HELDON

This very much the easiest to listen to album by Heldon, the changing musical scene presented in "Bolero", the almost comic sound of " Une drole de Journee" and the crafted rock and (sometimes) roll of "Stand-by" give the listener a changing landscape of sound. RP is a master of his guitar, a self confessed Fripp fan, he plays with a little more sublety, but manages to blend this with the madness of the accompanying bass, synths & battering ram drums. If one album can entice you to buy the back catalogue of a band, it then deserves the highest praise, Stand-by got me hooked on this very good French band, and so it gets my highest praise, this is an un-missable album for any prog-rocker worth his name! One critisism, the later cd re-issue of the album starts of with Stand-by, then Une drole de Journee, to finish with Bolero, it may be years of listening to the album with the tracks in their original order, but this order seems less satisfying, maybe Cuniform or whoever prepared the release should have a rethink and put the tracks in their original format.

This is HELDON's third album and it's a double with 85 minutes of music on it. Rather ambitious no doubt,but after his first two albums i'm not surprised that Richard Pinhas would be wanting to take on the world.Like most doubles this is very much a hit and miss affair.Richard composed all the songs except for "Ocean Boogi" which happens to be a George Grunblat tune.Very cool to see that Jean-My Truong from ZAO is playing drums on "Doctor Bloodmoney".Patrick Gauthier guests on synths on the same track. "ICS Machinique" features these interesting sounds that are like mini outbursts of thunder.Synths eventually join in. "Cotes De Cachalet Ala Psylocybine" has this electronic beat, then the guitar comes in making some noise before 2 minutes.The guitar becomes really prominant 5 minutes in. "Mechammment Rock" is my favourite.Drums and bass to open before the synths join in.The guitar starts to rip it up.Awesome sound! Gilbert Artman the leader from LARD FREE guests on drums.How cool is that! "Cocaine Blues" features pulsating electronics as other sounds come in.A deeper sound then takes over as other sounds come in.So much going on here.By the way the first disc is my favourite.Disc two begins with "Aurore" which features some guest Indian harmonium.This is very repetitive.Dogs come in barking before 15 minutes to add a new dimension, but at over 18 minutes in length this is a long one. "Virgin Swedish Blues" has these spacey sounds as the guitar tastefully plays.Mellotron in this one as well. "Ocean Boogi" is my favourite of disc two.The acoustic guitar,bass and spacey sounds all sound so good.Electric guitar arrives after 2 minutes.Mellotron follows.Such a good track. "Zind Destruction" is dedicated to "the man on the guitar" which i assume is Robert Fripp.The guitar sounds so psychedelic here as Richard lights it up.The sounds pulsate as Pinhas solos away. "Doctor Bloodmoney" is the almost 17 minute closer.Lots of spacey synths including Patrick Gauthiers solo.Jean comes in on the drums 12 1/2 minutes in right to the end.Some excellent moments from him here. Good album, in fact i like it better than the next two.3.5 stars.

HELDON's debut was pretty much Richard Pinhas doing it all except for the one track he got lots of help on.On this his second album he partners with Georges Grunblatt.There's a nice picture of the two in the liner notes.Speaking of liner notes Richard thanks his idol Robert Fripp,Patrick Gauthier,Jimi Hendrix and Eno along with some others.I like what ClickForth says about this album on the RYM site.He describes it as "Hazy soundscapes that take you somewhere on a summer afternoon,required listening". I couldn't agree more especially since i was listening to this early today as i drove on a beautiful summers day through the country side.It doesn't get much better. "In The Wake Of King Fripp" is such a great title.Gentle guitar to open as mellotron washes in and continues.Such a beautiful sound.Angular guitar comes in after 4 minutes.Just gorgeous. "Aphanisis" features some nice dual acoustic guitar melodies throughout. "Omar Diop Blondin" is dedicated to both Fripp and Eno.The guitar is darker sounding as synths join in.Angular guitar before 1 1/2 minutes.It stops 2 minutes later as we start to get these guitar soundscapaes the rest of the way. "Moebius" is a TANGERINE DREAM like tune,very electronic sounding.Great song. "Fluence" builds as the sounds seem to hover.It's like the sounds keep coming closer then they drift back.About half way through the sounds are floating like they're suspended in mid air.The synths get louder 10 minutes in. "St.Mikael Samstag Am Bends" again feature electronics that float and hum.The guitar comes in after 2 minutes.Mellotron a minute later.Angular guitar before 5 1/2 minutes. "Michel Ettori" features dual acoustic guitars like the second track. I really like the style of HELDON's first two albums, but "Interface" and "Stand By" are my favs.

