CONCERT BOBINO 1981

To my knowledge and until recently, this was the only live video recording widely available from our Kobaian friends. While this dates from 81 and the fact that Magma had not really added new studio album since the relatively poorer Attahk album in 78, clearly on stage, they were still hitting full stride even if on Thaud Zaia (Stella Vander) and her hubby are the only remaining members from the early incarnation of the group.

One of the few snide remarks made in a sneering manner towards the group was the way they were all dressed-up in black and you will see that this is hardly true with most of them in either red or white although some had strange spacesuits made out of bizarre football pads. The group was strong of ten members with two drummers, two KB players (one also singing), two singers and two wind players, with only the bassist and the guitarist not having an alter ego! As for the tracks played that night most of them are from the latter part of the 70's (not my favourite era, but they play them so enthusiastically that it does not matter one bit) and the concert gets a little lost in the second part with a soul-ish funk track (complete with brass section and back-up singers) so crazy that even Funkadelic's George Clinton would be impressed and then a weird tribute to Otis Redding sung by Vander himself. The concert gets back on track with a superb extract from Zess (where Vander gives a superb vocal effort with triple angel wings on his back) but ends on a down note with You tather uncharacteristic for them.

The image quality of the DVD is not what I would call great as it appears that it got transferred from a VHS tape (I can only judge this by the relatively poor quality but something tells me that this was shot on 16mm film before abd the tape screws up for a few seconds around the ¾ mark), but even if not perfect, this DVD worth it if you are a Magma unconditional fan, but the fact that the concert does lose focus will make it less essential to casual fans.

I think most people would agree that 1981 wasn't the best year for Magma musically. Many years have passed since the release of their classic albums and many of the main players from those days had departed. Also, more and more of a funk/streamlining influence pervaded the music, at least the newer stuff. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, this Magma is definitely a different beast. Especially with the addition of a second drummer. Unfortunately in a realm where rhythmic complexity could shine, it is rarely so. Though there are multiple sections where you can distinctly hear the two drummers playing different parts which is nice. Also, the addition of horns and brass in the band is great to hear, perhaps harking back to early Magma days, although they are used in a completely different context.

Disc one is where this concert shines. For the most part this is classic Magma (for the time period at least). Zain starts things off well with plenty of instrumental delights and a couple of fun twists. Hhai continues this with a fantastic instrumental jam section after the main vocal part. It must be said though, that I don't find these "new" vocalists to be particular appealing. While they aren't bad, they can't really hold a candle to the power and prowess of the powerhouse vocalists Magma had used in the past. This is particular evident on Retrovision. Musically, I enjoy it much more than the version on Retrospektiw III, however vocally I do believe it suffers slightly. Urgon Gorgo is a fun funky track with some excellent drumming, easily my favorite for the entire concert.

Disc two takes a bit of a nosedive in the sense that this disc fully shows 80s Magma (Merci) is all about. All of the tracks are fairly similar. A very steady rhythm section lays down a beat and essentially keeps it the same throughout the song while the vocals (some of them in English!) take the lead, which is a bit indicative of a pop influence in their music. Musically both Who's My Love and Otis are fairly uninteresting, however there is a bit of perhaps perverse interest in both of them in the sense that they are almost fun to listen to, as so far as I can listen to them both and not lost interest, even though they are fairly long and static. Zess is fairly similar, however vocally much more impressive, no doubt thanks to Vander's singing and some instrumental soloing. You is a strange song with a damn catchy opening section, which then unfortunately falls into the same trap the other songs on disc two do. Though there is a strange bit tagged on to the end, which in a way sounds like band introductions, but with alot of screaming and various instrument sounds.

All in all, this is a decent album. There are definitely faults, but considering the time period its not as bad as it could have been. Disc one is easily a four stars album, where disc two is a sufficient showing of the "new" direction Magma wanted to go (with Merci coming three years later). Newcomers to Magma should avoid this until later in their adventure of the Kobian universe. For the initiated there is some interesting material that should at least be heard. 3 stars.

