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ALBERT MARCOEUR

RIO/Avant-Prog • France


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Albert Marcoeur biography
ALBERT MARCOEUR, French multi-instrumentalist/composer, was born on December 12 1947, in Dijon, France. During his formal education of clarinet at the National Academy of Music and Dance of Dijon, Marcoeur actively participated in many straightforward college rock 'n roll bands. Closing an end to his formal training Marcoeur's musical visions had gravitated towards the experimental facets of music, wishing "to do nothing else but make my own music".

In 1970, the realisations of Marcoeur's 'unclassifiable' forays found their conception, marking the being of studio life. It was to be another four years until the release of his first self-titled album, which still ranks as his greatest recording to date. Loosely classified as proto-RIO chamber-rock, the album lays down several RIO foundations [much like Robert Wyatt's, "The End of an Ear"], later to be picked up by the likes of Aksak Maboul. As with all great albums, controversy was only a step around the corner, with a helping hand of an unauthorised 'loan', the albums closing bars containing "two two-note chords that I had found on a jazz classics album".

While embracing the 'avant-garde' in the true sense on of the word, Marcoeur's compositions took a tight but balanced approach, giving even the most absurd noises a homely feel. Smitten with humour, Marcoeur has more than once been hailed the French reply to Zappa [though less prolific]. Historically his influence cannot be denied, producing another three albums of high calibre, before wandering off into more clichéd avenues.

While an acquired taste, ALBERT MARCOEUR's early works are highly recommended.

===Adam (Black Velvet)===



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Discography:
Albert Marcoeur, studio album (1974)
Album à colorier, studio album (1974)
Armes et cycles, studio album (1979)
Celui où y'a Joseph, studio album (1984)
Ma vie avec elles, studio album (1990)
Sports et percussions, studio album (1994)
m,a,r et cour, comme cour, studio album (1998)
Plusieurs cas de figure, studio album (2001)
L'Apostrophe, studio album (2005)
Bus 24, DVD (2006)

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ALBERT MARCOEUR discography


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ALBERT MARCOEUR top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.83 | 34 ratings
Albert Marcoeur
1974
3.24 | 25 ratings
Album a Colorier
1976
3.24 | 17 ratings
Armes & Cycles
1979
3.25 | 14 ratings
Celui où y'a Joseph
1984
4.36 | 11 ratings
Ma vie avec elles
1990
3.33 | 3 ratings
Sports et percussions
1994
4.44 | 9 ratings
m,a,r, et coeur comme coeur
1998
4.38 | 8 ratings
Plusieurs cas de figure
2001
4.57 | 7 ratings
L'Apostrophe
2005
3.31 | 7 ratings
Travaux Pratiques
2008

ALBERT MARCOEUR Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

ALBERT MARCOEUR Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

ALBERT MARCOEUR Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

ALBERT MARCOEUR Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.25 | 4 ratings
Untitled (split with This Heat )
1982

ALBERT MARCOEUR Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Celui où y'a Joseph by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1984
3.25 | 14 ratings

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Celui où y'a Joseph
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars 3.5 stars. This is album number four for Albert released in 1984. A complete change with the cover art and I'm not getting it. The music too is different at times, drifting into darker places with the bassoon which was introduced on his previous album "Armes & Cycles" but we also get harmonium here. Both are used to great affect on the song "Con Que J'etais" where UNIVERS ZERO comes to mind. But still there's lots of humour on this record, created by the vocals but with them being in french I'm missing out.

The music is fairly serious though and yes Zappa is constantly brought up when talking about Marcoeur. You know? Funny lyrics and vocals over some serious, well played music. That's Zappa. Again Albert is adding samples to the music which I like, and he brought his two brothers back. Again! Both are playing drums and percussion this time. I like this one and the previous record "Armes & Cycles" the best when it comes to Albert's music. This is Albert's music, not my music.

 Armes & Cycles by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1979
3.24 | 17 ratings

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Armes & Cycles
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars 3.5 stars. "Armes & Cycles" is Albert Macouer's third studio album and probably my favourite. Released in 1979 I was surprised that he decided to record this at a different studio than his first two. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised when the studio in question is run by Laurent Thibault who recorded and mixed this album. And hey! Laurent's wife Jacqueline is playing organ on here! She also goes by the name Laurence Vanay and released two strong albums in the seventies.

