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Biography
Ange is perhaps the
most influential and widely renowned of all the French progressive
groups, save Magma, and certainly the most important fixture
of the prodigious French symphonic scene. Though often
referred to as the "French Genesis", this description is over-generalized
and ultimately erroneous. Ange had an extremely unique
take on progressive rock, practically inventing a style of dramatic,
darkly lyrical French symph from which groups like Mona Lisa,
Atoll, Shylock, Arachnoid and countless others would be heavily
influenced. If any comparison could be made, a more accurate
one would be to Van der Graaf Generator, but even this is somewhat
misleading. Still the fiery, grinding rhythms and heavy
emphasis on wild, eccentric vocals of VDGG are a much better
place to begin drawing parallels to Ange than the catch-all
Genesis reference.
Ange began life
in the early 70s, releasing a number of early singles.
This is a period documented by the In Concert 1971 release,
which shows the band in a still embryonic mode. Their
first album was 1972's Caricatures, which was just recently
reissued by Musea, but the band hits their stride on their third
album Le Cimietiere des Arlequins. The follow up, 1974's
Au Dela du Delire is a clear classic by any stretch of
the imagination, undoubtedly Ange's pinnacle. For such
a well regarded band, Ange's truly "classic" period seems painfully
short. The next two albums, Emile Jacotey and Par
Les Fins Mandarin are both quite good, but neither scale
the heights of Au Dela Du Delire, or Cimitiere des
Arlequins, for that matter. A live album Tome VI,
was released in 1977, followed by the reportedly quite good
Guet Apens, which apparently closes out Ange's period
of interest to the progressive listener. Throughout the
1980s, Ange, like many of their contemporaries, went pop, and
these albums are by all accounts utterly horrid. Still,
they've managed to continue in one form or another under the
consistent leadership of Francis and Christian DeCamps to the
present day, and perform regularly in France.
- Greg Northrup [September 2001]
 Le
Cimetiere Des Arlequins (1974)
Ange's Le Cimetiere des Arlequins is considered by many
to be the definitive Ange album, and is certainly the first in
a series of tremendously influential albums released by the band.
This album, along with the subsequent Au Dela Du Delire,
certainly represents the pinnacle of the band's achievement; vital,
cacophanous progressive that brings to mind the apocalyptic pyrotechnics
of Van der Graaf Generator and the theatrical grandstanding of
early Genesis. As with all albums by Ange, the caveat here
is certainly the vocals. Christian DeCamps sings in a harsh,
expressive style that is more rhythmic than melodious, often shouting
or talking rather than actually singing. References to DeCamps
as being the "French Peter Gabriel" are often bandied about, but
are only accurate insofar as both make heavy use of characterization
and other narrative devices.
The music
of Ange is nothing if not complex, intense and often breathtaking.
Le Cimitiere... is shrouded in a murky production that,
as is rarely the case, actually adds to the charm and mysterious
air of the record. Every member makes their presence known
in Ange's fiery, and almost uniformly dark, compositions.
Jean Michel Brezovar's fuzzed out guitar often battles Francis
DeCamps Hammond for mix supremacy, while heaving mellotron riffs
abound behind the fray. Christian DeCamps stories seem
to nearly always be the center of attention for the group, but
the really glorious moments come during the instrumental breaks,
such as the finale "Bivouac - 1ère Partie", when a pulsing
bassline takes center stage, preceding a gorgeous guitar/organ
duel. Also of note is a similar passage in "Bivouc - Final",
a shuddering instrumental climax. Ange still have the
ability to tone things down as well, as in the gorgeous acoustic
guitar interplay of "Espionne Lesbienne" and the ballad "De
Temps en Temps". Still, Christian DeCamps performance
is the focus of Ange's combined effort, and is nothing short
of overwhelming. "Aujourd'hui C'est..." is a up-tempo
beast driven by the dramatic vocals, and absolutely crushes.
The title track is the album centerpiece, and arguably the album's
peak. An intense, nightmarish tune that picks up on a
devilish circus vibe at points, building intensity until a dramatic
finish closes out the album.
Le Cimetiere
des Arlequins is, to put simply, one of the essential French
albums. Even though I've discovered numerous symphonic
albums from that country that surpass this one on musical terms,
its influence can be felt on nearly all of them. Ange
would surpass themselves on the next record, Au Dela du Delire,
and both remain vital documents for beginning to explore the
ridiculous depth of French progressive rock movement.
- Greg Northrup
[September 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 Au
Dela Du Delire (1975)
The
third album from Ange is, in my eyes, their definitive hour.
Simply put, Au Dela du Delire completely kicks my ass every
time I listen to it. The album picks up on the basic feel
of Le Cimitiere des Arlequins and ups the anty all around.
Au Dela du Delire sees a leap forward on the compositional
end, as the band displays less of a willingness to go out on any
kind of tangent, or leave any idea underdeveloped. Without
a doubt, everything here is more focused and complex, while the
main themes and melodies are even more memorable. Mellotron
and violin are major points of emphasis as well, with Francis
DeCamps lending an orchestral flair that is more infused with
the compositions, rather than providing background swells as he
did on the previous effort. The production, as on Cimetiere...
is rather muddy, but is only a minor drawback, perhaps even
adding to the rough-around-the-edges mystique of the album.
This album
is chock full of moments of unbelievable, breathtaking intensity.
