LA CLEF DES SONGES

After listening to "La Clef Des Songes" a few times, I rated it as one of the best albums from the seventies French prog scene. PENTACLE were a 4-piece band influenced by bands like early KING CRIMSON, and the MOODY BLUES. Their music tends to lean on the mellow symphonic sound, where beautifully colorful themes are led by acoustic/eletric guitar and analog keyboards. Every once in a while, the band starts to explore more aggressive territory (faster tempos, time-signatures, etc), and the guitarist bursts into passionate soloing. All of the tracks feature French vocals, which add to the beauty of the music. Fans of melodic bands like CARPE DIEM are in for a treat with this little gem.

Well thanks once again to Alain Robert at Musea we can enjoy a super bit mapping remastered version of PENTACLE"s classic album "La Clef Des Songes"... and a classic it is. For those who love spacey cascading symphonic prog with lots of soft organ and CRIMSON like atmospheres will get into this work of art. I love every song here only wished PENTACLE had lasted longer. On this cd version Musea have attached 3 live songs from these early days of discovery. This music does not sound dated and has a very fresh feeling to it, which is nice for a change as many early '70 prog sounds like '50's! PENTACLE offer superb musicianship with awesome guitar, keyboard and drum interplay. PENTACLE has a strong tie with ANGE in that Christian Decamps produced the album and has a lot to do with its release right from the start. This is yet another essential recording.

My esteemed colleagues are dead on in dishing out pentastars without the slightest hesitation. In fact, almost anyone who has had the privilege of listening to this gem has expressed their enthusiasm unabashedly. There is a compelling reason why: as Tony The Tiger would say "It's Great!!! Definetely on the same playing field as Ange's monumental "Au Dela du Delire" , a serious top 10 prog classic for so many aficionados, this one shot deal is a shimmering, delicate and precious prize that is not only a collector item but a comfortable and trusted friend. It has all the famous French Prog attributes: lush symphonics, superb instrumentation yet not over produced and the famed theatrical vocals so dear to the Mona Lisa/Ange/Eclat/Atoll/Pulsar school of prog. This recording has strong echoes of softer elements of King Crimson Mark I (In The Court... In The Wake...) with a definite Moody Blues angle on the melodies, mostly due to the Elka String ensemble. This keyboard was heavily used by the early French prog bands and has a distinctive and very specific sound and tone, akin to the Italian Eminent . The songs are all top notch musical stories that will please even non french speaking ears. (Amazing thing about prog, Gentle Giant used to fill arenas in Quebec with non English speaking fans !!!) . An absolute necessary addition to any prog collection and a "fidele compagnon" to any serious fan. A "no doubt about it" five star supernova !!!

An absolute classic 70s gem!

Consider this. These days it is nothing for a band to spend months and in some cases years to get out an album. Must be nice. Pentacle recorded this amazing work in 8 days! Reading about the pressure they were under makes their album all the more impressive. The album was produced by Christian Decamps of Ange fame. But it is much smoother than Ange, none of Decamps vocal theatrics. Very low key vocals, tons of mellotron and soaring lead guitar.

Pentacle surpassed all of my expectations with La Clef Des Songes. The pleasure center of the prog-fan brain will be rocked! Check out the very high ratings this album has garnered.

This is a well-rounded album with all musicians contributing much. Being a guitar man myself I am pleased with two aspects. First, the guitar itself is great from its sweet acoustic backgrounds to heavily saturated solos. But just as importantly the keyboards assume the role of creating the canvas of atmosphere for the guitars to paint over rather than challenging the guitar for the forefront. I'm not saying the keys are boring, far from it. I love some of the sounds he creates but he's playing to compliment the overall piece rather than to get noticed. Drum/bass play is decent and the vocals are pleasant rather than annoyingly overdramatic as is unfortunately so common. This band understood subtlety and how to leave space open, to give sound the room it needs. Check out the streaming sample here to see what I mean.

Some mention that Pentacle may recall early Crimson but I want to point out that they are not harsh or abrasive. They are a smooth, spacey, melodic band that is almost instantly accessible and I suspect would also appeal to fans of Pink Floyd. This is not a grower but rather an album you will love by the 3rd spin.

To give a bit more info I'll quote a few lines from the liner notes: "The disc belongs to the canon of delicate and refined progressive rock, showcasing a music which mixes energy, virtuosity and melodic beauty. The elegance of the themes reminds one of the kind of chamber rock elaborated by English groups like Cressida, Gracious, and Czar with an emphasis on the development of a sophisticated and lyrical symphonism." [by Francis Grosse]

The sound is not perfect but it is certainly good enough...remember, these guys didn't have a Pink Floyd budget, they had day jobs.

