicorne were known for, or a singer of the same class as Gabriel Yacoub. But few bands do. What Motis do have is a characteristic French progressive style, so refreshing in this age of generic international bands singing in English with no trace of a national or regional identity.
Motis’s 2007 CD L’Homme-Loup is in the same vein but more progressive, with more elaborate arrangements, melodies and production. Motis create medieval progressive rock with poetic French lyrics deeply influenced by the literature and myths of the middle ages. In addition to the Mellotron, there is now proggy Hammond organ, even some Genesis-style synth leads. The Mellotron choir alone is enough to get Motis barred from most folk festivals, but makes them heroes in progressive eyes. The result is a bit similar to Ange’s milestone Au-Delà Du Délire, but even more like the works of Tri Yann. (Tri Yann is a long-lived Breton progressive folk band who are criminally under-recognized outside France.) Fans of Minimum Vital’s medieval-flavored works should also relish Motis. This is an outstanding album that unfortunately will only appeal to a fraction of today’s prog rock fans. In other words, those who spend their days discussing Dream Theater in online forums may want to skip ahead (if they haven’t already). Motis is for the cognoscenti of progressive music.
Live Crescendo is a live CD recorded at the Crescendo international progressive rock festival held in France in August of 2007. The recording quality is excellent, and the live energy does make a difference. There is a lot of flute on this CD, bringing Jethro Tull and other flute-led bands to mind. This really is a unique blending of styles.
Moving Gelatine Plates - Removing ($15.99) 
Moving Gelatine Plates is a well-known underground French band from the early 1970’s. They released two classic albums of high-energy progressive jazz-rock: Moving Gelatine Plates (1971) and The World of Genius Hans (1972), plus another in 1980 entitled Moving. Moving Gelatine Plates play refined, subtle, clever, jazzy progressive rock in the Canterbury vein. The wealth of strong melodies lends comparison to the Dutch band Supersister.
Now MGP is back, and Removing (2006) is everything one could hope for in a reunion album. Led by bassist Didier Thibaut, a group of seven skilled musicians plus guests have created several songs and instrumentals with beautiful melodies, elaborate arrangements, and subtle and surprising musical dialogues between sax, violin, cello, trumpet, flute, and the standard prog rock instruments. The guests add some sax, viola, oboe, and choir. The lyrics are in English, but instrumentals dominate. This is a mix of quirky progressive rock, progressive chamber rock, and symphonic jazz-rock, modern in production but inheriting the spirit of 1970’s MGP.
Naos - Naïf Le Rêveur ($11.99) SALE!Naos was formed at the end of the 1970’s but asserted themselves in the mid-1980’s, playing a theatrical, melodramatic progressive rock modeled on Mona Lisa and Ange. Naïf Le Rêveur (1991) is in this style, relying on both guitar and keys and an expressive singer (vocals in French).
Negative Zone - same ($11.99) SALE!This is the 2005 debut by a French quartet who share their rhythm section with the band Eclat. Negative Zone leave no doubt that their inspiration is middle-period Pink Floyd. And yet, Negative Zone don’t really sound like anyone else. Except perhaps for the English lyrics, everything is executed with such panache that this in effect adds to the Floyd canon rather than simply mimicking the original. Read the DPRP review.
Neo - Neo mini-LP ($15.99)This 1980 symphonic progressive album is one of the best ever from France, somewhat similar to Carpe Diem and Camel, but highly original. This CD reissue includes two bonus tracks. “From the blistering intro to Osibirsk, you know this is one to reckon with. Neo’s sole album is a rock fusion of high intensity, featuring lots of guitar and sax solos over a high paced rhythm section. It isn’t really jazz-rock, although the intensity and great chops are somewhere in that realm... it’s a pretty damn good album, nice and exciting.” [Exposé] The mini-LP version is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Nightrider - same ($11.99) SALE!A very good 1979 progressive rock album from a French band that sounds more English than French, primarily because they had a British lead vocalist. They blend symphonic prog with some 70’s hard rock energy. The album was recorded in the Geneva studio owned by Patrick Moraz.
Nil - Nil Novo Sub Sole ($9.99) This is Unicorn Digital’s 2006 re-edition of Quarante Jours sur le Sinai (2002, 65-minutes), the third album from French symphonic band Nil (French for Nile, as in the river), though few people have heard their first two. “Forty Days in the Sinai”, an Egyptian-themed concept album, is classic French progressive, heavily instrumental, with some beautiful female vocals and strong male vocals (in French). The CD comes with two booklets, with both French and English text. Nil Novo Sub Sole (2005) is their fourth album. It ups the ante by elevating singer Roselyne Berthet to a full member of the band and making much greater use of her beautiful, ethereal voice. Nil mix the dark symphonics of Pulsar, Carpe Diem, Shylock or Halloween with some King Crimson influence. Serene, dreamy passages give way to complex prog with slight fusion overtones, interrupted by heavy passages that lead to majestic symphonic rock. Mellotron, organ and flute dominate one moment, fretless bass or Stick and searing guitar the next. Nil have created progressive rock with great complexity, yet it doesn’t veer off into experimental territory and thus remains accessible.