When it comes to HELDON's seven studio albums from the seventies i like the first two and the last two the best.This is the debut from 1974 and as the liner notes say "All tracks made by Richard Pinhas with an AKS synth and a 1957 Gibson Les Paul".He does get some help with rhythm guitar on one track, and a lot of help on "Ouais Marchais Mieux Qu'en 68".You should see the picture of Richard in the liner notes,that might be the best "fro" i've ever seen! Richard dedicates this album to Robert Wyatt.Very cool. "Zind" is a fairly straight forward number with synth sounds coming and going while we get this constant hum. "Back To Heldon" opens with what sounds like a sequencer as spacey sounds flood the soundscape.This sounds really good.The guitar is making some noise as well.Interesting sounds after 5 1/2 minutes. "Northernland Lady" is the best of the first three tracks.We get this relaxed rhythm guitar as angular guitar from Pinhas comes in.Electronic sounds also fill out the sound. "Ouais Marchais Mieux Qu'en 68" is where we get a lot of guests helping out including Patrick Gauthier on piano and synths.Guests also add some bass,drums,spoken words and more synths.It opens with drums and guitar as spoken words join in.When the words stop the elctronics come in.This contrast continues.Love the sound of this tune. "Circulus Vitiosus" builds and then these melancholic synths come in.Just an incredible sound here including the guitar.It gets pretty intense late. "Ballade Pour Puig Antich" opens with what sounds like steam letting off over and over as the electronics twitter.The guitar comes in gently.Fantastic! This was an important electronic album in France back in 1974, and Pinhas would go onto become the biggest star of this genre in his home country.

I am glad to have discovered this band!

As Zeuhl is to symphonic prog, I would say Heldon are to electronic kraut - hard hitting and regimented. The premise behind this album is dead simple yet oh so effective. You take a fat synth, program a pattern using a step sequencer and have an acid jam over the top of it with drums and guitar. The genius is in how well this simple concept is executed and explored to the extent where the simplicity of composition really doesn't matter. The throbbing bassy moogs succesfully foretell the hardcore techno that was to come some 15-20 years later with their meaty pulse and defiant repetition. The high speed synth wailing over the top of some of the jams is particularly good with interlocking arpeggiations and dreamy tones - Take note all neo-prog and progressive metal musicians, this is how synths should sound! The acid drenched jam guitar solos are very Guru Guru and the metronomic drums round out the deal with a very intriguing mix of elements.

I've deliberately described mostly the composition and instrumentation of the music because simply saying 'kraut jams with synths' sells this guy way short. A very original take on progressive electronic music - highly recommended to fans of krautrock bands such as Harmonia, Ashra, Guru Guru and Cluster.

This was a hard one to get into.It's very experimental with loads of electronics, and the songs mostly crawl slowly along. "Perspective I" is a dark and slow moving track with lots of mellotron,synths and electronics.The percussion is heard throughout,although it stop 6 1/2 minutes in and returns a couple of minutes later.The song ends with wave after wave of sound. "Perspective II" has these high pitched sounds while other sounds come and go in the background.Not a fan.At least it's only 3 minutes long. "Perspective III" is very repetitive with electronics as Pinhas creates some noise with his guitar.This goes on for 10 minutes before the song speeds up to end it. "Bassong" is interesting in that Pinhas doesn't take part in it.This song was composed by Michel Ettori the guitarist for WEIDORJE, who also plays the guitar on this song.Also Gerard Prevost from ZAO is featured on bass.As the title suggests the bass is prominant with gently played guitar helping out.This is the only song these two men play on.It's a beautiful track,but not Zeuhl as i had hoped. "Perspective IV" is the final track, and was a side long suite at over 21 minutes originally.Patrick Gauthier plays minimoog on this one,which is his only contribution to the album.Pinhas dedicates this song to him though.This is experimental at times especially the first section where it's dark with different sounds coming and going.The second part is more traditional as the guitar,bass and drums provide the best music on the album in my opinion.Minimoog comes in before this section ends.The drumming in the final section is very impressive.The song just stops abruptly. I could see a lot of people having a hard time with this release.It has grown on me, but the electronics are a tough sale for me.The excellent guitar on both "Perspective III" and "Perspective IV" give us a hint to what is coming in HELDON's future releases.