The Musea folks have outdone themselves on the CD. Super Bit Mapping, gorgeous artwork, many photos, and a long and thorough band history. Plus 3 rare live bonus tracks from the glorious 70s giving you another 22 minutes of music. If only all labels took this kind of care.

An essential recording for fans of 70s space rock or symph, fans of Floyd, and lovers of the French scene. 9/10

Although Pentacle's only album was produced by Christian Descamps of Ange Fame, it favours to the smoother more melodic side of symphonic prog over the highly theatrical melodrama of Ange and their followers. Gerald Reuz does sound a bit like Descamps on downers, but this is not to suggest that everything here is morose, but rather that it tends to the understated and less complex.

The main features musically are the tuneful lead guitars of Reuz and the omnipresent string synths and organs of Claude Menetrier, which play well together and with Reuz's voice, but the bass and drums also keep pace and provide some unorthodox backing at times. The highlights are the title cut, the superb " L'âme Du Guerrier" and the epic "Le Raconteur", which provides the best instrumental workout of the recording, with guitars and various keys taking turns at variations on the general motif, providing a feast for the prog fan who thrives on atmosphere and harmonics.

If I may say, I also hear a folk, almost Breton element at the base of some of these tunes, but it does not jump out right away since the instrumentation is generally far removed from those roots. After a few listens, I am also drawn back to some of my Quebecois favourites of the 1970s, but I can't quite put my finger on exactly whom and why. Neither of these traits should be all that surprising, given the time period and the tendency to explore and blend different genres, especially in the progressive realm, and indeed they provide the key to my musical reveries, and explain why I am rounding up to 4 stars. Another recommended Musea release.

I finally own this cd ! If you knew the abuse I took from one Mr. Finnforest who knew I couldn't get it because it was out of print, you would understand my relief. It was all in good fun of course but the way he and tszirmay talked about this record I was sure it was the holy grail of prog albums. I think that is why I can only muster 4 stars for this one. Only ? Ok when an album gets hyped and hyped it very rarely lives up to the billing does it ? Part of the reason well may be i've listened to it too much. As Finnforest mentions this is an easy one to get into, and after many, many listens it's not getting better.The music really has an Italian feel to it for me. I think it's the vocals, even though they are in French they are mostly fragile, and I think Italian when I hear them.The guitar when it comes to the fore is clean, clear and loud. I love it. The string synths are all over this album as well. Not as good as mellotron in my opinion but it creates a spacey, dreamy soundscape.

"La Clef Des Songes" was my favourite right from the first listen. Not anymore, but it really stood alone for me even after 5 listens. The dramatic guitar, synths and drum intro settles down quickly then kicks right back in before fragile vocals come in. The contrast continues. Love the guitar solo 2 1/2 minutes in. "Naufrage" opens with the wind blowing as faint guitar sounds can be heard. Strummed guitar and fragile vocals take over. The electric guitar leads sound great. Check out the guitar 4 minutes in to the end. "L'ame Du Guerrier" has some amazing bass throughout. And the organ is a highlight as well. Yes, fragile vocals (ho hum) come in around a minute as it settles down. Piano 2 1/2 minutes in as the tempo picks up. Synths, then some ripping guitar after 3 1/2 minutes. Nice. The vocals are better as he really sings. Funny but parts of this song remind me of VIOLETA DE OUTONO. Themes are repeated. Amazing tune.

"Les Pauveres" is patoral with reserved (ahem) vocals to begin with. The guitar after 1 1/2 minutes makes some beautiful melodic noise. Then back to the mellow soundscape. "Complot" opens with organ as drums and synths follow. Fragile vocals a minute in. Guitar after 2 minutes as we get a lot of synths in this one. "Le Raconteur" is the final and longest track on the album. The first 3 minutes are quite calm with synths, organ, vocals and drums leading the way. Then the tempo starts to pick up with some nice guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. 4 1/2 minutes in it settles right down with synths and some tasteful guitar. The guitar cries out beautifully 7 minutes in and then gets aggressive 8 1/2 minutes in. It then settles back down to end it.

Thankyou Finnforest and tszirmay, two gentlemen who's opinions mean very much to me. Unfortunately everytime I think of PENTACLE I will think of you two characters !

Bravo! That's just Pentacle!