Now - Deep ($15.99)Now was a very good Belgian Yes-influenced band with English-vocals. Deep (1992) was their final album.
Oiseau Rare - A Night at Sea ($11.99) SALE!1998 CD from a quartet (keys, bass, drums, sax/flute) playing a blend of jazz rock and progressive rock with prominent flute parts.
Ophiucus - Ophiucus mini-LP ($17.99)This is the CD reissue of a 1972 French album that was originally released in both French and English-language versions. Both versions are contained on this CD. The music is primarily acoustic and varies from gentle folk-tinged progressive with beautiful vocal harmonies to some dated sounding psychedelic rock. It is comparable to other French bands of the time such as Alice or Ilous et Decuyper. The mini-LP edition is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Opram - Live ($15.99) Opram are an excellent young progressive rock band from the south of France. They sing in French and can be grouped stylistically with the band Lazuli (check above). Opram don’t have the Peter Gabriel influence, but their sound and style are otherwise similar to Lazuli’s En Avant Doute. Unlike Lazuli, Opram do have a keyboardist, but he shuns overtly symphonic sounds, instead favoring Rhodes and textural synth sounds. With slight metal touches, the music belongs in the modern progressive rock camp. After their 2005 debut Mon Temps, Mon Espace, the band released this live CD in 2007, and Opram sound better on stage. Live contains a well-recorded 2006 concert lasting 31-minutes, plus two videos in WMV format at PAL DVD resolution (720 x 576) totaling 14:27.
Pazop - Psychillis of a Lunatic Genius mini-LP ($17.99)Pazop were a Belgian band between the Canterbury and Zappa styles. This CD includes their 1972 first album plus the tracks from an unreleased second album that had been partially recorded before the band split up. Read reviews at Prog Archives. This is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
Phaesis - Puzzle ($14.99) SALE! SALE!Reminiscence (1989) and Labyrinthe (1991) are excellent albums from this Pink Floyd-ish French symphonic progressive band. Phaesis returned in 2005 with the album Puzzle, a new drummer and a new keyboardist. About half instrumental and half vocal (sung in French), there is still some of the Floyd influence but less than before. Mixed with the help of Jean Pascal Boffo, Puzzle reveals a more personal and varied progressive style. For non-French listeners, the mere presence of French lyrics will remind them more of Ange than of Pink Floyd, and there is some of the neo-prog energy here as well.
Priam - Diffraction ($15.99)Priam is a very good French instrumental band with an excellent guitarist. On their 1997 debut 3 Distances / Irregular Signs, they perform progressive rock with a fusion edge, with influences of King Crimson, Anglagard, UK, Hecenia, and a touch of neo-prog. They take a big step in the fusion direction for their second album Diffraction (2001), though there are still progressive and symphonic parts to their music. The first two-thirds of the album is complex, perfectly-executed Euro-style progressive fusion. But just when you’re pretty sure you’ve purchased a fusion album, Priam hit you with a choral piece, some tribal-progressive rock, and a hypnotic track. A band that cannot easily be categorized except as a very mature and talented instrumental progressive band.
Progression By Failure - same ($15.99) Progression by Failure is the project of French multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Piveteau. He is primarily a keyboardist but also plays guitar and drums. His 2009 debut CD is instrumental keyboard-dominated progressive rock for which Tomas Bodin is a good reference point. It is symphonic prog through and through, varying from softer moods to quite aggressive ones. Piveteau is young and says he favors the more modern prog bands and also lists quite a few metal bands as influences, which would account for the aggressiveness, but he also mentions Yes, Genesis, Camel and Gentle Giant. For a one-man symphonic prog band, it’s hard to think of someone doing it better. 68-minutes.
Pulsar - Halloween ($15.99) 
Pollen (1975), The Strands of the Future (1976) and Halloween (1977) are French progressive classics with some Pink Floyd influence, but really quite unique. Good use of flute and keyboards, simultaneously haunting and beautiful. Read an excellent overview of Pulsar’s first three albums.
