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 Christian declaims about the evils he sees & protests that if you believe peace & love are an outdated foolish idea, then look into the eyes of a fool.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.

The traditional fan of the great Ange of the seventies that I am is suffering quite a lot when he listens to their eighties production. From "Vu D'Un Chien" through "La Gare De Troyes", Ange produced rather weak (to say the least) albums.

I'm afraid that they won't release a great one with "Fou !"

Several songs have an horrible disco-beat sound "Les Yeux D'Un Fou", "(Hé !) Cobaye", while most of the others have the rock atmosphere of their previous albums. Very little prog here. Both "Guignol" are useless (especially "La Chasse")

Some numbers will have a pop/rock mood as "(Je n'suis) Là Pour Personne". Some FM music with "Piège à Coeur".

The first song being in the Ange tradition (strange ambiance and more complex structure) is "Les Fous Demandent Un Roi". It appears as a highlight on this rather weak album. But do not except a masterpiece à la "Capitaine Coeur De Miel" of course. But it is a pleasant song.

The title track is hard to categorized. Crazy I guess (as its title suggests...).

Ange will usually release some good songs (three or so) even on poor albums (except "Moteur!"). In this case there is very little to retain here. If you are keen to listen to some "special" sounds during a song, I would rather suggest you to listen to "Love On The Beat" from Serge Gainsbourg than "Crever D'Amour".

One star.

Ange is one of the best french prog groups I know but their eleventh studio record from 1984, thirty years ago, wasn't good. The record is called "Fou!" and it do contains some great elements and something of its former glory even if it's hard to find it. The cover is quite funny with a hard in the middle which seems to be undergoing an operation with a little Amor shooting with a crossbow. The musicians are Christian and Francis Descamps (vocals, piano; synthesizers), Serge Cuenot(guitar), Laurent Sigrist(bass), Jean-Claude Potin(drums, percussions, drum machine) and Fred Bétin(sequences).

Just the fact that the band had used a drum machine makes me suspicious of the contents but I listened with open mind. As usual I will begin to tell you about the good stuff on this record. Old fans will recognize the dramatical vocals of Christian Descamps which is good even here, although not as dramatic. The title track is actually quite symphonic. The synthesizer in that song, the melody and the vocals work great together and makes "Fou" a (6/10) song. "Les fous demandent un Roi" is also a fine song with a nice melody and good guitar playing(6/10). Beside from these two good songs, one of the other tracks is okey for me: "Piège à Coeur" is an appealing pop(5/10).

Otherwise is it a lot that lacks to make this record "Fou!" interesting. The sound is very ordinar and I don't this this music involved people in its days. The whole spirit of prog is gone. The music isn't bad but just hearable and not far from bad. I lack a lot and the decline of this band really is a fact. Two stars!

ANGEL chronicle of fun!

1 Les Yeux D'un Fou latent intro, quickly done, it hits the pad, the nasty riff, hard ouh la la, in short a new ANGEL sound we have exceeded 80; yes metronomic air but we leave on a dithyrambic crescendo which will not stop until the end, in short take a good look at the eyes of the crowd and the solo of Francis of course, nice appetizer 2 (Je N'suis) There For Nobody goes on, metal pad, yes you have to get used to it, but it's in good taste the new sound has arrived; one of the rare French groups where I manage to listen to the lyrics without it horrifying me, yes a plus in this musical world with somewhat cutesy lyrics; in short, the jerking riff, the bluesy note that calms the game; rock but angelic rock 3 Piège À C?ur and the riff that comes back, we start on a punchy rock again, funny to talk about ANGE like rock, me who doesn't like to put labels... or else colorful ones to make the progs jump intransigent, in short; give me a kiss instead of cursing that you're leaving the group; .. make love to me in overdose rather, everything is said in fact and this melodic decrescendo which seems to last much longer 4 Harmony and a burst of madness that wins this album; bass air à la SERRA before its time, from the time of 'Subway', good one of the micro soli in cotton wool, the cottony stuff that protects you from returning to earth; the consensual title listened to alone but which takes on its full meaning with the next one, a real harmony? 5 (Hey!) Guinea pig yes chained, the title () which unfolds from source and starts to make you kick your feet while writing; what's happening to you, are you soaking up the sound? ; a disconcerting album with a change of direction but which paradoxically allowed the group to surf and continue to move forward, save the planet! da da da dadadaden, riff that takes you back, resets you, just to save the damn planet, yeah that's 37 years ago already 6 Fools Demand A King That's it the concept starts there; after the preambles, the madmen discover the deception and attack, yes the martial battery, yes the madmen ask for a king... well, we have it... of heart I don't know, of spades to hurt us I do think; what ANGEL had traveled to the future and knew for now, lay low! well I speak, I write, but you all expect how I am going to speak from the... heart; well ... that's how it is! the solo that makes you capsize, yes I asked for my girlfriend's hand on it, yes the slow was divine, yes you have your intimate, dreamlike memory, yes we listen together... 7 Guignols for the preamble, it comes from everywhere, on an endless Homeric ballad, a dose of masturbine that made me laugh and an engraved title that flows like a waltz... a waltz but what can we read? like c... here! 8 Guignols (La Chasse) let's go hunting in front of so much nonsense; the instrumental which risks making me say that ANGE was prog to release a title of this caliber; 9 Crazy hush... hush... ah ah ah ah ouh, the final ball is launched, the album draws to a close, Ben-Hur, Emmanuelle, the confetti, the madness begins; don't be careful a rise under acid to describe the current madness nan not possible, go a little pipe or other instrument; in short, he left the earth so it's not with us, phew, crazy finally you understood me because with the toothed hens and the igloo I'm also starting... to go crazy 10 Crever D'amour (Prelude) that's it, we're even going to die of it, on the piano, on the synth; enjoy I dare not write it Meta risks blocking me again... ready to scratch it if that happens; hot introductory title with a belching solo, calm down Hassan we're not at the end... yes it's you that I saw in the clip otherwise we agree that it was Serge at the handle at this time there! 11 Dying of love continues... it's prog... pof, pof, pog, pog... what do I hear? who speaks, finally who? well let's talk about music because hah, hahhh, phew it's not obvious in fact, I'm holding my breath, what is this album where I listen more to the lyrics than the music, well ... the cries more than the rest ; a...crescendo, okay? a crescendo with a scroll of notes, an intense vibration of notes I said for a very exhilarated finale, it was ANGE and it was for fun.