The album is their only one and exactly terrific one in the French progressive rock history. When I listened for the first time without any knowledge, I wondered Ange had changed their name or members. That's absolutely natural. As you know, the production of the album was Christian DeCamps from Ange. Otherwise, wouldn't Pentacle be like Ange? God only knows about it, ha-haa!

My joke has been just finished. Lyrical as French music, but not exaggerated as Ange...I can tell that about their sound and stream. From the start of the album, heavy riff and melancholic voice are exploded all around. Like an ibis with large wings soaring and decending, songs included get up- and down-beated, and at last calmly faded out...into the stream and atmosphere I always fall.

If possible, I consider 4.5 stars may be appropriate.

I never heard about Pentacle before joining PA and I'm glad I found it. This one off french band really did release a very interesting prog gem in its short lifespan. The first two tracks are nice but not very outstanding: they seemed somehow rushed or half finished. That may be by the fact the band had such little time to record their sole LP. The live version of the first track, included here as a bonus, is actually superior to the studio offering, which seems corroborate this theory. Neverntheless, the third track onwards are all winners.

The group plays a synphonic kind of prog, much in the vein of early King Crimson and some of ELP's first works. So there are lots of Hammond and mellotron waves together with very fine electric and acoustic guitars. Guitarrist Gerald Reuz also handles the vocals, in a style that reminds a lot of a young Greg Lake. All lyrics are in french, which suits the band's sound very well. the rhythm section is very good and creative too. The production (done by Christian Descamp, of Ange) could be better, but considering their rush and the low budget, it was a good job anyway.

My favorite track is Le Raconteur, a ten minute epic with fantastic, tasteful guitar and keyboards interplay. L'âme Du Guerrier is another highlight, with the acoustic guitars and singing giving it a french folk flavor that was part of Pentacle's charm. The live tracks are ok, not so very well recorded, but a nice touch (plus the aforementioned better than the studio version of the title track).

I'm realy happy to find this gem. One every prog lover should listen to (especially early King Crimson fans). Four stars.

This French quartet's only album is paradigmatic of what was happening to rock musicians faced with both overwhelming odds and the astounding musical breakthroughs of the 1970s. Like many, the group probably figured this whole art thing would last forever. Rock would surely continue to expand into even greater areas previously unrealized. I mean, how could things go back? The public seemed to agree as evidenced by progressive rock's impressive chart listings and perfect storm of inspiration and timing. And it would be all but over by the end of the decade.

Pentacle's music is both intracate and humble, and the material here seems to have been composed in a flurry of activity during 1974/75 when the band - founded by friends Michel Roy (drums) and Gerard Ruez (guitars) - had after several years of gigging found the right line-up of gifted keyboardist Claude Menetrier and the rare talents of bassist/composer Richard Treiber. Evidently so turgid were the compositions that producer Jean-Claude Pognant [Ange] asked that they be shortened, a request warily agreed to by the band. But on stage they were able to expand their work with three of those live versions added to the Musea reissue. The opener starts unremarkably and the Ange comparisons are fair though the sound may also remind of Italians Le Orme with wafts of Bo Hansson in the background. Trieber's bass parts are the star along with Menetrier's synths supported admirably by founders Ruez and Roy. 'Naufrage' is better, ending solidly with a nice keyboard/drum exchange followed by full-powered symph rocker 'L'ame du Guerrier'-- 6 minutes of thematic development, good vocals and a great sense of soft-to-hard dynamism, Ruez's minstrel acoustics, and plenty of feeling. 'Les Pauvres' is French romance at its most poignant featuring Gerard Ruez's whispers of longing. Menetrier's elegiacal organ leads plodder 'Complot' and it wraps with eleven-minute 'Le Raconteur', a piece with good moments as well as disappointing ones.

The band deserves the love, of that there is little doubt, though this album's legend may only grow so large. Pentacle are a band that causes all weepy-eyed prog romantics to warm to them, and to want to extend a hand if 35 years too late.

Somebody already know, I struggle a little bit with French language (in music of course), after all, I state it almost in all review of album sung in French language. Seems like a lot of Canada bands and almost all French ones are singing in this French language, as they can be proud of it. Actually, they can, it can be beautiful language (even sometimes unbearable, depending on speaker / singer in this case). There, just pleasant voice, lyrics (that I don't understand, but still it makes me happy) and sheer optimistic energy shining from it. In this point, "La Clef Des Songes" is making success. As many other one-wonder band from this era, they're in strange situation of being debut-final album, so they have no time to be mature, only fresh. And it's recognizable here.

4(+) is the least I can do to express my impression that this album made. Maybe it came little bit late, but year or two doesn't matter much (to me at least). Live songs are even better by my opinion.

