RÉUNION

"Reunion" is the only album that documents Garolou live in concert. Recorded in Longueuil in 1994, it also represents the reunion of the band after so many years inactive (their last album before then was "Centre-Ville" in 1982). They do a very good job recreating their most popular songs in concert, and the sound quality is excellent. The song list represents what most consider to be their best pieces, and for the most part I do not disagree (I would have also liked to see "Nicholas" or "Le Condamne" from the third album, but one can't have everything) . It is telling that there are no songs here from their fourth album "Centre-Ville", clearly their weakest album and no one in the audience is requesting those numbers. For the rating, I had to think about this one. As a live greatest hits album, it covers the bases, and with their best songs, excellent sound quality and strong performances, one might rightly expect a 4-star rating. However, my complaint is that they are too faithful to the studio recordings. Some (although not all) of the guitar solos are in fact note-for-note. Yet, I would not say that any of the versions on this live album are better than their studio counterparts, and in fact in every case the studio versions are better (even if just so slightly). So if you like the songs you should pick up the studio albums first. On balance, I give it 7.6 out of 10 on my 10-point scale (which translates to 3 PA stars).

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.