PLACEBO

1. "N. W." (6:38) a real bass player! Disco-lite drums. And some more dimensional and dynamic horn arrangements and playing. The problem here is that the band feels stuck in (trapped, confined, sentenced to) a warp of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"-like intro--for the entire six-and-a-half minutes! And the explorations up top are quite minimal. What is Marc thinking with this one? Was this intended for a soundtrack to a Black Exploitation film? (17/20)

2. "Plotselling" (7:37) more music that sounds more appropriate to a soundtrack to a film--a section of coastal driving in which the protagonist detective has to work out some issues in his head--which, of course, would be narrated over the montage and soundtrack music. The usual repetitive left-hand electric piano chords drive this one ad nauseum, but then the muted trumpet, and tout seul drums get some solo time that feels incongruous with "background" soundtrack music. When the rest of the band re-emerges in the sixth minute it is with a different motif: guitars, bass, and horn section accents providing the minimalistic mathematical backdrop to trumpet, and then, synthesizer solos. (13.125/15)

3. "Bosso" (3:20) fast, driving, and dynamic despite still feeling constrained to the production of one very monotonous form. (8.75/10)

4. "Dag Madam Merci" (3:10) now we're gettin closer to the kind of music Marc produced that became so popular among the samplers in the Acid Jazz and Hip Hop world of the 1990s (the sounds that made French electronic band AIR so successful). And there's enough expansion of variety to start feeling like some of Herbie Hancock's early fusion work. (8.875/10)

5. "Hop Hop" (4:32) more two-chord music that benefits from having a Herbie Hancock pop-jazz feel and some nice performances from the collaborators (that are well-recorded, too). Marc's age-mate Philip Catherine's acoustic guitar soloing is not to my tastes but the music has some nice pep to it. (8.75/10)

6. "Tanga" (3:33) the presence of an uncredited accordion is a bit mystifying but I love me some accordion! Marc employs several new, odd synth sounds for his solo injections between the accordion and horn arrangements. Cute but inconsequential. (8.66667/10)

7. "Stomp" (7:35) monotonous bass synth riff with syncopated though-monotonous drumming and very monotonous rhythm guitar chord play, and B,S & T/Chicago-like horn section accents all peppered with annoying synth and trumpet solo riffing leads up to a section with more extended synth soloing (is that a Casiotone?) from Marc. And absolutely no variation or deviation from the main rhythm track from start to finish! Nauseating! (13/15)

8. "S. U. S." (4:22) though still built around a rather stiff, mechanical rhythm track, the light and flighty flute and horn work and flanged rhythm guitar and Latin-funky drum and percussion work make this song probably the most enjoyable of the album! (9/10)

Total Time: 42:37

C+/3.5 stars; an improvement over the two previous Placebo albums--including supported by much better sound engineering and production--there is still something quite stultifying about Marc's compositions that make me feel sorry for the restraints imposed upon his collaborators. I'm rating this up to four stars because of the greatly improved sound quality and slight increase in latitude offered Marc's musicians.

1. "Bolkwush" (4:40) continuing where he left off on 1971's Balls of Eyes, Marc combines Canterbury sounds and stylings with the horn-expanded jazz-rock of American bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears. While the left- hand of his electric piano continues to be the main driver in his compositions, the complexity of the arrangements offered his complementary instrumentalists has increased. I still like very much his horn arrangements as well as the drumming and bass play of Nick Kletchkovski and Freddy Rottier, respectively. (8.875/10)

2. "Temse" (4:40) Again, an increase/improvement in compositional complexity is here--as well as Marc's signature synthesizer experimentations (he and Herbie Hancock's Pat Gleeson would've been fast friends!)--but the dominance of the fast repeating two-chord left-hand electric piano playing becomes quite annoying quite quickly: it's too loud, distracting and detracting from the performances of the other musicians! (8.75/10)