For a lot of HELDON fans, this is their favourite HELDON record.This would be drummer Francois Auger's first album with the band.The experimental soundscapes continue,although there is less guitar on this one than on the next two studio records. "Marie Virginie C." is my favourite song on this album.It starts sounding very mechanical with electronics,guitar sounds and metal sounding percussion that comes and goes.The electronic beat with moog from Gauthier seems to rise out of this soundscape but it doesn't quite make it.Later 6 minutes in it does become the prominant sound.Auger on drums is fantastic 9 1/2 minutes in as he pounds away at the speed of light,just beating the hell out of his kit.A wall of sound to end the track. "Elephanta" is the only Auger composed song(Pinhas did the rest) and maybe not so surprisingly it features the dominating sounds of percussion and drums.Very repetitive until it stops before 7 minutes. "Perspective IV Ter Muco" is a live bonus track with Batard on bass.This really is a swirling mass of electronics,drums,bass and guitar.I like it. "MCV II" is dark and heavy with what sounds like someone banging a metal pipe once and a while as the electronics and drums play out. "Toward The Red Line" is the song Jannick Top plays on if you can hear him.It's not obvious unfortunately.A full blown electronic beat is though, starting 3 minutes in. "Marie Et Virgine Comp (live)" is the other live bonus track.It's the first song with a slightly different title.This one like the studio version impresses me the most partly because of Auger's drum work and partly because of Pinhas' Fripp-like guitar solos. If you took out the two bonus tracks there would really only be the opening song that wows me,with the other songs being good.3 stars.

I really didn't think i would find a HELDON album that i would like better than "Stand By".I would suggest getting them both as these are two of the best albums i have heard from the Electronic genre.Of course Pinhas' guitar style has a lot to do with why i love this band so much.I'll also mention Auger who at times makes me laugh with joy at the way he plays his drums.Patrick Gauthier is the third and final member of the band on this recording,he plays both moog bass and mini-moog.Of note,my version has three bonus songs on it that aren't tacked on the end, but are tracks 3,6 and 7. "Les Soucoupes Volantes Vertes" has this relentless rhythm of drums and moog bass, while Pinhas adds moog III & moog b. A constant beat for 2 1/2 minutes to open the album. "Jet Girl" opens with electronics,and the drums are cool as they are all over the place.The guitar meanwhile is doing it's own version of "scorched earth policy".The song calms down 5 minutes in but is still powerful,just slower.The guitar is crying out like a caged animal. "Le Retour Des Soucoupes Volantes" is one of the bonus songs and it sounds amazing with the electronic sounds,mini-moog and drums. "Bal-A-Fou" is an Auger composition like the first track was.Lots of atmosphere as strange spacey sounds fill the air.Auger is on synths as well as drums and percussion on this song.No melody until 3 1/2 minutes in as drums and mini-moog provide that.The bass is prominant 5 minutes in from guest player Didier Batard.A very cool sound for the last couple of minutes. "Le Fils Des Soucoupes Volantes(Vertes)" features powerful guitar and drums.This is killer! Way too short though. The next two songs are bonus songs "Interface-Live(Part !)" and "Interface-Live(Part 2)" recorded in Paris, France in 1978.The first has a mechanical sound to it with Auger playing synthesized percussion.3 1/2 minutes in the drums start to rise above the mechanical rhythm,but it fails.The guitar comes in and succeeds in overcoming the beat with monster-like sounds.The drums then start to become more powerful with random patterns.This continues into part 2.The drums are getting stronger,what an incredible sound as the guitar continues to cry out. "Interface" is the 19 minute finale. It starts with the same theme of synthesized percussion which really goes on for too long for my liking,although some drums and electronics are mixed in fortunately.8 1/2 minutes in the guitar arrives with some angular melodies.The drums are fantastic! Great sound 12 minutes in.The intensity is rising if that's possible.The guitar solo to end it is shocking.Where did that come from? There isn't a song on here i don't like.I'm not sure how many people out there will like HELDON's music,the way he mixes electronics with fantastic drumming and guitar playing.I'm looking forward to listening to their fifth release, as i continue to explore HELDON albums from the newest to the oldest.

