FOU !

For the longest time, this was one of only four Ange albums that I was able to pick up in my corner of the world. I already had Au-Dela du Delire, Emile Jacotey, Guet-Apens. "Fou", for me sounded like Ange modernised their sound. Mind You, I obviously had not heard the intervening albums. But I lliked "Fou", & still do. Like many 70s Prog groups, they had streamlined their sound, but with Christian Decamps' vocals, Ange would be hard pressed to not sound like itself. The albums starts with a hard edged 80s type prog rocker- "Les Yeux d'un Fou". Christian declaims about the evils he sees & protests that if you believe peace & love are an outdated foolish idea, then look into the eyes of a fool. "(Je n'suis ) la pour Personne" is mid paced ballad like that many of their 70s symphonic contemporaries were now writing. Great melody, Decamps simply saying he's disconnecting from the world. The Decamps brothers still had a way with melodies that had not left them with the end of the 70s. The rest of the album consists of the same. A 70s prog giant modernising their sound, yet Ange still retained the theatricality in their lyrics, with the story line following our world's search for love to rule. Note to parents, you may want to skip the last song if your pre-teen kids are around. "Crever D'amour"'s crescendo is accompanied by a young lady's moaning "crescendo". The music reminds me of the song Capitaine Coeur de Miel and the way it builds to a fantastic finish, but listening to someone having an orgasm on your stereo system is a bit, hmmm, unsettling. But , all in all, If you're a fan of Ange's mid to late 70s work, especially Guet-Apens, and you accepted prog groups updating their sound as the years progressed, this album will not disappoint.