3. "Phalène" (7:50) the crowd noises (and sound quality of the recording) betray the possibility (fact?) that this is a live recording. Once again I find myself feeling quite strongly that this song is an experimental working out of one of Marc's mental mathematical problems--one of what I imagine were dozens (for each problem). Were the herd bells really necessary? The horn play is really the most redeeming element of this one. (13/15)

4. "Balek" (4:20) fast-pulsing synthesizer bass open this one, expressing in a two-note pattern, followed by standard, metronomic rock drums. Synthesizer, horn blasts, and electric piano join in along the way with some soloing done by Marc (using several keyboard sounds) and a saxophone. Yet another execution of a possible solution to one of Marc's math-musical ideations. (8.75/10)

5. "Polk" (3:20) finally a fairly loose and predominantly funk-marinated Jazz-Rock Fusion song. Motile electric piano, dynamic drums, congas, and rhythm electric guitar lend themselves to a much more lively, vibrant, and full core over which the offerings of the horn section and other solos (predominantly coming from Marc's keys) can shine. (8.875/10)

6. "Only Nineteen" (3:50) using the same sound palette of instruments (and sounds) as the previous song, the motif explored here feels like a variation on a riff from Paul Desmond's "Take Five" or Billy and Gene Page's "The 'In' Crowd" (or a combination of the two). Though it is lively and uptempo, Marc's electric piano is the dominant instrument throughout--which makes it, for me, get a little boring. (8.75/10)

7. "Red Net" (5:40) a slowed-down variation on the structure and melodies of Frank Sinatra's version of Ervin Drake's 1961 composition, "It Was a Very Good Year." Frank Rottier's drums are so far in the background and the horn section's inputs so minimal that this might as well have been a solo electric piano piece--and I'm just not that big of a fan of keyboard soloing. (8.6667/10)

8. "Re-union" (5:20) a single droning bass synth note opens this one before Marc adds a few more keys to create chord movements to the drone. By the time we're knee-deep into the second minute I'm convinced this is like a TANGERINE DREAM exploration of a BACH organ prelude. Interesting but, I have to repeat a complaint that I registered with another one of Marc's albums: couldn't these experimental explorations of possible solutions to the personal mental musical problems that Marc is obviously inundated (and fixated) with be left to his own private, in-home sessions? I mean, this is exactly the kind of playing around that my brother and I used to do with analog and computer keyboards we began acquiring in the 1980s--but we never felt we needed to publish them as a means to filling out a full album's worth of music! (8/10)

Total time: 39:40

I'm beginning to feel a little cheated by Marc Moulin--genius that he is--for making the public suffer unto his musical musings and experimental explorations to solutions of his mathematical quandaries. Most of the time, the performances of his supplemental musicians seems relegated to expression or extensions of things he himself could do (and would have done)--they feel that superfluous and expendable!

C/three stars; an inconsistent and often filler-feeling collection of renderings of Marc Moulin songs that leave me feeling sorry for the wasted time of the contingent of excellent supplemental musicians hired to deliver them.

1. "Inner City Blues" (5:10) an awesome cover (and tribute) to one of the greatest artists and albums of the 1970s. The piano is not recorded very well, but the instrumental palette and unusual vocal performances (and engineering) by Guy Theisen are worth every penny spent on recording this one. (9.125/10)

2. "Planes" (3:01) jazzy and creative instrumental jazz-rock with interesting structure and experimental keyboard sounds and solo styling. Perhaps a little too mathematical and, therefore, simplistic in its construct, it is still quite interesting. (8.75/10)

3. "You Got Me Hummin'" (6:12) piano musings and mental (mathematical) experimentations accompanied by metronomic horns, drums, and bass. Again, this is interesting from a mathematical perspective. The sudden appearance of Guy Theisen's David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears)-like scratchy male vocal at 2:20 comes as quite an unexpected surprise. The bass and horn accents get a little funkier after Guy's first go-round, but the song plays out quite like a B,S & Tears song. (8.75/10)

4. "Humpty Dumpty" (2:35) this one has the lightness and sound palette of an early Canterbury Style song (shades of future COS) while the horn section provides accents and counterpoint to Marc's treated electric piano musings. (8.875/10)