If you have read some of my reviews, you might be aware that I quite liked the French scene from the seventies. Not only because of the French lyrics (French is my mother tongue) but mainly because the quality of the music combined to great and often irreverent texts were a perfect combination and marvelously highlighted the symphonic feel one could get while listening to so many great bands.

This "Pentacle" one and only jewel is not different from its great predecessors (and followers). The music they proposed was a brilliant combination of Crimson / Yes & Genesis in terms of instrumentation. As far as the vocal department is concerned, I have to say that they don't show too much to share with the usual and theatric French style.

Gerald Reuz is much more discreet but very effective though. And he is surrounded by a bunch of excellent musicians. Just listen to the gorgeous guitar solo available during "L'Âme Du Guerrier". Brilliant, really.

The "naked" emotional "Les Pauvres" is a great example of this French style I praise so much: simple, moving and featuring some great musical skills (guitar here is superb again: both acoustic and electric). A passionate moment indeed (but French knowledge is an add-on).

When you listen to the intro of the epic from this album ("Le Raconteur", - the story-teller) there is only one word to use: splendid! Vocals are sweet and passionate, keyboards are outstanding, melody is strong and the song quickly evolves into superb territories. Instrumental parts feature a great fight between the lead guitar and the rhythmic section: the result is absolutely wonderful.

On top of this, there are some extraordinary melodic moments available as well! What a great track this is. This song is THE highlight of course (but most of the songs featured on this album are excellent). The closing guitar solo is fantastic.

The bonus live tracks are quite interesting as well (even if the sound is rather average). This is quite a good album in my standards. Just shy of the masterpiece status but four solid stars without any problem.

Driven by the excellent Gilmour-like guitar skills of Gerald Reuz, Pentacle's sole album is an intriguing product of the French prog scene which manages to attain an intriguing balance between indulging in symphonic prog complexity and maintaining sufficient accessibility to give the music broad appeal. It's precisely this sort of balancing act which five to six years later would give rise to the neo-prog scene, and there are points where the music does drift into territory reminiscent of early recordings by Twelfth Night and The Lens (the band who, in case you don't know, eventually evolved into IQ). That isn't to say this is a full-on neo album, but it is a fascinating reminder that even before the punk wave hit there were still plenty of bands producing prog in an accessible manner that was open to mainstream audiences, if they but had the inclination to listen.

Like many one-album wonders from the seventies' progressive rock scene, the music of French symphonic prog act Pentacle didn't receive very much recognition until fairly recently. A CD reissue from Musea Records and a legion of prog fans expressing their love for the album through internet forums have all helped Pentacle finally get some of the attention they deserve, but their sole effort La Clef Des Songes still remains pretty obscure over 35 years since its release. A real shame, as I consider this one of the best French albums released during the golden age of symphonic prog. As history would prove, this rather short album would end up being the only work ever created by Pentacle, but at least the band has left us with a half hour of splendid music. La Clef Des Songes is a forgotten gem that deserves to be heard by every progressive rock fan.

La Clef Des Songes opens up on a high note with its powerful and downright haunting title track, and the rest of this 34 minute album is every bit as good. "L'âme Du Guerrier" is another highlight, with its chilling builds and excellent synthesizer melodies drawing me in from the very beginning, and the epic "Le Raconteur" is a perfect way to close the album. Pentacle definitely took the saying 'quality over quantity' to heart, as all six tracks on La Clef Des Songes are superb - it's a real shame that the band didn't go on to release more albums in the coming years. If this debut is indicative of anything at all, these guys would've had a very bright future ahead of them.

La Clef Des Songes was originally released in 1975, and in many ways the album sounds like it couldn't have been from any other time period. The heavy use of synthesizers makes it feel different than many early seventies' symphonic prog albums, but the rather raw production and very progressive compositions means that it doesn't sound like a typical late seventies' album either - in many ways, Pentacle's pastoral and spacey approach to symphonic prog sounds like a combination of Genesis, Premiata Forneria Marconi, and Pink Floyd with a heavier dependence on lead synthesizer tones than any of the aforementioned acts. The keyboard palette is also made up of plenty of organs and mellotrons, but it's really the chilling synthesizer that sets Pentacle apart from many other progressive rock acts from the mid-seventies'. The band's unique arrangements make this a pretty original album in many regards; it doesn't sound specifically like any single other band, but instead like a mix of the very best sounds that progressive rock has to offer.

