INÉDITS

Inédits is an anachronism. Released in 1977, well after the great shift of classical to jazz in '76, it is an awkward jut back into the past, to the avant-garde realm of Bartók, Orff, Stravinsky. This dive back to the anterior is in fact a live album, recorded earlier (therefore maybe not really an anachronism). The muddy sound quality really ruins the phenomenal compositions, who were luckily later lavished with the supreme recording power of the new millennium. The majority of the album's strong bits, motifs, jams, are all on the 2004 masterpiece Köhntarkösz Anteria (commonly known as K.A).

Musicians are in top shape, the compositions are strong, and the chart of dynamics, instruments, styles is very varied. These three things are some of the most important qualities of a masterpiece. This leaves one wondering why it isn't essential - why most people don't consider it essential.

With its laughably long line-up, in which only two members are present throughout the entirety of the album, and other inconsistencies of the performance: recording quality jumps around, messy editing: this doesn't appear too seemly an album. But for the Magma collector, expert, die-hard: it is an essential glance into this period of Magma's development, an early view of what would be K.A, and thus, when compared to its successor, an interesting look at the development underwent in thirty something years. For a casual Magma fan, and especially a Magma virgin, this record is most definitely not a necessity. Hark: start elsewhere.