5. "Aria" (4:48) This sounds very much like a continuation or variation on the music and theme of the previous song-- using the exact same instrumental sound palette with perhaps a little more creative freedom and volume given to Nick Kletchkovski's excellent bass play and a different timbre coming from the now-reed/woodwind-dominated horn section. Marc's electric piano is still ubiquitous--and he plays a wicked clavinet solo in the fourth and fifth minutes--but I like the dominance of the horns as the presenters of the main melody and several of the front-and-center solos. (9/10)

6. "Showbiz Suite" (7:28) more explorations of the typical Dave Stewart Canterbury sound palette with pretty cool horn arrangements jumping off of Marc and Nick's fairly constant one-chord bass anchor. Here Marc is definitely experimenting with several synthesizer sounds as well as a variety of effects applied to his electric piano. The thing that makes this special--exciting and interesting--is the looser, freer expression coming from all directions: Freddy Rottier's drumming is more enthusiastic and creative, as is Nick's bass play and several of the brass and reeds corps. The three movements of the suite are quite distinctive from one another: each driven by Marc's left hand chord play on his warm electric piano. Too bad the recording of the horns is so scratchy (bad mics?: all of the plug-in instruments seem fine). The group horn arrangement in the final movement is very similar to the style American band Chicago was (13.25/15)

7. "Balls Of Eyes" (2:02) Marc's solo piano musing here sounding like something Thelonious Monk might do just for practice or amusement. (4.25/5)

8. "Oh La La" (1:01) sounds like an excerpt from a live performance in which some full choir is singing over the band's Latin-infused big band Rockabilly. (4/5)

Total time: 32:17

B/four stars; a nice display of musical musings that are imitative variations on common Jazz-Rock and early Canterbury Style sounds, songs, and structures.

A1. "Le Saure" (6:00) since this was before sampling existed, I am going to go out on a limb and guess that Marc himself took on the duties of laying down the awesome electric bass track. The rest of the music has wah-wah-volume- pedal-controlled Charles "Skip" Pitts/"Shaft"-like rhythm guitar and piano-like electric piano with a whole bunch of interesting experimental synthesizer sounds parading around on top. I surmise that it is Marc, as well, who undertook the guitar part as it is also uncredited as otherwise. Awesome rhythm track. (9/10)

A2. "Misterioso" (1:43) Marc and Placebo-mates Philippe Catherine (guitar) and Richard Rousselet (flugelhorn) playing an indiosyncratic tribute to Thelonious Monk over drummer Garcia Morales funky/syncopated drum play. (4.375/5)

A3. "From" (3:35) mysterious cinematic music performed by Marc with keyboard maestro Jasper Van 't Hof and Garcia Morales' orchestral percussion support. But who played the STEVE HILLAGE-like "floating" guitars and the autoharp? Interesting and effective--even memorable. (8.875/10)

A4. "La Bougie" (4:14) fast-panning heavily-reverbed electric piano chord play opens this before Marc's synth bass and Garcia Morales' solid, driving drum track establishes a funky and rhythmically-mathematical rhythm track. Here Marc toys around with a synthesizer for his initial leads before giving way to his solo Brian Auger-like (electric? or electrically-enhanced?) piano. Whereas the bass lines offered on some of the other songs must come from a stringed instrument, this one is obvious that it's a synthesizer bass being played by the keyboardist's left hand. (8.75/10)

A5. "Le Beau Galop" (1:58) bluesy piano and trumpet. N'Orleans here we are! (4.25/5)