Quadra - L’Archiviste B... ($11.99) SALE!Quadra is a French band in the Ange and Mona Lisa veins, but with a modern sound. For those familiar with Ange, we’d say they sound more like 1980’s Ange than 1970’s -- there’s no Mellotron for example -- but more progressive than 80’s Ange. Like Christian Decamps (who guests on the album), lead singer Frederic Morala’s French lyrics and vocals are poetic, theatrical, full of images and emphasis.
Raison de Plus - Ici est Ailleurs ($11.99) SALE! SALE!Au Bout du Couloir (1995) and Ici est Ailleurs (2001) are the products of Raison de Plus, a band in the French symphonic style, e.g., Ange, Mona Lisa, Elixir, Versailles, and Magnesis, as well as Pulsar. These are two of the better examples, very lush and melodic, with sumptuous harmony vocals.
Ripaille - La Vieille que l’on Brula ($15.99) This is the CD reissue of a French classic from 1977, with three bonus tracks. Ripaille’s novel style subtly fused progressive rock with folk and medieval music, combining electric and acoustic instruments, old and new sounds. For this reason, they are sometimes compared to Gentle Giant or Gryphon. Read reviews at ProgArchives.
David Rose - Live ($11.99) SALE!David Rose is an American-born violinist who emerged from Transit Express, Yves Simon’s mid-1970’s band. Rose released seven album with his own band from 1977 to 1983. This is an unreleased live recording from 1978, recorded between Rose’s first and second album, with a strong supporting cast: Serge Perathoner (keyboards), Gerard Prevost (bass), Claude Salmieri (drums), and Gerard Kurdjian (percussion). They create a jazz-rock close to that of Didier Lockwood: suggestive, atmospheric, lyrical, with sensual violin sounds, somewhere between Brand X and classical composers such as Debussy or Bartok.
Saens - Prophet in a Statistical World ($14.99) Prophet in a Statistical World (2004) is the third CD from French band Saens (formerly Sens). This is the single CD version; the limited 2CD version is out-of-print. Saens play symphonic progressive rock with such depth and complexity that several listens are required for it to reveal itself, yet the music is essentially melodic and accessible. This is a 74-minute concept album, sung entirely in English. Relative to their previous album, Saens have put more emphasis on vocals, and the sound is slightly more contemporary. They could pass for an English band now. There is the same symphonic splendor and wealth of ideas here, though the vocals could stand more space, as the dense mix and instrumental busyness that makes the instrumental passages so exciting fights with the vocals at times. A minor criticism though; Saens again deliver the goods with this album. See the related band Sensitive to Light below. Read the Sea of Tranquility review.
Saga de Ragnar Lodbrock - same ($11.99) SALE!This is the CD reissue of a very rare and sought after 1979 French LP, a concept album dealing with Viking mythology, integrating French folk, medieval & renaissance music, orchestral music, and rock, with no fewer than 15 musicians involved. Seven short bonus tracks have been added. Some sections recall Gryphon, and many of the tracks feature those wonderful French vocal harmonies, similar to bands such as Malicorne. One long track includes that unique feature of French rock, ‘talking a lot’, a dramatic narration of what is no doubt a terribly exciting Nordic saga. Provided you speak French. Read the ProgArchives and Planet Mellotron reviews.
Sandrose - same ($15.99)This 1972 album is a French progressive classic, among the first fully-mature French progressive rock albums. With female vocals in English, lots of organ and Mellotron, the superb guitar playing of Jean-Pierre Alarcen, and long instrumental passages, this is similar to Earth & Fire in their progressive phase.
Sarcasme - Mirage ($15.99) This French band has existed since 1996, but Mirage (2006) is their debut. The band includes two guitarists (both playing electric & acoustic), a flute player, bassist and drummer, with all five members contributing vocals. It’s a 1970’s style progressive rock, with only the heaviest passages suggesting something more modern. The French lyrics invariably make one think of Ange, and there is some Pink Floyd influence as well, but also some heavier passages. Six songs and three instrumentals comprise the album, with beautiful flute parts and contrasts between heavy and calm sections.
Fred Schneider - Kess Kiss Bass? ($14.99) No doubt there’s a French play on words in this title. Fred Schneider is a bass prodigy. His first solo album was recorded in 1996 under the name Fred and Co. Nine years and many collaborations later, he’s back with a new instrumental album Kess Kiss Bass? (2005, 71-minutes). This is a novel form of modern jazz-rock fusion, highly structured, melodic, and consistently inventive. Not more of the same old thing, Schneider’s music is one surprise after another, with lots of keyboards, samples, and guitar to fill out the sound. Cyril Achard is one of several guest musicians.