Album number three from 1979 continues with the humour and style of the first two records, but this might be more accessible to my ears. It's not until that final track of side one though that I'm nodding in approval. I like the intricate sounds and harmonies on it as well as almost spoken words. A guitar solo before 2 minutes and a determined sound make this the first highlight for me on the album.

"Son Sac" might be the best though with the catchy sound and strummed guitar. Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes and some depth too, and that final 1 1/2 minutes is the best part of the album. And it's the longest song at almost 6 1/2 minutes. The closer would round out my top three. It's a nice sounding piece with contrasts. Beautiful guitar and relaxed vocals. Not very avant.

Albert is such a talented and uncompromising artist, but he sure isn't for everybody. For me this is his high water mark although I really like the one that follows this too. And I think it's funny that he's brought his two brothers back again and it seems like with each release they are given more responsibility(haha).

 Album a Colorier by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1976
3.24 | 25 ratings

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Album a Colorier
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars I almost get this feeling of deja vu with this second release from Marcoeur. Yes the similar cover art helps with that, and the music at times too but this just doesn't feel inspired to me like the debut. A been there, done that, just not as good. Albert's two brothers are back both playing percussion and one clarinet. Again a lot of light intricate sounds. And I think that's in part why I prefer his next two albums because he brought in bassoon and harmonium. Some depth and a little darkness.

This was released in 1976 and is 31 minutes long. Around 13 musicians and a lot of horns and vocals. I mention depth and that's why my favourite song on here is "Le Pere Grimoine" as we get some of that rare depth after a minute. Some samples on here too like car's honking and engine's revving on that very short opener. More samples on the short Fermaz La Porte" of someone opening a door and walking around. I'm no into the longest tune "La D'dams" with those rough vocals and sound. "La Cueilette Des Noix" is pretty good. Jazzy, light with reserved vocals, then spoken words.

Like the majority this is my least favourite of his first four.

 Albert Marcoeur by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.83 | 34 ratings

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Albert Marcoeur
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars 3.5 stars. I really do not look forward to reviews like this when I know the hard core avant fans love this record. It should be obvious that I rate and review as a fan, not as a critic, and not objectively. I'm just not into Albert's music at all. And I've tried, spending a week with each of the four albums I own by him. I love that he was uncompromising. He would make the music that he wanted to make, end of story. No expectations.

Albert went to school to better learn the clarinet, but perhaps he's probably more known as a drummer. He's playing clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax, soprano sax and woodwinds on here besides percussion. It's just over 32 minutes and seven tracks. And how cool is it that Francois Breant did the cover art and adds his voice to the choir on the closer. Albert has two of his brothers on here playing bottle. Yes I did say that. Reminds me of hanging out with the long hairs at my brother in laws and jamming, and them giving me a shaker to dance around with.

The opener is my favourite by far. Some vocals on here which helps make this sound very french. The second track "Simone" opens with samples including sheep before it picks up with percussions and horns. The recorder arrives late and dominates. Not big on this one. More samples on "Appalderie" of cars and stuff before experimental sounds take over. This ends well at least. I have a hard time with the quirky and spastic "Que Le Temps Est Long". Bombastic with plenty of horns. The 2 minute sixth track sounds like it would be funny with that conversation to start along with violin.

The closer is well done with the floating organ and recorder leading early before it picks up with a lot of percussion and those multi-vocals. The music on here is quite humerous and yes words like zany and circus-like come to mind while listening to this record. He's known as the french Zappa. This is 1974, and this album is influential.

 Albert Marcoeur by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.83 | 34 ratings

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Albert Marcoeur
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars Often considered the French version of Frank Zappa, that is for those few who have even heard of him, ALBERT MARCOEUR has gained that reputation not so much for emulating the great Mothers of Invention leader but rather for matching him in musical dexterity, unbridled humor and the ability to transcend musical genres that craft music that is so far outside of the box that some may even doubt that this is music at all but alas! MARCOEUR not only crafts melodies albeit buttressed with unconventionalities but displays a sense of wackiness woefully absent outside of the music scene from the 70s when experimental artists were getting all heady.