A6. "Le Blouse" (4:37) a deeply-hypnotic EARTH, WIND & FIRE/BOBBY CALDWELL-like rhythm track that has my sampling-self salivating (I can understand the crowded lineup of Acid Rock and other 1990s and 2000s Hip Hop artists for sampling this.) Everybody will recognize this enticing groove for its presence in slightly adulterated form in "La femme d'argent" the massive hit from French band AIR's downtempo electronic classic 1998 debut/breakthrough album, Moon Safari. Steely Dan-like piano chord hits are peppered effectively throughout the song, over the amazing bass 'n' drum rhythm track, and the bass line is doubled up by a heavily-treated synth "boing! (spring)" sound in the main meaty sections of the song. Marc chooses an odd synth to quietly, almost unobtrusively, lead for the first half of the song, alternating with his "piano" for the choruses and electric piano for the solo in the extended instrumental passage that takes us to the end, but, otherwise, there's not much to this! (8.875/10)

B1. "Tohubohut" (17:20) (35.25/40) a. "Tohubohut I" (5:11) single piano chord hit, water in the tub-or-sink splashing sound, bass drum hits, toms, eventual awesome BARRY WHITE "(I'm Gonna Love You) Just a Little More Baby"-like solo drum track build before the synth bass and synth horns and, later, real trumpet form the meat of the tune. Nice Acid Jazz beat before there was such a thing as "acid jazz." If Bruno Castellucci is this good at imitating the drum patterns of Barry White songs (especially this, Barry's best song ever), it's no wonder that his drumming on Jan Akkerman's 1977 masterpiece, Jan Akkerman seduces me so. (9.25/10) b. "Tohubohut II" (4:09) 90 seconds of synth sound experimentation through chord progression hits, sounding exactly like the work of synth pioneer LARRY FAST on his early SYNERGY albums. Around the two-minute mark the music shifts into a funky Cobham-like drum, bass and reverberating Fender Rhodes groove over which Richard's "distant" wah-wahed muted trumpet solos. Then Marc steps to the fore with his right hand on the piano while his left continues to play the reverb Rhodes chord pattern (and funky synth bass line). (8.875/10) c. "Tohubohut III" (2:10) Richard Rousselet's trumpet soloing in what sounds like animal sounds (predominantly elephant) while something Marc is playing makes warthog grunting sounds--for two minutes! Quite playful, somewhat humorous, but, ultimately, selfish and masturbatory. Not sure I really wanted or needed to hear this! (4/5) d. "Tohubohut IV" (2:07) really fun, oddly-timed, hugely-spaced piano and trumpet hits. It's like performing (or being subjected to) one of Miles Davis disciplinary exercises--the ones that mess with your mind! I have to admit that it's kind of cool though not exactly the kind of music you want to listen to for relaxation, love-making, or background ambiance. (4.75/5) e. "Tohubohut V" (3:40) provides a return to the theme, palette, and style of the suite's opening movement. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 38:46

A lot of the music on this album feels quite experimental. In fact, I'd say Marc was more interested in fooling around with all of the new technologies in sound and sound engineering--especially with his synthesizers--than he was in creating new masterpieces of music that other musicians will want to emulate. It's all for entertainment: for both Marc and his perceived audience. (Witness the bass synthesizer throughout the album.) The music is smooth, funky (but not stanky), and quite serene, never really disturbing or grating. Marc's melody lines and chord progressions are, I'm sure, advanced and jazz-calculated but, like Bob James, they rarely stray outside the average, uneducated listener's comfort zone.

B/four stars; eminently entertaining and futuristic smooth jazz that is powered by Marc Moulin's creative curiosity and his drummers' considerable prowess. Just not the masterpiece other people are claiming (that I was sincerely hoping to find).

This is some of the absolute best Jazz Rock/Fusion I have heard. I remember my first time through it, and getting more excited after each track but also waiting for the dud, but it never came. Without question a five star release that I just can't get enough of. Pair this with Marc Moulin's debut solo album "Sam' Suffy" and I have two of the best Jazz Rock/Fusion records in my collection. Marc the keyboardist here is a joy to listen to. This record also defies logic for me with all the horns in play but for some reason this record works for me big time.

I honestly could close my eyes and pick any five songs as my top five. So consistent. A must!