Before I start, you should probably know that Magma is my favorite progressive rock band, so read this with that perspective in mind. The bottom line here is that it is an excellent live document featuring some less-than-excellent material. Yet, I probably listen to it as much as or more than any other of the various archival live releases by this band. One of the main reasons for this is the superb sound quality -- the band really pops out of the speakers, and the performance's dynamics and power come through beautifully on this 2 CD set. Another reason has to be the only complete rendition of the epic "Zess" (32 minutes) currently available. A stripped down vocal +piano version is available on the "Les Voix de Magma" release, but this is the only full band version out there. And lastly, you know what? I quite like Magma in its pop-soul mode, which is where Magma's concurrent new material was headed at the time of this release (i.e. the critically derided "Merci" album). These songs' straight 4/4 rhythms with little hint of Magma's trademark rhythmic workouts are pretty off-putting at first, but listen closely and you'll hear some hot horn accents and Vander throwing in a wicked fill here and there.

"Zain" opens the show in dramatic "overture" mode, a high energy Zeuhl rocker with spirited horn parts and group vocals, leading without pause into one of Magma's most beloved older pieces, "Hhai", which receives the rendition of a lifetime here - the definitive version of this song. The superb sound quality really brings out the tension and passion that are central to this song. Next up is "Urgon Gorgo", one of Magma's less compelling pieces. I thought it was just an excerpt from an improvised jam, until I started seeing it on other set lists as well. Kind of a bass feature, it has some really cool moments, but overall nothing to write home about. Disc one closes with a fine rendition of "Retrovision", another of Magma's epics, this one dating from the "Attakh" period, where American soul music was just starting to creep into their sound. This is a wonderful piece, full of rhythmic drive and hot syncopations, using repetition and gradual development of musical themes like any good Magma epic. (And am I the only one who sings "Meet George Jetson!" when the first melody comes in?)

Disc Two opens with "Who's My Love". Just look at that title. Hateful, isn't it? Well, turn that frown upside down, because this is a fun little piece. Some guy in the band other than Vander (Guy Khalifa maybe?) sings this one solo (with the female backing vox providing "answers" to his pleading lines, hitting a real bad bum note at one point in the beginning - ouch!), and he doesn't have a fantastic voice, but I find it charming enough. Nice harmonies on the horns, too. The pop-soul mode continues with "Otis", here extended to an endurance-testing length as Vander scat-sings to rile up the audience (the audience is fairly inaudible throughout this CD by the way, as I believe it's a soundboard recording). I usually skip this track, though I do like it when Vander hits his falsetto range (he can control his voice like few I've ever heard).

On to "Zess".... this epic differs greatly from other long-form pieces like "Kohntarkosz" and even "Retrovision", in that the rhythm section pretty much plays the same two-chord vamp throughout the whole piece. There is a long (close to 5 minutes), legato intro with synthesizer, horns, and choral vocals, singing one of Vander's most beautiful melodies. Then the vamp begins, and Vander delivers a LONNNGGG recitation in French that will most certainly lose most listeners. Then he sings the main melody of the piece (great melody btw), and then performs an elaborate falsetto vocal scat-sung solo over the vamp that just might make your jaw drop, and then WHAM! the first real musical riff of the piece erupts out of nowhere, a good 10+ minutes in. The impact of this after such a long intro is just... breathtaking. Talk about tension/release! This brash riff comes back every now and then throughout the piece, following another Vander vocal solo, a very quick and fluid guitar solo (sounds like a Holdsworth fan on the axe there), and the full choir joins in singing the main melody, as the piece continues to build, leaving me exhausted by the end. Classic use of Magma repetition and tension/release on this number.

The concert ends with "You", stylistically similar to "Retrovision" but leaning a bit more towards the "Merci" sound. The last 6 minutes of the track are hilarious. The song has ended, but Vander keeps talking again and again to the audience, possibly introducing the band, but I don't understand French so I'm not sure. He sounds more hyper and maniacal than usual, even hitting his trademark falsetto as he screams "MERCIIIII!!!" to the crowd. Love it.

Magma fans should pick this up, no doubt in my mind, whether or not you like Merci. It sounds fantastic, the performances are excellent, and it has a few of their finest moments. For the casual fan of Magma, or for the general prog rock fan, though, this is definitely non-essential Magma. Out of about an hour and 45 minutes of music, I'd say there's probably about 20 minutes I could easily do without. 3.5 stars.