I saw this band mentioned glowingly on the Zeuhl thread on this site,but when i saw they were Progressive Electronic i didn't bother to check them out.What an idiot i am! This was love at first listen.I enjoyed Richard's guitar work on a 20 minute epic on Jannick Top's solo album.That is what prompted me to finally check HELDON out.There is a definite connection between this band and MAGMA as both Patrick Gauthier and Klaus Blasqiuz take part on this record. There aren't enough adjectives for me to describe how much i love the title track.I got so excited the first time i heard it, and will go out on a limb by saying it's the best song i've heard in months.And that is saying something.About a minute into it you get this almost doom-like soundscape, as heavy bass and drums create both thunder and darkness at the same time.At this point i'm taking back all the bad things i've said about this genre.Haha. And i'm turning it up really loud. About 5 minutes in the doom-like melody stops as the tempo picks up.We are still getting heavy bass and drums,just faster and not as heavy.This is great! Some incredible sounding drum work 6 1/2 minutes in as it signals another change as we get some electronics for the first time.Check out the blistering guitar that joins in with the electronics.Nice. 9 minutes in we get a good head banging melody.The heaviness is back 11 minutes in as it slows down.Check out the drumming. "Une Drole De Journee" is a Gauthier composition.This is more in the TANGERINE DREAM style with a twist.The twist being the vocal melodies from Blasquiz. "Bolero" is a side long suite at over 21 minutes.It opens with spacey sounds and drums, before different sounds come and go, and then marching style drums come in.An electronica melody arrives before 4 minutes.The synths are shooting around.This melody ends 9 1/2 minutes in as a new one starts up.The excellent guitar of Pinhas grinds out some melodies 11 minutes in.This is a treat! Percussion is followed by some ripping guitar 16 minutes in.This is such a cool album the way they have balanced the guitar and electronic styles.This is more witnessed on the final track,as overall the guitar wins out, which is partly why i like this album so much. I can't recommend this album enough.4 .5 stars.

Heldon's most jazzy album ! Interface is one of the most often cited release from the band but is not their most accessible. Alternating long guitar driven tracks and short electronic interludes, the musicians push away the limits of electronic music and evolves from their former records. Both very different from Agneta Nilsson and Electronique Guerilla for example, and announcing partially their future masterpiece Stand By.

The "Soucouples" interludes display a mechanical hypnotic ambient theme, evolving at each track. They sound like a soundtrack for robots going crazy ! The first long tune, Jet Girl, features a dark ambient repetitive synthetizer riff dominated by tortured guitars. Whereas the first part of the song is enjoyable, the second part, down-tempo, is rather experimental and a bit chaotic. The beginning of Bal-A-Fou reminds me a little of Pink Floyd's A Saucerful of Secrets. Electronic waves evolve slightly to explode in the second part in a maelstrom of electro-jazz-rock ! Very original ! At least arrives the title track Interface, of nearly 20 minutes. Featuring slow electronic superposed soundscapes with guitar imrovations, the song is firstly interesting, but does not change much trough time, becoming therfeore repetitive and boring. As a surprise, the record finishes with a small blues rock passage !

The remastered version of the album features two bonus tracks capturing Interface played live. They are far more different, evolving, frightening and inspired than the original ! I recommend this version.

Interface sounds like music coming from a degenerated robot: very original, trippy, tortured, experimental but also quite inegal. Not the best place to start with Heldon, Interface is overall a good release from this unique band, away from other electronic mainstreams. 3,5 stars !