Marc Moulin is one of my favourite keyboardists, I'm not into the speed and flash that most are impressed with, give me that tone please. He would be part of the avant Belgium band AKSAK MABOUL, as well as the incredible COS. He is so funny, he is a border line comedian and I will always feel indebted to him for also releasing under his own name a compilation record of the best tracks from the first three PLACEBO albums that couldn't possibly be more perfect. These two recordings blow me away and show in part the kind of legacy Moulin and PLACEBO left behind.

I can't get over the sound of this record. It's like listening to Miles at times and many of those incredible American Jazz/Fusion bands of the early seventies. I have had this on repeat the last two days just refreshing myself with this beautiful album. It's so consistent and high end that I just have to bump this up to 5 stars. Of the seven tracks only two of them would I give less than 5 stars to as far as songs go. One is the only cover on here of a Thelonious Monk tune but under 2 minutes and then "La Bougie" also under 2 minutes and both are good but man the rest is gravy all the way.

Released in 1975 and under 40 minutes, it also includes the side long suite called "Tohubohut" at over 17 minutes which is broken down into five tracks. I mentioned Marc's humour, check out part III that had me laughing out loud the first time I heard it and still continues to make me smile. It sounds like two horns talking to one another and laughing too. Has to be heard, hilarious. When I mentioned American Jazz/Fusion like Miles that is especially heard on the opener "La Saule" and "Le Beau Galop" two tracks that take their time and offer the most incredible sounds including this bass driven groove I love. Why am I thinking Bill Cosby here, I have a hard time putting into words how this album sounds and how meaningful it is to me.

The flugelhorn/trumpet, electric piano and bass just could not be more perfect and the bass player is uncredited which bothers me because it is so important to the sound here. Who was it? My music!

"Inner City Blues" is a pretty good opener with vocals. I like how it starts with percussion and piano as vocal melodies join in along with bass and drums. Soon he's singing the lyrics but the vocal melodies aren't over yet. Flute before 1 1/2 minutes then more vocal melodies before a change arrives after 4 minutes. Not into this section with the high pitched vocals and piano but it's brief. Horns and drums take over to the end. "Planes" is beats, horns, keys, flute and more. It picks up after a minute as horns honk and the electric piano impresses.

"You Got Me Hummin'' is another vocal track and this one has a lot of soul in it. Piano and a beat to start then horns after a minute before the vocals arrive. Not really a fan of this one. "Humpty Dumpty" is a short but enjoyable instrumental where sounds beat and pulse as the horns come and go. "Aria" has to be my favourite. It opens with the sounds of children playing before a relaxed sound of bass, drums, keyboards and horns take over. Sounds like clavinet then flute before 4 minutes.

"Showbiz Suite" is the longest tune at 7 1/2 minutes. A laid back start with drums and piano before a variety of horns join in. This continues until we get a bass solo starting after 3 1/2 minutes lasting less than a minute before returning to that earlier sound. "Ball Of Eyes" has piano melodies throughout this 2 minute song. "Oh La La" is the one minute closer of someone singing the title of this track over and over. Sounds like an old school tune.

So a mixed bag for me but some nice highs on this one.

"Bolkwush" is a great opener as we get keys, drums and bass right away as horns arrive blasting and they will come and go. Love that trumpet just before a minute as other horns continue to come and go. I also like the low end sounding keys and bass along with the steady, punchy sounding drums. "Temse" has intricate drum work as horns and flute kick in briefly. The electric piano takes over as the horns return. Such a good groove to this one as the horns come and go over top. Some clavinet too after 2 minutes.

"Phalene" has a relaxed sound to it of electric piano, drums and a horn to start. Bass joins in as well to this lazy and smokey sounding song. Such a chilled-out track as it drifts along with different sounds coming and going over top. Love that electric piano. "Balek" might be my favourite though. We get these deep sounds that pulse as drums help out. Melancholic synths and horns start to come and go. Electric piano after a minute. The melancholic synths are back after 2 1/2 minutes to the end.

"Polk" is kind of funky as electric piano joins in. Horns before 1 1/2 minutes replace the piano but the latter returns a minute later. "Only Nineteen" opens with bass and drums and they create an excellent sound here as the electric piano joins in quickly. Some brief blasting horns before 2 1/2 minutes before they turn steady playing over top.