Although La Clef Des Songes was only Pentacle's debut effort, this is a mature and all-around exceptional album that should be heard by every symphonic progressive rock fan. In spite of its rather obscure status, this is one of the most essential French prog albums from the 1970's, and deserves to be regarded as such - this can only be described as a beautiful, haunting, and compelling journey.

Review Nº 175

Pentacle is a French symphonic progressive rock band formed in 1971 in Belfort, France. They released only one album, their debut studio album "La Clef Des Songes", who was recorded in 1975. It's interesting to mention that their album was produced by Christian Descamps, the vocalist of one of the best and most known French progressive symphonic rock bands of the 70's, Ange. About their music, we can say that it's simple and not very complex, in contrast with some of their contemporarie compatriots. Their music has some influences of Genesis, Moody Blues and of the early sound of King Crimson. The lyrics of the entire album are all in their mother tongue, French.

Pentacle was a band formed by four musicians, Gerard Ruez (lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars), Claude Menetrier (organ, moog, elka string ensemble and piano), Richard Treiber (bass and acoustic guitar) and Michel Roy (backing vocals and drums).

According to Pentacle, the recording of the band's debut album was earmarked for February 1975 at the Citadelle Studios in Besançon. Pentacle's repertoire consisted of six tracks with French words, written mostly by Richard and sung by Gerard. The recordings were made over eight days and were put onto a 16 track tape. As the group didn't have much time to record, they worked from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, sometimes dragging the sessions out till midnight.

Pentacle have decided to call their album "La Clef Des Songes" based in one of the tracks and asked Yvan Campello, who was an amateur painter, to design the art cover of it. Pentacle suggested some ideas and from Yvon's three projects the group chose a drawing of a man suspended in mid-air, superimposed on a surrealistic dreamy background and holding a key in his hands, the key of dreams, surely. The album was released in May 1975 and sold 3.000 copies.

"La Clef Des Songes" has six tracks and my CD version has also three live bonus tracks. The first track "La Clef Des Songes" with music by Menetrier and lyrics by Treiber, who gaves its name to the album, is a good song to open the album. It's a very beautiful song, very energetic and with very good guitar work and is also very well accompanied by nice synthesizer and drumming workings. This is a very interesting track. The second track "Naufrage" with music by Ruez and lyrics by Roy is another very good and interesting song. It's a solid track with a nice keyboard and drumming workings. It has also great electric guitar working and where soft vocals take over. The third track "L'Ame Du Guerrier" with music by Roy and lyrics by Treiber is, in my humble opinion, a better song than the two previous tracks. This is a more progressive song with good development, very dynamic, with good vocal working, and once more, with great guitar job and the organ working is also very good. This is really a very interesting and amazing track. The fourth track "Les Pauvres" with music by Ruez and lyrics by Roy is a pastoral ballad and melodic song with good acoustic and electric guitar workings. It has also a good organ performance. This is a very beautiful song, really. The fifth track "Complot" with music by Menetrier and lyrics by Treiber is a splendid song. This is a very good and melodic track with great keyboards and guitars and where the vocals are very sweet and passionate. This is a song with great instrumental parts and where the final result is great. This is another wonderful track. The sixth and last track "Le Raconteur" with music by Ruez and lyrics by Menetrier is the lengthiest and epic track of the album and represents a great closing for it. This is really a very good song with grandiose, melodic and extraordinary moments. All band's members did fantastic, individual and collective workings, and thus they made of this track one of the highlights of this excellent album.

As usual, I will not make a review of the bonus live tracks of the album. However, I'm going to write some lines about them. Despite the quality of the tape recordings, which aren't properly very good, I was very impressed with the quality of the live performance of the group. In my opinion, the live versions of the songs are great, and in generall, they're better performed than their studio versions, especially the live version of "La Clef Des Songes", which is simply superb.

Conclusion: I must confess that I only just heard of Pentacle on Progarchives, but I'm very glad to have found them. I bought my CD, "La Clef Des Songes", a couple of years ago. So, for me, "La Clef Des Songes" is a great symphonic progressive rock album. It's very well balanced and very beautiful. "La Clef Des Songes" doesn't shame any French progressive rock fan. This is an album that most fans of French symphonic progressive rock will really like, a quartet solid in the vein of Atoll, Ange, Mona Lisa and Pulsar. It's a pity that Pentacle has released only one album. They would have a long and great promising career through the universe of progressive rock music. This is one of the better one-shots around with great arrangements, lush keyboards and a warm spacey atmosphere. Despite some mediocre quality sound of the album, sometimes, the quality of the three bonus live tracks is remarkable. I'm very impressed with it.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)