Windchase - Symphinity ($15.99)
The Sebastian Hardie CDs are reissues of the classic 1975 and 1976 albums by the top Australian symphonic progressive band, recommended to fans of Yes, Camel, and Mike Oldfield. In Australia, Sebastian Hardie were synonymous with symphonic rock. Windchase - Symphinity (1977) is for all intents and purposes the third Sebastian Hardie album, with a bonus 12-minute live track.
Sebkha Chott - Nagah Mahdi ($14.99)The full name of this album is Nagah Mahdi: Opuscrits en 48 Rouleaux. Sebkha Chott is a group of young French musicians who create a completely original music, mixing every style they know and a few that they don’t. They call it “Mekanik metal disco”, though there isn’t any disco. The album is packed with energy, enthusiasm and lunacy, as if Frank Zappa and Magma teamed up with a metal band, then took various drugs in dangerous combinations. 72-minutes, digipack. The band’s website is here.
Sensitive to Light - From the Ancient World ($15.99) Sensitive to Light is the new band formed by guitarist/keyboardist/composer Vynce Leff of Saens. The most obvious difference between the two bands is that Sensitive to Light is fronted by Scottish female vocalist Jenny Lewis, who possesses a beautiful voice. Coming from a folk/Celtic background, her clear voice adds purity to the overall sound. Their 2006 debut Almost Human is already out-of-print. From the Ancient World (2008, 60-minutes) is their second and is slightly heavier at times. It features rich instrumentation and a guest saxophonist playing melodically. As a female-fronted symphonic prog band, Sensitive to Light should appeal to the same fans as Magenta, and they are every bit as good now. Sensitive to Light are less Yes-influenced and closer to the Marillion side of things than Magenta, but there is plenty of diversity from track to track, and they don’t skimp on instrumental content.
The 7 Samurai: The Ultimate Epic ($15.99)Following the success of the various artists CDs Odyssey, Kalevala, The Spaghetti Epic, and The Colossus of Rhodes, all organized by the Finnish progressive music association Colossus, we have The 7 Samurai: The Ultimate Epic (2006). This is a progressive rock concept album inspired by the famous 1954 Akira Kurosawa film. The story has been divided into three chapters, each assigned to one band to create an epic length piece inspired by it. The bands are Tempano from Venezuela and CAP and Taproban from Italy. Each track averages over 25 minutes and the sound and style remain faithful to 1970’s progressive rock. All the keyboard sounds are vintage; all three pieces are magnificent progressive suites. Tempano may lean more toward Genesis, Taproban toward ELP, and CAP toward Jethro Tull or Banco, but each sounds like a lost treasure from the golden age.
Shylock - Ile de Fievre ($15.99)Milestones in French progressive rock, Shylock’s two albums suggest King Crimson and Genesis. This CD reissue of Gialorgues (1977) adds five bonus tracks from 1981. The Ile de Fievre CD (1978) features one long 1979 bonus track.
Silver Lining - The Inner Dragon ($14.99)The Inner Dragon (2004) is the first CD by a French band from Lyon, singing and narrating in English. The album is primarily instrumental though, employing violin in addition to guitars, keys, bass and drums. This is really impressive symphonic rock which effectively blends the styles of Camel and Sagrado Coracão da Terra, with a touch of neo-prog ala Pallas. If you love violin-led progressive rock as much as we do, don’t miss this CD! 61-minutes. There is an mp3 of the title track at Prog Archives. While at the time of this writing there are no audio samples from this album on the Silver Lining website, there is an mp3 of a complete bonus track called October (9:16, 8.5 MB); it’s a bit cruder than the album proper but will give you the general idea.
Skeem - Skeem ($15.99)Skeem is a French neo-progressive band with perfect English-language vocals and the symphonic keyboard and soaring guitar parts inspired by Marillion and Pendragon that one has come to expect. The band has at its disposal an accomplished rhythm section, seeing that it is Priam’s. There have been few French neo-progressive bands since Arrakeen; this is a good one.
Skryvania - same ($14.99)This 1978 album was one of the rarest French progressive LPs. Nearly entirely instrumental, Skryvania play symphonic prog with the usual influences of Yes, Pink Floyd, and Genesis, but it ends up sounding like typical French 70’s progressive rock along the lines of Mona Lisa, Pulsar, Arachnoid, etc. They use layers of keyboards with lyrical guitar leads. This CD reissue is from the master tapes and adds five bonus tracks, including covers (excerpts) of Yes’s Ritual and Close to the Edge and Genesis’s Hairless Heart, taking the running time up to 62-minutes.
Sigmund Snopek III - Roy Rogers Meets Albert Einstein ($15.99)The CD reissue of a 1980 album, this contains three works from the eclectic American composer. Snopek doesn’t fool around on this album (at least until near the end). This may be his most consistently enjoyable album, with lots of sophisticated, mostly-instrumental prog rock from a full-band lineup.