"Red Net" has relaxed electric piano as slowly played horns join in. This is really laid back. Electric piano leads the way for the most part other than early on and late. "Re-Union" is different from the rest. Atmosphere hums and hovers as it floats along throughout. Sounds like electronics over the final minute which is kind of cool.

Another solid album by these jazzers from Belgium. 4 stars.

"N.W." opens with bass, a beat, cymbals and electric piano before the horns kick in. All these sounds come and go here and it's quite laid back and relaxed. I really like this. Tasteful is the word with the bass and drums being the constant throughout as other instruments come and go.

"Plotselling" opens with electric piano and cymbals followed by guitar and a beat. Flute before a minute. Horns start blasting around 1 1/2 minutes. Some nice guitar work after 2 minutes, very fluid. I love this stuff! It almost stops 4 minutes in as a drum solo kicks in and lasts until after 5 minutes when the electric piano, bass, guitar and more join in. Horns follow and they will get dissonant before 7 minutes.

"Bosso" opens with electric piano, drums, bass and guitar as a horn comes in over top. This is fairly uptempo and jazzy. The guitar replaces the horn after a minute with some fast paced playing. The flute joins the guitar a minute later. Catchy suff.

"Dag Madam Merci" starts out with bass, electric piano and a beat before the horns come in blasting followed by some jazzy guitar. Man that sounds like clavinet before 1 1/2 minutes. "Hop Hop" again opens with bass, drums, electric piano and more before the horns arrive blasting after 1 1/2 minutes. Some interesting intricate guitar melodies in this one. Why could they not have named this "Hip Hop"?

"Tanga" opens with the drums and electric piano sort of playing together as horns come in briefly then synths before the horns return. Accordion after a minute as it is contrasted with synths until 2 1/2 minutes in when the horns return.

"Stomp" must be a code name for funky? Yes this is funky and we get some trumpet after 2 minutes then the horns blast before 2 1/2 minutes as the funk continues. Synths to the fore then it's the horns again before 5 minutes followed by a manipulated horn. Electric piano then starts to lead late.

"S.U.S."opens with sounds that echo as cymbals can be heard and sparse percussion. Bass and drums join in just before a minute then a horn. So cool. Trumpet just before 2 minutes. Melancholic synths replace the trumpet after 2 1/2 minutes until horns arrive again at 3 1/2 minutes.

If your into that early Jazz/ Rock sound similar at times to NUCLEUS and Miles you should at least have a listen. A solid 4 stars.

With a large brass section consisting of a 4-piece trombone/ trumpet/ clarinet/ sax personel (among them Richard Rousselet of Julverne fame), additional members on guitars, bass and drums and of course Moulin on keyboards and piano, Placebo's debut seems not quite intricate or adventurous to speak the truth.Moulin's first effort relies a lot on smooth and relaxed jazzy arrangements with a melodic approach and very light interplays, quite accesible to say the least with only occasional and non-risky solos.The sound flirts at moments with Horn Rock in a BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS vein with harmonic trombones and saxes but also with Funk and even Soul, especially when vocals are present.It is rather doubtful if such an easy-going sound will satisfy the progressive listener, however there are a couple of exceptions which deserve a specific mention like the short but nice ''Humpty Dumpty'', where the Canterbury-like guitars and electric piano meet the fine performance of the brass section, as well as the longest cut of the album ''Showbiz Suite'', a Canterbury-flavored piece with a definite SOFT MACHINE/HATFIELD AND THE NORTH edge, where the solos and instrumental battles are endless yet inspired, electric piano, saxes and bass are on the forefront and actually this is possibly the only piece in here prooving Moulin's great talent.

The album has some good moments to satisfy fans of Jazz-Rock,Horn Rock or Jazz-Fusion,but it is still very far from a demanding listening for the average progressive fan.Recommended only to lovers of the aforementioned closely related styles...2.5 stars.