However despite all the differences from Zappa, MARCOEUR did exhibit some similarities which meant he was one of the few to engage in unhinged freewheeling idiosyncrasies that still almost 50 years later allow his music to sound utterly unique and unlike anything that i've ever heard. And much like Zappa, MARCOEUR was a professional perfectionist who studied his craft from every angle. His journey began at the Conservatoire National de Musique in his native Dijon, France where he studied clarinet and in the early 60s he played in several bands including The Lake's Men.

Beginning in 1970 MARCOEUR worked with the Kapak group as a resident musician in the Studio Frémontel where he met clients such as Jean-Luc Ponty as well as other notable musicians of the era and it was here that he gained an extensive knowledge in the multi-track recording process in the studio. After years of leaning his craft and developing his own warped sense of style, MARCOEUR recorded his own twisted sense of reality and released his eponymously titled debut album in 1974. Graced with cover art of a Frankenstein fusion of musical instruments, the artwork perfectly symbolizes the sounds contained within.

With playful yet manic and complex fueled by energetic quirkiness and avant-garde adventurism, MARCOEUR's debut album is a goldmine of experimental musicianship run amok. With an unorthodox roster of instruments involved, MARCOEUR displays his own eclectic mastery of not only his clarinet skills but also of exotic percussion, pipes, saxophones, piano, bird calls, horns and whistles but also includes a league of lineup musicians featuring trombone, bottles (alto and bass), recorders as well as a chorus of crazy choral singers only this may be considered vocal experimentation rather than singing.

The downside to this one for those who don't speak French is that all lyrics are in that language and play a vital role in the album's absurdity as it's laced in as much humor as it is freak fueled spastic outbursts of avant-prog angularities, however even non-Francophiles can appreciate this as the silliness and playful nature transcends language barriers. Basically this album is a bizarre musical journey unlike any other. It plays out like a Mr Bungle album where things change unexpectedly and the stylistic approach morphs through an ever-changing mix of timbres, textures, tones and time signatures which is all on display with the album's opening track "C'est Rate, C'est Rate" which features a bizarre oddly-timed funk groove with a dissonant guitar riff and freaky tape manipulations along with sporadic percussion and madman vocals en français.

Described as a cross between an unplugged punk band and a carnival barker, one indeed can hear the great Zappa's influence here although MARCOEUR does an excellent job finding his own musical vision. While the instrumentation and avant-prog wizardry are out of the Zappa playbook, the vocal style is much more akin to the schizoid deliveries of Captain Beefheart and the album crafts a nice mix between accessible moments and complete utter unhinged madness. Listening to this it's fair to say that this guy surely must have been on Mike Patton's playlist and has obviously been a major influence for some of the modern avant-prog bands from France particularly the equally jittery bands PoiL, PinioL, ni and Vazytouille.

If you're looking for something unique from 1970s France, don't forget to include ALBERT MARCOEUR on your list with Magma, Moving Gelatine Plates and Ange. This is indeed for fans of Zappa but will also please those who love Henry Cow, Samla Mammas Manna, Aqsak Maboul and Ma Banlieue Flasque. Love it or hate it, you cannot say you've heard any other album like this that crafts a dexterous mix of experimental rock, avant-prog and zolo. MARCOEUR has continued to release many albums over the years and has remained fairly obscure until the age of the internet has allowed his unique musical visions find a new audience. Personally i find this self-titled debut to be as worthy as any of Zappa's craziest moments and despite the all French lyrics, much of the album is dedicated to instrumental workouts that prognosticated the complexities of the world of avant-prog. Excellent!

 Albert Marcoeur by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.83 | 34 ratings

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Albert Marcoeur
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Dobermensch
Prog Reviewer

4 stars This is a very short, silly and yet totally inspired album bursting at the seams with weird and wonderful sounds. Albert Marcouer may have been a trained Clarinetist but this recording is far more interesting than this may suggest. In some ways he sounds like Frank Zappa from a few years earlier but is far more experimental, frantic and ridiculous.

Only the French seemed capable of this kind of maniacal goofiness in the early to mid 70's. Thankfully the vocals are recited in that language, leaving me non the wiser as to what's irritating him so much. The vocals are bleated out like a 70's French Film Star. When he sings it's like listening to prog geniuses 'Moving Gelatine Plates'.