Sombre Reptile - Le Repli des Ombres ($15.99) This French instrumental band has existed since 1977 and contributed to the Musea album Enchantement in the 1980’s. They were initially influenced by King Crimson, Fripp, and Brian Eno, but the band has since found its own musical identity. Their first album was In Strum Mental (2001), followed by Le Repli des Ombres in 2005. Sombre Reptile play their own brand of instrumental progressive rock, melodic and structured, with hypnotic atmospheres, a very original rhythm base, ethnic flavors, and inspired, fluid dialogues between the Dedieu brothers on guitars and keyboards. It’s really the dreamlike atmospheres behind the lead instruments that elevates this above the norm.
The Spaghetti Epic 3: The Great Silence ($15.99)
Subtitled Six Modern Prog Bands for Six ’70s Prog Suites, The Spaghetti Epic 1 (2004) is another concept organized by the Finnish magazine Colossus. Six bands each created a progressive suite of 20-25 minutes: Haikara (Finland), Randone (Italy), Tilion (Italy), La Voce del Vento (a moniker for Brits Guy Manning & Andy Tillison of The Tangent), Taproban (Italy), and Trion (The Netherlands). The bands use 1970’s keyboards and sounds and have been influenced by the major bands of that era, particularly the Italian prog bands such as Banco, PFM, Museo Rosenbach and Le Orme. The set is housed in the old style fat 2CD case to accommodate the massive booklet. Counts as two CDs for shipping.
The Spaghetti Epic 2 (2007), subtitled The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, is a single CD in the same style, featuring one track each by Randone, La Voce del Vento, and Tilion. The tracks average over 25-minutes each. This album is dedicated to recently-deceased Vesa Lattunen, the leader of Haikara, who were to have contributed the opening track.
The Spaghetti Epic 3 (2009), subtitled The Great Silence, features Little Tragedies (Russia), Yesterdays (Romania) and N.O.T. (Italy) each contributing a 20-minute suite. The same ground rules for all these Colossus projects apply: an emphasis on analog sounds, vintage keyboards, and a 1970’s orientation, faithful to the original masters of the genre without betraying the bands’ own identities. As usual, the booklet is filled with synopses, film analysis, storyboards, photos, and lyrics with English translations.
Spleen Arcana - The Field Where She Died ($14.99) Spleen Arcana is primarily the work of French multi-instrumentalist and singer Julien Gaullier, with a drummer and female backing vocalist. From the cover image and title of this 2009 CD, you would be correct in assuming it is a melancholic album, but it’s a fairly unique one. The album is bathed in a warm Mellotron glow, mostly strings but also some choir, making it a hybrid of vintage prog and modern styles (among the latter, Gaullier mentions Anathema and Radiohead as inspiration). Most of the tracks hover around the 10-minute mark. There is only a minor metal influence, and some of this sounds like an extension of later Pink Floyd. It isn’t unrelentingly dark either, as there are major key chord progressions during which the music is closer to Hogarth-era Marillion. A sincere and very worthwhile first album. Read the review at JerryLucky.com.
Supper’s Ready - Listen to the Pictures ($15.99)Supper’s Ready are a prog band from Luxembourg who have some Genesis influence, but not nearly as much as their name would suggest. The music on this 2000 CD is somewhat less symphonic and more vocal and guitar-oriented, and more contemporary than Foxtrot-era Genesis, with a fair amount of Pink Floyd influence as well. The English-language vocals are quite good, as the singer’s voice is somewhat similar to John Wetton’s. The guitarist is also quite good, combining David Gilmour-esque electric leads with a clean style that reminds us of Dennis Mullin of Iluvatar.
T-Bo - We Stay Together ($15.99) T-Bo is a band created by Belgian drummer Philippe Laloux, in loving memory of his son Thibaut, killed at age 19 by a driver under the influence of drugs and alcohol. His son liked his father’s music and wanted it to be recorded. These 14 instrumental pieces are played by Laloux on drums and acoustic guitar, assisted by numerous musicians on electric & acoustic guitars, flute, sax, keyboards, trumpet, bass and percussion. We Stay Together (2007) is beautiful symphonic prog: melodic, refined and usually serene. Flute has most of the lead lines though the electric guitar has a few, making the music close to Rousseau or to gentler Camel or Focus. Since the music is composed by a drummer, there’s still some vigor here underneath the pastoral flute parts and airy atmospheres. 71-minutes.