"Longues Nuits d'Isaac" is an utter barn burner, beginning with
a earth shattering electric guitar riff from Jean Michel Brezovar
and proceeding beneath Christian DeCamps primal roar.
"Ballade Pour Une Orgie" is a pleasant, melodic piece with great
dueling acoustic guitar melodies. In an album full of
highlights, perhaps the finest moment comes at the solo break
of "Exode", where Brezovar unleashes a savage guitar lead that
gradually builds over the throbbing rhythmic backdrop, as it
hits its peak, the mellotrons come soaring in with majestic
orchestral swells, as Brezovar's guitar screams beneath.
A climax of pure progressive splendor. "Fils de Lumeire"
is another extraordinary piece, short but to the point, with
an infectious main theme, making its mark with Christian DeCamps'
dramatic vocal delivery. And who can forget about the
enormous title track? The album closes out with a nine
minute piece of pure mellotron worship, gorgeously intense.
Au Dela
du Delire is a progressive rock classic. Comparisons
to Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator are pretty much moot.
Ange are undoubtedly the most influential French symphonic group,
and like Genesis, King Crimson or Yes, have gone down as innovators
of a particular style by which the pretenders are measured.
Other bands sound like Ange, but Ange are an entity unto themselves.
Au Dela du Delire is their opus, don't miss it.
- Greg Northrup
[September 2001]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 Emile
Jacotey (1975)
Whereas
Cimitiere des Arlequins had an upward momentum about
it, teasing the listener with greater possibilities just
around the corner, Au Dela du Delire was "it", a
crystallization of progressive rock splendor and utter magnificence,
an impossible plateau against which Ange must have known
they would invariably be measured for the remainder of their
career. It's a challenge that perhaps only the true
legends are able to rise to, and on Ange's fourth album,
Emile Jacotey, they do what they must to sustain
the legacy, but little more. Indeed, the album does
leave me somewhat conflicted. While an extremely solid
album in its own right, when held up to the light of its
predecessor, it loses its luster somewhat. Its a difficult
comparison to overcome, especially on early listens.
Perhaps
prudently, the band decided not to make another Au Dela
du Delire, charting a slightly different course on Emile
Jacotey. Immediately noticeable is a rockier approach.
The guitar riffs on "Bêle, Bêle Petite Chèvre"
snarl and cut, while Christian Decamps' urgent yelps are
as abrasive as ever. Less epic, and more focused perhaps,
the omnipresent thunder of Francis Decamps' mellotron is
also missed, and aside from a few choice passages is left
aside in favor of organ and piano. None of these characteristics
are necessarily bad, as the band makes it work tremendously
on the aforementioned "Bêle, Bêle Petite Chèvre"
and the godly first part of "Ego et Deus", these,
along with the pretty ballad "Jour Après Jour" are
simply classic Ange. The band does drop the ball in
a few places however, as "Le Nain de Stanislas" is hurt
by Decamps' eccentric, goofy rambling, and parts of the
patchwork "epic" "Ego et Deus" lag considerably. Still,
when the band in on they're spot on, and the majority of
this album will most certainly sit comfortably with fans
of the band's earlier work. So yeah, while Emile
Jacotey may be Ange's first step backwards, but it ultimately
remains a core work in the band's discography. Just
don't go in expecting Au Dula de Delire and you'll
be fine.
- Greg Northrup [March 2002]
Click
Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
 Par
les Fins Mandarin (1976)
Often considered a pivotal release in the career of the most
well known French progressive rock band, Par Les Fils De
Mandrin certainly takes some getting used to. For
this, the band’s fifth studio album, Ange decided to tone
down the heavier, symphonic rock for a more atmospheric and
even folky sound. The results are often stunning if
somewhat tentative.
As
I can’t decipher a word of French, I can’t comment on what
the lyrical focus is, but intuitively I’m guessing that its
some kind of concept album about a traveling family circus.
The title track is reminiscent of the band’s previous album,
Emile Jacotey, in that its a fairly straightforward
rock song. From there, things become really loopy.
"Au Café Du Colibri" has Christian Decamps singing,
whispering, and shrieking madly to a very circus-like tune.
The rest of the first side is extremely quiet; it’s easy to
become fidgety as Decamps sings softly over Francis Decamps’
trademark echoed organ.
With
"Des Yeux Couleur D’enfants", the album really begins to take
off. It’s somewhat similar to the best material from
Au Dela Du Delire. Musically, the second half
of the album is busier; whereas one would probably benefit
from some understanding of French culture for side 1, one
can pretty much ignore the histrionics and just enjoy the
music beginning with "Des Yeux…". The album closes in
typical grand Ange fashion with an extended piece of music.
It has a wonderful emotional buildup with a great tension
and release to cap things off. You need not understand
what the lyrics are conveying; it’s almost more moving to
imagine what Decamps might be singing about.
It’s
taken me 5 years to come to appreciate Par Les Fils De
Mandrin. Initially, I hated it and couldn’t understand
what all the fuss was about. But I kept working with
it and eventually I was rewarded. A newcomer would be
better advised to begin with Au Dela Du Delire or Le
Cimetiere des Arlequins. Those albums present a
more rocked up Ange with a great symphonic/psychedelic kick.
I also recommend the band’s first official live album, Tome
VI, but that’s a review for another day. If you
like those, give this one a try.
- Steve Pettengill [October 2001]
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