This album is similar to 'Etron Fou Le Loublan' another French band who released similar wackiness from the same period. While Krautrock was at it's height in Germany, the French seemed to go in a different direction completely.

Tin cans, horns, pops and squeaks are all condensed into a fast flowing sea of madness, which gets more hilarious the further it progresses. By the end I've got a big 'Cheshire Cat' grin on my face like someone's been tickling my ribs. Sped up tape manipulation of zany sounds only adds to the fun.

It's like watching clowns at the circus in their tartan jackets as their car falls to pieces. The doors falls off, the steering wheel detaches, the engine backfires and the wheels go wonky. None of it makes any sense of course, but it has a light hearted playfulness that is missing from many recordings from this era. If only all music was carried out with such gay abandon I'd be a happy guy.

 Travaux Pratiques by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 2008
3.31 | 7 ratings

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Travaux Pratiques
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk

3 stars With his last album L'Apostrophe, Albert he had already worked with the Bela Quartet (I'll let you guess what are this ensemble's major influence) and he had carried on in various works with Anne Bitran and her show (2006 I think) and some film music Le Pressentiment for actor JP Daroussin (released 2007). Both works had used the quartet and now in Marcoeur's tenth album Travaux Pratiques, he's still busy exploring possibilities with the quartet. With only his two brothers as other musicians (aside Albert's multi-instrumentalism), the ambiance stay relatively the same as l'Apostrophe, but the text seem to relate more with 2001's Plusieurs Cas De Figure where Albert was attacking a few personalities, here he seems to attacks "les beaufs" (best translated as the mindless pack of society) and more precisely their habits such as TV, smoking, ambitions and conflicts (of interest?), and its consequences (stats, women and forced libido, competitiveness etc?.

Sooo, the loops used inside the movie are the direct source of this album (or at least the start of more experimentations, made into a show called Travaux Pratiques in Dijon in June 07, and subsequently recorded afterwards to see release in spring 08? Right from the start Bourrée En La gives you the main ambiance with the quartet being the focus of the music throughout the whole album, sometimes with acidic lyrics Si Les Fumeurs) sometimes a bit deeper (Stock De Statistiques), but it seems that he is less humorous than previously. The music is also peppered with electronics, but keeps a slightly dissonant feel as it always had. While the quartet's string-only sound is modern-classic-sounding (ala Bartok), we're tempted to seea little of AZ or UZ in the music, and it's only partly so, because the music has much vocals, which not the case of these two formations. Is TP a more essential album than Apostrophe or any other Marcoeur album? I don't believe so, but then again all of his album are at least worth a hearing, beit from 35 years ago or from last year.

 Celui où y'a Joseph by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1984
3.25 | 14 ratings

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Celui où y'a Joseph
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk

3 stars 3.5 stars really!!!

Fourth album recorded almost 5 years after A&C, but Albert keeps almost the same team, even if he lost François Ovide (guitars), replaced by Jacques Garret; and by now Herouville was a little passé so he changed studios, but it wasn't enough to change much to Albert's musical adventures. Again there are a bunch of shorter tracks, but the would-be title track is well over 8 minutes-long. And the original artwork has been changed apparently

Opening on two almost instrumental tracks, the first being about waking-up in the late morning and the music is fittingly relatively simple (by Marcoeur standards) as is the following Téléphone Privé. The album-long Joseph takes a different and repetitive beat and a harmonium and its dronal sonorities slowly bring new sinister moods that were not yet part of his vocabulary. The impressive Con Que J'étais dives into the breach and develops the new grounds and most likely Albert has heard Univers Zero and Present by now. And that track is easily the best track on the album. Ballade A Jean however returns to previous ambiances, as most of the rest of the album. The end of the album is less interesting with Bonne Entente and Comme Avant (like before) that nail the debate shut and ends like previous albums. Just another worthy album in Marcoeur musical endeavours, one that still hovers between Zappa, Samla, Area, Stormy Six and more of the same, even (and that's new) Univers Zero, but it's good to see that the RIO people kept a strong stance throughout the 80's and never allowed themselves to use that decade's dreadful studios techniques and samplings.