Teknikolor - LNA’s Dream ($11.99) SALE!This 1999 CD is a generally relaxed instrumental album consisting of many short pieces, some of which feature wordless male or female vocals. The pieces most often blend progressive music and neo-classical (Debussy, Ravel, etc.), with touches of jazz, world music, and modern rhythms. Melodic, dreamlike, and always fascinating, perhaps comparable to some of Jean Pascal Boffo’s work.
Terpandre - same ($11.99) SALE!CD reissue of a great French instrumental symphonic progressive album recorded in 1978, plus two bonus 1977 live tracks. The band features two keyboardists (Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, others), Bernard Monneri’s guitar (Vortex), and Patrick Tilleman’s violin (Zao, Gwendal, Forgas, Tillenco). The music is often dreamily romantic and stately but also features upbeat stretches.
Laurent Thibault - Mais On Ne Peut Pas Rêver Tout Le Temps ($15.99)This is the CD reissue of a short (31:29) but absolutely beautiful and unique 1979 French progressive album. Thibault was Magma’s first bassist; he later moved into the producer’s chair. Thibault recruited a number of top French musicians for this album, including Francis Moze (fretless bass) and David Rose (violin). The bass work is stellar. Despite the presence of several Magma musicians, only a small amount of this qualifies as Zeuhl music. It is softer, warmer and more acoustic than Magma, surreal and mesmerizing, with some light African, Arab and Indian influences. Its pastoral quality suggests Mike Oldfield. There are natural sounds and sound effects that are well-integrated, yet no synthesizers were used. There are voices but no lyrics. You’d be forgiven for thinking the wordless vocals on the opening 13-minute track are from Annie Haslam, but that’s Amanda Parsons (Hatfield and the North), and everyone seems to fall in love with this piece of music. Yes, it would be nice if the album was longer, but better a half hour of classic prog than 75-minutes of mediocrity.
Jean-Jacques Toussaint - Travelling ($15.99) The full title of this 2009 CD is From Tiemko to Travelling, as Jean-Jacques Toussaint was the keyboardist of the band Tiemko. For this 63-minute ‘solo’ album, Toussaint is assisted by numerous musicians including Tiemko’s guitarist and drummer and others on accordion, trumpet, sax, violin, cello, and more. This chamber rock orchestra plays 13 instrumental pieces with diverse instrumentation and styles, from Canterbury-ish jazz-rock to Tiemko-style progressive to classically-influenced music, all of the more angular and adventurous variety.
Tiemko - Océan ($14.99) SALE! SALE!
Tiemko - Ça Tourne ($11.99) SALE!Tiemko was an essential French progressive rock band of the late 1980’s and the 1990’s, instrumental except on Clone (1995), which includes vocals. Océan (1990) is their second, Parade (1991) their third. Tiemko combined King Crimson, Yes, Shylock, and Gentle Giant with new music influences, creating an original style with a dense sound that highlights both guitar and keyboards. Tiemko belong to the generation of French bands that includes Minimum Vital, Halloween, and Edhels, who developed a new strain of progressive rock. Ça Tourne (2004) consists of unreleased tracks, captured live during rehearsals and improvisations, plus multimedia content including a video. Check above for the related Deboco CD.
Treasure Island ($15.99)This 2007 CD is another concept organized by the Finnish magazine Colossus and released by Musea. This one features one 1970’s-style epic progressive track each by Velvet Desperados (Finland), Floating State (Italy), and Nexus (Argentina), inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s book. Each track is 23-26 minutes long.
La Tulipe Noire - Nostimon Hemar ($15.99) 
This Greek band started out very Marillion-influenced, right down to the logo on their first two albums. Faded Leaves (2002, 68-minutes) is their third album and, well, they’re still fairly Marillion-influenced. They have the simpler style of the first two Marillion albums down pat. If that was all there was to their style, they wouldn’t be that interesting, but La Tulipe Noire have female lead vocals (in English) and add the spacey, Floydian element typical of the Greek prog bands. Those familiar with the French band Arrakeen might use that band as a reference point. Shattered Image (1999) is their 63-minute second album.
Their fourth album Nostimon Hemar (2006) is based on Homer’s Odyssey, and who better to tackle the subject than a Greek band. Having lost the Marillion logo, La Tulipe Noire have also finally shed enough of the Marillion style to sound original and allow their own distinctive musical personality to shine through. This 69-minute concept album has the characteristic Greek spaciness and is dark and heavy without crossing over into metal. The generally solemn melodies delivered by their excellent female singer over the guitar and keys foundation is quite appealing. The La Tulipe Noire website is done in Flash -- click the RealAudio icon above, wait for the site to load, then click on DISCOGRAPHY to get to the RealAudio samples.
