Detailed Reviews [Ange - 1975 - "Emile Jacotey"]

Preamble. "Emile Jacotey", the fourth and one of the most popular albums of Ange, was released in 1975. Apart from this, there are two more Ange-related reviews on the site. If you wish to read them, click >here and >here.

The Album. Above all, it must be said that Ange's fourth effort, "Emile Jacotey", sounds heavier than anything previously created by the band. There are only three songs on this 10-track album (no instrumentals here): Jour apres jour, Ode a Emile, and Aurealia (4, 5, & 8), that are free of any heavy textures. The first of them is somewhat of a complex ballad, which, while performed without drums, features the parts of all the other instruments ever used on this album, including passages of acoustic guitar. Both of the other aforementioned songs are about a real Classic Symphonic Art-Rock, though most of the instrumental and vocal arrangements are here slow and dramatic. Apart from the said three songs, the parts of acoustic guitar are also present on Sur la trance des fees (2). What's interesting is that unlike all the other songs on the album, none of the previously depicted three songs features the parts of piano, (as well as the harsh solos and riffs of electric guitar, of course). The main soloing instruments on "Emile Jacotey" are synthesizers, Hammond, electric and bass guitar, drums, and, of course, vocals. As always, Christian uses his voice like a real instrument, while the vocal parts are here either of a theatrically dramatic or of a purely dramatic character, which is as usual:-) Stylistically, the remaining seven songs on the album represents a real, highly original and complex, Classic Symphonic Art-Rock with elements of a progressive Hard Rock. Two of them however, - those on tracks 2 & 7, - consist mostly of slow and mid-tempo arrangements. While all five of the other tracks (1, 3, 6, 9, & 10) are highly diverse and that by all means. Nevertheless, I have a couple of my personal favorites among these masterworks. These are Les noces and Le nain de Stanislas (tracks 9 & 3 respectively), both of which are the longest tracks on the album.

Summary. In fact, though, all the songs on "Emile Jacotey" are real musical diamonds and are different among themselves only by the number of progressive 'carats' they feature. Certainly, my following words will appeal to the novice lovers of Classic Progressive. If you aren't still acquainted with Ange, this album will probably be the best starting point for you to explore the creation of one of the best bands ever performed Symphonic Art-Rock of a theatrically dramatic character.

VM: December 11, 2002