RÉUNION

In 1993, after the better part of the decade on hiatus, French Canadian Celtic rockers GAROLOU reunited for well received concert appearances. The live document of this period is "Reunion", from a 1994 concert at the Theatre de la Ville in Longueuil just off the island of Montreal. All the material here is culled from their first 3 and most popular albums, with the focus being "Lougarou" and "Garolou". A French language blend of STEELEYE SPAN with JETHRO TULL approximates the friendly sound of GAROLOU, but with generous infusions of their own personality.

The lineup is intact and the versions are generally quite faithful to the originals, including the lead guitar and synthesizer flourishes, but with a touch more energy and audience participation sprinkled about. As such, this offers a reasonable approximation of a greatest hits package. The main drawback is that, while in their early period the most progressive and most popular tracks were one and the same, by the time of "Romancero" a fault line had been gouged between the two. While the 3 tracks chosen from that album are all superior in the concert setting, particularly when younger brother Bobby Lalonde contributes fiddle, a few of the band's best songs are omitted. Still, for most who want one document of the best that GAROLOU can muster, this reunion makes for more than congenial company.