Ultime Atome - Dark Visions ($14.99)This is the 2003 debut by a French quintet that had already been in existence for ten years. Their departure point is Marillion circa Fugazi or the “serious”-sounding tracks from Script for a Jester’s Tear. And they don’t stray far from there, though they are slightly heavier than Marillion was. Jean Marc Tesorio sings in English and at times sounds uncannily like Fish. Almost all the music is of that weighty, plodding mid-tempo, and there are only four tracks totaling 55-minutes, so Ultime Atome do go in for the epics. There have been plenty of Marillion-influenced bands, yet as one that concentrates on this one particular style of Marillion’s, it’s hard to think of another band doing it better.
Uppsala - same ($11.99) SALE!CD reissue of a 1983 LP plus three live bonus tracks recorded in 1995. Despite the Swedish town name, the band was French. As Musea says: “At the crossroads of progressive rock, jazz, contemporary music and Zeuhl, this is a very original, devastating, powerful, and technically perfect music, with a lot of intensity and passion. Percussive and strong themes on which rises Philippe Cauvin’s high-pitched voice, highlighted by his fiery guitar solos. The music is propelled by an inventive & dynamic rhythm section.”
Versailles - Blaise et Benjamin ($11.99) SALE! 
Versailles - Don Giovanni ($11.99) SALE!Don Giovanni (1992) is the second of four albums by Versailles, a French band modeled after Ange and Mona Lisa, with Christian Decamps’ style of dramatic, theatrical vocals. In fact, the members of Versailles went on to make up the second incarnation of Mona Lisa. The analog keyboards give them a very 1970’s sound. Le Trésor de Valliesres (1994) and Blaise et Benjamin (1998) are their third and fourth albums and their two best. The mini-LP version of Le Trésor de Valliesres is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Guillaume de la Piliere is the leader of Versailles and currently the guitarist for Mona Lisa. Psychedeleidoscope (2000) is his second solo CD, and as one might guess, it is a psychedelic-flavored prog album. Read the review at progVisions.
Volkor - same ($11.99) SALE!This CD contains the reissues of two LPs: Volkor’s Jazz Rock (1976) and Francis Lockwood’s Debbi (1981). Volkor consisted of Didier Lockwood on electric violin, Francis Lockwood on acoustic & electric piano, Patrick Gauthier on synths, Bunny Brunel on bass, and American Kirt Rust on drums. The title of Volkor’s LP was well-chosen, as this very talented lineup produced first-rate fusion sometimes close to progressive rock, a la Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brand X. Rust and Didier Lockwood play on Debbi as well, along with Jean-Michel Kajdan and a host of other musicians. Debbi is a more easy-going fusion album, paralleling what was happening to the genre in general.
Wapassou - Ludwig mini-LP ($15.99)Wapassou are a unique 1970’s French progressive band. Keyboards, violin, guitar, and occasional voice combine to create a kind of 21st-century chamber music, overflowing with beautiful melodies. Two reasonable reference points are the French band Catharsis and the Italian band Opus Avantra. Ludwig (1979) is Wapassou’s fourth album. The review at Progweed.net of Wapassou’s previous album is applicable to Ludwig as well: “On their second effort, Salammbô (1977), Wapassou has arrived at a near perfect cross-section of French folk music, electronic music, orchestral grandeur, and the avant-garde. In short, Salammbô is an extremely innovative yet profoundly beautiful album... the group relies on seemingly folk-inspired themes as well as gorgeous, conventionally ‘classical’ sounding melodies, but it is in their subtle crafting of a dream-like, disembodied effect that much of the power of this record lies.” The mini-LP version is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
WhiteChapel - Le Masque D’Arlequin ($15.99) On their 2006 debut, this French band plays heavy symphonic prog in an atypical way, combining the styles of Ange, early Marillion, and Dream Theater. The music is far more symphonic than metallic though. With theatrical vocals a la Ange or Mona Lisa and lyrics in French, the French character of the music tends to dominate the other influences. 64-minutes.
Benoît Widemann - Stress! ($14.99)Benoît Widemann was Magma’s keyboardist from 1975-1978. On his first solo album Stress! (1977), Widemann recruited some of the best French musicians from the progressive jazz-rock and Zeuhl music scenes, including Guy Delacroix (Magma), Clément Bailly (Magma, Nemo), Patrick Gauthier (Weidorje, Volkor, Heldon), and Jean-Pierre Fouquey (Magma). It’s complex, keyboard-dominated instrumental progressive rock/fusion, sometimes intense and sometimes impressionistic, with similarities to the work of François Breant, Patrick Gauthier, and Jean-Philippe Goude.