 Armes & Cycles by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1979
3.24 | 17 ratings

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Armes & Cycles
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk

3 stars If the team that had operated on Albert Marcoeur's first adventures had been drastically changed by his second album, he chose to keep roughly the same team (that still included his brothers Claude and Gerard) , but this time he changed the premises, opting for the famous Hérouville Studios and Laurent Thibault behind the console . Opting again for the same artiste for his sleeve artwork as he had for his first two, Armes & Cycles is in the direct continuation of his previous works but, here, he makes sure his musical adventures are more accessible to a wider public. As in the Colorier album, the tracks are kept rather short except for two longer (but mid-length) ones, including a n instrumental that reassures us that Albert is indeed capable of writing "normal music".

Indeed, right from the opening track Ici, and despite a difficult intro, once the track is ion, we get a good guitar-lead tune that opts for ultra nervous vocals, but on the whole the music is not too complex. Ditto with Emploi Du Temps including some normal solos, but the following Dame is not Albert's nicest idea, to say the least, despite a good instrumental ending and overall sound sonic foundation.(are you sure you're following me?) With the first instrumental Linge Sale (dirty laundry) serving a bit as an intro to Histoire d'Offrir and its piano line and the Kelzmer-influenced instrumental Ampoule Grillée doing as much for Reveil with almost Doo-wop vocals, A1C steers towards madness the no-return point at the turning of the disc.

There is an incredible moment halfway into Son Sac where the vocals go into canon-style delivery and the result is simply awesome (although you'd better understand French), and elsewhere the closing Bonjour Monsieur could've been written by Steve Hackett in his early solo effort (from Please to Defektor, but not on Mornings) and features two acoustic guitars, one with steel strings, the other with nylon strings. Interesting

A&C is an easier album to "get", mainly because the music is more evident (and accessorily more accessible) but don't get me wrong, this is not for every pair of ears, even for the ones frequenting our beloved site. Not as good as the debut album, but better than its sophomore effort , this is the third strike for Marcoeur, but he's scoring a run.

 Album a Colorier by MARCOEUR, ALBERT album cover Studio Album, 1976
3.24 | 25 ratings

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Album a Colorier
Albert Marcoeur RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk

3 stars Marcoeur's second album would have you believe it's got a lot to do with his debut, because the artwork is related to its predecessor. But life is not so easy! Yes indeed we're still in Marcoeur's improbable and whacky world of Looserland, but the personnel is completely different, even down to the technician, while retaining the same recording facility. The tracks are also much shorter on the average), pushing the interplay to smaller songs that emphasize the goofy atmosphere rather than privilege instrumental interplay, even if it doesn't alter Marcoeur's ability to write weird but complex stuff, although Zappa 's comparison might be a bit over-done. The traffic-jammed Monsieur Lépousse opens the album, a fine overall performance by everyone but topped directly by the out-of-breath Fugitif vocals is dictating the insane pace of the music, even if the Chaussure track is a little insignificant. Probably the album's highlight, the Wyatt-influenced Père Grimoine is a strange track that seems to be a natural bonus track for Rock Bottom. Indeed, opening on a piano the track is a slow suicidal soft- layered track. As one highlight is followed-up by the excellent instrumental Doctorine, where the soundscape veers a bit nightmarish, with a rare electric guitar dropping a few decisive growls, the tracks succeed each other effortlessly and the album zips by quickly.

Other tracks are without much interest, not only musically but lyric-wise, like the percussive Jus D'Abricot (goofy & brassy) or Cueillette Des Noix (overstaying its welcome once it gets in the recitative mode) or the only non-Marcoeur track, Fermez La Porte, a short almost- concrète intro to Là D'dans. Later in the album, Marcoeur veers 10 CC with the less- complex Elle Etait Belle, which happens to be another apex in the album with again that same guitar counter-pointing decisively the rhythm, before the album ends in a non-end almost a capella Ouvres-Toi

Definitely not as successful as its predecessor, AAC is still worth a spin for the curious, but is not quite essential and will probably please only hardcore Marcoeur fans. Clearly Marcoeur could e quite successful as a "normal" songwriter for he has many good ideas, but cares not to exploit them by expanding them into commercial music. He prefers hiding his ideas and bury them deeply enough so he becomes a musician's musician.

Thanks to Geck0 for the artist addition.

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