Wlud - Second ($11.99) SALE! SALE!Very good French instrumental symphonic progressive. Carrycroch’ (1978) includes one bonus track, while Second (1979) includes five. Carrycroch’ is reminiscent of Camel and Bo Hansson, while Second adds some jazz-rock touches. Start with Second.
Wolf - To Be... ($14.99)Wolf Höller was the keyboardist and composer of the excellent progressive band La Rossa, who recorded their sole album in the early 1980’s. Wolf is a project of Wolf Höller with Jean-Pascal Boffo, the well-known French guitarist and sound engineer. With Hervé Rouyer (Ange) on drums, F. Pesce on bass, F. Michaud on violin, and Isabelle Porto on bagpipes, Wolf creates 11 rock songs with a wide range of influences and inspirations. In addition to progressive rock, they include Celtic rock, one song seemingly a descendant of Led Zep’s Kashmir, one Rolling Stones-style song, and others between rock and prog rock. Yet they all seem to have an appeal to prog fans. Wolf has a slightly odd voice, like David Surkamp of Pavlov’s Dog pitch-shifted down an octave. The violin and bagpipes parts are brilliant, and all the musicians more than capable.
Wurtemberg - Rock Fantasia Opus 10 ($15.99)Rock Fantasia Opus 9 is a very welcome CD reissue of a rare French instrumental progressive rock LP from 1980, plus two bonus tracks from 1986. The music is classically-based prog with folk touches, incorporating medieval and renaissance-inspired sounds. While piano and flute dominate, the composer is also a famous maker of early stringed instruments, and so you can hear bowed psaltery, dulcimer, lyre, and metallophone alongside keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. Read the reviews at Progressive World, Progweed, and Progressor. Here is an mp3 excerpt courtesy of Jurriaan Hage’s site.
The follow-up album Rock Fantasia Opus 10 was recorded in 1985 but remained unreleased until this 2009 CD. Two unfinished tracks have been replaced by two 1986 bonus tracks. (It’s still a short album.) The band lineup had changed some, and it’s a safe bet that this is the only rock band ever with three psaltery players. The instrumentation also includes keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. The music here is a more conventional form of instrumental symphonic prog than Opus 9, melodic and flowing, roughly the Camel style merged with a bit of melodic jazz-rock. It’s very good, and you just haven’t lived until you’ve heard what is otherwise a familiar style of music with melody lines played on bowed psaltery!
Xaal - Seconde Ere mini-LP ($17.99)This is the second and final CD from French band Xaal, recorded in 1993, in a territory between King Crimson, Magma, Present, Shylock, jazz-rock and RIO. Read reviews at Prog Archives. The mini-LP edition is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Xang - The Last of the Lasts ($17.99) Xang is an instrumental guitar/keys/bass/drums French quartet playing high-energy progressive symphonic rock. Some but not all of their 1999 debut Destiny of a Dream could be called neo-prog, to the extent any all-instrumental band can be called neo; primarily this has to do with the guitar style. This is the kind of prog rock with appeal to metal and hard rock fans even though the music is neither metal nor hard rock. In any event, it’s highly recommended to fans of instrumental progressive.
The Last of the Lasts (2006) is again an instrumental sympho-prog work, but a much more mature one. There is still some of the heavy style, and while it has a modern feel, this album is more diverse, with stronger classical and jazz influences and more sophisticated textures and atmospheres. It’s a concept album about World War I with an excellent booklet in English, and so the music is frequently melancholy to reflect the tragic nature of the war and the enormous human cost. Xang are from Cambrai, which was one of the battlefields.
Yole - Lead Us Away ($15.99)On their 2006 debut, this French band use the usual rock instruments plus keyboards, flute, sitar, tablas and other ethnic percussion. Yole have created a progressive rock that often has a dreamy and pastoral flavor a la early Genesis. The biggest influence we hear is early Steve Hackett, both acoustic and electric. The guitarist uses a different electric tone than Hackett, but otherwise that mix of flute, symphonic keys, acoustic and electric guitar is close to vintage Hackett. After one track of pure sitar psych, the Indian instruments play only a minor role. There are seven instrumentals and five tracks with vocals in English, both male and female. Overall very nice; there is room for improvement in some areas but Yole are headed in the right direction. Read the DPRP review.
Thierry Zaboitzeff - Prométhée remastered ($15.99)This is the reissue of the first solo album by Thierry Zaboitzeff, founding member of Art Zoyd, one of the original RIO bands. Prométhée was composed, recorded and mixed by Thierry Zaboitzeff and originally released in 1984. He remastered it himself in 2005 for this edition on margen Records. The music can be compared with Art Zoyd albums such as Le Mariage du ciel et de l’enfer, Berlin, or Nosferatu.
